Foxcroft Magazine (Fall/Winter 2015)

Fall/Winter 2015

Celebrating Unique Learning Experiences

In this Issue Project Rebuild Rebuil Q Art by Nature Q Exceptional Riding Q

Calling all Foxes and Hounds!

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Go Foxes!

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Contents

Fall/Winter 2015

Published by Foxcroft School.

Please address queries to: Cathrine Wolf P.O. Box 5555, Middleburg, Virginia 20118 540.687.4511 cathrine.wolf@foxcroft.org

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Catherine S. McGehee Head of School Marion L. Couzens Director of Institutional Advancement Gina B. Finn Director of Admission & Financial Aid Patrick M. Finn Director of Enrollment Shelly Betz Director of Strategic Initiatives & Marketing Cathrine Wolf Director of Communications

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Now Appearing in Court

by Bethany Stotler Foxcroft’s beloved dormitory becomes a learning lab for students

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Centennial Campaign Update The life and sounds of a building

Bethany Stotler Multimedia Communications Associate Institutional Advancement Jennie Wills, Rebecca Smith, Laura Booze, Terry Meyer, Lee Clark Breeden ’00, Laura Scharfenberg, Pam Dobbs Photography: Gary Cox, Edward Payne, Bethany Stotler, Molly Schlachter, Bob Updegrove, Jennie Wills, Cathrine Wolf and many helpful students, faculty and friends

by Marion L. Couzens

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The Path to Wellness

by Shelly Betz

New program strikes a healthy balance

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Technically Speaking

by Alexander O. Northrup

by Maria Sogegian

In the Classroom Plugging into 21st Century Literacy

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Learning to Serve . . . Serving to Learn by Cathrine Wolf A new look at an old tradition, with students’ stories of doing good

Foxcroft’s mission is to help every girl explore her unique voice and to develop the skills, confidence and courage to share it with the world.

Foxcroft School is accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools.

Foxcroft School admits students of any race, color, religion, national and ethnic origin. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational, admission, or financial aid policies, or in any school-sponsored programs.

Designed by Studio-B Graphics This magazine is printed on FSC-certified 10% post-consumer waste recycled paper.

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Niblack Lecture Series: Art by Nature

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A Typical Atypical Day

by Laura Scharfenberg Exceptional Proficiency Program riders follow a demanding schedule

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A Value Proposition

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by Terry Meyer Kristin Leachman ’84 brings the universal language of art to Foxcroft

by Chip Gruver The father of two graduates weighs the investment in a Foxcroft education

From the Head of School Notebook On the Road

Cover photo by Molly Schlachter

40 Gone Away 44 Milestones 45 Hail & Farewell

From the Head of School

by Catherine S. McGehee

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his year the Foxcroft faculty kicked off our school year and our professional development by hosting a community screening of Most Likely to Succeed, an edu-documentary directed by Greg Whiteley and produced by Ted Dintersmith. (Thank you to Ted and Elizabeth Hazard ’82 for making it possible!). The film highlights the need to reimagine our schools in preparing students for their futures in an information age and global economy. It argues for a move away from the content-driven “sage-on-the stage” teacher model that has dominated the educational delivery system for over a century. Instead, the documentary contends, students need to be prepared for college and beyond with a different set of skills to perform jobs that do not even exist today.

Author Tony Wagner frames these necessary skills through the lens of innovators: “Curiosity which is the habit of asking good questions and a desire to understand more deeply; collaboration, which begins with listening to and learning from others who have perspectives and expertise that are very different from your own; associative or integrative thinking; a bias toward action and experimentation” (Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World, 2012). The topic of how we teach in the 21st Century is, indeed, timely.

This fall, Foxcroft launched our new mission statement following a year of research, discussion and strategic planning.

At the heart of our work is helping each girl to explore her unique voice and to develop the skills, confidence and courage to share it with the world. We live out this mission, in part, through providing unique learning experiences.

Our curriculum focuses on interdisciplinary connections, experiential learning and collaboration—strategies which support how girls learn.

While no publication can capture entirely the varied and diverse learning experiences that a Foxcroft girl enjoys, this issue of Foxcroft magazine highlights the unique learning experiences that we offer.

What is unique about learning at Foxcroft? On a daily basis, Foxcroft seeks opportunities to integrate learning in the classroom with learning for life. At the most basic level, 2

our beautiful 500-acre campus provides our girls with the opportunity to engage with nature through their classes and during unstructured times, as well as to develop healthy habits through physical activity that nurtures wellness for women and promotes learning.

Our students also have the world opened to them by working and living with girls from 18 states and 14 countries and by studying global topics. In September, the Junior Class Trip to Heifer International’s Global Village provided a service learning experience that recreated living conditions in many of the countries the organization serves. (Heifer is the beneficiary of the Junior Class Walkathon this year.) Foxcroft students really do form friendships and global connections for a lifetime. The relationships built through experiences such as this help our students to develop understanding and empathy, and to become culturally competent.

We continue to be thought leaders in the national education discussion through two signature programs, which truly are differentiators for the School: The Exceptional Proficiency Program and “Project Rebuild.”

Since 1991, Foxcroft’s Exceptional Proficiency Program has allowed students at a high level of training and competition or performance in a variety of disciplines to study away from campus while maintaining rigorous academics through regular contact with their Foxcroft teachers.

The renovation of Court is the subject of “Project Rebuild,” a seminar taught by the architects, engineers, and builders. Our contractor says that schools embarking on building projects are now insisting on similar programs for their students.

It is my greatest hope that reading about campus life at Foxcroft in 2015 will inspire you to visit and share your own unique life experiences with our students. As I have learned from my travels and meetings with alumnae, a Foxcroft girl is only beginning to explore her voice at the end of four years here. If we are delivering on our mission, however, she will have graduated with the skills, confidence and courage to share her passions, interests and gifts with the world. Q

Foxcroft School

Notebook PLAY ON. . .

A new partnership between Foxcroft and “Shakespeare in the ’Burg” highlights the School’s enthusiastic participation this year in the Virginia Shakespeare Initiative, a yearlong, statewide celebration of the Bard’s life and works to mark the 400th anniversary of his death.

Also in support of this “beloved mission,” the English Department offered an elective called “Shakespeare and Performance” this fall and the Fine Arts Department is presenting Twelfth Night as the spring theater production.

Shakespeare in the ’Burg is a local annual festival featuring the American Shakespeare Center (ASC) acting company in performance, workshops and a one-act playwriting competition.

English Department Chair Anne Burridge (right) has developed a robust relationship with organizers.

In February, two students will intern with community coordinator Genie Ford to help plan and market the event.

During the festival, April 1-3, Foxcroft will host ASC actors at Spur and Spoon, and students will have opportunities to serve as volunteers and to attend workshops and performances. Wherever possible, Foxcroft faculty are making

“If music be the food of love, play on . . . ” “Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them . . . ” – from Twelfth Night (Foxcroft’s spring production) specific connections; for example, British Literature students will study one of the featured plays, The Importance of Being Earnest, before attending both a performance of it and the associated ASC workshop, “Staging High Comedy.”

“Foxcroft’s innovative partnership with Shakespeare in the ’Burg reflects our deep commitment to experiential and interdisciplinary learning for our students,” says Burridge.

“The English and Fine Arts departments have collaborated closely to provide these opportunities for our students and seek for additional opportunities to enhance our programs.”

Twelfth Night performances are scheduled for April 22 and 23 in FoxHound Auditorium. “This will be the first time in at least 20 years that Foxcroft has mounted a Shakespeare play,” says Fine Arts Department Chair Karin Thorndike. “We are excited for the challenge and fun of presenting this play.”

ALSO COMING SOON. . .

Kitty Anthony Palmer ’72 will be inducted into the Foxcroft School Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, March 5, during halftime of the Fox/Hound Basketball Big Game. A unanimous selection, Palmer starred in field hockey, basketball and tennis in high school and college, then became a very successful high school coach and nationally-ranked paddle tennis player. Read more about this year’s lone inductee at www.foxcroft.org/sports_HOF Fall/Winter 2015

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Notebook LOOKING AT LEARNING On the cusp of the new school year, Foxcroft went to town, literally, with the screening of Most Likely to Succeed, a fascinating film about the state of education in the U.S. that not only energized our faculty, but also stimulated discussion among scores of area educators, parents and townspeople.

The event put Foxcroft squarely at the forefront of the conversation about the future of education.

More than 200 people, including faculty and administrators from a dozen independent schools, three public school systems and several colleges, attended the August 19 screening at the Middleburg Community Center. Some came from Reston and Winchester, Warrenton and Ashburn, and others represented schools in Mercersburg, PA, Frederick, MD, and Washington, DC. After watching the 90-minute film, they stayed to hear a panel discussion and engage with others – all of whom

were passionate about education. By the end of the event, it was clear that, regardless of their reaction to the film itself, folks were eager for more opportunities for exchange and professional development.

“This event was incredible because it got people together.

It got the conversation going,” said Craig Mueller, a Middleburg Community Charter School Board member and panelist who held a screening at his school in October. “I hope tonight was the launch of an ongoing initiative.”

An official selection at the 2015 Sundance Film festival, Most Likely to Succeed observes that our current educational model was created at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution and doesn’t meet students’ needs in the fast-moving, 21st century.

Focusing in large part on High Tech High School in San Diego, CA, it presents a very different project-based, cross-disciplinary, student-centered approach.

Following the film, there was a panel discussion with educators representing five area schools, including Maria

RUTH’S GIRLS: A LEGACY OF OPPORTUNITY On the first anniversary of the announcement of Ruth Bedford’s transformative gift to Foxcroft, Head of School Catherine S. McGehee announced that part of the $40 million bequest has been used to endow a new scholarship fund that will support as many as eight students at a time. The Ruth T. Bedford ’32 Merit Scholarship for the Arts will provide renewable $25,000 a year grants to new ninth and tenth graders who share Bedford’s passion for the arts and embody her sense of adventure and enterprise. Three scholarships will be awarded for the 2016-17 school year with more to follow in subsequent years as the Scholarship’s endowment grows.

In addition to being dedicated to the performing or visual arts, applicants must be academically focused, inquisitive and outgoing. They should have an interest in developing leadership skills and be girls who will add to the integrity and the intellectual and creative richness of the school community. More information and is available on the Foxcroft website or by contacting the Admission Office.

“This scholarship will help us to reach new students who might not otherwise attend Foxcroft, Given Ruth’s passion for the performing arts, I cannot imagine a better way for us to honor her legacy and further our vision for our second century.”

– Head of School Catherine S. McGehee 4

Foxcroft School

Evans, Ph.D., and Alex Northrup, Foxcroft’s Science and History department chairs, respectively.

The film’s emphasis on inquiry-based and hands-on learning, as well as “soft skills,” was widely supported. However, the challenges of preparing students for college and careers at the same time can be difficult.

“Most of us have to use a hybrid of the traditional approach and the type of learning experience shown in the film, because many colleges still do things the traditional way,”

noted panelist Cathy Campbell of Highland School. Still, Dr. Evans said later, “That film has inspired me to completely change the way I’m going to teach Physics.”

“The movie generated a lot of great ideas and conversation,” said Foxcroft Head of School Cathy McGehee, “I was thrilled to see the turnout and interest from the community and to bring our faculty together with other teachers, parents and community leaders to share ideas about how we can genuinely engage our students in learning that is relevant and prepares them for their futures.”

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Notebook WONDER WOMEN *S\GVSJX´W QMWWMSR MW XS LIPT IZIV] KMVP I\TPSVI LIV YRMUYI ZSMGI ERH HIZIPST XLI WOMPPW GSR½HIRGI and courage to share it with the world. This fall, E WYGGIWWMSR SJ JERXEWXMG JIQEPI VSPI QSHIPW WYTTSVXIH XLEX QMWWMSR [MXL XLIMV ZMWMXW “I have always believed, I was brought up to try to be the best at whatever I am doing – not just the best girl,” said NASCAR driver DANICA PATRICK during a September 10 visit that attracted reporters and the entire Foxcroft community to Currier Library to hear her story of breaking barriers to become the most successful driver in Indy-car history and a regular on the tough NASCAR circuit. Racing fans or not, all were impressed by the dynamic woman who talked about dedication, desire and dreams – and then posed for “selfies” with students.

Patrick was impressed with Foxcroft, too, especially after spending an hour with science and engineering students who made short presentations about building drones and podiums, and presented her with a replica of her Go Daddy race car that they made on Foxcroft’s 3D printer.

“I have no doubt that, one day, I am going to be buying something you designed or built,” said Patrick, who was declared an honorary Hound by Nan Stuart ’71, the facilitator of the wonderful visit.

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Parade and a member of the International Horseshoeing Hall of Fame. It’s a terrific tale of perseverance that began with determination and unrelenting drive.

Asked how her family reacted to her career choice, Patton recalled her favorite brother’s reaction to her decision to go to farrier school: “There was dead silence on the phone, and then he said ‘I think that’s a terrible idea. Why don’t you become a nurse or a teacher?’ “And I said to him, ‘Why didn’t you?!’ ”

In October, ADA GATES PATTON ’61 (bottom right) shared an equally intriguing life story, as she recounted her journey from New York debutante to blacksmith. Patton graduated from farrier school as the only woman in a class of 50 in 1971. “Nothing prepared me for the hard work of farrier school,” she said. “Three guys quit but I made it.”

That wasn’t enough, though. Patton overcame numerous obstacles and many naysayers to become the first female farrier licensed to work at thoroughbred racetracks. She went on to become the farrier liaison at the 1984 Olympics, the official horseshoe inspector at the Tournament of Roses 6

Foxcroft School

she is the sister of Science teacher Meghen Tuttle, Ph.D., reminded all that this disease can affect anyone. Miles’ testimonial also offered hope and valuable information.

After sharing startling statistics, Miles told students to educate themselves about breast cancer and to listen carefully to their bodies. The lump in her breast was initially deemed non-cancerous, but she observed changes in its growth. Six months later testing revealed that it was indeed cancer. Miles faced her arduous radiation treatments with courage and high spirits. “I knew that the best way for me to beat this was to be positive, and not look back,” she said.

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Middleburg Hunt joint-masters Penny Denègre (P ’05 and trustee) and Jeff Blue brought another trailblazer along with a pack of hounds to visit in September. LIBBY GILBERT, the Hunt’s professional whipper-in, is one of the first women to train in England. She served as Joint-Master and Huntsman of the Royal Agricultural College Beagles in Cirencester. “I never dreamt I would get the chance to hunt hounds in the UK, especially being American and a girl, too,” Libby said of her time abroad.

Another remarkable speaker was CAITLIN MILES, who was diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer at age 24.

Her story, which was especially moving and personal because

NEW ON CAMPUS IN THE DINING HALL: Fresh produce, local ingredients and madefrom-scratch dishes are the hallmark of Foxcroft’s new dining services provider, Meriwether Godsey. This women-lead, Virginia‐based company began as a catering company more than 30 years ago “founded on the belief that true hospitality can exist in a ‘cafeteria,’ ” and gracious touches such as baskets for silverware and self-serve buffets at virtually every meal reflect that approach.

Fall /Winter 2015

In 2012, Miles returned to her active lifestyle. She is cancerfree and working towards a doctorate in occupational therapy at Pacific University. But this student is already a wise woman with an important lesson to share.

“You are the best advocate for yourself: take charge of your health,” she told the girls. “I did, and I caught my cancer early. I did, and I tackled it head-on. I did, and an entire career path opened up in front of me.

Ask questions – it may Dr. Tuttle with her sister and cancer save your life someday.” survivor, Caitlin Miles.

IN SCHOOLHOUSE: Shelly Betz became Director of Strategic Initiatives and Marketing on July 1, bringing more than 25 years of marketing, communications, development and event planning experience to Foxcroft.

Most recently, she served as marketing and public information officer at Ohio University in Ironton, OH. Betz has a BA from West Virginia University and completed a mini-MBA program in digital marketing at Rutgers University. She has two daughters, Clarke ’17 and Carsyn ’19.

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Notebook WELCOME A-BOARD! 1IIX XLI JSYV RI[ QIQFIVW SJ *S\GVSJX´W &SEVH SJ 8VYWXIIW John D. Durrett is a Director Emeritus of McKinsey and Co. Inc., having retired from the firm after a 27-year career. He is currently an advisor to Serent Capital, a private equity firm, and has served on several of its portfolio company boards. John is also an Adjunct Professor of Strategy at the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina.

He graduated from Millsaps College, Emory University Law School and The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. His daughter, Kelsey, graduated from Foxcroft in 2002.

Lizann Haag Gohring ’88 is Senior Vice President of Business Development Operations at UCS Eclipse, a leading provider of intelligent business solutions to enterprise and mid-market companies.

After earning a BA from Golden Gate University, she started her career in public accounting and later switched to professional services within the technology industry, focusing on ERP solutions. A native of San Francisco, Lizann currently resides in Las Vegas, NV, with her husband. Her son, Andrew, is 26 and lives in Washington, DC. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, hiking, Bikram yoga and whatever adventures life provides.

Hope Haskell Jones ’82 attended Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, majoring in Food and Beverage Management. She has been working in the hospitality industry ever since as a headhunter, commercial kitchen designer, catering hall manager and lifelong baker. Hope went the entrepreneurial route in 1995 when she opened Hope, Faith & Gluttony Bakery (HFG) in Red Bank, NJ, 8

near her hometown of Rumson. In 2005, she moved HFG to New York City, where she currently lives. HFG merged with This Chick Bakes in 2013. Hope also purchased Baking For Good to add to her Cookie Mogul Too, Inc. empire.

A collegiate rower, Hope is a board member of the Cornell Rowing Association.

Julia Browne Sause ’55 (Judy) grew up in the Baltimore area and attended Garrison Forest School prior to Foxcroft. After graduation, she worked at Johns Hopkins Hospital in the library and cardiac research department.

She married John W. Sause, Jr. in 1963 and moved to Centreville, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, where he was an attorney and newspaper owner. They have one son, Barkley. Judy founded the first day care center in Centreville and has served as president of St. Paul’s Church Women, Chapter I of the Colonial Dames of America and The Hammond-Harwood House, a colonial museum in Annapolis. She also served as class agent with Louisa Cooper Dubin ’55 for many years and spearheaded restoration of Miss Charlotte’s graveyard. Judy is a Fox and an IT (her mother, Julie Browne ’24, attended the School).

Thanks HEARTFELT THANKS to departing board members Chip Gruver P ’07 and ’09 and Sally Bartholomay Downey ’78 for all their passion, wisdom, energy and support. Their work and dedication has benefited generations of girls.

Foxcroft School

KUDOS ALL AROUND • An impressive 21 Foxcroft School students and recent graduates, including nine current seniors, earned 2015 AP Scholar designation from the College Board for extraordinary achievement on Advanced Placement Exams.

It is the 12th consecutive year in which Foxcroft has seen the number of AP Scholars reach double digits.

• Librarian and English teacher Steve Matthews (right) was elected to the 2016 American Library Association Committee on Committees. He also was appointed to serve on the External Review Panel evaluating the Library Science Program at the University of Tennessee.

SPORTS SHORTS

Two-time state tournament Player of the Year Alex Grace ’16 (above, with lacrosse coaches Patrick Finn and Michelle Woodruff) signed a letter of intent to play lacrosse at the University of Virginia. Later that same week, she finished fourth in the VISAA Division II Cross Country Championship to earn All-State honors in her third sport. Alex has led Foxcroft to two consecutive Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division II Lacrosse Championships and has set school records for most goals in a season (92) and most ground balls in a game (10), a season (82) and a career (215).

The Purcellville resident also was named Delaney Athletic Conference Player of the Year in basketball last season. She’s a terrific student, too!

Varsity Field Hockey, ranked second in the state, reached the VISAA Division II Championship Game before meeting nemesis Fredericksburg Academy. The top-ranked, three-time defending state champions defeated Foxcroft 4-3 in the final Fall/Winter 2015

• Athletic trainer Ruth Ann Allen (far right) was named to the training staff for the seventh Mutual of Omaha “Duel in the Pool” swim meet between the United States and Europe on December 11-12 in Indianapolis, IN. • Last summer, Science Department Chair Maria Evans, Ph.D. (formerly Dr. Eagen) taught two engineering courses at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, AZ.

– the fourth meeting of the season between the Delaney Athletic Conference rivals. FA beat Foxcroft twice in Fredericksburg, but Foxcroft played the Falcons to a 2-2 tie in Middleburg, led for part of the state final, and has three of its five All-State players returning. Wait ’til next year!

Annie Mickum ’16 was named VISAA Division II Player of the Year, the first time a Foxcroft player earned the honor. A resident of The Plains and daughter of Helen MacMahon ’85, Annie is also the Delaney Athletic Conference Player of the Year, for the second time. The team was ranked No. 1 for much of the season, but was upset by Highland School in the quarterfinals of the state tournament.

Kathleen “Kat” Forrest ’16 also achieved a first for Foxcroft when she earned All-State Honorable Mention in VISAA Division I volleyball.

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Now Appearing in Court Foxcroft’s beloved dormitory becomes a learning lab for students

By Bethany Stotler, Multimedia Communications Associate

alking into FoxHound Auditorium for a session of the Project Rebuild seminar series, observers will, at first glance, be reminded of a traditional lecture: a captive audience listens intently to presenters and takes notes. As one begins to tune into the atmosphere and structure of the lecture, however, it quickly becomes apparent that Project Rebuild is no ordinary seminar.

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the School’s Welcome Center. The 90-minute sessions begin with lectures in FoxHound Auditorium, followed by dynamic activities, hands-on demonstrations and visits to the Court construction site. Project Rebuild is experiential learning in an out-of-the-ordinary setting with working professionals as the teachers – and its educational value is reflected on the student participants’ transcripts.

A row of hard hats and safety vests are assembled underneath the projector screen. The lecturers are not Foxcroft faculty; they’re representatives of the construction company and architecture firm behind the renovation of Court. And the lectures are brief, because there has to be time for the fun stuff – that’s where the hard hats come into play.

Project Rebuild began last spring, as preliminary work was being done on Court. The first meetings focused on the design process, introducing students to innovative tools, such as the 3D modeling program SketchUp, and industry best practices. Full-fledged construction began over the summer and sessions picked up again in mid-September, following the various stages of retrofitting the building. At the October session, after a lecture that covered the components of concrete, students found themselves combining sand, cement and water into their own concrete mixture at the construction site, competing to see which group could make the strongest concrete. Several girls also tried their hand at laying brick.

Each month about two dozen Foxcroft students meet with representatives from Forrester Construction Company and Hord Coplan Macht, the architecture firm, for this one-ofa-kind, hands-on seminar which focuses around the design, demolition and renovation process that is turning Court into 10

Foxcroft School

Project Executive Will Stann of Forrester and Principal Peter Winebrenner of HCM lead many of the seminars. Both men helped develop Project Rebuild’s predecessor, Project Greenbuild, which chronicled the construction of Stuart Hall, Foxcroft’s first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-certified building. Their genuine enthusiasm for and dedication to the educational value is a large part of what makes the seminars so successful.

“One of the interesting things,” says Stann, “is the way that the architect, the school and the contractor have all gotten together to collaborate on creating the program.” Much like the cross-disciplinary projects classroom Foxcroft teachers continue to develop in Schoolhouse, joint efforts among the architects, engineers, designers and contractors enrich the program in different aspects of its curriculum, from design and structural issues to “finishes.”

While Stann, Winebrenner and Project Manager Karen Watts of Forrester are the main presenters, guest speakers are

frequently invited to present when Project Rebuild’s lesson falls into their area of expertise. The effect these encounters with STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) professionals have on our students is eye-opening, for them and for those observing.

“I really enjoy watching a student when they finally understand what goes into our modern buildings and why our built environment is designed or constructed the way it is,” says Stann. “We often take for granted the genius that goes into the design of modern buildings or the artistry of the men and women who perform the construction.

I am certain that students who take part in these seminars look at buildings in a very different light because of their new knowledge.”

The seminar is no accidental partnership. Building on an idea that came up at a Master Plan meeting with the Board of Trustees, Business Manager Deborah Anderson met with Science Department Chair Maria Evans to talk about

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ways to involve students in the construction of Stuart Hall.

When RFPs (requests for proposal) for Stuart Hall and, later, Court went out, an educational seminar or presentation with Foxcroft students was part of the deal. This initiative aligned with a goal that HCM already had in mind. “We wanted to develop the educational component of our projects,” says Winebrenner, “and we were just waiting for the right school, the right business manager, to come along.”

completely covered up and painted over, and we’ll get to see the finished building before everybody else does.”

Foxcroft is clearly that school. “The enthusiasm of everyone at Foxcroft makes a huge difference,” says Winebrenner. Indeed, there has been no shortage of students interested in learning more about engineering and construction. The current roster for the Project Rebuild seminars is primarily composed of freshmen, who arrived on campus after renovations had already begun on Court. Alex Greenberger, a freshman from Purcellville, VA, is grateful for the opportunity, regardless of her relatively new association with the building.

Some of the seniors in Project Rebuild knew Court as a dorm in their freshman year – or before. Marisa Sanders, a Chapel Hill, NC, resident, stayed in Court during her admission revisit in eighth grade, and she soon joined the building’s fan club. “Court was the dorm that was central to everything,” she says. “It was in the middle of campus, everyone went there; everyone loved it. The rooms known as ‘Senior Quad’ – I told myself freshman year that I really wanted to live in them.”

“Who knows when the next opportunity for something like this will come up,” she says. “It’s really cool to learn about the systems that they’re putting in. We’re seeing stuff that will be

While Marisa was initially disappointed when she heard that Court would no longer be a dorm, she warmed to the idea of its new role as she became more educated about the project.

For Alex, the hands-on lessons have been the most interesting. “I really loved learning about the differences between concrete and cement,” she says. “They brought us onto the site and we actually made concrete. I have mine sitting on my desk in my dorm.”

Foxcroft School

“After hearing Mrs. Leip [former Head of School Mary Louise Leipheimer] and Mrs. McGehee talk about how it was too expensive to update it as a dorm, I understand why it will be a better Welcome Center,� Marisa says. “And Project Rebuild has opened up my eyes to the problems they’ve had to solve and the steps they’ve had to take to keep the original structure and make it a healthy, better-built building. It has been really educational.�

Marisa also participated in Project Greenbuild and she has drawn upon her experience with both seminars and combined it with her real passion – horses – as she looks to the future. For her Senior Thesis this spring, she is writing a business plan for building eco-friendly barns. She is also considering universities with architecture programs, such as Texas A&M, Auburn and North Carolina State, for next year.

Before she graduates, though, Marisa is getting yet another special opportunity in a side project coordinated by Business Manager Deborah Anderson that she calls DesignBuild. In Dr. Evan’s Explorations in Engineering class last year, Marisa was part of a team that designed and constructed a gorgeous podium for Court’s boardroom.

This fall, when professional proposals for the transaction counter in the new school store/PX (which is moving to Court) didn’t strike a cord with Anderson, she decided to bring back those students. Many have graduated but Marisa and fellow senior Carli Mac Mahon will meet with Forrester, HCM’s design team and the mill work company contracted for Court to help design the counter.

“I’m hoping the girls can do what they did with the podium [which incorporates a feature of the Welcome Center’s design – a glass plate with the Foxcroft seal],� says Anderson, “and the design will be their legacy when they move on. It’s going to be really exciting for those students.�

While Project Rebuild was modeled after Project Greenbuild, experience and the obvious differences between renovation (Court) and new construction (Stuart Hall) have led Anderson, Forrester and HCM to make adjustments to the curriculum. Stuart Hall’s design had essentially been completed when Project Greenbuild seminars began, and the sessions were generally a step behind the construction process. With Project Rebuild, students are seeing things as they occur. “The Court process is the ideal way to do it,� says Anderson, “but given where a project starts during the year, that may not be possible.�

Also, the underlying challenge of the two projects is different. Stuart was a unique opportunity for students to learn about “green building� and the various environmental issues and construction practices involved. While Court construction also incorporates many green aspects, a key focus has been the shoring up of an 80-year-old building.

And, because of the early involvement, girls have been able to learn from the design process and the adjustments made along the way. While not directly involved with concept development, students have been able to pour over the blueprints and watch them become reality.

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While projects Rebuild and Greenbuild have been Foxcroftspecific, on-campus events, word has spread as faculty and staff have presented on the curriculum model at regional and national conferences. Anderson teamed with Forrester and HCM at the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools Conference, “Stem to Steam: Girls’ Schools Leading the Way” last summer. In 2014, the team also presented at the Council of Educational Facility Planners International Conference in Baltimore.

“It was great,” says Anderson. “The CFO of a public school district came up after that conference and she said, ‘This is really cool and very exciting’ and I said, ‘Yes, it has been wonderful,’ and she said ‘You just added a lot of work to my plate!’ ”

Stuart Hall also was awarded a Gold LEED certification and the U.S. Green Building Council’s Wintergreen Award in 2014. In both cases, student involvement and the educational component of the seminars were cited as important aspects of Stuart Hall being recognized.

The word is out about Foxcroft’s engaging approach to making engineering accessible to girls – and other schools are interested. Both Forrester and HCM have done “oneoff” educational sessions with other schools for whom they have done building projects, but nothing as extensive as either Project Greenbuild or Project Rebuild. Facilitating the seminars is a big undertaking for a school, and Winebrenner credits Foxcroft’s leadership, citing its enthusiasm for unique learning opportunities and willingess to allocate the extra time and energy required for the program’s success.

Of course, Forrester and HCM, too, feel the burden of resources required by the seminars on top of the normal pressures and deadlines intrinsic in their businesses. “If it’s something you love doing, it’s not work,” offers Winebrenner.

“Yes, it’s an extra thing, extra time and extra energy, but none of us sees it as something that makes our lives difficult. It’s just the opposite for me. It’s something we love doing.”

And, as is clearly apparent on the faces of Project Rebuild’s participants each time they walk into Court, it is something Foxcroft girls love, as well. Q

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Foxcroft School

Centennial Campaign Update Court: The Life and Sounds of a Building

By Marion L. Couzens, Director of Institutional Advancement The hum of a saw, the beep of a truck backing up and the banging of many hammers connecting with nails . . . these are among the sounds that can be heard across campus as Court, Foxcroft’s oldest dormitory, is transformed into the School’s new Welcome Center. With the drilling of geo-thermal wells, the parging of walls and the strengthening of its foundation, Court is undergoing a major renovation that will preserve this beautiful building as a central campus venue now and well into the future.

Court Dormitory, or Court House as it was originally called, was built in 1938 to house the girls from Wing (one of the SVMKMREP HSVQMXSVMIW ERH XLI 7GLSSP´W ¾IHKPMRK QYWMG TVSKVEQ The addition to the campus elicited much excitement: ±;I JIPX WXVERKIP] PMOI 2I[ +MVPW [LIR [I GEQI FEGO XS *S\GVSJX PEWX JEPP 8LI JEQMPMEV WTEGI FIX[IIR 3VGLEVH ERH ;MRK [LIVI [I LEH KEXLIVIH XS HVMRO GSGE GSPEW XLI WTVMRK FIJSVI [EW E QE^I SJ FVMGOW KMVHIVW ERH WGEJJSPHMRK ² – 8EPP] ,S!, 1938 ±8LI FMK RI[ 'SYVX ,SYWI MW ½RMWLIH EX PEWX ERH XLI KMVPW JVSQ XLI ;MRK LEZI QSZIH MRXS MX -X LEW XIR VSSQW ERH XIR FEXLW JSV KMVPW ERH X[S VSSQW ERH FEXLW JSV XIEGLIVW E PEVKI WMXXMRK VSSQ ERH RMRI QYWMG VSSQW ² – +SRI %[E], June 1938, p. 4 Music and prayer mixed with the playful prattle of 14-year-olds EW 'SYVX LSYWIH ½VWX XLI 2I[ +MVPW ERH PEXIV YTTIVGPEWWQIR seniors, several resident adults and the only chapel on campus, a tiny oasis situated next to the front door.

In 1948, the music program moved to the Music Building, E O E 7QEPP 7GLSSPLSYWI RS[ XLI WMXI SJ XLI &YWMRIWW 3J½GI mailroom and PX/School Store, formerly known as Tuck). Spaces MR 'SYVX XLEX SRGI [IVI ½PPIH [MXL &IIXLSZIR WSREXEW ERH glee club melodies were repurposed as dormitory rooms to accommodate the growing school.

Fall /Winter 2015

In the ’70s, Court was alive with the beat of rock and roll blaring from stereos and tape decks, the whirr of hand-held hair dryers and the rat-a-tat of typewriters. In warm weather, the smell of baby oil would often waft in through the French doors open onto the patio, where girls were sunbathing with XLIMV XMR JSMP VI¾IGXSVW 'SYVX VIQEMRIH E JEZSVIH VIWMHIRGI JSV students into the 21st century, even as age took its toll on the lovely brick structure.

Now, more than 75 years after it was built, Court House will SRGI EKEMR FI ½PPIH [MXL RSMWI ERH PMJI EW MX [IPGSQIW ZMWMXSVW XS campus, groups to its seminar and meeting rooms, and students to the PX.The sounds of mailboxes slamming shut will mingle with the chattering of girls as they move through the building on a campus tour or going to class, and the scrape of chairs on the patio as prospective students join current ones to learn about the place they might call home in the future. Although Court’s purpose – and its sounds – may be different, the whitewashed brick building will remain a familiar landmark that has touched and will continue to touch the lives of generations of Foxcroft women.

Court is the second step in Foxcroft’s Centennial Campaign’s Residential Initiative. Currently, with just under $2 million left to raise for this $8 million project, Court is slated to open in late summer 2016.There are still opportunities to honor a person or memory of your time at Foxcroft by naming a space in Court that perhaps ]SY IRNS]IH EW E WXYHIRX SV E RI[ WTEGI XLEX VI¾IGXW your favorite facet of boarding school life. For more information on named giving opportunities or to give to the renovation of Court, please use the QR code (right) or contact Marion Couzens at 540.687.4518 or QEVMSR GSY^IRW$JS\GVSJX SVK 15

Learning to Serve . . .

Community Service is, and will

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From whom much is given, much is expected. It is more blessed to give than to receive. Foxcroft women aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. Helping others is part of our DNA. Service to others has been a core value at Foxcroft since it was founded in 1914. Miss Charlotte emphasized the importance of an understanding heart. Today, Service remains an essential part of the School’s fabric but with a new emphasis.

“Often students are eager to raise money or to volunteer to help others in need because it’s the right thing to do,” says Head of School Cathy McGehee, “but they don’t always see the connection service has to their process of learning.

They don’t see that there are curricular connections to a community problem or that they gain important skills when they help others, skills that contribute to their own growth.”

Service learning draws a distinction between volunteering, which emphasizes service for the sake of the beneficiary, and service activities in which students engage with intentional academic or learning goals and opportunities for reflection. In the service-learning model, students use their knowledge and skills to address a problem. They research and understand the underlying social, political, environmental and economic issues that contribute to community or global challenges, either before or while they work on a service project.

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Foxcroft’s relationship with the Cherry Blossom Breast Cancer Foundation is a terrific example. It began a decade ago as a once-a-year, show-up-and-walk event in downtown Middleburg. Since then, it has also become a vehicle for educating girls about cancer and self-care. This fall Caitlin Miles, a 20-something breast cancer survivor, spoke (see Notebook, page 7) to the students, making quite an impact.

It is also an opportunity to plan and execute a major event – the annual Think Pink Basketball Tournament – at which Athletic Association members do everything from promoting the event and manning the scoring tables to selling t-shirts and running a busy concession stand. Plus, thanks to the establishment of two permanent spots on the CBBCF Board, it offers a chance to sit on a non-profit board – as a teenagers.

At this year’s walk, McGehee shared the stage with board members Mary Park Durham ’17 and Jessie Herman ’16.

“What a unique learning experience for our students to be full-voting members of a nonprofit board,” McGehee said.

“They learn leadership and advocacy skills and work to solve real-world problems alongside members of the community.”

Mary Park has been on the board since spring of 2014 and became secretary last summer. “I have gained invaluable leadership and collaboration skills and learned so much about philanthropy by serving on the Board,” she says. “In addition Foxcroft School

and Serving to Learn always be, a Foxcroft tradition

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to taking notes at the meetings, I sit on the Grants and Education committees. We take field trips to meet incredible individuals that dedicate their lives to detect, treat, educate and eventually eliminate breast cancer. I feel truly blessed to have this opportunity while I am only a high school student.”

Moving Forward Mindfully This fall, Beth O’Quinn, mother of Molly Murphy ’15 and Grace Murphy ’10, received a title to go with the role she filled on an ad hoc basis for much of the past year. As Coordinator of Service Learning, O’Quinn researches and organizes service opportunities ranging from ongoing weekly commitments, such as Banneker Buddies and Sprout Therapeutic Riding, to all-school service days and pop-up responses to specific needs.

O’Quinn’s goal is simple. “I hope the girls will learn why community service is important,” she says. “I really think that by serving others, you develop your values and a sense of self that can influence your entire life. An awareness of others and their needs is an important part of personal growth. ” But first, students have to be exposed to those needs. “My strategy is to identify the needs of our community and give students an array of opportunities to choose from, with the

Fall/Winter 2015

hope that they will experience different situations, see different needs and bring their own interests and passions to the table.”

The lessons are many. “You learn how others live their lives, which is sometimes very different,” says O’Quinn. “You learn from the inspiring adults behind these programs. You form a plan and execute it. This takes leadership, problem-solving and analytic skills, creative brainstorming and teamwork.”

O’Quinn points to the Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) High program used in Dr. Maria Evans’s engineering class. Students identify specific needs of a local nonprofit and follow the engineering cycle to create something useful for the “client” and meaningful to them.

This fall, one group of engineering students is creating a sensory trail for Sprout Therapeutic Riding Center. “Think about everything they have to learn to do that well,” says O’Quinn. “What are the senses to feature? What physical constraints do the riders and the horses they ride have? Then they design, build and install the stations. It is a rich learning experience that benefits others.”

Enjoy more stories of service learning on the next pages. Q

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A Sweet Lesson Every fall, the Advanced Placement Microeconomics project is a bake sale that teaches the students, in practical terms, economic concepts they have been learning all semester long. The class is divided into two teams that compete to see who can earn the most profits, which they do by either maximizing revenue or minimizing costs. Planning the specific products to offer during the sale, marketing and product differentiation are key. Each team also selects its own location (with accompanying costs) for the day of the sale.

On the day of the project, each group quickly finds out about “unknown unknowns” that they did not account for; often these are packaging or making change. Throughout the day, there are several rounds of “government involvement” when

I levy taxes, initiate price ceilings and floors, or the like. After the day of the sale is completed, each group has to present their “lessons learned” to their classmates.

The most rewarding part of the project is putting the profits to work: They all go toward assisting the Middleburg Angel Tree that supplies presents for needy children in the area. Our students take a trip to Target to purchase items on Santa’s list – and they get a second economics lesson: how to stretch a dollar in Christmas shopping. Last year, the class raised enough money to fund presents for the entire Angel Tree.

After shopping, the girls gather in Roomies for a wrapping party with cookies.

– by Steve McCarty, English and Economics teacher

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The Other Side of the Desk The mission of Banneker Buddies is to tutor children at the elementary school for half an hour every Thursday morning.

Even though the time is short, the result is long-lasting.

Not only do we help the children and teachers, but we also experience a lot of personal growth by developing empathy and learning to have a positive attitude about life.

When I started to participate in Banneker Buddies last year, I met a little girl named Alexandra who was having difficulty in math. I encouraged her to do the problems independently. It 18

Foxcroft School

was frustrating and it took patience but she finally developed her own way of understanding addition and subtraction. I felt so satisfied when I saw her smiling face at last!

devoting ourselves to community service. Surely this spirit exists in every Foxcroft girl’s heart. It will never be forgotten!

– by Yiming Zhao ’18

A unique aspect of Banneker Buddies is that we stand in the teacher’s shoes and see things from a different perspective than usual. My experience with Alexandra helped me to understand how hard our teachers work to help us learn. It made me think about how we as students can improve and reduce our teachers’ burdens at Foxcroft in the future.

At Banneker Buddies, I see how special and helpful our contribution is to the school and I find the spirit of

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Forget Your Problems At the end of my freshman year, I was selected to be the cohead of our Sprout Therapeutic Riding Center volunteer club. I was honored, yet nervous, to be awarded this position.

I now realize that there is no better way to give your time and energy than to support something you’re passionate about, especially when it benefits the community so significantly.

At Sprout Therapeutic Riding Center, children and adults with disabilities learn how to ride and care for horses. This allows them to establish better learning and physical abilities, and it provides a calming and stress-free environment for them to feel comfortable in their own skin. Volunteering at the Center can include anything from mucking out stalls and grooming horses to helping little children experience their

first time on a horse. No matter the task, you always leave Sprout feeling enlightened and grateful for having the chance to help the community.

It’s so easy to get caught up in our own lives and forget to realize just how blessed we are or to appreciate the extraordinary opportunities we are presented with each day. Schoolwork, athletics, social life and many teenage things can get overwhelming at times. All of those worries, though, seem to vanish once you see the little kids at Sprout who are so overjoyed to just be in your presence. You forget your own problems and allow yourself to recognize just how fortunate you are. And that’s something that everyone should experience.

– By Saylor Hart ’18

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Instrumental to the Cause Community Service has brightened my life over my four years at Foxcroft. Coming from China, I arrived with a different context. Where I come from, despite the economic prosperity, there are children with missing legs crawling on the street begging for food. The huge gap between rich and poor has motivated me to help those who need to be cared for.

As one of three community service interns this year, I possess greater responsibility for coordinating with leaders of several nonprofits, including Seven Loaves Food Bank in Middleburg, and for educating Foxcroft students about the value of service.

In September, I decided to use a new approach – music – to raise money for Seven Loaves. I saw it as an opportunity to involve more students, so I talked to musicians at Foxcroft and I rallied their support through our shared love for music.

On the day of the fundraiser, my quintet set up instruments, including keyboard, flute and violin, in front of the Safeway grocery store in the town. As we started to play, I noticed a lot more people were curious about our efforts. One woman asked why we were playing music; I told her about the food bank and that we chose to play “The River Flows in You” to highlight the spirit of helping those less fortunate. “It is great to see all of you using music as a way to help others,” she said, gladly giving us a donation.

Our bucket continued to fill up with donations. We were thrilled to see that, in just an hour, we had doubled donations from our previous fundraising efforts! This event was a big success, but it is only one step in the process. I believe if we all realize the importance of giving back, the world will be a better place.

– By Sophia Deng ’16

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Foxcroft School

A Longer Walk The juniors’ journey to the spring walkathon starts in September &] +VEGI /IRHEPP 4VIWMHIRX ERH -WEFIPPE >MQQIVQER :MGI 4VIWMHIRX 'PEWW SJ

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As many classes have done before us, the Class of 2017 began to prepare for its Junior Class Walkathon at the end of sophomore year when we chose the charitable organization we wished to support throughout the year, culminating in a school-wide fundraiser. As a class, we HIGMHIH XS WTSRWSV ,IMJIV -RXIVREXMSREP E RSRTVS½X organization that works towards the eradication of global poverty and hunger through sustainable community development.

We chose Heifer International (HI) over many other incredible organizations because we thought its practice of “passing on a giftâ€? by distributing animals instead of monetary handouts is not only practical, tangible evidence of the organization’s efforts, but also empowering. After we chose HI, one of our class advisors, Mr. [Alexander] Northrup, shared his story of [SVOMRK [MXL XLI RSRTVS½X [LIR LI [EW ]SYRKIV ERH how much it impacted him.

Still, when we arrived on campus to start our junior ]IEV [I [IVI WYVTVMWIH XS ½RH [I LEH [EMZIVW XS ½PP out for our class trip! We thought that we were just going to Washington, D.C. but soon discovered that our Walkathon’s theme had been incorporated into the class trip.Thanks to Mr. Northrup’s hard work, we would spend half of our trip exploring D.C. and half at Heifer International’s Global Village in Sharpsburg, MD. We were told to only bring necessary items and one “luxuryâ€? item, such as a pillow or toothbrush, to the Global Village, so we arrived with little.We toured the village, which has a variety of accommodations representing different standards of living found around

Fall/Winter 2015

the world. We also discussed Heifer International’s goals and its 12 cornerstones to raise awareness of world hunger and poverty.

Then we split into different “countries:� Thailand, Mozambique, Guatemala and “refugee.� Each group had different living spaces, obstacles and supplies.The supplies consisted of food, water or wood – except for the refugees, who had no supplies and the extra obstacle of not being able to speak English!

The purpose of being placed in these various villages was to put ourselves in the shoes of many people around the world who do not have access to basic necessities and face the fear of starvation every day. We had to cook our own meals, negotiate with other countries for food or other supplies, battle the language barrier and take care of our chaperones, who were required to act as either babies or elderly people with slight dementia.This taught us to share and communicate with one another and as a class.

Although we were only at the Global Village for one night, we realized that thousands of people on Earth live in far worse conditions than what we experienced – and not just for 24 hours. We saw why organizations like Heifer International are so crucial in aiding communities around the world and had fun experiencing something completely new and very real in some places. Our class trip to Heifer International’s Global Village brought the organization’s goals to life, turning a charity we chose months ago for our walkathon into an organization that the Class of 2017 feels passionate about supporting. Q

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The Path to Wellness New Program Strikes a Healthy Balance

By Shelly Betz, Director of Strategic Initiatives & Marketing

S

ince Foxcroft’s founding more than 100 years ago, the School has placed an emphasis on healthy living and outdoor activity. The motto that Charlotte Haxall Noland adopted for her School, mens sana in corpore sano (a healthy mind in a healthy body) indicates that she believed a correlation exists between classroom learning and physical fitness.

Miss Charlotee promoted the School’s location as a means to wellness: A 1938 catalogue boasts, “Foxcroft is a country school, situated in a neighborhood particularly suited to a healthy, out-of-door life.” The sleeping porches were designed to provide girls with a healthy night’s sleep in the open air and daily exercise – ranging at various times from basketball and horseback riding to military drill – was the norm for all of the students. Later, health class became a required part of the curriculum.

“The motto she chose, ‘mens sana in corpore sano,’ . . . indicates that Miss Charlotte believed a correlation exists between classroom learning and physical fitness.”

A focus on wellness, then, is nothing new to Foxcroft. It does, however, have an exciting new form, launched this fall. As part of the School’s strategic objective to support best practices for teaching girls, the semester-long “Sophomore Health” class of recent years has been transformed into a robust Wellness Program for girls in grades 9-12.

“Wellness encompasses so much more than the traditional health class topics,” says Head of School Cathy McGehee.

“To prepare girls for lifelong wellness, we needed to build a program that would meet the needs of our girls where they are now and to anticipate needs as they transition to college.”

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Some insight into those needs came last spring after Foxcroft students participated in the Independent School Health Check (ISHC) survey, which is based largely on the Youth Behavior Risk Survey administered by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The ISHC survey results provided information specific to the needs of independent school student populations and helped inform curriculum development for the new Wellness Program. In addition, the data provides a benchmark that the School can use to measure the success of the curriculum over time.

Cathy McGehee appointed Katie Ryan Kantz as Director of Wellness Education at Foxcroft. A former member of Foxcroft’s Administration team as Athletic Director (2006-10), as well as a teacher of history and health, Kantz currently serves as Stuart Hall housemother and coaches field hockey in addition to her Wellness Education position.

Kantz attended two Wellness Summits (2014, 2015) sponsored by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools and spent last year compiling research and conducting interviews to learn more about the topic.

“Through research and careful collaboration with experts, faculty and students, we are highlighting something that Foxcroft’s founder emphasized long before today’s wellness trend or the traditional health class,” says Kantz. “The healthy mind and healthy body mantra is so important now in this fast-paced world. The Wellness Program helps students restore sleep cycles, walk with digital balance, Foxcroft School

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increase empathy with their Understanding Hearts, turn up their voices and develop the character education which is at the heart of the School.”

in the field, data from the IHSC survey and what we have learned from observing students on a daily basis for many years,” says Kantz.

One of Kantz’s first goals was to define wellness in a way that is appropriate and meaningful. To that end, Foxcroft adopted this definition from the National Wellness Institute: an active process through which people become aware of, and make choices toward, a more successful existence. At first reading, certain keywords – active, aware, choices and successful – resonate. Research shows that young women continue to face challenges in such areas as self-esteem, body image and healthy relationships.

During a September session, students listened intently as Inova sleep expert Jennifer Baez, CNFP, shared information about the far-reaching physical, emotional and mental changes that can occur when they routinely deny their body the opportunity to refuel overnight. As a housemother, Kantz knows all too well the need for this lesson.

“We know the advantages of a girls’ school in so many academic areas,” says McGehee. “I believe we can be far more intentional and research-based in teaching girls about the external factors that contribute to their long-term well-being and success, as well as empower them to make personal choices that help them be more successful right now in high school.”

With assistance from a team of appropriate administrators, faculty and staff, Kantz has developed an innovative and comprehensive Wellness Program curriculum that is relevant and age-appropriate – and also engages girls in a way that makes it interesting and fun. This fall, the freshmen have participated in a series of classes and workshops on subjects ranging from homesickness and breast cancer awareness to time and stress management. “The topics we chose to focus on this year are a result of current research Fall/Winter 2015

“This could be one of the most important skills to help these girls develop for themselves through our residential setting,” she says. “Promoting self-care can do only so much. When an expert showed them, scientifically, what lack of sleep can do to their academic performance, health, happiness and overall balance in life, the shared knowledge was incredibly powerful and now we see girls deciding to get more sleep.”

Roxy Chen ’19, an international boarding student, is one such girl. “Every night I would work until midnight. I realized it’s pretty bad for my health and it really would influence my study quality on the next day,” she says. “Now, I try to get to bed by a certain time and get up a little earlier if I need to.”

In another session, students learned about mindfulness, which provides a combination of self-awareness and personal accountability aimed at reducing stress and anxiety. Kantz has completed two certification courses from Mindful Schools, a nationally-respected organization that trains teachers to bring the practice into their schools.

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During one of the group exercises, the girls were asked to sit quietly and listen to a single ringing of a bell until they no longer heard the sound. They repeated the same exercise with their eyes closed to increase their concentration level. Many of the girls were able to hear the ringing sound longer while their eyes were shut.

In the coming months, Foxcroft sophomores will attend four topic-specific seminars that are condensed versions of what the freshmen are experiencing. For juniors and seniors, the focus will be on key subjects that will help them transition to college, such as personal safety, financial literacy, stress management, human sexuality and healthy relationships.

“It was so relaxing and peaceful,” recalls freshman Candace Kalitsi. “I wish I could do it every day.”

Another key aspect of the program is the intentional use of digital resources to connect our students with experts in the field of wellness. “No one teacher can be an expert on the variety of topics covered: nutrition, sleep, exercise, informed consent or prescription drug abuse, for example,” says McGehee. “I have encouraged Katie to use her skills in technology to curate information for our students, creating a rich band of resources.”

As the girls discovered their point of relaxation and concentration during the exercise, it was clear that even a few minutes of calm each day could have far-reaching benefits.

“They realized that they could find and reflect on the space between their emotion and their reaction and ‘anchor’ themselves to find space to make a better decision,” says Kantz. “This is such a valuable skill to master in the fast world they live in.”

“We live in a society that practices mostly relief care . . .Wellness requires repetition, reflection and a daily effort to be your best.”

The ultimate challenge, as Kantz points out, lies in the difference between learning about or doing certain healthy activities and adopting a wellness lifestyle. “We live – Katie Ryan Kantz in a society that practices mostly relief care, For Carrington Lowe ’19, the Wellness which is reactive and at the lowest functional Program provides opportunities to learn things she might level for one’s health,” she says. “Wellness requires repetition, not otherwise. “The most important thing I learned is reflection and a daily effort to be your best. We are lucky at the difference between a good relationship and a bad Foxcroft that we have so many people who challenge us to relationship,” she says. “I never really asked my mom these commit to a wellness lifestyle that will inevitably enhance kinds of questions, because it gets weird and it’s nice to be these young women’s lives. That is an amazing gift that many able to have someone to talk to about this kind of stuff.” in today’s society do not have.” Q 24

Foxcroft School

Plugged In: 21st century literacy

By Maria Sogegian, Digital Learning Librarian

Along with the new Wellness Seminar, freshmen are now required to complete a Digital Literacy course during the fall semester. If Wellness strives to educate students about the possibilities in and responsibilities of broadly engaging body, mind and soul, Digital Literacy seeks to do the same regarding how they interact with the digital world. Plugged into today’s highly-connected society from ever younger ages, students are facile with their devices.

They still need, however, to learn how to harness the powerful tools of the internet and technology and to use XLIQ IJJIGXMZIP] IJ½GMIRXP] ERH IWTIGMEPP] [MWIP] ¯ NYWX EW E ½VWX KVEHIV RIIHW XS PIEVR LS[ XS LEVRIWW XLI TS[IV SJ the words she’s been accumulating since birth.

The focus of Foxcroft’s Digital Literacy class is to: IRLERGI SYV WXYHIRXW´ EFMPMX] XS ½RH IZEPYEXI utilize and share information; • teach new ways to create content using information, technology and the internet; and • increase awareness of the need and ways to protect online information, the permanent nature of digital information and how it is shared among applications, devices and organizations.

All work in the class is done online and students practice utilizing Google Apps for Education tools to create, store and share content. Students build upon digital literacy skills learned in the classroom and become familiar with different methods teachers might employ to

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HIPMZIV MRWXVYGXMSR MRGPYHMRK YWMRK TSHGEWXW JSV ±¾MTTIH classroom” lectures.

Students conduct research using the School’s myriad digital resources (databases) and learn to manage the research process with an online bibliographic tool, such as NoodleTools or Imagine Easy Scholar. They present XLIMV ½RHMRKW IQTPS]MRK E ZEVMIX] SJ HMKMXEP TVIWIRXEXMSR tools such as Animoto, Prezi and Glogster. Presentations QE] FI ½PQIH MR SVHIV JSV WXYHIRXW XS WII ERH LIEV XLIMV presentations and adjust their style, should they choose.

Towards the semester’s end, lessons shift focus to online security and safety. Students meet with law enforcement representatives to discuss the risks associated with online activity and how to minimize them. Students also evaluate their digital footprint and consider whether changes are needed.The relationships between various social media applications and how information may be shared among applications are discussed.Tracking and targeting techniques employed by commercial organizations are examined as well.

The digital world changes relentlessly; just as our body of knowledge increases daily. The tools and skills – both technical and intellectual – honed in Digital Literacy will stand Foxcroft students in good stead as they sally forth into our Brave New World. Q

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Technically Speaking: In the Classroom

By Alexander O. Northrup, Academic Technology Coordinator

T

echnology in education can be as simple as a pencil or, increasingly, as complex as a 3D printer. While the purpose of this technology – to prepare our girls for college and the world beyond – has not changed since the founding of Foxcroft over a century ago, the constant change and sheer variety of tools available to teachers today has increased exponentially and can, at times, be overwhelming. This year in addition to serving as History Department Chair and teaching History and English, I have taken on a new role as part of my duties as Academic Technology Coordinator. I work with the faculty individually and as a group to bring new technologies to the classroom in ways that are effective and authentic. Here are just a few of the many new ways that Foxcroft students are working with technology on campus.

Forensic Science If you have seen the TV show CSI, you have probably seen the use of gel electrophoresis, a method which uses an electrical current to separate DNA (or RNA, or protein) fragments based on their size and charge, by running them through a semi-solid gel. Earlier this fall, students in the Science Department’s new elective class, Forensic Science, used this method to “solve” an age-old case – the real identity of Princess Anastasia of Imperial Russia.

The class is taught by Lindsey Bowser and Meghen Tuttle, Ph.D., who divided the class into groups and had them compare DNA samples from four candidates for the royal heir with DNA taken from Anastasia’s parents.

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Foxcroft School

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By examining the length of each sample after gel electrophoresis, the students were able to see which sample made the royal match. All the groups made the correct identification; unfortunately, the Princess declined interview requests for this magazine.

Advanced Academic English In Lisa Boulestreau’s class for non-native English speakers, students were asked to choose an old fairy tale and rewrite it using new technology – Powtoon! Created just three years ago, Powtoon is an online presentation software that allows students to combine sound, text and images to create an animated story. This project directly engaged all four of the language-learning skills around which the course is built – reading, writing, speaking and listening – and required the girls to combine these skills in a creative way for a real audience. In addition, they became adept at using another software program. The end results were engaging and amusing. And they all lived happily ever after.

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AP Human Geography with GIS

studied this fall using GIS include lava flows and emergency routes in Hawaii, regional variation of English dialects, and where on campus one can find the best cell phone reception. The second semester will focus on the application of geoanalytical skills through projects based in the local community, working with both people and technology to solve real-world problems. Q

Advanced Placement Human Geography has been offered at Foxcroft for several years as a one-semester elective. This year, Geographic Information System (GIS) has been aded to the syllabus. This online toolkit allows students to collect, map and analyze data more broadly, thoroughly and quickly than they might otherwise. Some of the topics that students have

During his 17-year Foxcroft tenure, Alex Northrup has taught English, Spanish, History and filmmaking, worked in Currier Library and the Development Office, overseen Foxcroft’s website, coached soccer and served as Academic Dean and History Department Chair. This fall, Alex was one of just two high school teachers appointed by the Association of American Geographers to serve on the team writing a proposal to the College Board for a new Advanced Placement course.

Fall/Winter 2015

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Helen Cudahy Niblack ’42 Arts Lecture Series

ART BY NATURE

Kristin Leachman ’84 Brings the Universal Language of Art to Foxcroft

By Terry Meyer, Assistant Director for Stewardship, Office of Institutional Advancement

S

ince it was established in 2007, the Helen Cudahy Niblack ’42 Arts Lecture Series has brought a variety of literary, performing and fine artists to Foxcroft.

They speak to the community about their artistic journeys and the nature of the creative process, and spend time working with students in smaller group settings. One of the goals of the series is to generate space for an exchange of ideas that just might inspire a Foxcroft girl or two to chase her own artistic dreams.

When this year’s inaugural artist – painter, filmmaker and alumna, Kristin Leachman ’84 – visited campus in October, the first thing she did was to share the story of just such an exchange. Speaking to students and faculty at Morning 28

Meeting, she recounted a pivotal conversation that propelled her into pursuing her artistic dreams.

It happened in Foxcroft’s Art Room during her senior year.

Kristin was struggling to finish her portfolio and the requisite drawing of a bicycle to submit to the Rhode Island School of Design. As she drew and erased, drew and erased, art teacher Walta Martin asked her what was the matter. Kristin responded, “I can’t do this. I’m not good enough, and they probably won’t admit me anyway.”

Recollects Kristin, “She said to me, ‘You’d better decide if you really want this or not because that bicycle drawing is your ticket.’ And then she did the best thing: She walked away. I’ll Foxcroft School

never forget sitting in the Art Room with the light coming in the windows and having to decide at that moment my next step.� Kristin buckled down, drew the bicycle and submitted her portfolio. She was waitlisted at RISD and then admitted, in May, and she credits that Art Room conversation with sending her on her way.

Today, Kristin’s work can be found at the San Diego Museum of Art, The National Museum of Women in the Arts and the National Gallery of Art, as well as numerous private collections.

The U.S. Department of State recently acquired several pieces for the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. In addition to a BFA in Painting from RISD, Kristin has an MFA in Production Design from the American Film Institute. Although she rarely works in film today, one movie she worked on, Senzeni Na?, was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Short Subject category.

Kristin, who grew up in the Middleburg area, now lives in Los Angeles, which she loves not only because “you have all these different cultures and the one place where we all come together in the art museums where everyone speaks the universal language of art� but also because her home is nestled between the desert, the ocean and magnificent forests.

“She said to me, ‘You’d better decide if you really want this or not because that bicycle drawing is your ticket.’ And then she did the best thing: She walked away.�

Before all that, though, Kristin was Fox Painter and she created the iconic banner that hangs in the Fox goal during Fox/Hound field hockey games. As Kristin tells it, making the banner involved a last-minute trip to The Fun Shop in Middleburg for fabric and a bit of a disaster in the Art Room as the paint seeped through the fabric and stained the walls, requiring several coats of white paint to repair. Kristin had not seen that banner in person since the day that she folded it up and gave it to the next Fox Painter, and she was delighted to have it as her backdrop while she spoke.

The theme for this year’s Niblack Series is “Inspired

by Nature,� and Kristin most definitely has been, especially in the case of her latest work. The natural environment plays an important role in the artistic process Kristin uses when creating one of her recent series of paintings.

These striking works (opposite, large image) are inspired by the unique under-bark tissue of trees called xylem. The xylem of the California live oak, Kristin says, “presents itself in psychedelic and swirling ways with images and symbols in it. And I am always looking for that!� To help explain her work and the unusual subject matter of this series, Kristin

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presented a short film that she made to help everyone at her talk to better visualize her approach.

After Her talk, Kristin spend time with art students throughout the rest of the day. These lucky students got to experience Kristin’s approach firsthand as she took each class out to discover, explore and be inspired by nature in Foxcroft’s uncommonly beautiful campus. Kristin gave each girl a sketchbook and led them on walks in the woods behind Covert, along the cross-country running trail and near the paddocks behind McConnell Stables, where the girls settled in and drew what inspired them. As the girls sketched, Kristin wandered among them giving encouragement and advice.

Over lunch in the Art Room, Kristin shared more encouragement and advice with girls who are applying to art school. Amidst the sandwiches and art supplies, she reviewed each portfolio and made suggestions to help the girls’ work stand out.

The next day, Kristin visited the History of Western Art class to talk about artists who have served as role models and inspiration for her work. Her list included surrealist Katherine “Kay” Sage, who – although Kristin didn’t realize it until she was preparing her presentation for the class – was a Foxcroft alum, too, from the Class of 1915!

Talking about her creative journey with the entire community, sketching out in nature with the art classes, reviewing portfolios over lunch with art school hopefuls, and discussing the artists who have most influenced her own work with art history students, Kristin dove back into life at Foxcroft for two days … and the whole community was the better for it. The Foxcroft campus became like a Los Angeles art museum during her visit, where we all spoke the universal language of art. Q View more of Kristin’s work at www.kristinleachman.com

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Looking Ahead The theme of this year’s Helen Cudahy Niblack ’42 Arts Lecture Series is “Inspired by Nature” and additional artist visits are in the works. This spring, (tentatively April 11) Caroline “Cina” Alexander Forgason ’73 will hold a screening of a film she produced, Rara Avis: John James Audubon and the Birds of America (www.audubonthemovie.com).

Watch for details on www.foxcroft.org, the parent and alumnae newsletters and social media. The public is welcome to attend the screening.

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Foxcroft School

Art Program Gets a Makeover As Kristin’s work so directly demonstrates, the environment – in her case, nature – often affects and inspires artists. The work environment, too, can MR¾YIRGI XLI GVIEXMZI WTMVMX ERH WSQIXMQIW E JVIWL look leads to a fresh idea, and vice versa. %RH WS JSPPS[MRK E WMKRM½GERX VIZEQTMRK SJ XLI Visual Arts curriculum last spring, the expansive Art Room in Schoolhouse underwent a makeover.

The room was painted from top to bottom, and JYVRMXYVI ERH ½\XYVIW [IVI VIEVVERKIH XS GVIEXI dedicated space for different disciplines, some of which didn’t exist when the room was last revamped. Photography and graphic design, now wholly digital, monopolize one area; drawing, TEMRXMRK ERH QM\IH QIHME ½PP XLI GIRXIV SJ XLI studio, and the perimeter hosts printmaking, sculpture and clay. The latter has emerged from the [LIIP ½PPIH TSXXIV] VSSQ FIGEYWI LERH FYMPHMRK is now the foundation of the ceramics curriculum.

One corner, which had been overrun with, as Fine Arts Deparment Chair Karin Thorndike puts it, “stuff,” has become a bright, airy sitting area with comfy chairs, a big couch and a library of art books. ”We wanted the entire room to be for our students,” says Thorndike, noting that cabinets and storage posted to students had taken over lots of space.

“There’s nothing now that they can’t use. My hope is that this will be a place where students can come and feel creative, or just relax, a sort of oasis during the week and a destination on weekends.”

The new curriculum is built around a new Studio Art sequence that gives students a broad-based, multi-discipline experience. “Instead of taking Drawing and Design and then Painting, students get E XEWXI SJ [SVOMRK [MXL ½ZI SV WM\ HMJJIVIRX QIHME JVSQ XLI ½VWX GSYVWI ² WE]W 8LSVRHMOI ±%W XLI] progress, they begin to create a more self-directed curriculum. The students in a class may be doing the same project, but each girl can choose the medium or the approach she wishes.”

Series in photography, ceramics and digital graphics persist and a multi-media sculpture class has been added, but each student’s progress becomes a singular experience. “At the upper levels, girls can zero in on the style, media or discipline they are drawn to,” says Thorndike. “If a girl hopes to go to architecture school for example, we can guide her to projects and experiences that will hone the skills and knowledge base she will need. This is the beauty of having a small school and knowing all of our students well.”

– Cathrine Wolf

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A TYPICAL ATYPICAL DAY Exceptional Proficiency Program riders in Florida follow a demanding routine

By Laura Scharfenberg, Campaign Coordinator, Office of Institutional Advancement

It’s been 25 years since the first Exceptional Proficiency Program participant, Alison Firestone Robitaille ’95, spent the winter enrolled at Foxcroft while training, competing – and studying – in Florida. Scores of girls have since availed themselves of this unique learning experience to ride, study voice at Juilliard, show dogs at the Westminster KC Dog Show, compete in a youth sport climbing championship in Singapore or play polo in Buenos Aires, among other things.

The exceptional proficiency that was the origin of the program – show jumping in Florida – remains its mainstay. In addition to sending riders south to work with non-Foxcroft trainers, the School has recently established a presence of its own with Director of Riding Kate Worsham overseeing a small contingent of girls and horses during much of the 12-week Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) in Wellington. Here’s a glimpse, based on last winter, of how our exceptional riders spend their very different winter terms.

n a typical teenager’s life, getting up early and

I

hopping in the car or on the bus to get to school is the norm. Not so for a Foxcroft girl participating in the Exceptional Proficiency Program (EPP) in Wellington, FL. She’s more likely to get up and hop on a horse. Typical does not apply to our girls. Whether riding with Foxcroft or other top trainers, they follow routines that are anything but.

The day starts early for Brittany Hector ’17 and the other girls staying at Foxcroft’s temporary home near the Wellington showgrounds. Horses need to be cared for, tacked up and ridden. It’s a 10-minute drive to 4 Winds Farm to attend to these tasks and a brisk 20-minute walk on horseback to the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Meghann Harmon ’16 and sister Mackenzie ’19, who stay with family, meet the group at the barn. After the

32

morning ride, there are additional chores, such as turn out and tack cleaning or, on show days, baths and unbraiding, not to mention schoolwork!

After a day at the showgrounds, the girls come “home” and spend about three hours working with tutors who come to the Foxcroft house. These tutors, who work individually with each girl, have been selected based on their academic credentials and expertise in specific subjects the girls are studying. After “school,” the girls are responsible for making dinner, cleaning up and then, as Meghann explains, “just like any school kid, we have more homework that we do on our own.”

For Lucy Matz ’16, Isabel Stettinius ’17 and Carolina West ’16, who all ride with other well-known trainers and have different housing situations, their days start more Foxcroft School

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typically, at school, before they ride in the afternoons. They meet with their tutors at a special school, along with other students who are pursuing individual goals, whether they be riding, soccer or tennis. Although they go to school most mornings, these girls attend classes on a flexible basis, working around their individual training and competition schedules. They attend their classes with the corresponding tutor and, although they are not always working at the exact same pace, their progress closely mirrors that of their classmates at Foxcroft.

All the girls work hard because, as Lucy notes, “school is important to our overall success.” Maintaining good academic progress is integral to EPP participation, but the girls do not have to do it on their own. Dr. Kathy Farmer, who directs the Program, is key to the academic success of these EPP students and, in turn, the pursuit of their passions. Dr. Farmer works closely with families and students, whether their specialty is skating, skiing, rock climbing or riding, and regardless of who they train with, to organize academics while the girls are away. The tutoring agencies the girls use are approved by Dr. Farmer, who works with parents to help set up the specific academic program for their daughter and with the agencies to educate them about Foxcroft’s curriculum and expectations.

During the time the girls are in Florida, Dr. Farmer serves as liaison between teachers, students and tutors, keeping in touch on a regular basis. She supports the students by getting Fall /Winter 2015

answers to questions that arise, and supports Foxcroft’s faculty by ensuring that their academic expectations are met.

Technology has made direct communication easier, but to avoid glitches, she tracks all assignments and is copied on every paper and project a student turns in.

The girls know they have to be on top of things, too, and they set high expectations for themselves, not only academically but in the ring as well. WEF offers the highest level of competition for all divisions, both hunter and jumper, from the Pony Division up to Grand Prix. It attracts many top tier trainers, riders and horses so the quality of the competition is extremely strong. Attending the festival shows, much less competing in them, is an education in itself. The girls acknowledge the importance of the EPP in offering them that opportunity.

Still, the girls say, they have to be committed. The ability to ride consistently, watch top riders from around the world and spend time with their horses are all integral to meeting their personal goals. “I feel that I am driving the process,” says Isabel, “ and to stay on top both academically and competitively, I need to hold myself to a high standard.”

The girls all agree that Foxcroft’s program encourages independence and organization. In Wellington, they are responsible for getting to their lessons on time, checking competition schedules on the days they show and making sure they have everything they need when they step onto the 33

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showgrounds (don’t forget it’s 20 minutes back to the barn!).

Their responsibilities do not end when they leave the show.

Weekly grocery lists have to be made, lunches packed, dogs walked and dinners prepared.

And, being teenagers (not everything about these girls is atypical!), they manage to have some fun, too. The “Foxcroft” barn provides lots of quality time together.

Whether having contests to unbraid and clean tack the fastest or comparing notes on which famous riders they Dr. Farmer, a psychologist happened to canter by in with years of experience the schooling ring, the girls working with adolescents, enjoy being together and says she loves “working learning from one another. with kids who are striving Lucy and Isabel, who stay to improve their skills both with their families, take academically and in the full advantage of their show ring” and echoes the down time by goofing girls’ observations. around with their siblings or playing tennis with “The EP Program requires each other. Brittany incredible organization looks forward to the food skills and great dedication trucks, which make their ,IV ;)* TIVJSVQERGI LIPTIH 'EVSPMRE UYEPMJ] JSV XLI TVIWXMKMSYW ;-,7 because you can’t succeed if appearance on Thursdays! you don’t have both,” she says. “As a result, the program gives each girl a whole new sense of confidence and responsibility.” Although the riders appreciate their time in Wellington, they remain committed to their Foxcroft family, particularly their Adds Worsham, “Through the EP Program, the girls are Fox and Hound teammates. Last winter, Isabel flew back encouraged to explore the depths of their passion for riding and for Fox/Hound basketball tryouts and Lucy, unable to make horsemanship. The WEF is the perfect venue for this immersion the trip, created a humorous video to serve as her tryout! experience. Between academics, horse care, lessons and Often Meghann and Brittany return to Middleburg to join competing, riders must keep an organized schedule, manage their Interscholastic Equestrian Association teammates at their time and stay focused to maximize the experience.” competitions, as does Worsham, who coaches the team.

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Foxcroft School

Speaking of competitions, year-end results indicate that the time spent in Florida pays off. Some highlights: Carolina, who shows in the Low Junior Jumpers, finished in the top eight of nearly every WEF class and qualified for October’s Washington International Horse Show (WIHS), where she took a fifth and an eighth. Meghann, competing in the High Children’s Jumper Championships, finished just out of the ribbons at WIHS but had a 10th-place finish in the North American League Finals at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show a week earlier. Lucy and her horse Cardella – who was ranked ninth in the Low Junior Jumper National

Standings after the WEF circuit last winter – took the blue at the Adequan FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships in July.

“As a trainer and Director of Riding, I recognize how fortunate I am to have the opportunity to use Foxcroft’s Exceptional Proficiency Program to facilitate the riders competing at the Winter Equestrian Festival,” says Worsham.

“I am always proud of their skills, their commitment and their ability to serve as excellent ambassadors both for the School and the Riding Program.” Ride on! Q

Outside the Ring The Exceptional Proficiency Program isn’t just for riders. Many students with other special passions and talents have taken advantage of the program over the years, including an actress, ballet dancer, lyric soprano, sport climber, polo players, motorcyclists and a nationally-ranked show dog handler! Here’s a look at three current students in the program.

Olivia Mascatello Year: Senior 3UR¼FLHQF\ Figure skating Years active: Started dancing at age 3; skating at 10 Achievements: 2nd place, East Coast Solo Ice Dance; gold medalist, Junior Moves in the Field; top 10 finalist, Nationals Solo Ice Dance; Platinum Level, U.S. Figure Skating Association Graduating Seniors Program

the experience of competing and traveling throughout North America. Academic Dean [Courtney] Ulmer has done a great job providing me with the requisite tools for my continued success . . . I miss some lectures and in-class work and that requires good communication with the faculty to make sure that I am able to stay on schedule while training and competing. As with any program, teamwork is the key to success and I have been fortunate to have a great team behind me at Foxcroft.”

How does your schedule work? “It’s very demanding. I travel to Delaware every weekend to train with Megan O’Donnell and Wendy Deppe of Delaware Synchronized Skating. Our synchronized skating team is comprised of 17 girls from Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. During the week, I train at the Ashburn Ice House, working with individual coaches in each of the disciplines required for excellence in synchronized skating – ice dancing, spins, moves in the field, edges. My off-ice training includes ballet, dance, aerobic exercise and sessions with Bridget Wilson at the Native Barre Studio in Middleburg.

About the EP Program: “It has been great. It has allowed me to have a broad education of traditional academics as well as Fall/Winter 2015

“For competitions, I maintain a national travel schedule with stops in nine states from Massachusetts and Michigan to Colorado and, most recently, California. I am very excited that this year’s Eastern Championships will be in Richmond 35

in late January and I hope that my teachers, mentors and classmates will be able to attend the event.â&#x20AC;?

About the future: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I will evaluate my future options depending on where I go to college. One university has asked me to start a skating program for their students.â&#x20AC;?

Charlee Schulte Year: Junior 3URÂźFLHQF\ Skiing Years competing: 6

Richard Wyly

Achievements: 1st in the southern region in the high school championships (2014-15); 44th out of 70 racers in her first Super G at East Coast finals; ranked 33rd on the East Coast; 1st in age group, 2nd among all women at Cupp Run, a mile-long giant slalom

About the EP Program: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Having struggled during the winter at my previous high school, Foxcroftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Program allows me to have full school support to pursue my sport, so it was an added bonus for me to come here.â&#x20AC;?

How does your schedule work? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I go to Wintergreen [in central Virginia] every weekend starting in early December and ending in early April. Regular practice is on Saturday and Sunday from 7:45 to 11 am and NASTAR (National Standard Race) practice is from 12 to 2 pm. For travel and competitions, I miss about 10 days of school a year.â&#x20AC;?

About the future: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I hope to continue skiing on a state team for the next two years and to race on a club team in college.

I also would like to coach younger racers to help them become successful.â&#x20AC;?

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7HGG\ 6HJPXOOHU IUHVKPDQ Year: Freshman 3URÂźFLHQF\ Swimming Years competing: 5 Current teams: Occoquan Swimming (year-round); Lake Manassas Blue Dolphins (summer) Achievements: Qualified for Junior and Senior Regional Championships (2013-15); Junior Olympics (every age group, 2009-15); National Age Group Showcase Classic (2015). Won her swim clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sportsmanship, Coaches, Top Swimmer and Record Breaker awards two times each, and Outstanding Swimmer once.Â

About the EP Program: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Having the option to do my sport while attending a school where itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not offered is amazing!

I chose Foxcroft not only because of the Exceptional Proficiency Program â&#x20AC;&#x201C; although that was a huge factor in my decision â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but also because I loved the sense of community.â&#x20AC;?

How does your schedule work? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I swim everyday, Monday through Friday, from 3:30 to 5:30 pm, and then I have dry land training until 6:15. On Saturdays, my practice is 6 am to 8:30 am and I have Sundays off. During the week, I have to leave school at 2:30 pm to get to practice in Manassas. I have worked it out with Ms. Ulmer so that I can have a study hall during Period A. I go to every class that I can and I work with a tutor in Physics.â&#x20AC;?

About the future: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I love to swim because I love the way it makes me feel. I love the intensity and difficulty of the workouts. It has also taught me to have a lot of drive, both physically and mentally. My goal is to swim at a NCAA Division I college.â&#x20AC;?

Foxcroft School

Foxcroft on the Road This fall, Head of School Catherine S. McGehee and Director of Institutional Advancement Marion L. Couzens traveled to Chicago, Connecticut, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia to meet with alumnae, parents and friends.

Many thanks to all who hosted gatherings, especially Ellen MacNeille Charles â&#x20AC;&#x2122;55, and Victoria Mars â&#x20AC;&#x2122;74 and her husband, David Spina, who opened their homes in Washington and Pennsylvania, respectively.

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Foxcroft School

Hail & Farewell Isaiah “Mike” Brown, Jr. 1943-2015 Mike Brown, whose broad smile and delicious food fed the Foxcroft community body and spirit for nearly three decades as the School’s Director of Dining Services, lost his battle with cancer on September 25, in Winchester, VA. He was 71 years old.

Mr. B, as he was known to one and all, grew up in Harrisonburg, VA, and attended Johnson & Wales University-Miami. He held several positions in the food and hospitality industry – and also served as chauffeur to Jack Kent Cooke – before coming to Foxcroft, in 1984, with Chartwells Dining Services. Three years later, Mike became Director, a position he relished and only reluctantly relinquished last year as his health deteriorated.

For many years, Mike also owned and operated “Mr. B’s BBQ and Catering” in Clarke County. His ribs and pulled pork were legendary and patrons drove for miles to get them.

Mike catered scores of events, large and small, over the years, including faculty and alumnae weddings and graduation parties for faculty children and more.

A member of Prosperity Baptist Church in Summit Point, WV, Mike served on the Town of Berryville Planning Commission from January 2010 through April 2015 and contributed generously to various civic and church initiatives.

Mike leaves his wife, Judy Peyton Brown, six children, two

siblings, 13 grandchildren – and several thousand members of his Foxcroft family.

“Over the years, Mr. B fed thousands of girls, faculty, and staff with more than delicious food,” said Head of School Cathy McGehee, who worked with Mike for only one year, but understood his place in the Foxcroft family. “He nourished our spirits with his spirit, and he provided wisdom and support for the community . . . In my conversations with alumnae, they have shared how much Mr. B meant to them, as well as how he helped them feel at home even when they were far away from home.”

Below are some expressions of those sentiments gleaned from the outpouring shared on social media and in notes this fall.

“Mr B. was a kind and generous face, smiling at us three times a day. I remember how he served grits when I was homesick. He knew how good food could be a comfort.”

– Sarah Moise Young ’94

“Mr. B. was one of the most compassionate and caring people I have known. We worked together for 27 summers with Summer’s Here Camp. He loved all of the campers and they loved him.”

– Susie Old, former camp director

“Such a kind spirit and consummate professional. The Foxcroft community was lucky to have him.”

– Claudia Jellett ’87 ‘“I will always remember Mr. Brown for his big smile and bigger laugh!

– Christy Crowther ’92

“Mr. B was my most favorite person to visit while staying with my dad [former business manager Gary Welke]. He always had a rack of ribs for me when we visited Mr. B’s BBQ and an ice cream for me when I visited him at Foxcroft. The most special thing he would have every time I saw him was a big, warm, welcoming smile and a loving ‘Hello!’ ” – Jennifer Fenech

“Mr. B took such great care of us! I still sing the Mr. B version of ‘Margaritaville’ – ‘Tortelliniville’ – every time I hear Jimmy Buffett. And yes, his were the best cookies.”

– Cat Lauer ’07

He was so kind, funny, and sweet!!! I remember leaving my retainer on my tray a few times and when I had to look through the trash, he didn’t let me do it alone!

– Bridget Brown ’94

“Our Foxcroft Grandpa, Mr. B was one of the best things about our time at school. He was always looking out for us.”

– Monet Foster ’14

“There was not a single person who knew this man and did not love him. RIP.” – Sam Nelson ’11

Fall/Winter 2015

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I would like to nominate the following individual for the Distinguished Alumna Award:

Please mail completed form to:

Nominee’s Name: ____________________________________ Class: ________ ________

Alumnae Association Office of Institutional Advancement Foxcroft School 22407 Foxhound Lane P.O. Box 5555 Middleburg, VA 20118 540.687.4510 alumnae@foxcroft.org

________________________________________________________________________ Nominated by: _____________________________________ Class: _____ ___________ (First, Maiden and Last)

Your address: _____________________________________________________________ (Street)

________________________________________________________________________ (City, Town, State, Zip)

Preferred Phone: ____________________________________P home P cell P business Email: __________________________________________________________________

(First, Maiden and Last)

For these achievements: _____________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Nominated by: _____________________________________ Class: _____ ___________ (First, Maiden and Last)

Your address: _____________________________________________________________ (Street)

________________________________________________________________________ (City, Town, State, Zip)

Preferred Phone: ____________________________________P home P cell P business Email: __________________________________________________________________

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Nominee’s Name: ____________________________________ Class: ________ ________

FT SC RO

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I would like to nominate the following individual for Foxcroft’s Sports Hall of Fame:

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SPORTS HALL OF FAME NOMINATION FORM

For more information, complete nomination guidelines, and an online submission form, please see our website: www.foxcroft.org/ distinguished_alumnae

o

For these achievements and/or contributions: _____________________________________

F OX C

(First, Maiden and Last)

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m

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNA NOMINATION FORM

FT SC RO

ens san sana in corpore

Please mail completed form to: Sports Hall of Fame Committee Office of Institutional Advancement Foxcroft School 22407 Foxhound Lane P.O. Box 5555 Middleburg, VA 20118 540.687.4510 development@foxcroft.org For more information, complete nomination guidelines, and an online submission form, please see our website: www.foxcroft.org/sports_HOF Foxcroft School

A Value Proposition

The parent of two recent graduates weighs the value of the investment

By Chip Gruver, P â&#x20AC;&#x2122;07 and â&#x20AC;&#x2122;09

Recently, I found myself reflecting on what a Foxcroft education meant to my two daughters and whether I would do it all over again today. Like most parents, my wife Jill and I wanted to give our children the best opportunities for learning and growth. Entering the high school years is a critical time for adolescents, particularly for girls. Self-esteem, confidence and a willingness to try new things can present challenges.

Although we had great public and private school options, my wife and I were both products of public education. Neither of us began this process thinking that we would choose a private school for our daughters. Foxcroft was not even on our radar screen until a friend suggested we visit the campus. We were aware of how expensive independent schools could be, and Foxcroft, as a private boarding school for girls, was on the high end of the tuition spectrum. The tuition was a reach for our family, especially with two daughters to educate and college to pay for. However, education has always been a top priority for us and there was something about Foxcroft that just felt right.

month they would be required to board at the school with their classmates. The bonding that occurred during this time, however, quickly became the foundation for strong friendships and, after that initial month, the ability to board a few days a week proved beneficial to their desire to explore the world outside of our family.

Foxcroft offered many opportunities to try new things. Each year provided options for leadership, creativity, individual and small group learning experiences and participation on sports teams. No one can hide at Foxcroft, and in a culture of caring, every girl is known and encouraged to develop her interests and skills to the fullest. The girls donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t spend hours worrying about what they look like or falling into stereotypes of what they can or cannot be. They learn that they can be anything and try anything; that they are individuals and the Foxcroft community embraces them as such.

During those formative years, I believe their Foxcroft experience shaped my daughters into the women they are today. It gave them a self-confidence that they may not have

So looking back, what did Foxcroft mean to us as a family and particularly to our daughters? The girls both entered as freshmen with the typical insecurities about starting a new school and making new friends. They were enrolled as day students, so we were surprised to learn that for their first

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Fall/Winter 2015

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found in a different learning environment. At Foxcroft, the girls support each other. They take risks. They are mentored, and they mentor others. Students enter as insecure 14-year-olds and leave as mature young women who are confident, independent and willing to take on new challenges.

So, how do you put a price tag on a Foxcroft education? Growing up is a slow, building process. Foxcroft provided a foundation that is hard to quantify. Besides a strong academic education there were also the intangibles: • Confidence – My daughters are never afraid to speak up and embrace challenges.

• Leadership – They seek out opportunities and then excel in them.

• Self-esteem – They give good advice and both have a clear understanding of who they are.

I could not be more proud of my girls and what they have achieved.

I credit their Foxcroft education with providing them with the strong foundation that they continue to build upon. Did we sacrifice financially? Absolutely. Would we do it again? Without question.

This is why Jill and I have continued to give to Foxcroft long after our girls have graduated. Foxcroft makes a powerful impact on the lives of young women. I see evidence of it every time I look at my daughters. Q Clifton “Chip” Gruver, Jr. is President of Gruver Cooley, a residential construction company based in Leesburg, VA. He served on Foxcroft’s Board of Trustees (2006 -2015) and chaired the Buildings and Grounds Committee during the construction of the Athletic/Student Center, Stuart Hall and Court.

He earned his BS in Business from Lehigh University, is a member of the Northern Virginia Building Industry Association and Morven Park Preservation Forum, and chairs the Arlington County Building Board of Code Appeals.

SAVE-THE-DATE REUNION 2016 For all classes ending in “1” or “6” April 15 - 17, 2016

All alumnae are invited to join us for: Friday

Classes with Students, Morning Meeting Alumna Key Note Speakerr, Alumnae Career Panel, Diversi-Tea* and Evening Reception at Coverrt

Saturday

Yoga, Trail Rides, Student Panel, Alumnae Networking Coffee, Alumnae Luncheon, Individual Class Dinners and much more

Sunday

Brunch

We are excited to announce the addition of an Alumnae Careerr Panel and Alumnae Networking Coff ffeee to the 2016 Reunion Schedulle.

For more information, or if you are interested in being one of our panelistss on the Alumnae Career Panel, please call Lee Clark Breeden ’00 at 540..687.4520 or email alumnae@foxcroft.org. g *Th Thee Thi Th Th rd rd Ann nnua uall D ua Diive v rs rsii-Te T a iss an op oppo oppo port rtun rt tun unit ityy fo it forr al alum alum umnae naae off all age ges an a d curr rren en nt st stud ud dents en nts t to re refle efle flectt and fl d con o ne n ctt acr c os osss tth heiir ma many ny nat ny atio i nal, io naal, rel e ig igio ioou uss, ethn nicc, an nd ra raci cial diff iffer e en er ence cees, whi ces h le cel eleb e ra eb rati ting wha ting ti h t th heyy alll have avve in i com mmo mon – Fo Foxcro xccro roftt. roft

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Foxcroft School

Forever Foxcroft Forever Foxcroft was established in 1999 by the Board of Trustees to recognize individuals who have included Foxcroft in their estate plans. Planned gifts take various forms – bequests, trusts, annuities, pooled income, property interests – and provide for the future needs of the School. They ensure that Foxcroft will retain and attract inspiring teachers, that the faculty will continue to design and implement rigorous and creative educational programs, that financial aid will be available to prospective students, and that the buildings and grounds will be carefully maintained and augmented as needed. They ensure that the School will continue to soar.

Carol Exnicios Tucker ’49, Suzanne “Sukie” Kuser ’49, Betsy Beach Rea ’48 and Maggie Stehli Kelly ’49, at the 2015 Senior Luncheon

Anonymous – 12 Mimi Mills Abel-Smith ’54 Stacey Morse Ahner ’73 Peggy Wickes Alexander ’64 +Elizabeth Stewart Baldwin ’23 +Elizabeth Kemp Beach ’20 +Ruth Bedford ’32 +Harriet Aldrich Bering ’40 Pamela Biddle ’81 Dorothy Pickering Bossidy ’71 Elizabeth Boyd ’92 +J. Bruce Bredin Dorothy Reynolds Brotherton ’70 +Mr. and Mrs. Leland Brown +Amanda Cadwalader Burton ’44 Caroline Rinehart Cardais ’01 Moira M. Carroll ’83 +Cecile Parker Carver ’42 +Ann Gambrill Casey ’39 Susan Knott Childs ’58 Candida Streeter Clark ’73 +Mariana Gowen Coleman ’15 +Eleanor Chalfant Cooper ’20 Dolph(+) and Beatty Cramer ’66 Ailsa Moseley Crawford ’53 Joy Crompton ’78 Victoria Bartlett Donaldson ’70 Sally Bartholomay Downey ’78 Molly West Ellsworth ’50 Nancy Jones Emrich

Lisa McGrath Evans ’67 +Katherine Crowninshield Ferguson ’53 +Lucy Sprague Foster ’46 +Anna Lauder Garner ’39 Edmee E. Geis ’82 +Betsy N. Getz Sandra Norris Ghosh ’75 Brooke Meyer Gray ’59 Joy Sheaffer Hall ’57 Elizabeth Millard Hanes ’46 Pamela Hartley ’79 Katherine Cooper Hastings ’78 Sarah Stokes Hatch ’63 Trevania Dudley Henderson ’76 Melanie Lozier Henke ’89 Theodora Winthrop Hooton ’47 Richard and Kimberly Hurst +May Field Jackson ’29 Patricia Toy Bryant Johnson ’78 Hope Jones ’82 Hope Haskell Jones ’52 +Amanda Bryan Kane ’22 Mr. and Mrs. Martin Kaplan Nancy Krewson ’73 Suzanne Kuser ’49 Mr. and Mrs. Thomas D. Lane +James F. Lawrence Louisa Whitridge Leavitt ’60 Mary Louise Leipheimer

+Mary Ann Lippitt ’36 +Elizabeth Livingston +Elizabeth Mackubin Lyman ’22 +Jane Lawrence Mali ’55 +Nancy R. Manierre ’41 +Nancy Iselin Marburg ’37 Dorothy Alexander Matz ’81 Mr. and Mrs. C. Thomas May, Jr. Mary Cheston McAdoo ’46 Susan McConnell ’68 Amanda McGuire ’84 +Anne Kane McGuire ’52 Susan Schoellkopf Mele ’80 Melissa Slingluff Morley ’81 Valerie Michel Nelson ’77 +Florence B. Newman Joan Lyman Niles ’51 Abby M. O’Neill ’46 +Linda Moore Post ’46 +Heidi Schmid Powers ’59 Jean Rainey, mother of Ruth Rainey ’82 Pickett D. Randolph ’56 +Charles H.G. Rees Nancy Thomas Rees ’45 +Hope Montgomery Scott ’21 Alexandra Flickinger Secor ’80 +Katherine Snyder Shands ’22 +Helen Putnam Sokopp ’49 Jordan Moore Sraeel ’01

+Seymour St. John +Anne Kinsolving Talbott ’60 Alix Tower Thorne ’67 +Eleanor Schley Todd ’29 Frances Cheston Train ’44 Carol Exnicios Tucker ’49 Linda Reading Uihlein ’72 +Grace Sloane Vance ’36 +Julia Armour Walker ’59 +Polly Ordway Wallace ’34 +Wilma Warburg Constance V.R. White ’42 Kendra A. Wilcox-Dillon ’82 +Mary Hotchkiss Williams ’30 Eva Louise Willim +Alice Perkins Winn ’19 +Lunsford and Curgie Winchester Yandell ’24 + Deceased We have published the names of individuals who gave us permission to do so.

If you have included Foxcroft in your long-term fiscal planning and would like your name listed, please contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at advancement@foxcroft.org or call 540.687.4510.

22407 Foxhound Lane P.O. Box 5555 Middleburg, Virginia 20118

Photo: Schuyler Knapp

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