The ARTchives is a work-in-progress.
We are always delighted to receive a note sharing a memory and a great story. Here are some of our favorites.
”The Story of Our School” (2017)
Essay written in 2017 for a special project initiated by the San Francisco Unified School District —2017 marked the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Nancy Yoshihara Mayeda Campus.
“Dangerous Crossing” (circa 1995-96)
A playful and perfectly cast 90’s blockbuster, “Dangerous Crossing,” features Principal Nancy Mayeda in the starring role.
Xeroxed copy of a humorous film review written for “The Rooftop Independent” by Rooftop Librarian Rob Smiley, circa 1995-96.
King Kong & The Rooftop Rainbow (1972 & 2012)
When Ernie, Bob and Gus came to visit Rooftop in 2012, as special guests for the world premiere of“On The Rooftop,” an opera created in celebration of Rooftop’s 40th Birthday, we had a chance to ask the founders about the origins of the school mascot Kong.
San Francisco’s Geographic Center (2016)
A brass marker indicating the nearby geographic center of San Francisco (37° 45’ 16.356940” North latitude by 122°26’33.16387” West longitude) is installed on the sidewalk right outside of Rooftop School, inspiring the 2016-2017 art study, Art Is @ The Center.
On The Neuroscience of Narrative and Memory
Weaving learning into a story makes learning more interesting, activates the brain’s positive emotional state, and hooks the information into a strong memory template. The memory then becomes more durable as the learning follows the narrative pattern through sequences connected to a theme, time flow, or actions directed toward solving a problem or reaching a known goal.
Edutopia: The Neuroscience of Narrative and Memory (2017) https://www.edutopia.org/article/neuroscience-narrative-and-memory