THE
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SUMMER 2016
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What’s Inside
It feels good to be a Spartan! And some have known that to be true for a long time. Three students from this year’s graduation class have been enrolled at The Burlington School for a full thirteen years.
Third time’s the charm! This past June we celebrated the third commencement of The Burlington School. The ceremony was thoughtful, inspiring, and full of joy. It was a very special day for our graduates and their families.
Mr. Melvin Tunstall III made his way back to Burlington this June. He honored TBS with his presence as the keynote speaker for commencement. His speech was motivating, heartfelt, and inspiring.
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STEM is coming to TBS! To get the ball rolling in Middle School, Barbara Seibold has started teaching a trimester of coding.
STEM is coming to TBS! A STEM elective course, a robotics class, and 2 makerspaces will be added to facilitate students’ study in STEM fields.
It may be summer, but there is still plenty happening at TBS! Below are some of our summer campers. It’s not too late to sign your kids up for summer fun!
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These brand new Spartan Alumni have a very special place for TBS in their hearts. They’ve gone to school here for their entire lives!
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I have gone to The Burlington School since I was 5! The school has been a wonderful place to grow up. From my experience, the school was a place for me to grow and thrive without limitations. My teachers pushed me to be extraordinary. They believed in me and made it so I believed in myself. The Burlington School has been a place where I do not have to hold back, rather it allows me to mature and experiment with all types of learning and opportunities I wouldn’t get anywhere else. It has been a place where I have gotten to travel and perform around the world, volunteer in all areas, allowed me to meet and learn from world famous people of all types, and has challenged me to exceed what I am capable of. -Emma McQueen ‘16
John started attending the Burlington Day school in Preschool-3. He stayed there through 8th grade, then moved to The Elon School for 9th grade. Along with the others, he stayed with TBS through the merger and finished out his final high school years here. He will be attending UNC Charlotte in the fall.
I started here when I was in PS3. I loved it. I can’t express how thankful I am for all three schools. At each one I was given so many opportunities to grow and mature. The teachers are very professional and always available. I was never afraid to spark up a conversation or ask them for help. Their is nothing like it around, and I can’t believe I had the privilege to experience it for 17 years. I love everyone at the school and they will always be with me. It was a true honor. I can’t express the magnitude of how awesome all three were. They were and will always be amazing! -Fletcher Riddle ‘16
John Vossers ‘16
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The Third Commencement
The third graduating class of The Burlington School celebrated commencement on June 9, 2016 at Elon’s McCrary Theatre. All seventeen seniors have distinguished themselves academically and have made secondary education plans. This group of wellrounded individuals embodies the Spartan mission to a tee; they will be missed. We wish them the best of luck in all of their future endeavors. We know that they will carry their education from and the spirit of TBS everywhere they go. Top: The senior class poses before graduation. Right: Nathan Holt and Fletcher Riddle. Bottom left: Deja Cousin and Carrington Young. Below middle: Kelly Bender and Jeremy Bost. Below right: Emma McQueen and Mr. Wall. Bottom right: Jamison Pennix and family.
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Keynote Speaker “Right here is the future of our country,” said Mr. Melvin D. Tunstall III at The Burlington School’s commencement ceremony on June 9, 2016. Tunstall, an Alamance County native and Broadway performer, was this year’s keynote speaker. “Never give up on your story,” said Tunstall; it was the resounding theme of his speech. He told the audience that his Broadway breakthrough in Beautiful:The Carole King Musical didn’t come until he was 37. He had gone to New York when he was younger, but left following the September 11th attacks. He said that during the time he spent back in North Carolina, he never stopped believing that Broadway might happen for him.
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At the heart of his speech, he mentioned an adage his mother always told him, “what’s for me is for me. What’s for you is for you.”
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Above: Melvin D. Tunstall III addresses the audience during commencement.
Be extraordinary
According to Tunstall, he heard this often as a kid, but didn’t fully grasp the concept until recently. He shared his belief that celebrating others’ success shouldn’t be hard. Their success was always meant to be theirs, and by that standard, he argued that “your success will be yours.” Tunstall admitted that he has to be the best in his field, so competition is nothing to shy away from or hate; however, that does not mean that competition needs to be ugly. His success came at 37, and that was his destiny. He encouraged the graduates to see life through the lens of compassion, to understand that one day what is meant to be for them will happen.
At the end of his time on stage, he once again addressed the seventeen young ladies and gentlemen sitting in the front row specifically. “Be extraordinary,” he told them with a glowing smile. He told the audience to believe in their dreams and to focus on their own story, “no one is better at being you than you.” He left the graduates with these words, “I’m inspired by you, I believe in you, and I can’t wait to see what your story holds.”
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Creativity Coding In anticipation of next year’s STEM curriculum, Ms. Seibold is preparing middle schoolers with an introduction to coding.
This past spring trimester Barbara Seibold offered the first Creative Computing class for Middle School students. The class focused on building web stories and games using Scratch.
Scratch is a coding program that was developed to help kids think critically and work through problems logically. With Scratch, the middle schoolers first produced videos in time with music or sound. As the term continued, they progressed to manipulating code to create games.
Their first games were very simple in concept and structure. For example, one of their first projects was to write code for a racing game. The students created characters, a track, and designated controls to move the characters. Once they mastered racing games, they honed their skills by developing more challenging games.
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jobs in computing are the biggest source of new wages in the country
Ms. Seibold said that the class proved to be very popular and that many of the students excelled with the program. Due to the popularity of the class, two sections of Creative Computing will be offered in Middle School for the 2016-17 school year. The first would be a beginner course and the second would be an advanced course where the students delve into new coding languages.
Ms. Seibold developed the idea for a full trimester class from a 2015 WOW week course in coding. Many students showed high levels of interest, so she expanded her knowledge of the subject and developed the coursework for a longer class. The other part of her motivation came from her research about jobs available in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields. According to code.org, jobs in computing are the biggest source of new wages in the country. The site also states that the computing job market is expected to grow far more than any other field. Armed with that knowledge, Ms. Seibold is confident that the work she has put into this class is well worth the experience it provides for The Burlington School’s students.
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Right: Darrion Coffer and Ellie Richardson participate in national Hour of Code program.
STEM science • technology • engineering • math
The 2016-17 school year will bring a STEM initiative program to TBS for all of our students. Our goal is to help students develop integral skill sets for a successful career in any field.
Problem Solving Critical Thinking Logistical Analysis Collaboration Creative Thinking Problem solving, critical thinking, and collaborative learning are just a few of the benefits that our students will receive from working with the STEM subjects. They will also learn to work through problems and see how the process affects the final product. Due to the nature of STEM subjects, our students will take a very hands-on approach to learning. This experiential learning will often take place in our new makerspace. Our makerspace is part of a larger movement that brings people back to creating something with their own ingenuity; it might be developing digital media, creating closed circuits, or building with blocks. Each campus will have a makerspace next year that will have age-appropriate tools. On our Upper School campus, the makerspace will act as the classroom for the STEM elective course and the new robotics class.
Top photo: Mr. Duffy explains equipment to Upper School chemistry students. Left: Luke Ivey and Lige Reese conduct a science experiment. Right: Mr. Duffy helps Lucas Otto-Britez and Trey Cousin safely complete their experiment.
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PS3-12 • COLLEGE PREPARATORY • INDEXED TUITION 1615 Greenwood Terrace/408 West Davis Street Burlington, NC 27215 • 336.228.0296 www.theburlingtonschool.org
Back Cover: Olivia Mitchell smiles while working hard on her math work.
@tbs_spartans Front Cover: Dustin Blank drives the ball for the varsity golf team during one of last spring’s competitions.