On Saturday, January 21st, 31 students and 8 chaperones (our largest group ever!) began the 9th annual Civil Rights Trip. Participants are spending seven days exploring sites in the South important to the movement, and meeting with activists who took a stand to demand integration on buses, in schools, in restaurants, and at polling places. This year, 10th, 11th and 12th graders from City College High School, City Neighbors High School, and The Park School are traveling together by motor coach - another first! For the past eight years, we have found that this trip has provided immeasurable opportunities for private and public school students to share common experiences, engage in meaningful dialogue, and creatively construct ways they can become activists in Baltimore. We know the same will be true again this year. Click the headline to see journal entries from the participants.

Two abstracts, featuring the data collected and analyzed by Park upper school students in collaboration with university graduate students, were accepted into the International Polar Year Conference in Montreal, April 23-26, 2012. The permafrost and toxicology studies conducted by Park students in the Arctic this summer authentically contribute to the broader body of scientific information pertaining to Arctic ecosystems. Further, the work raises ecological awareness while training future scientists and environmental stewards. Watch this space for additional information about the conference. Click on the headline to see the students' blog from their trip.

The Park Parents' Association is pleased to announce Manil Suri, professor of mathematics at UMBC and acclaimed author, as Resident Scholar for the 2011-2012 school year. Suri's novel, The Death of Vishnu — about social and religious tensions in India — was long-listed for the 2001 Booker Prize and short-listed for the 2002 PEN/Faulkner Award. He is also author of The Age of Shiva, and "The Seven Circles."

In a program that has spanned more than 30 years, the Park Parents' Association sponsors Resident Scholars to present to the Upper School student body and meet with classes throughout the day. Manil Suri visited Park on Wednesday, January 25, 2012.

The 2011-12 Park Annual Fund

Updated January 26 with news of fifth-grader Lance Rombro's recognition among Maryland's Top Ten ten-year-old swimmers in numerous events. Read more.