Inkwell May 2017

Inkwell ANNIE WRIGHT UPPER SCHOOL

MAY 2017

Inside new field opens 4 GATOR ATHLETES PLACE IN STATE

tennis program demystified

THE ATHLETICS ISSUE

ANNIE WRIGHT UPPER SCHOOL

Inkwell

Contents

MAY 2017

827 North Tacoma Avenue Tacoma, WA 98403 inkwell@aw.org | 253-272-2216 Issue 4 | Volume 55

Editor in chief, print

Lexy Sullivan Editor in chief, online

Katie Erickson Managing editor

Allison Fitz Student Life editor

Nina Doody Features & Arts editor

Abby Givens

new field & Plans FOR NEW gym revealed BasketbalL celebrates record season Spring Sports & STATE competition Highlights The college Lineup Tennis program demystified athletes compete beyond the gator senior athletes share their wisdom

2 5 7 10 14 18 20

News editor

Faye Prekeges Inkwell aims to provide the Annie Wright community with dependable and engaging coverage of school, community and global topics. Timely articles of all genres are published weekly at anniewrightinkwell.org.

In addition, four themed news magazines are published during the school year and distributed around campus. Submissions of articles and photographs, correction requests and signed letters to the editor are most welcome. Please email the editors at inkwell@aw.org. All published submissions will receive credits and bylines.

Find us online: anniewrightinkwell.org

from

the editors

Strong academics have traditionally defined Annie Wright in the community. Now the school is at a turning point, diversifying its offerings and putting more emphasis on sports. Some may argue that investing resources in sports in such a small school is counterproductive, but we believe this investment is important.

Team sports build life skills including commitment, engagement, time management and teamwork, all of which translate to the classroom. Sports also teach mental toughness, perseverance and the inevitability of failure, which provide insight into the true purpose of school: learning and improving.

Exercise relieves stress, improves health and promotes a positive body image. Developing this habit at school helps students make exercise a lifelong routine.

A competitive sports program will expand future enrollment to include a wider variety of students, including athletes. During the admissions process, prospective students may look for a thriving sports program and Annie Wright’s previous limited athletic facilities and lack of team championships could be off-putting for serious athletes.

A strong athletics program offers a certain excitement and school spirit. Team success leads to increased school pride.

Even small symbols such as a mascot promote a strong sense of identity.

Investing in athletics enhances the reputation of Annie Wright. A muddy public park or traveling to another facility to host home games doesn’t cut it. By investing in athletics, we are raising the caliber of our overall experience and culture. Sports don’t have to detract from academic excellence. We can do both.

The epitome of scholar-athlete, sophomore Anna Haddad, a runner, works on math homework with her coach and math teacher Troy Droubay at a recent track meet.

This year four seniors committed to college athletic programs, elevating the national reputation of Annie Wright. From left to right, Britnie Casillas will play volleyball for Pomona-Pitzer, Courtney Cureton will row crew for the University of San Diego, Virginia Miller will throw the javelin for Stanford University, and Annika Cederstrand will throw the javelin for the University of Wisconsin.

Inkwell | April 2017

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Construction crews put the finishing touches on the new all-weather turf field.

The Turf is Always Greener

James Memorial Field elevates Annie Wright athletics

by Abby Givens

With final approval from the City of Tacoma on May 18, the long awaited all-weather turf field officially opened to sporting events. The field debuted with a faculty/student soccer game on May 18, followed by a donor gratitude event on May 19. Annie Wright is will host the annual Powderpuff game against Charles Wright today, May 31.

(See back page for details.)

The new field will replace our old “unplayable and unsafe field,” according to Head of Schools Christian Sullivan. The old field, built in 1923, was not regulation size, and the soccer team was unable to use it for home games.

For years to come, students will use the field as “a play space, a competition space, and a practice space,” according to Director of Athletics Mike Finch. Lower School kids can play on it during recess, and sporting

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practices as well as games will also take place on the new turf field. Once fall comes around, the soccer team will get full priority and utilization of the field, in addition to hosting home games there.

With the new turf field, however, comes new rules and guidelines. According to Finch, “The general rules adhere to the yellow curb policy; so beyond this point no food or beverages.” Other rules include no dogs, no gum and no heels or long studs. Even with new limitations on the field’s use, however, Finch stated he was “super pumped” about the new development.

The field is named for Rex James Bates, father of Annie Wright's Director of Business Development Rex Bates and a major philanthropist of Annie Wright.

Inkwell | MAY 2017

but wait, there's more!

new gym coming soon

Plans for a new gym are underway to accompany the new and improved turf field.

The gym will offer more space for Annie Wright students to play, practice and compete. According to Head of Schools Christian Sullivan, the building process is estimated to begin in nine months.

“The process has already started in terms of permitting and the design and architecture,” said Sullivan.

Multiple rough designs propose the connection of the new gym and the already existing Kemper Gym, including a small lobby in between the two, in addition to possible plans for a competition-sized pool and dance, weight, or exercise room.

Coaches and athletic teams that currently occupy the Kemper Gym will have more space and allow for greater participation with the planned addition. “I think students of all ages will use the new gym far beyond what people think,” said Director of Athletics Mike Finch. He added that the new athletic facilities, including the expanded turf field and the gym, “don’t just enhance sports; recesses can also be held in big, open, safe spaces.”

by Abby Givens

the new gym will offer more space for annie wright students to play, practice and compete. the school plans to break ground in spring 2018.

This sketch from Mithun architects shows a possible design for the new gym, left, connected to the current gym by a small lobby.

Inkwell | MAY 2017

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Record breaking season for varsity ballers

by Lexy Sullivan

Annie Wright Upper School’s 2017 varsity basketball team was more than just a hardworking, inspiring group of athletes doing what they love; they were record breakers.

The team won 14 games this past season, more than any other Annie Wright basketball team in history. On February 2, with their 40-26 win over Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, the team broke the previous school record of 10 season wins.

Senior Abbey Turner led the Gators in scoring, along with senior Virginia Miller and sophomore Amhina Webb. The team outscored their opponents by more than 20% this season and played strong defense, keeping opponents to 32 points on average.

“When I first came to Annie Wright, the basketball team wasn’t known for winning and nobody really came to the games,” said Turner. “I’ve watched the Annie Wright basketball program grow and I am extremely proud of my teammates and the success that we had this year.” Turner made the 21st Annual Washington/North Idaho All State Girls Basketball team again this year, marking the third year in a row she was selected to represent the West.

“Although I am not much of a sports aficionado, I very much enjoy watching the Annie Wright basketball games, as it gives me the chance to see my students excel,” said Upper School science teacher Donald Sidman. Attending almost every home game, Sidman has been able to watch the historic team develop. “This year’s team is exciting to watch, and is certainly the best team during my tenure at Annie Wright,” he said.

Senior Abbey Turner, an all-state player, led the team in scoring.

Chomp, the Annie Wright Schools mascot, gets the crowd going at a basketball game. Attendance was significantly higher this season than in the past several years.

2017 Varsity Basketball Team Seniors Courtney Cureton, Virginia Miller, MariA Peterson & Abbey Turner Juniors Raquel Berman, Phoebe Brown & Zyaire Cheatham Sophomores Kelsey Seo, Rhiannon Simmonds & Amhina Webb Freshman Helen Wei

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Inkwell | MAY 2017

Finch dreams BIg for Gator athLetEs

by Nina Doody

In Director of Athletics Mike Finch's short time here at Annie Wright, he has developed an ambitious vision and accomplished significant growth, such as adding more athletic options throughout the school.

Finch joined Annie Wright in 2016.

After earning his BA from Harvard University in 2006, where he played football for four years, Finch taught Middle School math for seven years at at Charles Wright Academy, where he also coached track & field and football.

Growing up, Finch considered himself “an athlete at heart and an athlete at mind.” He said he feels inspired to share this positive athletic outlook with the Annie Wright community.

“I tend to take the philosophy that if you think something is right, just dive in head first and do it; surround yourself with good people and tweak it along the way,” he said. He has put this philosophy into practice as he develops new athletic programs at Annie Wright.

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His journey so far has not always been easy. Bumps along the road, including limited facilities, have stood in the way of creating full programs in all three schools. Facilities are soon to be substantially improved, however, with the addition of the new field and gym.

Read more about these on pages 2-3.

Finch recognizes that finding the balance between athletics, academics, and activities and be difficult at times, but maintains that when they tie together, the results can be extremely rewarding. “We just need to make sure we pair athletics and academics, or activities and academics, so they can go hand in hand and complement each other,” he said.

“I also think people just assume that winning in an athletic environment is the only way of identifying successes, and I disagree,” he continued.

Finch identifies positivity and the relationship between athlete and coach as equally paramount.

Looking into the future, Finch hopes to hire more coaches who have truly positive personalities, and who can take charge in their respective sports across the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools. With outstanding participation in Lower School sports, a bottom-up approach from the Lower School up into the Upper School is Finch’s long term goal.

Here are excerpts from Inkwell’s interview with Finch.

Inkwell: How has the AW athletic program developed since you have been working here?

Finch: I think we bit off a lot, quite possibly more than we could chew with the Lower School program, but I tend to take the philosophy that if you think something is right to do, just dive in head first and do it. Surround yourself with good people and tweak it along the way as opposed to waiting years and years to map it out and crossing your fingers, hoping it works beautifully. Any time there's new

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"I tend to take the philosophy that if you think something is right, just dive in head first and do it; surround yourself with good people and tweak it along the way."

leadership it brings new expectations, and it takes people a while to understand them and the new vision.

Inkwell: With new sports such as ultimate, and track having outstanding participation this year, do you have any hopes for more participation in Upper School sports?

Finch: Yes. I added ultimate this year...it's a wonderful sport, and it’s booming in the Pacific Northwest.

We needed to have more options and we need to have avenues for all our students to remain active and pursue passions outside of academics.

We’re currently looking at adding a few other sports in the spring, and lacrosse might be one of them. Our spring numbers remain quite high and we need to make sure that girls have opportunities. If your rosters are vast, your opportunities are slim.

We need to look at what else we can offer. Similarly in the winter too, we only have one sport, but badminton could brew, and could fencing be part of something that could take off? Not everybody is just drawn to a basketball hoop and court.

Inkwell: What inspires you to grow the athletic programs?

Finch: Selfishly, my children. The reason I am in education is my dad

died when I was 16, and my coaches and teachers were the ones who wrapped their arms around me and said “Hey, let's fight this together.” I had tremendous support throughout my family too, but I just felt an extreme connection to athletics and to education. I have always felt like the best way to give back to those who gave to me was to do the same that they were doing. I had such a positive [team] experience growing up that I’d love to see everybody have that same type of team experience; even if it's an individual sport like golf you can still have the team experience. Track and field was probably the greatest time in my life, not football believe it or not.

It would be cool for all Annie Wright kids to experience positivity, love, and support outside of the classroom.

Inkwell: What are your athletic development ideas for Annie Wright in the upcoming years?

Finch: We kind of took a bottom up approach with athletics. The long term goal is to build from the bottom to the top with Lower School athletics.

In Lower School we had 33 kids, boys and girls, try out for volleyball; this spring our racing team (as we call it), cross country and track had in excess of 50 students; our basketball program had 78 kids; and we are trying to figure out how we can enhance soccer here too. So the long term vision is to create Gator athletes, and make sure they are proudly playing with their classmates on campus right after school. The short term goal is to build from the top down. We have started that with Coach G [volleyball director Jeff Grosshans] and are trying to take a similar approach in some other sports, tennis included, where a director of that particular sport will come in and make sure the program in the Upper School can closely mirror the programs in the Middle and Lower Schools. We need really strong, positive personalities to take control of all three divisions in their respective sports.

Inkwell | MAY 2017

Spring

Athletes

swing, run & throw to victory by Nina Doody The 2017 spring sport season was unforgettable. From crazy rain to 80 degree days, and from limited outdoor space to a new all-weather field, the teams got creative and ended their respective seasons with much to celebrate.

team won all matches except for one. Mike Givens won coach of the year, and the team won the sportsmanship award. Abby Givens and Yoongi Kim received all-league honors as well.

New this year, Annie Wright added an ultimate team.

Girls from all grade levels took part in the ultimate debut.

Coached by Matt Brooke, the team ended their season with two wins and four losses. See further information on ulitmate on page 17.

Upper School track had much greater participation than previous years with a total of twelve members. Coached by Upper School math teacher Troy Droubay, the team had a range of workouts from running at Garfield to lifting in the Kemper, and even dock jumping on hot days.

Three athletes went to State, and all three placed in the top five. Senior Virginia Miller placed 3rd in javelin, senior Annika Cederstrand placed 4th in javelin, and sophomore Anna Haddad placed 5th in the 800 meters. Seniors Elle and Meghan Hansen also ran well all season and proceeded to leagues and districts.

golf team members junior Amy Hou, freshman Yoon Ji Kim, junior Sophie Rockne, freshman Abby Givens, freshman Kayla Mathurin, and sophomore Minyi Jiang

The tennis season had dramatic tensions between competing schools and experienced many twists and turns.

For more information about tennis, see page 14. Seniors Emma Verbovski and Cate Farrell hit well at all of their matches, and freshmen Taylor Anderson, Kaitlin Tan and Nina Ye, and sophomores Erica Chen and Agye Mintah were fierce on the court, crushing their competition. At the final match, all ladies walked away with a win.

The golf team had a remarkable season. Coached by Mike Givens, the team played outstandingly throughout the spring. Freshman Abby Givens had an impressive high school debut, and her highlights include winning leagues at Bellevue Municipal Golf Course and then progressing on to State, where she placed third. Freshman Yoon Ji Kim and sophomore Minyi Jiang also struck well throughout the season and progressed to State. At their league tournament, the golfers tied for first with Forest Ridge. The

Inkwell | MAY 2017

Track team back row: junior Poplar Yang, senior Meghan Hansen, freshman Fiona Wheelehan, freshman Alexandra Bessler, freshman Nina Doody, senior Ivy Cai. Front row: senior Annika Cederstand, senior Elle Hansen, sophomore Anna Haddad and freshman Audrey Johnston. Not pictured: senior Virginia Miller, junior Jin Huang and freshman Sophie Jeter

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An Annie Wright Tradition

by Allison Fitz Although not

mainstream for girls at the time, Annie Wright offered sports from its inception, 88 years before the passage of Title IX.

In 1972 under President Richard Nixon, Congress instituted Title IX of the Education Amendments. The law states that “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” This monumentally changed women’s sports especially.

According to The New York Times in the article “Before and After Title IX,” in 1971 “there were about 310,000 girls and women in America playing high school and college sports; today, there are more than 3,373,000.”

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The Annie Wright athletic culture has developed over the years. The current Technology hallway originally functioned as a bowling alley. Today’s formal May Day celebration used to include athletic events referred to as Field Day. While sports have been part of Annie Wright’s identity for years, they were not always competitive.

Competitive sports were introduced in the 1980s.

Recently, the school has committed to growing its athletic program and expanding opportunities for its students to compete in school sports.

Inkwell||MAY MAY2017 2017 Inkwell

Historic photos from the Annie Wright's archive show student athletes from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Inkwell | MAY 2017

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EN Garde!

Fencing comes to Annie Wright

by Faye Prekeges

Annie Wright will debut fencing in the athletic program for the 2017-2018 school year. Fencing will be a core part of the athletic curriculum that will start in the new Upper School for Boys. Instead of a traditional Physical Education class, the boys will take part in fencing, and Upper School teacher and dorm parent Jeff Barber will have a fundamental role in the new fencing program. Students of the Upper School for Girls engage in the sport outside of school too.

Two Annie Wright girls in particular have established themselves as fencers in their time at Annie Wright.

Freshman Audrey Leonard and Junior Addie Weeks both fence outside of school at Metro Tacoma Fencing Club.

Leonard and Weeks shared their thoughts and experiences on fencing with Inkwell below.

remember thinking “I want to sword fight.” I was in seventh grade, and I asked my mom, and that was my Christmas present that year, though she insisted on coming to my practices for the first few months.

Inkwell: At Annie Wright, how do you stay involved in your sport outside of school?

Leonard: I just have lessons. I have practices during the week and sometimes tournaments over the weekends, so it’s not too difficult. weeks: It was hard at first, and I had to fence only once a week and that wasn’t enough because it was for only two hours once a week. Now, I found a place down here and fence around six hours a week, and the dorm parents drive me.

Inkwell What type of fencing do you do and what do the three types mean?

Inkwell: Is your fencing during the week or is it mainly on the weekends?

Leonard: I do épée fencing. There are three different weapons, foil, épée, and saber. For each they have slightly different rules and are all played slightly differently.

Leonard: It is mostly during the week.

Tournaments are usually during the weekends, but practice is during the week.

weeks: I do foil; it is one of three types of fencing. You can do foil, épée, or saber, but I’ve always done foil.

Inkwell How did you become involved in fencing?

Leonard: I was just interested in it.

I was really interested in Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and swords, so I just wanted to take up fencing. weeks: I really don’t know. I remember seeing it as a kid, and I

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weeks: I fence during the school week Tuesdays and Thursdays for two hours, and on Sunday mornings I fence for two and a half hours. Right now the place I fence is in Hilltop but it’s moving to Lakewood.

Inkwell: Would you be interested in fencing with Annie Wright if it is implemented in athletics in the coming years?

Leonard: Yes, because the fencing club I go to is actually moving pretty far away; they are moving out to

Lakewood and it won’t be convenient for me to go out there anymore. I am hoping, next year, that Annie Wright will have fencing.

WEEKS: Yeah, definitely. I mean, I am really excited that we will have fencing here because not a lot of schools have it. It’s one of my favorite sports out there because it really includes everyone. I have gone to competitions and fenced people way older than me and way younger than me, and it is good to have a really good community, so I am glad Annie Wright will get that.

Introducing fencing coach Jeff Barber...

Jeff Barber is director of residential life and the Upper School’s marine biology teacher, but he will have a new title next year within the Upper School for Boys. While Jeff is not leaving the girls’ school, he will enjoy an addition to his schedule as the head coach for the Upper School for Boys’ fencing program. Jeff is already a fencing coach, so he will be able to jump right into coaching the boys’ program next year. Jeff talked to Inkwell about what his new role entails, the fine points of the new program, and future possibilities for fencing to be implemented in both the boys’ and girls’ athletic programs.

Inkwell | MAY 2017

Inkwell: What is your role in the new Fencing program?

Barber: I am the new coach for the program.

Inkwell: How will fencing be run in the new school?

Barber: There are two periods a week set aside for fencing. I am not not sure about the schedule – it’s a little bit fluid – but they’re supposed to be before lunch on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The boys will have about an hour that will include their prep, warm-up, and lesson. I can imagine there will be times maybe during the weekends and on weekday evenings for the boys to practice, so they can do that too.

Inkwell: Will the classes be held at the current Annie Wright location or off campus?

Barber: I think the classes will be scheduled for the Kemper gym. That is one of the reasons it is such an odd time. I think it is during the Upper School [for Girls] lunch, and some other non-gym time for the Lower and Middle School.

Inkwell: Is there a plan for girls to be able to participate in fencing at Annie Wright?

Barber: Well, Addie helped me do the demo for the boys, and we’ve already talked about options for her involvement. The biggest problem now is the scheduling because the gym is not available when the Upper School girls are available, but I can absolutely see that this could turn into a more of a co-ed activity.

It’s great because fencing is actually a sport where the differences between the physicality of men and women don’t play as critical a role as they do in other sports.

Inkwell: How was fencing chosen as the P.E. class at the Upper School for Boys?

Barber: Good question. I don’t really know because I was approached after the decision was made. I do think some of the things that went into it were what would attract and interest students and wasn’t widely available at other schools, and that it would resonate given popular culture; if you look at Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings, and Game of Thrones, fencing is in these days. I think they were looking also at the resources we had because all you need is a gym floor, and the equipment is not too expensive. I am imagining they were also thinking since I am already a coach, that it would be possible to tap that resource.

Audrey Leonard fences at a competition.

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University of New Hampshire Sciences Po/Columbia Emmanuelle Beaurpere University Genevieve Grant Occidental College Ivy Cai Boston University Aurora Hake Pitzer College Britnie Casillas Washington University in St. Louis University of Wisconsin Elle Hansen Madison Annika Cederstrand Rhodes College Safa Saeed Meghan Hansen Jessie Ju Yale-NUS College University of San Diego Dara Hanson Courtney Cureton Ruby Meyer Whitworth University Emily Harper Tufts University Bella Eisenhart University of Washington Lauren Keltgen Scripps College Jasmine Kennedy Katie Erickson Nina Rubesch Sally Zhang University of Idaho Caitlin Farrell Emory University Elizabeth Rabdau Jeeyoung Kim

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Vassar College Hannah Gaven

University of Puget Sound Ashley Kovalik

by Katie Erickson

School of the Art Institute of St. Johns College Chicago McKenna Sax Mindy Lee Barnard College University of Redlands Lexy Sullivan Lauren Leeden University of Montana UC Davis Abbey Turner Christine Leung Emerson University UC Santa Barbara Emma Verbovski Lily Li Michigan State University University of Toronto Rina Wang Cindy Liang UC Irvine Stanford University Zoe Wen Virginia Miller Vivian Zhou Wake Forest University Yoly Niu

Lewis and Clark College Cosette Williamson

Seattle University Sam Nunez

University of San Francisco Militsa Zaklan-Miller

St. Olaf College Maria Peterson Brandeis University Winnie Qin

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Tennis Program Demystified

by Allison Fitz and Katie Erickson

Tennis players (from left) Kaitlin Tan, Nina Ye, Agye Mintah, Erica Chen and Taylor Andersen

Annie Wright Upper School tennis has both thrived with talent and struggled with restrictions on competition this year. Director of Athletics Mike Finch and Upper School tennis coach Rex Bates helped clear up the rumors and questions floating around the Upper School about Annie Wright tennis teams, programs and eligibility.

As new academic opportunities developed at Annie Wright, the Board of Trustees also set forth a strategic initiative, according to Finch, “to elevate athletics.” In 2016, the school introduced two signature programs designed for Upper School students, the Tennis Program and the Girls’ Business & Entrepreneurship Program, to start in the 2016-2017 school year.

Finch, hired in January of the 20162017 school year, inherited the Tennis Program. Steve Wright and Nate Jones, both pros at the Tacoma Lawn

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Tennis Club, coach the program girls.

Jones also teaches tennis to Lower and Middle School students at Annie Wright. Rex Bates, Annie Wright’s Director of Business Development, coaches the Upper School tennis team.

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) regulates high school athletics in Washington State. The WIAA strictly states that “If you are going to participate in athletics, then the school has to be a member of the WIAA,” said Finch.

“As a member school, you cannot recruit, you cannot hold out of season sports, activities, etc., and you cannot promote sports out of season.”

But what constitutes recruiting?

With independent schools especially, with an admissions process and the student’s choice to attend, the line is blurry. Finch clarified, “If a school contacts a kid, for first and foremost athletics or activities under the WIAA,

that is recruiting. If athletics and activities did not exist in the initial conversation, or if the students contact the school, that is not recruiting.”

As far as Finch knows, the Tennis Program players were not recruited.

Many of the girls had previously taken lessons at the Tacoma Lawn Tennis Club, which neighbors Annie Wright, and had preexisting plans to attend or already did attend Annie Wright before the program existed.

The program encountered difficulties when the high school tennis season began. Program members, including five Upper School students and two Middle School students, were not expected to play in the school tennis seasons for Annie Wright. The program members would compete in separate tournaments, but they would not play in the Emerald City League, the District or State Tournaments.

Inkwell | MAY 2017

As the school season approached, however, members of the program appreciated the team-oriented and spirited culture that high school sports offered and wanted to participate.

“The compliance issues did not pertain to the Tennis Program until the program girls wanted to play high school tennis,” Finch said. “By committing to the school team, everything that they had done beforehand was technically ‘out of season.’ We had requested clarity about this from the league, but we did not receive this information until well into the season.”

Around early February, the school tennis team rosters began to form.

February 27 marked the first school league tennis game. On March 16 other WIAA member schools sent a letter to the school, accusing Annie Wright of both recruiting players and training out of season.

“Pros at the Tacoma Lawn Tennis Club were working with the girls outside of Annie Wright,” said Bates. “Some of the other schools in our league argued that this work was part of Annie Wright officially supporting tennis outside of the season.” In accordance

with Emerald City League guidelines, Bates is not allowed to coach the high school players outside of the season.

“Technically, these girls are a part of the team. Technically, we broke the rules because of it,” acknowledged Finch. Because of this, all members of the Upper School tennis team were disqualified from participating in the League, District and State tournaments this season.

signature program under the auspices of Annie Wright.

In June 2016, the Bellevue High School football team near Seattle was banned for four years of post-season play for allegedly recruiting athletes from outside their school district to stack their team with talent.

Bates also acknowledged some legitimate issues regarding the advertising of the tennis program at Annie Wright. Tennis is no longer advertised as a signature program.

Instead “Annie Wright is simply providing an opportunity for girls who want to receive a good education and play tennis” he said. Annie Wright is now in full accordance with WIAA regulations.

Finch, who played football at Wilson High School in Tacoma and at Harvard University, said of the Bellevue scandal, “It wasn’t like they just got slapped on the wrist; it was pretty catastrophic.” He continued, “The waters are really murky right now. We want to make sure that we maintain our membership and that we do things the right way. The intention all along was to do that. At the same time, we want our students to take advantage of every opportunity they can at Annie Wright.”

“We are not recruiting; we are not doing out-of-season tennis,” said Finch. “If [the past program members] wanted to play Upper School tennis next year, they can do it.” In the future, if tennis players decided to commit to not playing for the Upper School team, then the school could restore the

Despite hiccups with the tennis program this year, Bates said, “It was pretty awe-inspiring to watch those girls play when we were at full complement. The level of tennis competition has really improved, and we’re going to have more tennis players coming up next year as well.”

Sophomore Agye Mintah played for the Signature Tennis Program this year. By participating in the program, she appreciated that she "got to play so much tennis before and after school with great tennis players and friends," but she expressed the difficulty of needing to alter her academic schedule in order to accommodate her practice schedule.

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Nate Jones joins the team

New Pro serves up tennis at Annie Wright

by Katie Erickson

Nate Jones coaches Middle Schoolers during physical education class.

Nate Jones joined Annie Wright’s physical education department last fall in a new position, tennis director for Lower & Middle Schools. He also works as a tennis professional at the Tacoma Lawn Tennis Club next door to Annie Wright.

Growing up in Lexington, Ohio, Jones began playing tennis during his 8th grade year after deciding to give up baseball due to burnout and injuries.

“We were very lucky to have an awesome indoor and outdoor facility,” he said. “My high school coach is still one of my biggest mentors and is a legend in the sport of tennis for what he’s accomplished.”

Jones played varsity tennis all four years of high school, and his team won the state championship during his senior year. He then went on to compete at the Division I collegiate level for IPFW (Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne).

Jones described his coaching background as “fairly diverse” and said, “I’m very humbled by the experiences I’ve been blessed with.”

He began teaching part time during

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college at a local club in Indiana and upon graduation moved to Ohio to work full-time at a 16-court indoor tennis facility. He taught there for six years, and his main duties included training the high performance juniors to prepare for tournament and college tennis.

"At the end of the day if you don't love what you are doing you won't be as successful."

During Jones’ college years he also worked for three years at a Nike tennis camp in La Jolla, California, which he said, “really got my love for the West Coast to blossom.” He spent a short amount of time in Texas before moving to Tacoma to work at Annie Wright.

When asked what attracted him to Annie Wright, Jones said, “I was drawn to Annie Wright for a variety of reasons. I like the diversity the school embraces because that really hits

close to home for a tennis individual.

The reality of the sport of tennis is it is a much more international sport than sports like football and basketball that are primarily played in the United States. I also like the strong community the school has and the support that I felt right from the start.”

Next Jones described his vision for the tennis program at Annie Wright.

His aspiration is “for everyone that participates to better themselves as people and achieve their personal goals,” he said. “I want our program to be associated with success, but more importantly I want our program to build successful student-athletes on an all-around level.”

Jones believes that enjoyment, positivity and purpose are key to a successful tennis program. “Everyone will win and lose in their journeys; it’s all about learning from the experience and getting better each day and making those around you better,” he said. “Having purpose to what you do is key to success. At the end of the day if you don’t love what you are doing you won’t be as successful.”

Inkwell | MAY 2017

Freshman Gabrielle Grandjean said, “I enjoyed the spirited environment at games and appreciate my teammates because everyone's supportive and encouraging.”

e

by Nina Doody

Team captain Phoebe Brown, a junior, described the environment of the ultimate team as “really inviting, kind, encouraging and warm.”

Ulti mat

Gators

n e o er i P

The ultimate team started out strong, but as with any team, not everyone could make every practice. “The attendance varied. I could have a total of 7 players to 15 on any given day,” said Brooke.

Annie Wright launched a new sport for the spring season: ultimate. Coached by Physical Education faculty member Matt Brooke, the Upper School ultimate team has players from every grade, totaling 20 ultimate athletes. Brooke also designed new uniforms for the Gators to make the team look complete. The team played in the Emerald City League and took part in a total of six games throughout the season.

Brooke echoed Gabriel's sentiment: “I enjoyed the enthusiasm the girls brought to the field every day. They were so eager and easy to teach the beautiful game of ultimate...I enjoyed the way they accepted challenges and never gave up on themselves, their teammates, and their coach.”

According to Brook, the team looks to expand to varsity and junior varsity teams next year. When asked about the future of the ultimate team, Brooke said, “I will add more games for the athletes and add more curriculum for learning how to play offense and defense.” Look out for the ultimate teams next year!

Ultimate’s debut was March 16, playing Northwest at Starfire field in Seattle. While the team didn’t win, they did learn more about the logistics and atmosphere of an ultimate game. The team's results ended with two wins against Forest Ridge, two losses against Northwest, and two losses against Overlake. “The girls were happy whether they lost or won, but of course we were ten times more excited to win” said Brooke.

One major challenge was that the team didn’t have a dependable practice field. They started at Garfield Park and had two games on that field. Unfortunately, Garfield’s field was closed by Metro Parks Tacoma as it was deemed an unsafe place to play due to several issues, including unprecedented rainfall and poor drainage. Since the closure of Garfield, the team has struggled in finding a place to practice. Between scheduling time in the gym and playing in the commons, they never had a consistent location for practices. Looking into next season, the team will utilize the new turf field. For more on the new field see page 2.

“I would have liked to have had a more solid location and a stronger idea of time commitment and responsibility, said freshman Sitara McMillin. “I think that would help with the future attendance of players.”

Inkwell | MAY 2017

Sophomore Ayiana Honeysuckle-Heimbuch plays for the Upper School ultimate team in a friendly against the Middle School.

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Upper School Athletes

by Faye Prekeges

move beyond the Gator

Sports are an integral part of the Annie Wright experience. While the athletic offerings at Annie Wright allow students to get to know their peers in a team setting and be active in their athletic community, some students choose to play sports in outside clubs or other high schools.

The reasons for playing a sport outside of school vary; girls may not want to give up a sport they’ve played their whole life if it is not offered at school, they have strong connections with the friends they made playing outside of school, or they concentrate on a certain sport year-round, perhaps at an elite level. Some of these students said their engagement in outside athletic commitments balances well with the demands and requirements of Annie Wright.

Inkwell interviewed three Upper School students, freshmen Emily Feliciano and Alexandra Bessler, and

sophomore Tana-Isabela Anulacion, for information regarding their sport and balancing it with school.

rink by my house called Highland Ice Arena. For hula it is also by my house.

Inkwell: What sport do you play?

Inkwell: Does your sport take place predominantly during the week or over the weekend?

Feliciano: Well, I do two sports outside of school. At the beginning of the year I swam for Stadium High School. Right now I’m playing water polo for Stadium.

Bessler: I play soccer and do ballet.

Anulacion: I do figure skating and I also do hula if that counts as a sport.

Inkwell: Where do you practice?

Feliciano: I practice only at Stadium.

Bessler: I practice ballet in Kent, and soccer is in Auburn.

Anulacion: Up in Shoreline, there’s a

Feliciano: It is mostly during the week, Monday through Friday afternoons.

Bessler: Both. I have practice during the week and weekend for soccer and ballet.

Anulacion: During the weekend, mostly, because that is when I go home since I am a five-day boarder.

I do some off-ice practice for skating and run over my hula dances during the week.

Inkwell: Is it difficult to balance playing a sport outside of school with Annie Wright academics?

Feliciano: Sometimes yes. When we have games it’s hard because sometimes I just want to stay home and work, but I also want to help out with the team.

Bessler: A little bit, but not really. I like having a break, like you just forget about school and can go out and practice.

Anulacion: I think it is a little difficult to balance, especially because the sports I play are only available near my house, so I have to pack it in during the weekend. I think it makes me more efficient and it allows me to participate in sports at Annie Wright too. It’s not too bad.

Alexandra Bessler strikes a ballet pose.

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Inkwell: How much time do you put into your sport on average a week?

Inkwell | MAY 2017

Feliciano: I think it is two-and-a-half hours, five days a week. Sometimes on the weekends we’ll have games, but mainly during the week.

Bessler: Mondays and Thursdays I have ballet for three hours, and Saturdays I have it for three hours too. For soccer, I go to practice like once a week, and games on the weekend because I am a guest player since I can’t go to practices during the week because of ballet.

Anulacion: For outside of school sports I’d say about five-and-a-half to six hours for both sports combined during the weekends, and a half an hour or so during the week when I have time to practice.

Inkwell: Why did you choose to pursue a sport outside of Annie Wright?

Feliciano: I do basketball for Annie Wright, but my main sport has always been swimming.

Since they don’t offer it here I participate at Stadium.

Bessler: I’m doing track which is really good at Annie Wright, but soccer at Annie Wright is not the greatest, so I played it outside of school.

Emily Feliciano, second from left in the back row, with her Stadium High School swim team.

Anulacion: Before I came here, I did hula, skating and gymnastics, which I can’t cram into the weekend I found out. I was really upset about having to stop doing gymnastics because of coming to Annie Wright, so I tried to keep playing as much as possible. Even though it meant cutting back on the hours I practiced, I do it because it’s comforting and fun for all the time I’ve put into it.

Inkwell: If Annie Wright offered your sport would you like to play it at school?

Feliciano: I wouldn’t want to because I’ve built up really good relationships at Stadium, but I think I would have to with the high school sports rules.

Bessler: It depends what it would be like and the amount of time I would put into it. If it was the same level I’m at then maybe I would try it.

Anulacion: I think I’d do both. There is some comfort in having friends, coaches, and teachers that I know from outside of school. I think it would be really fun to also participate in the sports with the Annie Wright community.

Inkwell | MAY 2017

Tana-Isabela Anulacion wears her traditional Hula costume.

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senior athletes share their wisdom

by Lexy Sullivan

Many Annie Wright Upper Schoolers identify as student-athletes and spend a lot of time balancing school and practice. Known for its rigorous International Baccalaureate curriculum, Annie Wright focuses on academic excellence, and students typically work hard in and out of school. At the same time, many student athletes practice multiple times per week for several hours, taking up a lot of time and energy. Games and tournaments, which often require travel, can take up whole weekends and more.

Can students participate on a competitive sports team outside of school while simultaneously excelling at school? Even if a student isn’t pursuing the full IB diploma, playing outside sports while maintaining good grades in Annie Wright’s rigorous classes is not an easy feat.

class assignment, actually working on it in class or at least getting an outline down was really helpful. Junior year, I moved up to varsity, so that’s when I knew I wanted to row D1 in college. I knew I needed to get good grades and be in good standing in my classes with my teachers.

Five Class of ’17 athletes comment on their experience, hopes for next year, and advice for future student athletes.

Turner: To be honest, I stayed up really late. Getting up early in the morning doesn’t work for me, so I have to just stayed up and get it done.

I also utilize tutorials and lunch to get homework done.

Courtney Cureton

Sports: rowing & power lifting College: University of San Diego

Abbey Turner

Sports: basketball & volleyball College: University of Montana

Maria Peterson

Sports: basketball & ultimate College: St. Olaf College

Elle Hansen

Sport: running College: Washington University

Britnie Casillas

Sport: volleyball College: Pitzer College Inkwell: How have you balanced school work with your sport in high school?

Cureton: I really utilized all of the tutorial time I had. Being efficient is important, like if we ever had an in-

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Peterson: I think that doing sports actually helped me with time management in terms of school. My sports took up a lot of time, forcing me to use my time wisely and stay focused when doing homework. Sports can be a lot of time commitment, but at the same time it helped me stay motivated with school. That was my best method, staying motivated and using all the time available to do my work.

Hansen: I find that playing a sport in high school has actually helped me manage my time better and be a more balanced student. When I am faced with less free time in my day (due to sports) I become better at working efficiently and managing the time I do have, simply because I have to in order to succeed.

Casillas: I have balanced my school work with my high school sport by not procrastinating. I always made sure when I got home I wouldn’t go to my bed or the couch. Instead, I went

Maria Peterson said playing sports helped her with time management.

straight to the table to do my homework. I also made sure I used X-block and any other time available before practice so I wouldn’t have to do so much when I got home. I did (and still do) have to sacrifice some of my social life but academics and volleyball have always both been number 1 for me.

Inkwell: Is there anything you are nervous about regarding playing sports next year?

Cureton: Going in with different coaching is scary because I’m so used to my coach and how he does things.

Next year my coach will be a woman, so that’s different, and she’ll have a different style. I’m also nervous for the level of training because it’s about 25 hours per week (about 10 more hours than I am doing at the moment).

Inkwell | MAY 2017

Turner: I am planning on playing intramural sports, in which there aren’t really any high stakes, so I’m not super nervous. I’m just as nervous as I would be joining any new team. I want to play intramural sports because I love sports and I want to stay fit, but I don’t want the commitment of college sports. People always talk about how stressful it is, and I don’t want that. If you play a college sport, you have to be willing to devote a lot of your time and energy to it, and you really need to love that sport.

Hansen: I am not particularly nervous about playing sports since I will likely be joining an intramural or club team, which is less of a time commitment and is more relaxed. If anything, I am fearful that I won’t find a group of runners whom I connect and mesh with as well as the athletes I currently train with.

Casillas: Next year I am really nervous about playing time. It’s not that I think I’m not good enough, but it will be the first time playing on a team with three or four other girls who are the same position as me. I have always had to fight for playing time but only against one other setter and not four.

Inkwell: How are you going to balance school work and your sport next year?

Cureton: I’m going to get a student athlete tutor, which they have at University of San Diego. The coaches check your grades and to make sure you’re in good standing. The rowing times will also be different; instead of being after school the practice is in the morning from 6:30 to 9:00 am. That makes a difference because I can start my day on a good foot and then I’ll have time to do my homework before varsity weights at 5:00.

my schedule or if necessary I can just skip that game or practice because it is not very competitive.

Hansen: Like I said, having less time in my day usually motivates me to work more efficiently. Additionally, making friends on the team will enable me to create an athletic network which also happens to be social and academic. From participating in sports and training year round, I would like to think that I am already relatively accustomed to the time constraints that come about from participating in a sport.

Casillas: Next year I plan on doing the same thing I do now. I am going to try to get all my school work out of the way so I can relax and not fall behind. Procrastination is what kills you, especially if you play a sport, so avoiding that is the best route.

Inkwell: Do you have any advice for current high school students who are thinking about playing sports in college?

Cureton: Start talking to college coaches the summer before 11th grade. Get in touch with them, and go to camps if you can. 11th grade is the time where if you want to play sports in college, you need to have a good routine and schedule down, as well as a balance between school, sports and sleep, because that will help you in the long run. Really work hard to improve, whether it’s times on the track or in the pool or amount of games won to

show coaches you are improving. Also cross train; no matter what sport you play, make sure you do other workouts as well, such as lifting weights, running or swimming.

Turner: I think you definitely should play sports in college, because you can only do it for so much longer. You can’t play competitive sports forever on a team, and so you should take advantage of the opportunity to while you are young. There is a team for everyone and every sport.

Peterson: Honestly, I think the advice depends on which level of sports they are trying to play, but I think that intramural sports are a fun way to socialize and stay in shape for those people who do not want an extremely competitive environment, but still wish to play sports.

Hansen: To anyone thinking about participating in collegiate athletics, I would say love what you do. If you play a sport in high school with the intention of playing in college, you’d better love that sport, for you’ll be spending a lot of quality time with it.

Before college, also be sure to take every possible opportunity to try something new—whether it be sports or some other activity. For the first time since 8th grade, I played soccer this year and I am so thankful I did.

Don’t waste your time sitting on the couch or lazing about when you are capable of so much more.

Runner Elle Hansen plans to participate in intramural or club sports in college.

Peterson: I am going to have a lot more time in my schedule for school, so I am planning on working out daily.

Playing these sports can act as a more fun workout for the day. I will also make sure that if I do have a lot of school work I either find other time in

Inkwell | MAY 2017

21

Give me an

"

"

by Allison Fitz

Mike Finch introduces varsity letter program You may have spotted a few Upper School athletes with a capital letter “A” stitched onto their uniform cardigan or sports bag. Director of Athletics Mike Finch implemented the program this year to recognize our athletes.

Finch remembers the sacrifices and dedication necessary to earn his varsity letter at Wilson High School and hopes for students and adults to see the letter and “honor the choices that student athletes have made to benefit

their team, the school, and themselves.”

Students that participate in varsity sports not offered at Annie Wright but that are recognized by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (gymnastics, crew, judo, fencing, etc.) may earn a letter as well.

Individualized patches for each sport are awarded for every completed season and can be stitched onto the letter.

Sophomore Rhiannon Simmonds sports her varsity letter on her cardigan. She rows for Commencement Bay Rowing Club and played varsity basketball at Annie Wright.

Historic Powderpuff game this afternoon For the first time in history, Annie Wright will host the annual Powderpuff all-girls touch football game against cross-town rivals Charles Wright Academy. This is also the first interscholastic event on the new field. Come cheer on the team at 4:30 pm on James Field.