The Update - Winter 2022

WINTER 2022

CONGRESSIONAL SCHOOL ALUMNI PUBLICATION

THE UPDATE

Congressional School admits children of any race, color, creed, and national or ethnic origin.

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP TEAM Edwin P. Gordon, PhD Head of School Brent Hinrichs Associate Head of School, Director of Lower and Middle School Kim O’Neil Assistant Head of School, Director of Early Childhood and Primary School Tinelle Davies Director of Human Resources and Strategic Initiatives Rebecca Ginnetti School Counselor Gretchen Herbst Director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid Brian Krauss Director of Athletics and Physical Education Kay Lauren Miller Associate Director of Learning and Center for Teaching, Learning and Innovation Dan O’Neil Director of Auxiliary Programs Jessica Orndorff Director of Advancement and External Affairs Alyce Penn Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications Ali Sheibani Director of Technology Lisa Singleton Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer Leah Webster Director of Learning and Center for Teaching, Learning and Innovation

Publication Designer Ru Buttner

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THE UPDATE 2 THE | WINTER UPDATE2022 | SUMMER 2021

TABLE OF CONTENTS 03

Dear Alumni Community

04

The Arts Initiative

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The Mood-Boosting Benefit of our Horses

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History of our Herd

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Remembering Wallace Mitchell

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Acquatic Center Groundbreaking

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Alumni in the Arts

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Alumni Class Notes

DEAR ALUMNI COMMUNITY, W

elcome to the second issue of The Update magazine. A lot has happened since our summer issue including many exciting campus projects. These include our front portico—which is getting a face lift, the demolition of our old swimming pool with construction of the new one about to begin, ground clearing for the Vance Family Garden coming this spring, and working with Fairfax County on a new, wider entrance to the school. To top it all off, the Class of 2021 patio was unveiled in November and is already a favorite spot for our students to relax and learn.

Our theme for the year is The Arts, and I was pleased to announce a new multi-year Arts Initiative, co-chaired by our esteemed fine and performing arts faculty. As an extension of this initiative, I was happy to invite three talented Congressional School alumni to join a panel discussion for my first Head of School Speaker Series event this year. These alumni have all forged different paths in the arts since leaving Congressional School, and each of them is a trailblazer. You can read more about them and the Arts Initiative later in this publication.

While we are continuing to operate under the backdrop of the pandemic, we’ve been proactive in our efforts to encourage all who are eligible in our community to be vaccinated. We held our fifth vaccine clinic on December 9, which was very well attended.

With so many in our community protected by the vaccine, we have been able to expand the number of our in-person events and activities. It has been exciting to see so many parents back on campus for sporting events, the Halloween Parade, winter concerts, and more.

It was a pleasure to see the Class of 2021 and their parents back on campus in November for the patio unveiling, and we would love to see more return to campus. We invite you to come back any time to see the changes that are happening and to visit your former teachers and friends.

Best Wishes, Edwin P. Gordon, PhD Head of School

CONGRESSIONALSCHOOL.ORG

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THE ARTS INITIATIVE C

ongressional School is proud of its robust program with students producing accomplished, original work in the fine and performing arts. The Arts present a framework for expression and meaning in students’ lives and generate joy and pride for their accomplishments.

Despite the many challenges our faculty faced and the loss of some traditional programs due to COVID-19 last year, our teachers and students produced some amazing creative work. We were even able to continue with our annual musical in a way that kept everyone safe while still providing students with the opportunity to experience the planning and execution of a theater production.

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Looking to the future, we plan to grow our Arts program with more experiences and opportunities for students and deeper resources to support both teachers and students in pursuit of the Arts.

Already this year, the Arts Initiative has added a pilot Strings Program for students in grades 1-3. The program is in partnership with DC Strings Workshop, a group committed to bringing music education, outreach, and support for stronger music programs schools.

Launched in October this year, the program has attracted more than 50 Congressional students who are taking after school lessons on campus with the DC Strings Workshop professional tutors.

GOAL #1

GOAL #2

GOAL #3

Amplify the arts presence on campus by enhancing the intersection of the arts with other disciplines

Provide our students with a more expansive curriculum and create new territory for faculty to experiment with innovative teaching, artmaking, performance, and experimentation

Give our community increased opportunity to engage with artists, performers, and cultural institutions well beyond Congressional.

CONGRESSIONALSCHOOL.ORG

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THE MOOD-BOOSTING BENEFIT OF OUR HORSES T

he school’s current Equine Director, Lisa Harkins, is passionate about connecting students to the horses. She desires to capitalize on this unique and amazing resource beyond the camp program and into the school year. This year she’s hosted multiple classes that have taken mini field trips across campus to meet the horses. She also has partnered with School Counselor, Rebecca Ginnetti, to pilot a new equine therapy program called Colts Care for Congressional students.The emotional

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health benefits of being around animals is well-documented, and a visit to the horses can help lower stress and boost mood.

The Colts Care program is a function of the new (CTLI) Center for Teacher, Learning, and Innovation and is a social, emotional learning opportunity utilizing Congressional School’s equine program. The goal of the program is to enhance students’ selfconfidence, interpersonal skills, and reduce worry and stress through learning how to care for and prepare the horses for lessons

(including grooming, tacking, and feeding) and develop relationships with the animals.

This year’s pilot program has involved small groups of middle school students who meet with Mrs. Ginnetti and Mrs. Harkins during their FLEX periods. The students receive safety instructions and education about our school’s herd and general horse care. The students also receive instruction for the tasks they will perform with supervision.

The students don’t ride horses; instead, they discuss the connection between

horsemanship and the skills needed to navigate middle school. Students identify personal goals for their own growth and development as they participate in this new program.

The horses have left campus for the winter, and the program will continue in the spring with more students when the horses return to campus.

CONGRESSIONALSCHOOL.ORG

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HISTORY OF OUR HERD H

orses were introduced onto the Congressional School campus in 1953, originally on the school’s property on Carlin Springs Road in Arlington, VA. The horses were a highlight of the school’s summer program. When the Sleepy Hollow Road campus opened in the fall of 1959, the extensive 40-acre campus included a paddock, and horses became a signature of the school. While the horses have mainly been a feature of Congressional Camp, riding lessons were introduced in the early 2010’s as part of the school’s fall and spring After School program and remain a regular offering today. Keeping with tradition, the school’s herd departs the campus in the fall each year to spend the winter in its country home and returns to campus in the early springtime. The return of the horses is always an exciting time on campus and a sure sign that spring is on its way.

The school currently has seven horses in its herd. Among them are a miniature horse, a Shetland pony, and four geldings. You can read about the horses on our website:

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REMEMBERING WALLACE MITCHELL O

ver the past 60+ years, our athletic fields have been the backdrop for Congressional’s junior varsity and varsity teams. More than two generations of parents have stood on the sidelines cheering on the student athletes and shouting “Go Colts!” What many in our community don’t know is that in 1984 the athletic field was dedicated to Mr. Wallace Mitchell, a beloved teacher and athletic coach.

Wallace Mitchell began working at Congressional School in the 1950s and taught World History, American History, and Mathematics. He was very involved in the life of the school and was well-loved by the students. He coached the girls’ softball team as well as the boys’ Junior Varsity Football team (Congressional went through 12th grade until 1987). When he wasn’t coaching he could be found driving the Pep club bus to cheer on the teams.

In a 1964 yearbook dedication, Mr. Mitchell was described as the “Spirit of Congressional School, past, present, and future.”

CONGRESSIONALSCHOOL.ORG

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AQUATIC CENTER GROUNDBREAKING I

n our last issue of The Update, we shared with you our plans for our new Aquatic Center.We are pleased to announce that permitting was formally approved by Fairfax County allowing us to break ground on this multi-million dollar renovation.

On Friday, November 5, to commemorate the start of construction, we held a groundbreaking ceremony on the site of the new center. Joining Dr. Gordon (Head of School) was Penny Gross (Mason District Supervisor), William and Gretchen Devers (founding family members), Edy and Sean Rameika (major donors), members of the Board of Trustees, and others who have played a pivotal role in bringing this project

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to fruition. Plans for the new Aquatic Center include a splash zone with water features, a graduated beach entrance, a heated swimming pool with a water slide, and a diving board. The heated pool will allow us to expand our physical education program to include swimming and to offer after school swimming options in the fall and spring. In addition, the Aquatic Center will serve more than 2,000 children from around the local area who attend Congressional Camp each summer. Congressional’s Aquatic Center is slated to open in the spring of 2022. Visit our website to learn more and view a time lapse of the demolition of the old pool.

ALUMNI IN THE ARTS As a part of our Head of School Speaker Series, we brought together three highly accomplished, talented alumni who were involved in the arts as students and have taken diverse paths in the arts today to share their expertise and experiences with the community.

FAISAL AL-JUBURI ‘98

F

aisal is based in New York City, where he has lived and worked for over a decade. He describes his work as the “intersection of social justice and the arts” working with immigrants and refugees on direct client service, litigation, and advocacy, including creative partnerships, to help change the narrative around immigration in the United States.

Previously, Faisal worked in development at the Kennedy Center, and is currently the Associate Vice President of Philanthropy for The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES). He is also Vice President of the Board for Rosie’s Theater Kids (Rosie O’Donnell’s arts education program).

“Coming back was a beautiful gift to be given. I understood the impact that it could have, from a skills standpoint, from a community building standpoint, from a confidence standpoint.

I wanted the musical to be a vessel for a growing experience.”

Looking to the future, Faisal believes that the law and policy are downstream from culture and wants more than anything to use the arts as a way to transform this nation in a way that will bring it closer to its potential. “For me it is really important to continue to use the arts to right size us as a nation.”

Congressional’s first annual musical, The King and I, was staged when Faisal was a student at Congressional, and he had a role in making it happen. “It was something that I pushed for,” he said, expressing amazement that he had the confidence to pitch the idea to school leadership. “I felt it was a necessary transformative experience for students, and I’m really happy that it came together and continues to have a legacy at the school.”

In 2006, Faisal returned to Congressional as a college graduate to direct the school’s ninth annual musical, The Sound of Music.

CONGRESSIONALSCHOOL.ORG

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ALUMNI IN THE ARTS (CONTINUED) NORMAN KING, IV ‘15

N

orman King is studying at Paris College of Art and Emerson College in the Global BFA Film Program, an accelerated dual degree program focusing on filmmaking and art. He spends fall, winter, and spring semesters in Paris and takes summer classes in Boston. Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, he was able to travel to numerous European cities such as London, Amsterdam, and Antwerp, Belgium. He has also interviewed directors, writers, and musicians at the 2020 Fame Film Festival at Gaité Lyrique, one of Paris’ most renowned theaters.

As a student at Congressional, Norman was always involved in the musicals., and as a high school student at Edmund Burke School in northwest DC, he took film making classes in which he gained editing and narrative-building experience. He also taught himself how to use many of the software platforms that are used in film making. Later on in high school, Norman started looking at the writing side of the industry and began making stories into short films.

Norman was in Paris when the pandemic broke and rushed back to the US to be with his family. After spending a lot of time in isolation, watching so many events and chaos unravel in the US, he started a talk show called “My 2 Cents” in which he and his friends discussed issues relating to people their age. “It was a good way to keep myself

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busy during the pandemic. I understood the arts were impacted by the pandemic, but we had a creative outlet through COVID isolation,” he said.

When he graduates this year, Norman plans to immediately start working. He envisions himself in the writers room, not just for film but in the fast-paced environment of TV, with a particular interest in the streaming platforms. He continues to host his talk show “My 2 Cents” on Instagram. @my2centstv

I thought that would give us more time to work on lines and practice at home, but then we got the call that the production was officially cancelled.” Shock set in at first as the performance was something she’d looked forward to since she was in fourth grade.

“Over time I’ve come to peace with the fact that we weren’t able to fulfill our eighth grade musical. It was really great when we saw the seventh graders step into our role in the virtual performance. I’m glad Congressional was able to take the work we’d done and turn it into a virtual performance,” she said.

BELLA GUAGENTI ‘20

B

ella Guagenti is a sophomore at National Cathedral School (NCS) where she is actively involved in the arts. She participates in Close Tunes­- a co-ed glee/a-cappella group, Sarsaparilla - an all girls a-cappella group, and Madrigals - a co-ed choral group.

She was recently inducted into the thespian society after participating in the musical, and is participating in this year’s musical, Company! At NCS, Bella is a member of the Black Student Union, Government Club, and is involved in field hockey, climbing, and softball.

In her eighth grade year at Congressional, COVID-19 disrupted the production of Disney’s Frozen, Jr. just one week away from the show date. Bella was all set to perform the role of Elsa when the governor mandated a two week school shut down.

“It was really unfortunate,” she says. “At first

In 2020, Bella was cast in Voices, run by Arena Stage and was featured on a PBS program produced by WHUT-TV to share her thoughts on youth and COVID-19.

The opportunity came about when she was asked by Arena Stage to write a short passage about what it was like to be a teen through the pandemic. When she got word that her submission had been selected, the first thing she did was run downstairs and start recording in front of a blank wall. The experience was enlightening, she recalls. “I realized how hard it was to record something virtually that was going to be on TV. I wanted to give an accurate representation of who I was in the limited time that I had. I developed a newfound respect for people who do recorded work.”

As for the future? Bella is open minded. She definitely plans to go to college although isn’t sure yet what she’ll study, however, she knows that music and performing arts will play a role in her college life in some way. “I do know that I can express myself with the arts, and they will still be a part of my life.”

CONGRESSIONALSCHOOL.ORG

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ALUMNI CLASS NOTES ’82

John Massoud was elected in 2018 to be on the Town Council of Strasburg Virginia.

Recently he was elected to be the Republican Party 6th Congressional District Chairman, meaning that he manages the party apparatus from the Shenandoah Valley to Roanoke to Lynchburg and the regions in between.

’14

James Englander attended St. Anselm’s Abbey School as a member of the Class of 2018 after graduating from Congressional.

James will earn his bachelor’s degree in Robotics Engineering and Computer Science from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in May 2022. Within two weeks of successfully completing a 2021 summer internship with General Dynamics Mission Systems BlueFinn Robotics division, the company offered James (before he began his senior year in college) a fulltime position as an engineer beginning in June 2022 upon college graduation.

’18

Carter Hansen states, “I have been in the process of applying to film school! It is my dream to become a filmmaker and producer. I am currently working on a short film called Sanctuary that will be out in 2022.” Carter recently crossed paths with Coach Law’s Congressional School’s former Director of Athletics at the V.I.S.A.A. State Cross Country Championships. We love chance encounters and Colts reunions!

John Massoud ’82

’20

Deanna Rafik was chosen to play Varsity Soccer at Bishop O’Connell High School, and this summer she traveled to Cyprus, Mikonos, Santorini, Athens, Rhodes and Crete.

She misses all her friends from Congressional.

Carter Hansen ’18

’21

Calvin Timm is a freshman at Gonzaga College High School and recently visited Congressional School during one of his school breaks.

Always great to see alumni!

Deanna Refik ’20

James Englander ’14

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Calvin Timm ’21

THANK YOU TO THE CLASS OF 2021 FOR OUR NEW PATIO!

DEDICATED TO YOUNG LEARNERS