Sunday, April 27, 1 pm to 4 pm
Nueva Upper School
Join us for an afternoon of presentations, performances, hands-on workshops, and interactive exhibits, as Nueva students PreK to 12 and their families explore what it means to build a society.
You’ll choose your own adventure from a menu of 30+ unique sessions led by our special guests and Nueva students, faculty, and parents. Make a plan using the session descriptions and the schedule at a glance. Food trucks will be parked. by the cafe lawn to provide afternoon snacks and treats before and after sessions (free for guests!).
Parking is available in the on-campus garage and adjacent overflow lot. Please enter through the 28th Avenue driveway and check in with the onsite Nueva security. We recommend all attendees park on campus due to stricter San Mateo parking enforcement in the Bay Meadows neighborhood. For those who prefer public transportation, CalTrain’s Hillsdale station is just one block away.
NOTE: Please be advised that this is *not* a drop-off event. Parents are invited to join their child(ren) in the lower school sessions (required for preK-2, at parents’ discretion for grades 3 to 4).
Session descriptions

Lower/Middle School

Middle/Upper School

All Ages
1 to 2 PM
Middle and Upper School students.
Frak is a Bay Area rapper, songwriter, freestyler, comedian, and person. He is a cast-member on Nick Cannon’s Wild N’ Out, and has performed on platforms such as Sway, On the Radar, Kai Cenat, MTV & BET.
All ages.
Ellie L ’26 and Rachel Y ’26 are co-leads of Art and Writing for Social Impact (AWSI) club, a team that creates school installations and galleries to promote community engagement and activism within the arts.
Lower and Middle School students.
Raksha Kashyap ’35 has been a fanatic of mythology since 1st grade. Greek mythology is especially close to her heart and she is excited to share at the Humanities Fair.
2nd grade and older.
Deborah Snyder is a Math Specialist and Math Curriculum Coordinator for Nueva’s Lower School.
5th–8th grade students. (2nd–4th grade session at 2 p.m.)
Linda Janklow is the founding director/educator of Peopleologie, a hands-on humanities and cultural arts program for ages 5 to 105. https://www.peopleologie.com/about.
Middle and Upper School students.
Ayaan D is a Nueva Upper School student.
6th–12th grade students (younger students OK with parents present; the instruments are fragile!)
Hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as “a gifted San Francisco bassist and composer whose alluringly original music draws on a rich range of classical, jazz and indigenous music,” Matt Small has been developing his own cutting-edge, multi-genre work in the Bay Area since 1997. With a deep dedication to his craft and an unrelenting spirit of curiosity, Small explores a wide variety of musical traditions while exercising “a strong aesthetic sensibility” (Down Beat Magazine). Small has found inspiration from a vast array of music, including jazz, experimental, popular, Western classical, and indigenous music styles from around the world.
6th grade and up.
Grace C is a senior at Nueva.
All ages.
Celina Liu ’31 and pianist Xueyang Wang. https://www.h-musicandarts.com/teacher-xueyang-wang
Middle School and up.
Moderated by Craig Sprosts and featuring Abigail Wen – author, film director ; Karin Wood – Nueva Communications Director; Liza Percer – author & editor; Joy Alferness – public policy advocate, nonprofit leader.
Upper School students.
Corey Rosen is a writer, actor, visual effects producer, and storytelling teacher based in San Francisco. He hosts The Moth StorySlams and GrandSlams, and has been featured on The Moth Radio Hour. Corey is a performer at BATS Improv, one of the world’s foremost centers for Improvisational Theater and is the author of “Your Story, Well Told: Creative Strategies to Develop and Perform Stories that Wow an Audience” and “A Story for Everything: Mastering Diverse Storytelling for Any Occasion,” a comprehensive guide to storytelling for professional, educational, and personal success. www.coreyrosen.com. Instagram, TikTok and Facebook: @storyrosen.
7th grade and up.
Rich Booher teaches philosophy at De Anza College, Marie Burks teaches history and philosophy at Nueva Upper School.
All ages.
Felicia Viator is the associate editor for the Made By History column at TIME. She will be joined by Erica Wetter, a LS parent and acquisitions editor for Stanford University Press; and Lindy Jensen, an US teacher and passionate advocate for scientists to engage with the public through storytelling.
3rd–8th grade students.
Khalid Birdsong is an art teacher and cartoonist living in the Bay Area. His comic strip Little Fried Chicken and Sushi is syndicated on GoComics, and he’s worked as a freelance illustrator and published several comic book collections.
2 to 3 PM
7th grade and up.
Aside from being Nueva School’s Director of Equity and Inclusion, Shawn Taylor is a senior fellow with the Pop Cultural Collaborative, cultural critic, music writer, folklorist, and The Moth storySLAM winner. For most of his career, he has been an advocate for healthy masculinity. His proudest accomplishment is the creation of the, “What I Need You To Know…” (2025) audio project, an inter-generational work where men and boys express what they felt the world needed to know about their experiences.
All ages.
Ellie L ’26 and Rachel Y ’26 are co-leads of Art and Writing for Social Impact (AWSI) club, a team that creates school installations and galleries to promote community engagement and activism within the arts.
Lower School students.
Boyi Phiri is a Nueva parent.
All ages.
Lower School associate teacher Fen Zhang is a passionate educator and lifelong learner dedicated to nurturing curiosity, connection, and growth in classrooms and beyond.
2nd–4th grade students. (5th–8th grade session at 1 p.m.)
Linda Janklow is the founding director/educator of Peopleologie, a hands-on humanities and cultural arts program for ages 5 to 105. https://www.peopleologie.com/about.
Middle School students. (Upper School Geobee is at 3 p.m.)
Rachel is the Nueva communications and website manager and ‘resident triviamaster.’ During COVID lockdown, Rachel facilitated and led more than 25 trivia games for members of the Nueva community. She loves trivia and seeing how much Nueva community members know!
6th–12th grade students (younger students OK with parents present; the instruments are fragile!)
Hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as “a gifted San Francisco bassist and composer whose alluringly original music draws on a rich range of classical, jazz and indigenous music,” Matt Small has been developing his own cutting-edge, multi-genre work in the Bay Area since 1997. With a deep dedication to his craft and an unrelenting spirit of curiosity, Small explores a wide variety of musical traditions while exercising “a strong aesthetic sensibility” (Down Beat Magazine). Small has found inspiration from a vast array of music, including jazz, experimental, popular, Western classical, and indigenous music styles from around the world.
3rd–5th grade students.
Sharmistha Ghosh is the 4th grade humanities teacher at Nueva.
All ages.
Violist Dimitri Murrath is a member of the Esmé String Quartet and Professor of Viola at San Francisco Conservatory of Music. French Horn player Mitchell Mutz was a member of the Stuttgart Opera Orchestra before pivoting to a career in biotech and venture capital.
Lower School students. (Sabrina Moyle is offering a second session on storytelling for Middle and Upper School students at 3 p.m.)
The Moyle sisters are the creative team behind Hello!Lucky and their bestselling books for children.
7th grade and up.
Bill White is the founder of Happy Baby Signs, author of Signs of a Happy Baby.
Upper School students.
Tony (Tao) Zhang is a Critical Thinking expert and a member of the Critical Thinking Foundation. With a background in engineering and over 20 years in IT consulting, he now teaches thinking skills to kids and adults. He loves writing, traveling, and helping students develop clear, logical, and open-minded reasoning.
Upper School students.
Violet C is a Nueva student in class of ’28. Melanie Thernstrom is a NYT best-selling author, memorist and journalist. melanie.thernstrom.com.
Middle School students.
Jamie Gao teaches Mandarin at the Upper School.
3 to 4 PM
All ages.
All ages.
Ellie L ’26 and Rachel Y ’26 are co-leads of Art and Writing for Social Impact (AWSI) club, a team that creates school installations and galleries to promote community engagement and activism within the arts.
Lower and Middle School students.
Taryn H is a Nueva Upper School student.
2nd grade and up.
Priscilla is a Third Grade Lead Teacher and loves to see all the wonderful poetic creations students make each year.
Upper School students.
Kelly Huang has dedicated her professional career to expanding access to and interest in contemporary art. She is the founder KCH Advisory, helping individuals build meaningful collections of contemporary art. Kelly was previously the Co-Director of Gagosian San Francisco, where she curated exhibitions and programmed special events. Previous to that, Kelly spent ten years as an art advisor with Zlot Buell + Associates in San Francisco, helping a new generation of Bay Area clients participate at every level of the contemporary art world while building and managing curated collections of art. She also has extensive experience in building corporate and public art collections. In addition to advising private clients, Kelly serves as the Art Basel VIP Representative for the West Coast, US and is the founder of the biennial Gold Art Prize, a partnership with Gold House to support and elevate artists from the Asian diaspora.
Upper School students. (Middle School Geobee is at 2 p.m.)
Rachel is the Nueva communications and website manager and ‘resident triviamaster.’ During COVID lockdown, Rachel facilitated and led more than 25 trivia games for members of the Nueva community. She loves trivia and seeing how much Nueva community members know!
6th–12th grade students (younger students OK with parents present; the instruments are fragile!)
Hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as “a gifted San Francisco bassist and composer whose alluringly original music draws on a rich range of classical, jazz and indigenous music,” Matt Small has been developing his own cutting-edge, multi-genre work in the Bay Area since 1997. With a deep dedication to his craft and an unrelenting spirit of curiosity, Small explores a wide variety of musical traditions while exercising “a strong aesthetic sensibility” (Down Beat Magazine). Small has found inspiration from a vast array of music, including jazz, experimental, popular, Western classical, and indigenous music styles from around the world.
Upper School students.
Misasha Suzuki Graham is a facilitator, writer, storyteller and speaker regarding issues of racial and social justice, especially when it pertains to youth, the co-author of Dear White Women: Let’s Get (Un)comfortable Talking About Racism, and the co-host of Dear White Women, a social justice podcast (www.dearwhitewomen.com OR https://www.linkedin.com/in/misasha/).
Upper School students.
Abigail Hing Wen is an author, film producer and director as well as former tech executive. She is the New York Times best selling author of multiple novels for young people, including Loveboat, Taipei, which has been adapted as the movie Love in Taipei, now on Netflix. Abigail served as an executive producer and on set during production. Her novel Kisses, Codes and Conspiracies, a thriller and romantic comedy novel featuring three teens on the run through the Bay Area is an instant National Best Seller, USA Today Best Seller and Amazon Editor’s Pick for YA Book of the Month. Abigail is directing her first short film starring Lea Salonga, a prequel to her middle grade debut THE VALE, coming September 2025, and featuring an inventor family that builds an AI generated virtual world. She serves on the board of Harvardwood. Abigail is a frequent keynote speaker for young people, including Y’Allfest, US Presidential Scholars, and the Los Altos High Writer’s Week, as well as libraries, schools and bookstores around the country.
Middle and Upper School students.
Parent Sabrina Moyle (The Cosmic Adventures of Astrid and Stella) and 6th grader William A (Of Toast and Trebuchets).
3rd–6th grade.
Bill White is the founder of Happy Baby Signs, author of Signs of a Happy Baby.
Upper School students.
Chris Scott (Ph.D., Stanford University) has been teaching Japanese, Japanese culture, and translation studies at Nueva since 2014. He is also an active and accomplished translator himself, having published three book-length translations from Japanese, including most recently Kim Tal-su’s “The Trial of Pak Tal and Other Stories” (Seoul Selection, 2022). Ted Theodosopoulos (Ph.D., MIT) has been teaching Math and Economics at Nueva since 2017. He designed and taught a seminar in linguistics at the Saint Ann’s School in NYC, and he led a workshop on Logic and Language at Nueva. For the past sixteen years, Ted has been writing poetry, in both English and Greek, and has worked on several literary translations, most recently Dora Tsogia’s new play, “The Peach Tree” (premiered in Athens, 9/14/21).
3rd–8th grade students.
The Creative Youth Collective helps young writers bring their stories to life, share them widely, and donate book sale royalties to organizations creating positive change. www.cccproject.space.
Middle School students.
Mason S ’30 and Yuka Tomita (mom).
All day
Cafe lawn.