FWCD Falconer Spring 2013

F o r t

Fort Worth Country Day 4200 Country Day Lane Fort Worth, Texas 76109-4299

Volume 4, Issue 2

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Spring/Summer 2013

Homecoming 2013

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FWCD vs TVS! Friday, October 25

Don your red and blue and cheer your FALCONS onto V-I-C-T-O-R-Y! Pre-game festivities begin at 5 p.m. in Falcon Alley complete with food trucks, photo buttons, live music, bounce houses, and fabulous 50th anniversary giveaways and surprises.

It will be a celebration you won’t want to miss.

Halftime includes our Athletics Wall of Fame and more! Plan to stay after the game for pizza and a 50th anniversary fireworks extravaganza. This is a night 50 years in the making! Check the 50th anniversary website at fwcd.org/50 for details and more information.

Contact Mary Lou Hilliard, alumni and special events coordinator, at marylou.hilliard@fwcd.org or 817.302.3292.

A Past to be Proud of A Future to Believe in

CONTENTS

Volume 4, Issue 2 • Spring/Summer 2013

Be part of their legacy.

38 CAMPUS NOtES 2 3 4 6 9

Message from the Head of School Message from the Board of Trustees President Parent Faculty Association Speaker Series Lower School A Salute to FWCD Founders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Second Grade Celebrates Heroes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Poetry Explosion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Daniel Boone Sighting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 50 States Come to Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 For the Love of Math. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 FWCD Artists Recognized. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Round ’Em Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 14 Middle School Debate Team Ends Season with a Win . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Perfect Day for a Bike Ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Middle School Competes in First Science Olympiad. . . 15 Night at the Museum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Greek Gods and Goddesses Abound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Middle School Scholars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Middle School Awards & Recognition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Oh The Places We Go. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 FWCD Idol. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

22 Upper School FWCD Eagle Scouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

A Glimpse of Paris. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

The Falcon Quill: This student has an app for that . . . . . . 23 Governor Perry Brings D.C. Home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Cum Laude Inducts 21 New Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Senior Awards & Recognition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Lecture Series Focuses on Civic Responsibility . . . . . . . . 27 Prom 2013. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 48 Performing Arts

Van Cliburn Competitor Dazzles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Ballet Performs Coppelia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Students Offer Legal Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 50 Athletic News

Davey O’Brien High School Scholarship Award Finalist . 50 Field Hockey Players Honored . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 FWCD Ranked SPC Top School in Tarrant County . . . . 51 The Flying Harlins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 54 A Culture of Growing: Breakthrough Fort Worth 57 Alumni News

Young Alumni Chat It Up with FWCD Seniors . . . . . . . 57 Wall of Honor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 58 Class Notes 62 Board Spotlight

The Peter A. Schwartz Legacy Society Fort Worth Country Day established the Peter A. Schwartz Legacy Society to honor and recognize those individuals who have made planned or estate gifts to Fort Worth Country Day.

Contact Sandra Tuomey, director of advancement, at 817.302.3223 or sandra.tuomey@fwcd.org

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42 features 30 FWCD Offers 12 Online Courses through the Malone School Online Network

Through a partnership with Stanford University, Fort Worth Country Day, the only Malone Foundation School in Texas, is one of 12 schools in the nation to offer virtual, real-time college courses onsite through the Malone School Online Network collaborative.

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A Senior Send Off

The 99-member Class of 2013 celebrated the culmination of their Falcon experience at graduation on May 17.

38 Founders’ Day Celebration Kicks Off FWCD’s 50th Anniversary Celebration

A yearlong celebration commenced on March 6 with a Founders’ Day to remember, as Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price declared the day “Fort Worth Country Day School Day.”

42 FWCD School Archives Uncover a Treasure

44 Get more from our issue on your smartphone!

The snap below and at the end of selected articles in this issue allows you to access a layer of fresh content for Web-enabled smartphones.

1) Download Microsoft Tag Reader on your mobile at gettag.mobi.

2) Once the free app is up and running, aim your smartphone’s camera at the box below and snap it to see more content or watch a video.

Snap here to access Fort Worth Country Day’s website.

As Fort Worth Country Day celebrates its 50th anniversary, the School returns to its roots and the memoirs of Founding Headmaster Peter A. Schwartz.

44 Edgar “Ted” Sanford, FWCD’s Second Headmaster

Fort Worth Country Day’s second headmaster, Edgar “Ted” Sanford, took the helm in 1976, continuing in the Founding Headmaster’s footsteps.

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Message from the Head of School

Lisa Koger

Greetings FWCD Community, It’s hard to believe another year has come and gone. This year, especially, has been full of highpoints since Fort Worth Country Day began celebrating its much-anticipated 50th anniversary. The festivities began with our Lower School Principal of the Founders’ Day event in March, featuring Mayor Day Lauren Ingram ’23 and Head of Fort Worth Betsy Price (see page 38); the of School Evan D. Peterson introduction of five faculty endowed chair recipients (see page 46); 39 members of our faculty and staff honored for their years of service (see page 40); and Frasher Hudson Pergande ’81 and Cynthia Rimmer Prince ’87 opening the 25th anniversary time capsules for all to enjoy! That evening, we also hosted a Trustees Reception with four of our Founding Trustees, Patricia Honea Schutts, Betty Claire DuPree McKnight, Priscilla Holland Johnston and O.P. Leonard in attendance (see page 41).

Our Class of 2013 is now embarking on a new journey. The 99-member class received their diplomas on May 17 in a graduation ceremony at McKinney Memorial Bible Church. The Class of 2013 boasts 24 students recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation and National Hispanic Recognition Program; eight of those students were National Merit Finalists. The seniors earned more than $7.2 million in merit-based scholarships and awards and will attend 43 different institutions throughout the U.S. and internationally.

Under the leadership of Jill and Quintin Cassady, FWCD Fund chairs, the School exceeded its goal of $1.2 million in total annual giving. I am thankful for their tenacity and their strong support for our school. I’d also like to thank Chaka Cummings, faculty-staff chair; Josh Korman ’92, alumni chair; Lauren and Mark Yamagata, grandparent chairs; and Mary Katherine and Dean Tetirick, past parent chairs, for their hard work. A gift of any size makes a difference, so thank you to everyone who supported the FWCD Fund this year.

I hope you’ve received our monthly 50th anniversary e-newsletters. Frasher and Cynthia have created a sense of nostalgia and excitement surrounding our anniversary through the website and the articles and photographs featured. The site is “refreshed” monthly, and a newsletter is sent out via email that entices you to recall your own FWCD memories. Visit the website anytime at fwcd.org/50. If you are not receiving our monthly e-newsletter, please email shannon.allen@fwcd.org to be added to the list. Our next big event is “Looking Back Day” on September 9—commemorating the very first day students were on campus in 1963.

Congratulations to our students, parents, Board members, alumni, faculty and staff members for another great year. This issue of the Falconer provides a mere glimpse of our greatness, and we should all be proud of the contributions we’ve made to the life of our school. I look forward to seeing you in August!

Go Falcons!

Evan D. Peterson Head of School

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Message from the Board of Trustees President Volume 4, Issue 2 Spring/Summer 2013 Administrative Team Evan D. Peterson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Head of School Steve Stackhouse . . . . . . . Assistant Head of School Tom Mitchell . . . . . . . . . . . . Chief Financial Officer Joe Breedlove ’78 . . . . . . . . Director of Breakthrough Frank Gendusa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Athletic Director Rob Hereford . . . . . . . . . . . . . Head of Upper School Barbara Jiongo. . . . . . . . . . . Director of Admissions Shari Lincoln. . . . . . . . . . . . Head of Lower School John Stephens. . . . . . . . . . . . Head of Middle School Sandra Tuomey. . . . . . . . . . Director of Advancement Steve Uhr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Director of Technology Shannon Rossman Allen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Editor Lisa Koger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Art Director Contributors Shannon Allen Courtney Bourgeois Katherine Brookman ’13 Paige Farris Chisholm ’87 Yolanda Espinoza Mary Lou Hilliard Mel Hurst Jason Meyer Renee Pierce Sandra Tuomey The Falconer is published biannually for Fort Worth Country Day families and friends by the Advancement Team. Opinions represented may not necessarily be the position of the Board or Administration. Fort Worth Country Day has an institutional commitment to the principles of diversity. In that spirit, FWCD does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, creed, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability or national origin in admissions, the administration of its educational policies, financial aid, athletics and other school-administered programs.

Dear Fort Worth Country Day Family, With graduation behind us, it is a perfect time for reflection.

2012-13 Board of Trustees L. Russell Laughlin President Shannon Young Ray ’80 Vice President

As many of you know, the first half of the year has already been very momentous: In March, we kicked off the 50th anniversary of Country Day with an outstanding Founders’ Day event. Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price was our special guest and featured speaker at a special in-school event at which the 50th anniversary logo and the 25th anniversary time capsules were unveiled. A number of other events will take place over the next 12 months that will allow us to reconnect with alumni, former faculty and many of the families and community leaders that had a hand in elevating Country Day to the level of excellence that it is today.

Frasher Hudson Pergande ’81 Secretary

Having concluded this school year, we not only said farewell to an incredibly talented group of graduating seniors, but also to the following Board members, Judie B. Greenman, Frsher Hudson Pergande ’81, Reed Pigman and Mike Waltrip. Their hard work, commitment and dedication to furthering Country Day’s mission through their Board service have been invaluable to the School.

Stephen Butt

As I pass the gavel to my successor, Shannon Ray ’80, we need to remember that our commitment to raising the bar and setting a high standard for college-preparatory education must never wane. We have much to celebrate from our last five decades, but we must continue forward with a strategic eye on the many opportunities that lay ahead.

It has been a tremendous honor and privilege, as a parent and Board president, to serve the Country Day community and help guide the institution and its many volunteers to new heights. I am confident that in pursuing the next phase of our long-term strategic plans, including further growing our endowment and raising funds for a new athletic complex, we will collectively elevate the Country Day education and experience even more.

I am overwhelmed by the incredible enthusiasm and momentum that continues to grow among our students, parents, alumni, faculty and staff and am so grateful to have served as the Board president these past two years. With 50 years of successes and growth laying a strong foundation, I know that there are many more accomplishments ahead of us, as well as a strong, bright future for Country Day and our entire community.

Sincerely,

L. Russell Laughlin 2011-13 Board of Trustees President

David Ekstrom ’75 Treasurer/Finance Chair Richard Barajas Marshall Boyd ’85 Doug Bratton Michael Dike ’88 Rosalind Evans Judie B. Greenman Ann Barksdale House ’82 Jim Hubbard Stuart McDonald, M.D. Dorris Morrissette, M.D. Jane Nober Laura O’Brien Reed Pigman Tom Purvis ’77 Scott Sankary ’86 Mike Waltrip

Ex Officio Members Tasa Anderson ’88 Alumni Association President Gynna Harlin PFA President Evan D. Peterson Head of School

Honorary Members The Late Perry Bass The Late Robert W. Decker Sid R. Bass

Send Falconer comments to shannon.allen@fwcd.org or 817.302.3244.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Falconer: Fort Worth Country Day 4200 Country Day Lane Fort Worth, Texas 76109-4299 © FWCD fwcd.org

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PARENT FACULTY Association

PARENT FACULTY

Association

Boots, Barrels and Blue Jeans This year’s PFA fundraiser was barrels of fun! Hosted

by FWCD’s Parent Faculty Association, Boots, Barrels and Blue Jeans, an FWCD FUNraiser, raised just over $61,000. The party, which took place at the Firestone & Robertson Distillery, sold out a full week before the event. Party co-chairs Margery Hodges Berry ’84, Lauren Puff and Carrie Woodson created a chic, relaxed atmosphere in the working distillery where 350 guests could tour, visit or dance to the evening’s band, Poo Live Crew.

Central Market donated the food for the evening, which included delicious appetizers and dinner.

The highlight of the evening was Evan D. Peterson, head of School, drawing the name of the tuition credit raffle winner: Michelle Sankary.

Bingo Night Fever More than 600 Fort Worth Country Day parents, students and teachers enjoyed an evening of family fun and friendly competition at FWCD Bingo on Friday, February 15.

The event kicked off with carnival games in the Square Gym, including pass the disco ball, pet rock painting, disco dancing, a limbo contest, hula hoop challenges and Twister. Attendees then moved into the Round Gym, which was fully transformed into “Bingo Night Fever,” complete with shiny disco ball centerpieces and a checkerboard Ward Butler ’24 with his $100 winnings walkway from the back of the gym to the stage. SAGE Dining Services provided box dinners, drinks and desserts, then Bingo games quickly grabbed everyone’s attention once Shari Lincoln, head of Lower School, and John Stephens, head of Middle School, took the stage.

It was a profitable evening for a number of FWCD students as their names were drawn as raffle winners throughout the night. Prizes included board games, a razor scooter, karaoke machine and Nikon camera, plus two FWCD street signs. The always-popular “instant winner” poppers added extra excitement as cash winners rushed to collect their winnings.

Cash was also awarded for nine different Bingo games, including $400 to first-grader Olivia Kersh for BLACKOUT! Bingo is a great tradition for FWCD families! Chaired this year by Kristin Carmichael and Michelle Weeks, the event was a great evening for the FWCD community!

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Party co-chairs Margery Hodges Berry ’84, Carrie Woodson and Lauren Puff

Photos by Lisa Koger

Leonard Firestone and Gynna Harlin

Lloyd Bishop, Marshall ’85 and Kim Boyd and Janet Bishop

Aubra and Stephen Wilson

Middle School teachers Killian Naylor, Andréanne Annis, Tara Finn, Elizabeth Tooze and Nick Cheadle

Above: Third-graders Isabella Gutierrez, Sadie Schuster and Kendall Lehman

Top: Sam DeRobertis ’18, Corey Karpel ’23 and Harris Podell ’18 Left: Jordan Diamond ’21

Photos by Lisa Koger

fwcd.org

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Series

Fort Worth Country Day is known for the exceptional speakers who visit campus each year to share their stories and expertise. These special events give meaning to the learning that takes place within the classrooms, allowing students to bridge the gap between their learning and realworld experience. Throughout the year, FWCD parents, students, faculty and alumni enjoyed a number of speakers on a range of topics that included Internet security, positive self-image, becoming a writer, surviving the Holocaust, understanding the constitution, escaping the World Trade Center on 9/11 and understanding music theory.

Paul Kessler Danny Coulson

Nearly 100 Middle School parents came to the Amon G. Carter Foundation Commons within the Mason Middle School to hear Danny Coulson, former commander of the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team, speak on the topic of Internet safety as it pertains to children.

Based on his 30 years of experience and expertise in hostage rescue, major crime investigation and counter-terrorism in the FBI, Coulson has become a successful security consultant, author and guest speaker on security-related topics. He conversationally addressed parents on the ever-evolving topic of technology, touching on social media, such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, as well as the pros and cons of smartphones. “I’m an advocate for the 'dumb' phone,” he joked. “You know, the ones that just make phone calls? A smartphone equals access.”

All kidding aside, he told parents the first step in protecting their children from potential predators is to be aware of their Internet activity. He suggested that computers in homes be in a more public place that is highly frequented by the family. He encouraged parents to look into “keystroke capture” on computers and phones.

Jennifer Strickland

Author of Girl Perfect: Confessions of a Former Runway Model, Jennifer Strickland spoke to Upper School girls about her experience in the world of modeling and high fashion.

Strickland was a professional model, represented by the top agencies in the world, including FORD NYC, FORD L.A., FASHION Milan, Model Team Hamburg, NOVA Models of Munich and Vivian’s of Sydney, Australia.

From the age of 8 to 23, she worked internationally, appearing in Oil of Olay, Mercedes-Benz, Coca-Cola and Vibrance Shampoo TV commercials; represented Eddie Bauer, Jordache and Converse Tennis Shoes; and walked the runway for Giorgio Armani in Milan. She was named “the Face of the ’90s” by legendary modeling agent Nina Blanchard and appeared in Vogue, Glamour, Cosmopolitan and Seventeen. She even represented Barbie for the 35th anniversary of the doll in Europe.

At the height of her career, the pressure to be “perfect” became too much for Strickland as she fell victim to eating disorders, substance abuse and self-injury. Strickland’s mission now: She is no “Barbie.” She speaks with girls all over the country about the three M’s: men, mirrors and magazines.

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At Upper School Diversity Day in February Holocaust survivor Paul Kessler shared the lessons he learned from this tragic mass genocide.

When his father and other family members were sent to Auschwitz under the guise of forcibly recruiting men for labor, Kessler and his mother relocated to a nearby village in Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia), where other families who sympathized with their plight took them into their homes. However, their safety was unstable.

fwcd.org

Kessler and his mother ultimately lived in a hole covered with limbs, twigs and manure.

They shared a small blanket, and kind villagers lowered cold soup and the odd piece of bread down the hole on a daily basis. He estimates that he was in that hole for eight months at the age of 5 or 6.

Heather Vogel Frederick

When the Russians liberated the region, Kessler and his mother came out of their dungeon, weak, malnourished and unable to open their eyes in the bright sunlight. He immigrated to Los Angeles in 1951 with his mother.

“Never Again” is the motto of the Dallas Holocaust Museum Center for Education and Tolerance where Kessler now serves as a director. He hopes to prevent these events from ever happening again by sharing his stories. He encourages students especially to not be silent, invoking an inspirational Albert Einstein quote: “ ‘The world is a dangerous place to live in. Not because of those that would do you harm but because of those who would sit and let it happen’,” Kessler said. “If you see bullying, do something about it. Don’t just sit there. You have to take a stand—you have to be an ‘upstander’ not a bystander.”

The author of The Voyage of Patience Goodspeed, the Mother-Daughter Book Club and Spy Mice series, as well as Babyberry Pie and Hide & Squeak, Frederick shared her writer’s toolbox, filled with the three W’s of storytelling:

Michael Hingson

Lisa Koger

SPEAKER

SPEAKER SERIES

Author Michael Hingson is an internationally renowned public speaker and bestselling author of Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero. He shared his inspiring 9/11 survival story with Middle and Upper School students in March.

“The amazing part of my story is not that I happened to be blind and descended from the 78th floor [of the World Trade Center] with the help of my guide dog, Roselle, but that so many people survived that day by not panicking and by working together as a team to escape the tower,” Hingson said. “My story is not so much about how I escaped from the World Trade Center, but how I got there in the first place and what has happened since.” Hingson’s personal mission is to change people’s attitudes and perceptions about blindness and the abilities of the blind.

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Have you ever wondered how a person becomes an author? Heather Vogel Frederick shared her story with Lower School students and fifth-graders in February.

1. Who (Character) 2. Where (Setting) 3. What (Plot) “You need all three for a good story,” she said. She encouraged students to use words and phrases that pull readers into the story and tickle their senses—and to carry a pen and notebook where ever they go.

“Your character is the beating heart of the story,” she said. “Readers fall in love with their characters, which can be described from the outside/in and the inside/out.” To show students how to develop a character, Frederick led the group through a character questionnaire.

She provided worksheets on each of her tools for teachers to use in classroom follow-up, and offered a few more ideas.

“Duct tape is important for taping shut the mouth of the Evil Inner Critic,” she said, “and chocolate is needed because everyone needs a treat to keep them going!”

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SPEAKER SERIES

LOWER

School

Tim Green

As a young man, Tim Green had two dreams: to play in the NFL and become an author. These are certainly juxtaposed dreams, but they are dreams that became a reality. Green brought his inspiring story to Fort Worth Country Day and shared his latest book, Unstoppable, with students in grades 4-8.

Governor Rick Perry met with FWCD students in May as a follow up to their trip to Washington, D.C. The governor spent approximately one hour talking with students about their experiences, the differences between federal and state government, and the role of government.

His visit ended with a Q&A session, where students were able to ask questions about his background as an Air Force pilot and his stand on various issues.

To read more about Governor Perry’s visit, see the full story on page 24.

After studying writing at Syracuse University, where he was an All-American Football player, Green was drafted in the first round by the Atlanta Falcons in 1986. He played with the team for eight years as a top linebacker and defensive end. While playing in the NFL, Green pushed himself to excel—in his sport and in furthering his education.

He loved the game of football, but knew he needed a “Plan B.” When he wasn’t on the field or in the weight room, he studied law at Syracuse University College of Law, where he graduated in 1994. In the evenings, he wrote—many times until he fell asleep at his computer while penning his first novel.

When he retired from football in 1994, Green had published his first book and was a practicing lawyer.

After writing suspense novels for adults, as well as nonfiction books, Green began a series of books for kids set in the world of sports. His latest juvenile fiction book, Unstoppable, tells the story of Harrison, a down-on-his-luck foster child who dreams of playing football in the NFL. Harrison’s luck seems to change when he’s brought into a kind, loving home, with a new dad who coaches football. Soon, he is the star running back on his middle school team.

Green also encouraged FWCD students to read voraciously. “When I wasn’t playing a sport, I was reading,” he said. “Books were magical for me. They took me away to another time and place.” His work-hard message is a good one for students today. Green stressed that it’s not enough to just be good at athletics.

The Lower School celebrated the 50th anniversary of Fort Worth Country Day with a special music program in early May. What made this program extra special? It was the same program performed by Lower School students in 1988— in celebration of the School’s 25th anniversary.

That year, Christine Derber, Lower School music director, asked students to write letters to FWCD Founders asking them what their favorite lower school songs were. The result was a series of heartfelt letters from the Founders and a compilation of songs, such as “Home on the FWCD’s Founders George Ann Carter Bahan and Patricia Schutts Range,” “Ragtime Cowboy Joe,” “Armed Services Medley” and “God Bless America.” George Ann Carter Bahan and Patricia Schutts, two of FWCD’s Founders, were in the audience. To view the video from the program and read the letters, visit fwcd.org/50.

Derber, recalls how the program came to be: “… I was asked to prepare a music program that the Lower School students could sing for the Founders. I pondered for a while as to what we should sing. Music from the ’60s? No, not musically appropriate for Lower School ages …. Then, I thought it would be nice to have some students write to the individual Founders and ask them to share a favorite song that they learned when they were in the elementary grades. We received such delightful responses from the Founders! We learned the songs and dedicated them to the individual Founders at the program. This was an especially meaningful experience for the children. They were able to connect to those who had worked to provide such an outstanding school for all of us! Since we are celebrating our 50th year, it seemed logical to repeat this program. Once again, I am reading those old letters to our children, and they are connecting and appreciating the service and vision of our Founders.”

Baron Lobstein ’89 spoke to AP Music Theory students in April about his experiences with a Music Theory course while a student at Harvard University.

He shared with students how to begin an original composition; how he infuses music in his life, even though it is not his profession; and how there are common threads running through all of Western music. He also spoke to senior AP and sophomore government classes.

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Janine Turner, co-founder of the nonprofit organization Constituting America, spoke with Fort Worth Country Day senior students about her passion for the constitution and the role it plays in all Americans’ lives. The actress and Fort Worth native encouraged students to use the constitution as a roadmap and provided examples of its daily use.

Turner’s appearance kicked off the inaugural William S. Davis Family Foundation Lecture Series on the U.S. Constitution at FWCD. The goal of the lecture series, is to introduce senior students to distinguished individuals who are involved in all aspects of the government and can teach about the governing system created by the country’s forefathers (see story on page 27).

fwcd.org

Second-graders Sophie Gilpin and Benjamin Liberto chose FWCD security guard San Juan Becera as their community hero.

Second Grade Celebrates Heroes Fort Worth Country Day students celebrated their community heroes in January. The project, created three years ago by Holly Clifford, celebrates those who make a community work—teachers, coaches, caregivers, cafeteria workers, doctors, pastors, nurses, restaurant servers, fire fighters, police officers, garbage and recycling collectors, landscapers, mail carriers, architects, engineers, building inspectors and more—and encourages students to understand their work.

For the project, students selected their community member and Lower School art teacher Rebecca Bell guided students through a series of project steps, including an interview. “The process of the Community Heroes project is equally important to the finished product,” Bell noted. “The interview gives students a chance to really connect with their hero.

They gain a sense of ownership and find meaning in their creative work.”

Janine Turner

Baron Lobstein ’89

Lisa Koger

Governor Rick Perry

A Salute to FWCD Founders

Second-graders Jaiden Patel, Jordan Cyprian, Paxton Matthews and Tripp Stroube perform “Heart of my Heart.”

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The final step: Take a photograph of the community hero in his/her work environment. The students then used their photographs as visual references to methodically draw and paint portraits of their heroes. The final works were ceremoniously displayed in the Fischer Dining Pavilion.

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Daniel Boone Sighting

For the Love of Math

Daniel Boone, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Robinson, Elizabeth Blackwell, MD, and Abigail Adams are just a few of the famous Americans who made an appearance in the Fischer Dining Pavilion in March during the fourth-grade Famous Americans presentation. Students went all out to show family members and friends all they learned about their famous person. The collaborative project combines the expertise of the Lower School library, computer, art and fourth-grade teachers.

Third-graders displayed their mathematics prowess at Math-A-Rama, a fun night of math problem solving that encourages parents and students to work together to solve the equations. Throughout the approximately hour-long event, parents and students rotate through six mindbending stations that encourage them to look outside the box for the answers and use different methods for problem solving. Many of the stations have more logic-type problems than pencil-and-paper arithmetic. “It is great to see parents and children working together to solve the problems and to see the joy they have when they accomplish what they thought was impossible,” said Joni Heinzelmann, third-grade teacher. “Often parents and students go at the problem in different directions and then come together for the solution. Dialogue between them is important. Tenacity to keep at something is an important lesson as well.”

Second-graders Walker Anderson, David Maberry, Temi Fabuyi, Caroline Readinger and Jessica Tomasic

Poetry Explosion Words were flying in late April—in a good way of course!—as the second-grade classes performed their Poetry Explosion program for students, family and friends in the Lower School Atrium. The program, now in its sixth year, focused on animals. Students in Joan Massey, Sara McCullough, Kay Robinson and Jeff Rozanski’s classes memorized and brought to life more than 40 poems written by famous and lesser-known poets. Students performed their poems either on their own or in small groups. In addition to rehearsing for the program, the students wrote and illustrated their own poems to be part of a classroom poetry book. Rebecca Bell, Lower School art teacher, helped students create the backdrop for the program, and Holly Clifford, Middle School art teacher, guided students in their hat creations.

The annual fourth-grade Float Parade went on without a hitch, despite the threat of severe weather. Patriotic students (and parents) enjoyed the culminating event of a month-long U.S. history project. The parade featured decorated wagons to highlight different aspects of the students’ assigned states. California’s Golden Gate Bridge, Idaho potatoes, St. Louis’s Arch and New York’s Empire State Building, were just a few of the highlights.

Lisa Koger

Christopher Parker ’21 portrays Indiana, highlighting Indianapolis native David Letterman and, of course, corn.

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The assignment allows each student to embark on a journey into the life of an important American. From history to science, from industry to the arts, students researched men and women who made a significant impact on America’s history and culture, enabling them to gain a deeper understanding of the people who have made contributions to our country’s history.

Their study culminated in an evening event where the entire fourth-grade class immersed themselves in the lives of their renowned person by role-playing and showing off artful display boards illustrating the contributions made to the nation by their famous American.

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Michelle Pham ’22 and Kelly Pham ’21 enjoy Math-A-Rama with their father, Tuan.

students to higher-level thinking in math.

In 1995, FWCD sent four Lower School teachers to California to be trained in the program. “We originally wanted to be a Texas site for the program, but that wasn’t in the cards,’ noted Mary Kay Varley, fourth-grade teacher who formerly was involved with the event. “Instead we created a third-grade ‘math club’ where different math concepts were introduced after school in the third-grade classrooms.

The last “club” meeting was the Math-A-

Rama night where parents were invited to participate.” Over time, Math-A-Rama became a signature event for third grade.

“I still use some of the stations with my fourth-graders because they are truly enticing,” Varley said. “They help our students recognize the value of listening to another person’s idea on how to solve problems, as well as teach students to take risks and persevere, even when the problem seems impossible to solve.”

FWCD Artists Recognized

Reed Kimball ’21 as General George C. Patton

First-graders Vail Dickey and Sam Peters were winners in the Fort Worth StarTelegram Stock Show Art Contest. Sam drew a horse and was awarded third place.

He received $75 and a Rodeo rosette. Vail drew a bull and placed fifth, which earned him a Rodeo rosette. The competition was open to all students, ages 5-19, enrolled in a Texas public, private or accredited home school. The contest presents an opportunity for students to showcase their artistic abilities. A panel of local art professionals judged the competition; placing entries were displayed during the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.

Lisa Koger

50 States Come to Life

Lisa Koger

The expressive performances were educational for the audience, as students recited poems on such animals as wolves, dinosaurs, cats, sharks, turtles, squirrels, caterpillars, crickets, woodpeckers, dogs, mules, lobsters and more. Musical numbers were interspersed throughout the program as well, allowing students to share their vocal skills. The program ended with the entire second grade reciting “P.S. Did You Know?” by Laura Numeroff.

The third-grade math curriculum encompasses logic problem solving. The problems, puzzles, activities, etc., are all part of the EQUALS program out of the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, California. The program provides teachers with problems and activities to entice all

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LOWER SCHOOL

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LOWER SCHOOL

First-graders Vail Dickey and Sam Peters show off their prize-winning artwork.

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LOWER SCHOOL

Photos by Tiffini Crum and Lisa Koger

o-Balbi

Briana Castr

The Butler Kindergarten Building was overtaken by fully outfitted cowboys and cowgirls riding stick horses, colorful rodeo clowns, cows, calves, steers and more at Fort Worth Country Day’s 44th Kindergarten Rodeo, an annual student reenactment of the actual Fort Worth Rodeo.

The Class of 2025 entertained family members and classmates with their rousing performances in January in the Lower School Atrium.

The kindergarteners had been perfecting their program since returning from winter break. Their studies throughout the month also included learning about the rich history of the Lone Star State.

“The Kindergarten Rodeo has evolved over the years to be more and more authentic,” said Meg Rubin, kindergarten teacher. “It’s a tradition for us as teachers, as well as for the students and alumni.”

The Classes of 2013 and 2021 (fourth-graders) were also treated to a special performance. “The seniors and Originals really enjoy it,” Rubin added. “It completes their circle. For the fourth-graders, it’s a symbol of their growth as they graduate from the Lower School.”

During the approximately 40-minute production, students took part in typical rodeo events, including calf roping, cutting

horses, steer wrestling, the calf scramble, bareback bronco riding, trick roping, barrel racing and bull riding. During a musical intermission, the students sang patriotic Texas songs, such as “Deep in the Heart of Texas” and “I’m a Texas Star.”

Christine Derber, Lower School music director, served as pianist, and Dan Bloch H’06, Middle School science teacher, played the banjo—a role he embraced 43 years ago when he started as an FWCD teacher.

“I’ve always tried to make a meaningful connection with the kindergarten,” Bloch said. “It’s a wonderful thing to be part of beginnings. That’s why the Kindergarten Rodeo is the most important event in my year.”

For some students, the roles they play take on a family legacy.

“Some of our FWCD parents are alumni, and their kindergartener is performing the very same role that one of their parents played all those years ago,” Rubin said. It’s sweet and brings back such fond memories. For our new families, Kindergarten Rodeo is the start of a new memorable tradition.”

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F Nicholas Alexis de La Giraudiere wrestles the “steer” Joseph

Brunson

Rodeo clown Lyle Crumley tries to distract “barrel racer” Strother Norman.

Alex Seiden and Vivia

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Aiden Eisenman shows off his roping skills.

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MIDDLE

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Middle School Competes in First Science Olympiad

Both teams were provided the prompt a week prior to the debate, as is customary, and delivered prepared opening statements.

The FWCD team used logical reasoning, factual accuracy, emotional appeal and quick thinking to counter The Oakridge School’s information. Under time pressure, the students worked together to prepare rebuttals, engage in cross-examination and answer audience questions submitted via index cards before delivering their closing argument.

FWCD’s opening statement addressed the fact that the world gets its news in real time, as a result of breaking news coverage,

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Is the media a force that works in the best interest of the American public? This was the debate prompt for the Fort Worth Country Day Middle School Debate Team on Tuesday, February 12. At this final debate of the season against The Oakridge School, FWCD debate team members Jared Imber ’17, Ben Grubbs ’17, Ben Nober ’17, Michael Chan ’18, Jack Carvalho ’17 and Nick Aufiero ’17 presented their opening statement for the affirmative, while Oakridge represented the negative.

Debate team advisers Nick Cheadle and Chaka Cummings with their team members Robert Todora ’17, Stephen Chang ’17, Will Brumley ’17, Joanne Wu ’17, Jack Carvalho ’17 and Finn Connor ’18

Internet access and social media. The exchange of information creates a common ground, and the community is able to engage in the process, especially at the local level, through op-ed pieces and blogs.

The student’s argued that media covers local and national news stories to keep the community regularly informed and provides a common platform.

The judges, John Stephens, head of Middle School; Killian Naylor, Middle School English teacher; and Zach Reimer

’03, Middle School history teacher, shared with both teams the strengths and weaknesses of the debate and designated Fort Worth Country Day as the winner based on the array of evidence they brought forth in the various rounds and how they responded in the more pressured crossexamination and closing argument rounds.

Chaka Cummings, assistant head of Middle School, and Nick Cheadle, Middle School Spanish and French teacher, served as debate team advisers.

Perfect Day for a Bike Ride This year’s fifth-grade Ride-a-thon and Recycle your Ride event in April was deemed perfection because of the excellent spring weather and the outpouring of support for the riders. Students made an impact by donating a bicycle, tricycle, scooter or helmet; participating in the Ride-a-thon, which included biking 10 laps around a mapped route and collecting pledges from family and friends; or sponsoring a friend who was riding. The event benefitted the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Fort Worth. This year, fifth-graders donated 74 bikes, scooters and trikes, and nearly $2,000 in pledges was made for snacks for the after-school program at area Boys and Girls Club sites.

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Merrett Watson and John Stephens, head of Middle School, enjoy a tandem ride.

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The competition included 12 middle schools and 12 high schools. “The topics covered nearly every area of science,” Wilson said, “including rocks and minerals, anatomy, heredity, forensics, electricity, forestry, wildflowers, epidemiology, experimental design and more. We built helicopters to fly, a rotor device to keep a raw egg safe when dropped from a height, a Rube-Goldberg device and a balsa wood device to hold as much mass as possible.”

The team participated in one practice tournament prior to the March 2 event.

“Science Olympiad gives students an opportunity to study areas of scientific interest in depth. They are challenged to plan, design and build devices that will function in specific ways,” Wilson shared.

“Sometimes it is difficult to do these things in a regular classroom setting, so Science Olympiad allows these explorations to happen outside the classroom. The students that participate enjoy the subject matter and the work involved, but also enjoy being together and competing together. They have a great time.”

For the big Night at the Museum, the fifth-grade hallway was transformed into the Lost Tomb of Pharaoh Ignubbs. The walls were covered with hieroglyphs and Egyptian artwork created by the students, and the artifacts were displayed. The hallway was darkened and sound effects played to further enhance the mood. The Amon G. Carter Foundation Commons was also intricately arranged so that more than 28 display boards and 80 research papers and artifacts were on display. To add to the festive atmosphere, fifth-grade teachers dressed as Cleopatra, a Grecian goddess, an explorer on safari and more.

Night at the Museum The Night at the Museum event in May was the inauguration of what will be an annual event for FWCD fifth-graders.

It was a culminating activity for the students’ study of the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece and Rome. The study began during the winter, as students chose a topic to research about ancient Egypt— from the struggles of everyday life to the culture, religion and beliefs about the afterlife. Students researched and wrote a short paper on one aspect of interest to them, created an artifact (visual aide) and prepared an oral presentation. The artifacts were used in the spring to create the Night at the Museum tomb.

For ancient Greece and Rome, all humanities students chose a topic that intrigued them and wrote a detailed and involved research paper. In class, small groups created display boards on a similar theme. They attached their research papers and built models or created artifacts to accompany their topics.

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Debate Team Ends Season with a Win

Fort Worth Country Day’s Middle School Science Olympiad team had a successful showing at its first Regional Tournament at North Lake College in Irving on March 2. The team, comprising 15 students in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades, was coached

by Middle School science teachers Rita Wilson, Debbie Schofield and Amanda Whalen.

Six students placed in the top four, earning ribbons for their knowledge: First-Place Forestry: Joanne Wu ’17 First-Place Rocks and Minerals: Nate Wallace ’18 and Grant Zoota ’19 Third-Place Heredity: Michael Chan ’18 and Jared Imber ’17 Fourth-Place Disease Detectives: Dana Guthrie ’17

According to Wilson, FWCD students were very close to placing in other Olympiad events, showing the strength of their program.

The students and teachers who participated came away with great knowledge as they soaked in the experience and watched other schools compete.

Isabel Juliao ’20 and Darlene Ignagni

“What a wonderful way to end the school year,” said Darlene Ignagni, Middle School humanities teacher. “Students were focused and excited about the big night.

Their sense of pride in what they created in transforming our School into a museum and Egyptian tomb was evident. Parents commented how their child had become an “expert” in their subject and were confident that this was an accomplishment that their students would long remember.”

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MIDDLE SCHOOL

Middle School Awards & Recognition Christine Collins Memorial Award Greg Khammar ’19

Glen E. Ellman

The Christine Collins Memorial Award is awarded annually in memory of Christine Collins.

Christine started at Fort Worth Country Day as a kindergarten student in 1993, and she loved school and all it had to offer. She died from a brain tumor as a sixth-grade student. This award was established by her family and friends in her memory.

Greek Gods and Goddesses Abound

The student-teacher relationship is key to fulfilling the purpose of the School—inspiring the passion to learn. This relationship, coupled with the support of parents, often creates outstanding scholars. The Outstanding Scholar Award is given to an individual at each grade level who has earned the highest cumulative GPA for the year.

The daylong event also included playing Greek sports; dressing up in traditional Greek garb; watching a cartoon video of The Odyssey; taking pictures on Mother Earth’s "throne;” eating a traditional Greek buffet lunch of grape leaf rolls, gyros, chicken satays, hummus, tabouli and baklava catered by SAGE Dining Services; and watching the original Clash of the Titans movie.The event is the the kick-off to the students’ study of Greek history and culture.

Outstanding Scholar in Fifth Grade: Bailey Melton Outstanding Scholar in Sixth Grade: Alexandra Galloway Outstanding Scholar in Seventh Grade: Nate Wallace Tiffini Crum

Outstanding Scholar in Eighth Grade: Jared Imber

Grecian goddesses Isabella Coslik, Julia Atkinson and Rachel Ellman

Middle School Scholars

Established in 1929, NJHS recognizes outstanding middle-level students. More than just an honor roll, NJHS serves to honor those students who have demonstrated excellence in the area of scholarship, leadership, service, character and citizenship.

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The Christine Collins Memorial Award honors that sixth-grade student whose determination, perseverance and hard work exemplify the commitment that Christine exhibited in her life.

Equally important is that the recipient’s heart mirrors Christine’s as seen through the qualities of kind-heartedness, empathy, compassion and sensitivity to others.

Kathryn Kibbie Citizenship Award

Grade-Level Top Scholars

Fort Worth Country Day sixth-graders have been celebrating Greekfest for 16 years. On April 18, Mother Earth, Anne-Lise Woods ’85, led her fellow "Greeks" on their annual parade around campus.

Fort Worth Country Day’s chapter of the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) hosted its Induction Ceremony on Tuesday, April 23. Four seventh-grade candidates and 20 sixthgrade candidates joined the organization, which comprises 60 seventh- and eighth-grade members who were inducted last spring.

Assistant Head of Middle School Chaka Cummings, Nate Wallace ’18, Alexandra Galloway ’19, Head of School Evan D. Peterson and Bailey Melton ’20

Dan Bloch H’06, Karen Collins, Greg Khammar ’19 and Assistant Head of Middle School Chaka Cummings

This year’s candidates are: Seventh Grade Wyatt Allsup, Molly Cassady, Nikhil De and Nate Wallace Sixth Grade Joe Atkinson, Boyd Bailey, Chas Berry, Anna Brittan Brumley, Diego Casanova, Elena Casement, Sarah Clark, Merrick Decker, Katherine Faulkner, Stella Finley, Alexandra Galloway, Chloe Gilpin, Hayden Harvey, Ellie Horton, Jack McGehee,William Rattikin, Mattye Richardson, Campbell Robinson, Abby Shaffer and Jake Sun

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In the Middle School, the curriculum gets incrementally more challenging as the students grow and advance through the grades. Recognizing this, the Middle School would like to further recognize Jared Imber ’17 for his academic diligence, consistency and genuine pursuit of excellence by naming him this year’s Top Scholar. His name will be engraved on the Top Scholar plaque, which hangs in the Middle School office.

Photos by Lisa Koger

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Reagan Smith ’17 The Kathryn Kibbie Citizenship Award is presented annually to the Head of Middle School John student who is chosen Stephens, Aaron Hoover, Cynthia Rimmer Prince ’87, Reagan Smith by the faculty as the ’17, Assistant Head of Middle School outstanding citizen. It is the Chaka Cummings and Head of most distinguished award School Evan D. Peterson given by the Middle School because it represents the highest values of honesty, trustworthiness and concern for others. The Kathryn Kibbie Citizenship Plaque hangs in the Middle School and will carry the name of this year’s outstanding citizen.

Rosacker Athletic Award Ryleigh Rains ’17 and Brad Chilcoat ’17

Assistant Head of Middle School Chaka Cummings, Jared Imber ’17 and Head of School Evan D. Peterson

The Rosacker Athletic Award, named in honor of Col. R.C. “Rocky” Rosacker H’00, former FWCD athletic director, is given annually to the most outstanding Middle School boy and girl athletes, who display character, sportsmanship, leadership and athletic excellence.

Middle School Athletic Coordinator James Rains, Head of Middle School John Stephens, Ryleigh Rains ’17 and Brad Chilcoat ’17

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Oh The Places We Go!

“Every day leading up to the trip to Vicksburg, I was excited to go. I wanted to see the battlefield. It didn’t sound big when we talked about it in class, so I wanted to see it. In class, I didn’t quite get how the Union and the Confederates were lined up, so I wanted to see if the Union had a better position or if the Confederates did.” ~Megan Park

“I was expecting to learn about the siege of Vicksburg and such, but I ended up

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Jack Stephens, Meredith Thomas and Nikhil De

An Eighth-Grade Tradition: Big Bend Parker Howard, C.J. Landrum, Allie Arnold, Dilan Nana and Micah Garnett explore the cotton fields.

The Big Bend trip is a rite of passage for Fort Worth Country Day eighth-graders that signifies the end of their Middle School days and the beginning of their lives as high school students. Middle School science teacher Debbie Schofield, a 16-year veteran of the trip, led the class of nearly 90 students to Big Bend, along with 17 faculty, staff and parent chaperones, including trip founder, Sharon Foster H’05.

“I thought it would be interesting to learn about the events that took place right where we were standing, instead of out of a textbook hundreds of miles away.”

Since 1968, the eighth-grade class has bussed from Fort Worth to hike and explore the Chihuahuan Desert of West Texas. The park features unparalleled cultural, paleontological and geological values, and its biodiversity is surprisingly varied due to the climate contrasts of the river canyons, desert floor and high mountain terrain.

Brenden McCormack

This year’s trip, April 29-May 3, marked the School’s 45th trek. Foster established the trip, with the help of Robert and Suzanne Ward, parents of Cathey Ward Rimmer ’73, who suggested a school-sponsored trip to Big Bend would provide a great opportunity to educate students about the desert. When Foster saw firsthand the beauty of Big Bend and recognized the teaching opportunities that existed there, she was sold on the idea. The weeklong trip to Big Bend became a natural extension of Foster’s teaching style with upclose and personal exposure to the biology, ecology, geology, herpetology and history of the area.

FWCD sixth-graders enjoyed their annual class trip to Austin in February. The students kicked off their trip with a tour of the University of Texas campus and its athletics facilities and then headed on to Austin where they toured the Texas State Capitol and the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum.

Melisa Dorsey

“Most seventh graders go into this trip knowing a little bit about the Civil War … and come away from it with a far better knowledge of the role Vicksburg and the Mississippi River played,” said Tara Forrest, The Perry and Nancy Lee Bass Distinguished Teaching Chair in Middle School. “They also get an opportunity to spend a lot of time with their friends in a different kind of learning environment, which is always appealing to them!”

This trip had it all: Mardi Gras parades, a peek into slave life, a slavery debate, interviews with those who sought refuge in caves and nurses saving lives on the battlefield, a review of Vicksburg’s museums and Washington Street, watching Union and Confederate re-enactments, exploring multi-faceted dioramas, creating stained glass pieces, hiking through a battlefield, games and skits with props that included centuries-old weapons of the Civil War and so much more. FWCD seventhgraders actually experience “the way it might have been,” Forrest continued.

Here’s what the students had to say:

learning about so many more things than I could have imagined! Stained glass, talks given by Union and Confederate soldiers and the stories of people who lived in Vicksburg. I gained extreme knowledge of the history of the Vicksburg battlefield and life perspectives as well!” ~ Nick Epperson

“When the time came to jump back on the bus, I felt like I wanted to stay a little longer. The trip just flew by in an instant! The trip to Mississippi was truly fascinating.” ~ Ben Parker

“I would advise future seventh-graders to absorb everything they are seeing—and respect it and think hard about all that went on there.” ~ Whitney Bruhl

Melisa Dorsey

Mason Middle School seventh-graders enjoyed one of FWCD’s traditions this spring: The annual trip to Vicksburg, Mississippi. This four-day adventure is packed full of interactive exchanges and student-led presentations.

Melisa Dorsey

Vicksburg Trip

On the State Senate floor of the Capitol building, our very own sixth-graders met Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst. His goddaughter, Julia Hayes, is a FWCD sixthgrader.

Seventh-graders pose on the steps of the Texas Monument at the National Military Park in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

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The itinerary has changed very little since the trip’s inception and includes hikes to Sam Nail Ranch, Hot Springs, Burro Mesa, the South Rim, as well as visits to Lajitas, Santa Elena Canyon and Castolon.

“Big Bend was the best school trip by far. Not only did I learn a lot about the Lajitas region, I had a good time doing it,” said Spencer Pergande ’17. “My favorite hike was along the South Rim trail because the view was so amazing. At the very top, there was a 1,500 foot drop-off! There was also lots of wildlife along the trails, such as rattlesnakes and some amazing birds. The Mexican Jay, a small blue and white animal, was my favorite bird that I saw along the trails. I hope, in the future, our class can make another trip as great as the Big Bend trip.”

To read more about the history and tradition surrounding this trip, read “Big Bend Trip: A Middle School Tradition” by Tom Medary ’80 at fwcd.org/50.

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MIDDLE SCHOOL

Lucie Melcher ’17 Riley Hammett ’19

Talent abounds in Middle school at Fort Worth Country Day.

Julia Petsche ’20

The Mason Middle School’s annual talent show took place in April with 27 amazing performances, including singing, dancing and piano playing. “The talent show is something students look forward to each year,” said Anne-Lise Woods ’85, show organizer. “The performers did a great job, as always, and our audience rewarded them with thundering applause.”

Samuel DeRobertis

’18

Bailey Melton ’20 Harriet Hull ’18

The performing arts are a cornerstone of the Fort Worth Country Day education. Students gain hands-on experience inside and outside the classroom in their endeavors.

Photos by Tiffini Crum

Middle school teachers Tara Finn, Nick Cheadle, Robert Stovall (Falcon head), Holly Clifford, Kellie McLarty and Laura Terry

ie Medaris and Sixth-graders Mackenzework.”

Chloe Gilpin sang “Fir Nicholas Epperson ’18

Logan Tinley ’17

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Abby Shaffer ’19

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UPPER SCHOOL

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The Falcon Quill: This student has an app for that

Lisa Koger

FWCD Eagle Scouts

FWCD’s Eagle Scouts are (front row) Oliver Newberry, Matthew Mathisen, Thomas House, Carson Ray, Jonny Clum, Gaddis House, Siddarth Gutta and (back row) Ben Phillips, Jackson Hull, Stephen Buchanan, Jacob Edwards and Colin Tidwell. Not pictured: Matthew Devine and Patrick Dillon, who became an Eagle Scout on May 16.

Fourteen Fort Worth Country Day seniors graduated as Eagle Scouts this year. Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America. The title of Eagle Scout is held for life, thus giving rise to the phrase "Once an Eagle, always an Eagle."

Since its introduction in 1911, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by more than two million young men. In 2012, the centennial year of the Eagle Scout Award, 57,976 Scouts earned the Eagle Scout rank—more than in any previous year.

Around 7 percent of all Boy Scouts earned the Eagle Scout rank in 2012. This is the largest group of Eagles to graduate from FWCD, surpassing the Class of 2011, which had nine senior Eagle Scouts.

A Glimpse of Paris!

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Tiffini Crum

Andréanne Annis’ (Middle and Upper School French teacher) French 3 Honors students, all sophomores, assembled in the Middle School conference room early in the semester to Skype with Heather Sims ’10, who is studying in Paris, France, as part of a semester abroad program through Davidson College. The entire interaction took place in French, giving the FWCD students an opportunity to practice their speaking skills as they posed questions to Heather about her favorite FWCD memories; challenges she faced as a sophomore; how FWCD prepared her for college; where she attends college and what she is studying; what the differences are between American and French universities; and how she is enjoying her study abroad experience.

“My intent was to be motivating and current while allowing Heather to very personally answer some of the students’ questions,” Annis said. “I was hoping to broaden their horizons through a wonderful discussion with an FWCD Original with a fresh perspective and a deep love for French. Heather was a student of mine in fifth, sixth, seventh and 12th grades. It has to be comforting for a sophomore to hear an alum share several memories with a big smile and such confidence.”

During the conversation, Heather was complimentary of FWCD

Jesse Tipton ’14 isn’t a staff member on The Falcon Quill; he’s never even set foot in the school paper’s offices, which is ironic because he’s a Mac-based computer programmer and that room houses the School’s Mac-based computer collection.

Jesse is now an honorary member of the Quill thanks to an app he wrote and published.

From left to right: Isabelle Goetz, Alex Teng, Ryan Pohler, Melody Rodriguez, Kassadi Smith, Mary Barber, Kenzie Knox, Sarah Ransom, Maddie Sullivan and Sabrina Strain (center) spoke with Heather Sims ’10 via Skype.

and said she felt she had acquired the necessary tools to succeed in college. She paid tribute to Dr. Suzanne Lewis, Upper School history teacher; Norma Wilkerson H’11, retired FWCD English teacher; and Bob Booth, Upper School Spanish and French teacher, for helping to prepare her.

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He was asked by Zane Lincoln ’14, a Falcon Quill section editor, to create an app to read online Quill content. The free Falcon Quill app, available in the iTunes app store, not only benefits the immediate Fort Worth Country Day community, but it also allows FWCD alumni to stay upto-date with their alma mater. The Falcon Quill app is Jesse’s first published app—and he’s inspired to create more when the right idea comes along. “The hardest part is finding a good idea,” he noted.

Jesse spent approximately 100 hours coding and designing the application.

What he learned: He is truly an engineer at

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heart. “I like the coding aspect of things. I can sit behind my computer for hours and write the code to make the app function,” he said. “But I learned that I’m not really a designer. I didn’t have an eye for choosing fonts or color schemes. I really appreciated the designer’s input, which for this project was Zane.”

For Jesse, computer programming is more than a hobby—his dream is to attend Carnegie Mellon, one of the top schools in the nation for computer science. “I think of programming as a mathematical art,” he said. “There are exacts in math and science and I like that, but there is also room for creativity through the design process.”

His interest in computer programming began when he was a freshman at Grapevine High School. He took a programming class and began to teach himself some of the different coding languages. When he came to FWCD as a sophomore, he immediately took Advanced Computer Programming with Dr. James

Aldridge and became even more enamored as a result of Dr. Aldridge’s teaching and extensive knowledge of computers and programming. Jesse has learned Java; Python; and Objective C, which is the language that powers Apple.

He has continued to take programming courses throughout his Upper School career, which culminates with AP Computer Science this fall.

While there is a great deal of trial and error in the coding Jesse does—it can take days to find a coding error, he said—he gains great satisfaction in the coding process.

After college, Jesse dreams of moving west to San Francisco where he can become part of a software development team, learn the ropes and ultimately start his own company.

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UPPER SCHOOL

Governor Perry Brings D.C. Home

For the second straight year, the sophomore class took a weeklong trip to our nation’s capital. The class spent time at the World War II, Vietnam, Korea, Lincoln, Jefferson, Air Force and Marine Corps memorials, experienced a domestic policy debate, visited Capitol Hill and observed the legislative process from the Senate gallery as senators from both parties debated the current budget, visited the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court building, and “geeked out” (as Bill Arnold ’86, Upper School history teacher, put it) on history at the Watergate Hotel and the parking garage in Alexandria where Bob Woodward met Deep Throat.

Lisa Wallace

“His timing was perfect as a wrap-up to the sophomore D.C. trip, and he wanted to focus on the difference between federal and state government and the importance of public service in whatever capacity the students found interesting,” she continued.

“I think it is important that our students understand that at the very core, politicians are public servants, here to serve.”

Texas Governor Rick Perry visited FWCD to speak to the sophomore class about their recent trip to Washington, D.C.

Congresswoman Kay Granger spoke to FWCD students about the committees she’s a part of, especially the importance of the Financing Committee, as she said that one committee affects how all the others are run. Students in the picture are back row: Ross Kasal, Alex Teng, Cooper Burleson, Johnny Serralta, and front row: Maddie Luskey and Josie Martin.

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The Cum Laude Society is an honorary organization that stresses excellence, justice and honor. Selection is limited to 10 percent of the junior class and 20 percent of the senior class, elected over two years, based on their high academic standing and rigorous course loads. Elected students also demonstrate good character, honor and integrity in all aspects of school life.

The following students, all seniors, earned membership during the 2011-12 academic year: Alex Allsup, Stanley Brown, Cade Fuller, Meghann Kasal, Catherine Parker, Morgan Pergande, Hilary Rattikin, Ethan Rohrbach, Kaelyn Scoville and Sara Shah.

The governor shared memories about his first Washington, D.C., trip in 1964 at the age of 14 as part of a Boy Scout National Jamboree. He also visited Philadelphia and New York City for the World’s Fair. For a young man growing up in Paint Creek, Texas, it was an impressionable visit that got him thinking about public service, he said.

He asked students about their Washington, D.C., “takeaways,” to which students said they “gained a better sense of how things actually work, as opposed to how they are supposed to work.” They also met with their state representatives, Kay Granger and Roger Williams.

The group also talked about the difference between the federal and state governments and their roles. The government’s role is to protect our individual freedoms, those rights declared to Americans in the constitution, he reminded students. He was impressed by Jennifer Haston, who was able to recite the 10th Amendment, which states the Constitution’s principle of federalism by providing that “powers not granted to the federal government by the Constitution, nor prohibited to the States, are reserved to the States or the people.”

For Governor Perry, this amendment is key in his work.

He shared some of the big issues facing the state today: building roads, gathering resources to pay for the roads, funding education, water and energy resources, public safety, health care and more. “My perspective, which is always open to criticism,” he said with a smile, “is that the most important … [thing to do] … is to create a climate where men and women, entrepreneurs, small and large companies can risk their capital and know that they will have a return on their investment. All fwcd.org

Sophomores Katherine Haley, Sarah Memon, Libby Kerrigan, Cooper Baird and Michael Estrada in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

these issues facing us today are dependent on our economy.” Texas has been ranked by CEOs nine years in a row as the best state in the nation to do business.

The meeting wound down with a brief Q&A session that included a question about why Governor Perry chose to become a politician. “I’ve always been intrigued by public service,” he noted, citing the Peace Corps, Marine Corps, teachers, charitable organizations, volunteers and more as public servants.

“Look around this school. You have a lot of people who volunteer and give back. I grew up in a family where public service was expected.”

For Teegarden, the governor’s FWCD visit was something she’d been hoping for all year. “Whatever your political leanings are, whether you agree with a politician or not, when given the opportunity to ask questions and gain a better understanding of a politician’s thought process, it is imperative to take advantage of that moment,” she said. “We cannot allow ourselves to be close minded; we must facilitate discussion and debate, or we risk stagnation and heartache.”

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Lisa Koger

“He [Governor Perry] mentioned several months ago that he would like to pop in and teach a government class this semester,” Teegarden said. “With the legislature in session, he has been extremely busy, but made this trip a priority.

While the trip was extremely well scheduled, the students also had time to explore the cities of Washington, D.C.; Georgetown; and Alexandria, Virginia. The trip concluded with a memorable dinner cruise on the Potomac River.

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Sara Teegarden, Upper School history teacher, arranged the visit. She’s known Governor Perry most of her life—the governor and her father, Ric Williamson, were freshman in the state legislature together.

Fort Worth Country Day welcomed 11 juniors and 10 seniors into the Cum Laude Society in April. New members were presented with certificates and pins during the ceremony, which featured guest speaker Baron Lobstein ’89, who serves on the White House national security staff as director for Russia.

Senior Inductees: Ben Phillips, Kaitlyn Frantz, Matthew Devine, Alexandra Bratton, Mattie Karsten, Caroline Rattikin, Lilly Cowan, Megan Ray, Haddy Self and Oliver Newberry.

Lisa Koger

Governor Rick Perry made a special visit to Fort Worth Country Day on May 15, to speak to the 105-member sophomore class about their recent trip to Washington, D.C. His approximately hour-long visit was conversational and insightful, as he asked students about their trip experiences, the differences between federal and state government, and the role of government in general.

Cum Laude Society Inducts 21 New Members

Junior Inductees: Back row: Jack Livingston, Robbie Stackhouse, Ricky Rodriguez, Malcolm McDonald and William Nober Front row: Emily Wilkinson, Hannah Kelly, Elizabeth Lindsey, Haley Wall, Hannah Fowler and Sarah Harrison.

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UPPER SCHOOL

Vicki and Edward P. Bass Scholarship Kaitlyn Frantz ’13 Kinsey McGlasson ’16 Beverly Anne Robinson Faculty Endowed Scholarship Nicholas Aufiero ’17 Andrew Booth ’24 Victor Flores ’13 Malone Scholars Program Jeff Avena ’15 Matthew Frantz ’16 Krista Madrid ’14 Ricky Rodriguez ’14 Kaelyn Scoville ’13 Nate Wallace ’18 Joanne Wu ’17 Peter A. Schwartz Scholarship Hannah Fowler ’14 Captain David Herr Memorial Scholarship Matthew Leonard ’14 Reilly Family Foundation/ Breakthrough Fort Worth Scholarship Gustavo Torres ’16 Alumni Endowed Scholarship Stanley Brown ’13 Cheryl Haston ’13 Breanna Tuck ’13 Ella C. McFadden Scholarship Katherine Brookman ’13 Jacob Edwards ’13 Jillian C. Thompson Scholarship Akeira Warner ’14 Moritz Scholarship at FWCD Samuel Kim ’16 Joey Pollard Memorial Scholarship Nicholas Epperson ’18 Betty Reese Memorial Scholarship Jacob Rains ’16

Senior Awards & Recognition Senior English Student Lillian Cowan Writing Beyond the Classroom Award Breanna Tuck

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Richie Garvey ’07 Technical Theater Award Jacob Edwards

Senior French Student Stanley Brown

Performing Arts Award Benjamin Phillips

Senior Latin Student Maura Vestal Senior Spanish Student Meghann Kasal

Varsity Awards Leslie Tuggey, Matthew Mathisen, Ethan Rohrbach

Senior History Student Breanna Tuck

Class of ’72 Award Matthew Mathisen

Dr. Suzanne Lewis Outstanding History Student Gavin Behr

Don Welch Memorial Award Megan Ray William A. Landreth, Jr. ’67 Award Ethan Rohrbach

Senior Mathematics Student Ethan Rohrbach

Class of ’70 Award Harriet Self

Mathematics Chairman’s Award Alexander Allsup, Elizabeth Pruitt

Lawrence P. Kleuser Award Elizabeth Pruitt

Outstanding Students of the Sciences Alexander Allsup, Meghann Kasal

Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Award Meghann Kasal, Jonny Clum

Senior Art Student Annie Dzurilla

Quill Most Valuable Award Lillian Cowan, Breanna Tuck

Siegel Art Award for Art History Lauren Pinto

Quill Editor’s Award Katherine Brookman

Siegel Art Award for Ceramics Audrey Christian Photography Award Kalli Goodrich Koeppe Award for Painting Jalen Lacy-Smith Rhode Island School of Design Book Award Annabeth Reeb, Courtney Smith Ted Sanford Award Haley Pigman Gayle Corkery Award Haley Pigman, Kaitlyn Frantz, Mattie Karsten FWCD Leadership and Musicianship Award–Orchestra Alexander Allsup FWCD Leadership and Musicianship Award–Band Morgan Pergande

Falcon Quill Award Jonathan Clum, Hannah Stephens

Flight Most Valuable Award Hunter Williams Flight Editors Award Harriet Self, Madilyn Bass Flight Award Carson Ray, Madeline Relyea, Morgan Clifton Class of ’75 You Make Me Smile Award Nathan Bowser

Andrew Cordell Community Service Award Victor Flores R.D. Varnell ’88 National Merit Award Ethan Rohrbach Headmaster Heart and Hustle Award Breanna Tuck Humanitas Per Disciplinam Award Madilyn Bass, Jacob Edwards

Outstanding Instrumentalist Award–Band Benjamin Phillips

Alumni Association Award Victor Flores

FWCD Leadership and Musicianship Award–Choral Kaelyn Scoville

Campus Award Kirstin Mullins

Outstanding Senior Theatre Award Kirstin Mullins

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Theatre Department Core Values Award Katharine Carvalho

Falcon Award Meghann Kasal

fwcd.org

Lisa Koger

2012-13 Scholarship Recipients

UPPER SCHOOL

Upper School Lecture Series Focuses on Civic Responsibility The William S. Davis Family Foundation made a generous gift to Fort Worth Country Day to establish the William S. Davis Family Foundation Lecture Series on the U.S. Constitution.

William Davis, chairman of the board and president of Wiseda Corp., FWCD grandparent, past parent and former Trustee, approached Head of School Evan D. Peterson in the fall with the idea of funding an annual lecture for seniors that would center on government.

“I have known Bill and Mitzi Davis for over 25 years. They have been wonderful supporters of Country Day in so many ways,” Peterson said. “This is just one more example of how they look for ways to educate our students beyond the classroom.”

Davis’ vision is to bring renowned speakers to FWCD each year to talk about civic participation, leadership, constitutional issues, the Bill of Rights and more.

“America needs to return to the principles that made us prosper.

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Therefore, all students should begin with an appreciation of and respect for the constitution as the supreme law of America,” Davis said. “To excite their interest, I want students to be exposed to distinguished individuals who will teach the governing system created by the genius of our forefathers and under which this country has grown and prospered.”

Brian Farda, Upper School History Department chair, has been charged by Peterson to work with the Davis Family Foundation to bring the lecture series to life.

“Our senior students are the closest to being involved in the governing process,” he noted, “so it makes sense to gear a lecture series toward them. They are simply the most developed when it comes to understanding politics and its processes.”

In the 2012 presidential election, 30 FWCD students were eligible to exercise their right to vote. A program such as the William S. Davis Family Foundation Lecture Series on the U.S. Constitution engenders a sense of civic duty in FWCD’s oldest students, who are the School’s youth leaders.

The lecture series exposes students to the people who are involved in all aspects of the government—those who are entrenched in it each and every day. Farda believes the spirit of 2012’s presidential election year is one motivator for the establishment of this lecture series.

The inaugural lecture took place on April 2 and featured Janine Turner, co-founder of the nonprofit organization Constituting America. An actress and native of Fort Worth, Turner spoke to students about her passion for the constitution and the role it plays in all Americans’ lives. She encouraged students to use the constitution as a roadmap and a guide, and provided examples of its daily use.

The goal of the lecture series is to introduce senior students to distinguished individuals who are involved in all aspects of the government and can teach about the governing system created by the country’s forefathers.

Pictured above are Wendy Davis Gerrish ’87; Janine Turner; William S. Davis; and Evan D. Peterson, head of school.

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UPPER SCHOOL

Prom 2013

By Katherine Brookman ’13

Photos courtesy of Flash Photography Fort Worth

Fort Worth County Day upperclassmen celebrated their final semester of high school with the “Mistero” themed junior-senior prom on Saturday, April 27 at the Cendera Center.

Most students remember the Cendera Center as the ice skating rink off of Benbrook circle where they took ice skating lessons, but the center proved to be a lovely venue for this milestone event.

Elizabeth Pruitt ’13, Madison Nelson ’14, Fallon Appleton ’13, Hannah Kelly ’14 and Isabella Chieffalo ’14 Claire Hill ’13 and Coleman Walker ’15 Seniors Annie Dzurilla, Jerrell Gardner, Audrey Christian, Alec Petsche and Courtney Smith

Juniors Maddie Jiongo, Reagan Smith, Krista Madrid, Maddie Diaz, McKenna Breedlove and Madi Smith

Seniors Hannah Stephens, Jared Lankford, Maddie Relyea, Morgan Clifton and Zane Goetz

Seniors Rachel Hughes, Haddy Self, Leslie Tuggey, Carson Ray, Sara Ashfour, Elizabeth Pruitt and Taylor Ray

Juniors Ben Sankary, Alyssa Brotherton, Ben Williams, JT Hodnett, Beth Ann Herd, Edward Hudson Front Row: Griffin Young, Margaret Philpott and Lauren Wagner

Juniors Haley Wall, Austin Becera, Emily Jackson, Adam Sanchez, Kathryn Kientzy and Sarah Harrison

Kassidi Smith ’15 and Ben Phillips ’13

Seniors Kaitlyn Frantz, Jacob Edwards, Katharine Carvalho, Hunter WIlliams, Madi Bass and James McKeachie

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Juniors Akeira Warner and Jazmine Monreal

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UPPER SCHOOL

UPPER SCHOOL

MSON Course Offerings

FWCD Offers 12 Online Courses

Upper School students going into grades 11 and 12 were eligible to register for the following MSON courses for the 2013-14 academic year: Language Offerings STEM Offerings • Arabic One • Advanced Computer Programming • Chinese One • Advanced Abstract Math • Chinese Five • Advanced Topics in Chemistry • Introduction to Organic Chemistry Humanities Offerings • Meteorology • Democracy, Freedom and the Rule of Law • Multivariable Calculus • Making Moby-Dick • Topics in Ottoman History

Through the Malone School Online Network

The classes, taught by Stanford University professors and teachers from six Malone Schools, are predominantly yearlong and begin the week of September 3. The MSON classroom will be in the old technology office within the Upper School Science Building. “The equipment we have installed is made by Lifesize and includes the Lifesize Room 220 codec with eight-way calling,” said Steve Uhr, director of technology. “Two high-definition LCD displays and two HD cameras are combined with a touch-screen speaker phone to allow distancelearning activities among eight schools at once. The Lifesize bridge is maintained at Stanford University and every MSON school has access to both live and recorded content using the Lifesize codec, as well as Clearview software for participation when away from our dedicated distance learning lab.”

MSON Course Determination

The use of personal learning devices, the Internet and other technology is revolutionizing education, causing teachers and students to alter the way they teach and learn. “The students haven’t changed; there are now just different tools and vehicles for delivering education,” said Evan D. Peterson, head of School. “Technology opens the classroom to the world, and as a result, we are no longer a fourwalled classroom. Information is at our fingertips anytime, anywhere.”

Peterson’s goal for FWCD is to be “in-the-know” about technology trends so the quality of education the School delivers remains cutting edge. A main priority is for FWCD to be a leader in the virtual classroom. “Technology is ever evolving, and we need to be ahead of the curve,” Peterson said. “The virtual classroom is on the horizon for both the Middle and Upper schools at FWCD.” What this means is that education at these levels will move toward a more blended classroom—traditional face-to-face instruction infused with technology. One way FWCD is accomplishing this is through its close partnership with Stanford University.

The only Malone Foundation School in Texas, FWCD is one of 12 schools in the nation to offer virtual, real-time college courses onsite through this Malone School Online Network (MSON) collaborative.

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Peggy Wakeland, assistant head of Upper School, is leading the charge and serving as the School’s MSON liaison. In early February, she conducted an Upper School student survey to determine interest in such courses. “Out of 200 Upper School students, 177 responded with 120 students expressing interest in taking online courses. The response was overwhelming,” she noted.

Students and parents were made aware of the MSON course offerings at Upper School coffees, Praxis events, assemblies and class meetings. Students learned more as they met with their advisers to begin the 2013-14 scheduling process.

Wakeland said there are limits to the number of students who can take the courses. In this trial year, FWCD can only place two or three students in any class. This leaves room for other schools to have students in each class as well and keeps class sizes small, between six and 16 students. “After receiving FWCD approval, students must make an application through the Malone School Network to gain access to the class,” Wakeland added. After the internal registration process in March, 22 FWCD students chose to apply for an MSON course.

The Value of the Experience MSON courses serve as a high school enrichment elective course (fifth academic) in the FWCD program, and the course will not count in a student’s GPA. Stanford University will supply a transcript for the class to College Counseling so students can submit it with their college application materials.

The value of this opportunity is threefold. “Such academic SPrinG/SUMMER 2013

enrichment stretches students to take risks and become independent learners,” Wakeland said. “Our FWCD students will also get to interact with students from across the country—to see different perspectives before they head off to college. And last is the auxiliary effect: It’s exciting for students to engage in something new and be among the first to blaze this technology trail.”

Breanna Tuck ’13 took an online course offered at FWCD last semester through Stanford University’s Online High School: Genocide and Humanitarian Intervention. She was enrolled in the course with 10 other students. “The professor, Dr. Patenaude, lived in California, near Stanford University, where he taught on a daily basis,” Tuck said. “I had classmates from California, Tennessee, Canada, New York and Alaska.”

Tuck chose to take the course as a complement to the FWCDoffered course Modern European History, in which she was the only girl. “All the guys in my class were really big history buffs, and I saw this course as a way to strengthen my background in history,” she noted.

While the subject matter was morose, Tuck learned a great deal about the politics that surround humanitarian aid where genocide, a term coined by Raphael Lemkin in 1944, is concerned. The course began with the Armenian genocide and moved forward to the genocides in Rwanda and Darfur. “This course made me think and consider the actions of the governments across the world, and forced me to think of possible solutions to some of the worlds’ insolvable problems.

“These virtual classrooms are new and exciting,” Tuck continued.

“Students will have more course options and the opportunity to be involved in a new way to gain knowledge.”

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These new FWCD alumni celebrated the culmination of their Falcon experience within a new graduation venue: McKinney Memorial Bible Church. The venue provided a nice change of pace, with ample seating for friends and family, two large screens for the audience to see speakers and the graduates, and the reception immediately following outside the sanctuary.

This year’s graduates worked hard for this bittersweet moment, fulfilling eight semesters of rigorous academic classes, performing nearly 10,000 hours of community service in their four years, and receiving more than $7.2 million in merit-based scholarships and awards.

Along the way, they created memories that will last a lifetime. Fifty-seven of the 99 graduates were Originals, meaning they attended FWCD for 13 years—from the time they were in kindergarten. No matter when these students joined the FWCD family, their experiences bond them.

Some events they’ll remember forever: Kindergarten Rodeo, Lower School Halloween and the State Parade, Middle School trips to Vicksburg and Big Bend, and a remarkable array of Upper School and senior-year activities.

The students have also been part of the changing face of FWCD, witnessing many construction projects on campus. They paid homage to this strengthening of their fwcd.org

alma mater by presenting constructionthemed parting gifts—hammers, shovels, a toy dump truck and more—to Head of School Evan D. Peterson as they stepped forward for their diplomas.

Class of 2013 Salutatorian Meghann Kasal started off the evening invoking Flat Stanley and his around-the-world exploits. “In Lower School, we sent Flat Stanley around the country to go on adventures and come back to tell us the tales,” she said. “In Middle and Upper School, we began living out Flat Stanley’s adventures ourselves: hiking 14 miles in Big Bend; visiting the capitol of Texas; exploring Japan, France, Ecuador and countless other countries.

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“We didn’t know it at the time, but Flat Stanley taught us to think about the endless possibilities of who we could be and to dream big for our future,” she continued. Now, we are grown up and following our dreams. … We are getting ready to start our own adventures.”

Congresswoman Kay Granger was the evening’s special 50th anniversary speaker.

The theme of her speech centered on character, and how character counts in everything you do. She cited this constant theme in literature, movies and the theater, and drew upon the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird, which was published by Harper Lee in 1960. The book highlights Atticus Finch, a man

Glamourcraft

When the 99 seniors of Fort Worth Country Day’s Class of 2013 walked across the stage to receive their diplomas, they set forth on new life journeys, ones that will lead them away from a school and city that many have known all their lives.

Glen E. Ellman

A Senior Send Off

Congresswoman Kay Granger

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Class of 2013 Salutatorian Meghann Kasal started off the evening invoking Flat Stanley and his around-the-world exploits.

Stanley Brown, Stephen Buchanan, Katharine Carvalho and Hira Chaudhary

Upper School history teacher Dr. Suzanne Lewis gave her farewell graduation speech, as the student-chosen faculty speaker.

“Tonight I want to draw your attention to the past and your memories of it,” she said.

“As you sit tonight, excitedly anticipating marching across the stage and walking into your new life, the memories of the past will vie for your attention. These memories now weave in and out of your mind and will ultimately define your future in ways that you cannot imagine or control.”

Valedictorian Kaelyn Scoville came to FWCD in ninth grade, but said she feels like an FWCD Original. She spoke about legacy and what their class leaves behind.

“I’d like to go back to the discussion we had as a class at the beginning of the year,” she noted. “Legacy: What we hand

For Kaelyn Scoville ’13, Fort Worth Country Day gave her a range of opportunities and experiences that exceeded her expectations. “I could not have asked for a better education than the one I received at Country Day,” she said.

“Yes, it’s a lot of hard work and sometimes you just become exhausted, but every late night is worth it. Fort Worth Country Day students truly are well ahead of the learning curve.”

“That’s part of what Country Day has taught us,” she continued. “We have the ability to make mistakes and learn from them, even if we have to make the mistakes a few times to get there. Most importantly, we have the ability to be ambitious and to hold ourselves to higher standards than are expected.”

The Class of 2013 leaves behind great legacies and memories that will live on. “We’ve been a part of several SPC Championships. We’ve helped our basketball team make it to D1, which hasn’t happened in years. We’ve completed 9,843 community service hours, 2,000 hours more than the Class of 2012,” Scoville said. “We’ve had one of the most successful junior service projects of all time. We’ve received countless awards and recognitions for achievements of individual students, and we’ve set the bar of academic achievement above that of those who preceded us. But most importantly, we’ve capitalized on every unique opportunity that Country Day provided us.”

Glen E. Ellman

A native of Burleson, Kaelyn enrolled at Fort Worth Country Day as a ninth-grader, following in the footsteps of her twin siblings, Jordan ’11 and Joshua ’11. An interesting tidbit: She applied to FWCD for eighth grade, but was not admitted because of a lack of openings in that particular grade. “I was a bit disappointed not to start in eighth-grade, but this was never a deterrence for me,” she said. “I

Meghann Kasal ’13 has spent 13 years on the Fort Worth Country Day campus.

From the day she started, she has been curious and inquisitive. “I have always been focused on learning,” she said. “My goal is to better understand the content that is being covered in my courses; it’s not just about getting good grades.”

Meghann shined in the classroom, on stage and on the field, and she credits a host of faculty for guiding her. This year alone, she took five Advanced Placement courses.

“I purposely took a heavy load of courses

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Once enrolled at FWCD, Kaelyn forged ahead in both Honors and Advanced Placement courses. Her favorite subject: math. “I’ve always had a passion for mathematics,” she said. “I like the fact that, in the end, there is an answer to the question being posed. There may be different ways to get there, but there is one answer. I love reaching that goal.” Kaelyn is proud to have completed FWCD’s highest math course—AP Calculus BC. She also took part in arts and athletics opportunities at FWCD. She served as a Link Crew leader; Sigma Iota Sigma copresident; student ambassador; flag Continued on page 36

Salutatorian—Meghann Kasal

FWCD is a family legacy for the Kasal family. She follows in the footsteps of Shan ’09 and Lalitha ’11 to become a member of the alumni community, leaving the School to her youngest brother, Ross ’15.

“What I value most about my FWCD education are the amazing teachers who have taught me both inside and outside the classroom,” she shared. “FWCD has allowed me to follow my passions and learn about myself.”

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knew FWCD was the place for me, so I studied hard at Kerr Middle School and took advantage of all I could to build on my application.”

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throughout Upper School and wanted to challenge myself with the AP courses,” she said. Her AP load this year included Calculus BC, the School’s highest-level math course; Chemistry; Biology; Spanish Literature and English Literature. “It was a tough academic load, but I thrive on challenges,” she added, “and I know I’m well prepared for college.”

The arts offered Meghann an escape. “Art is an outlet for me to express myself,” she noted. “I get to be me in the theater or when I’m behind the lens of my camera.

It is more of a hobby than a career, but very important to who I am as a person.”

Melodee Halbach, director of theatre, was one of Meghann’s many mentors.

Meghann appeared in all four Upper School musical theater performances— West Side Story, Urinetown, Damn Yankees! and Legally Blonde: The Musical. She also enjoyed music, playing clarinet since fourth grade under the direction of Dr. Chuck Kraus, director of band. As a junior, Meghann developed a passion for

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Glen E. Ellman

“Be a person of character,” Granger said.

“True success is not measured by what we get, but by what we give. There are great expectations of generosity and leadership for your generation. Your education has been sterling; your character should be sterling.”

Valedictorian—Kaelyn Scoville

down to the classes below us. It’s fair to say we struggled with this concept at the start of the year, but through trial and error, we found our routine and turned our year around.

Lisa Koger

of great character as he defends Tom Robinson, a young black field hand who is accused of rape.

photography, as she developed her own sense of style with the help of Kendall Davis, art fundamentals/photography teacher.

Continued on page 36

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Valedictorian—Kaelyn Scoville Continued

Salutatorian—Meghann Kasal Continued

girl at football games; varsity lacrosse manager; as well as a member of the Cum Laude Society, TEAM Service, the Prism staff, choir (she earned the FWCD Leadership and Musicianship Award for choir at the Upper School Awards Assembly), varsity soccer team, and the counseling and wellness advisory team. “You’re not at a loss for things to do at Country Day,” she noted. “I especially loved Link Crew because it was a stress reliever for me. I looked forward to our Monday night meetings with the other 25 leaders. It gave me an opportunity to decompress and really set up the week for me in a positive way. Monday nights became my ‘free nights.’”

From an athletics perspective, Meghann is a leader. A four-year varsity soccer and softball player, she helped lead both of her teams to SPC Division I Championships. “Coach [Tarik] Guendouzi [varsity soccer head coach] made me a better player and leader on the field,” she said, “and coaches [DeAnn] Hall, [Shelley] Rains and [Sara] Teegarden helped me find my strengths and develop as a softball player.”

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Glen E. Ellman

Glen E. Ellman

Glamourcraft

Fallon Appleton and Madi Bass

The boys of FWCD display their mortar boards.

Dr. Suzanne Lewis Glamourcraft

A National Merit Commended Student, Kaelyn will attend the University of Texas at Austin where she earned a Merit Scholarship. She will enroll in the McCombs School of Business and plans to major in finance or Class of 2013 Valedictorian Kaelyn Scoville and Salutatorian accounting. Her decision came Meghann Kasal. after taking AP Statistics and an economics course; she found that her math skills would give her a leg-up in business. A stock market project further encouraged her business interest. “Mr. [Brian] In 2012, Meghann was honored with the faculty-selected Jimmy Farda had us serve as both stockbrokers and investors for a project.

D. Brown Award for high achievement in academics, athletics and Ethan Rohrbach ’13 and I paired up to invest in GILD stock, and commitment to serving others. This year, she was a finalist for the we ‘made’ thousands!” she said. “This real-world project helped Davey O’Brien High School Scholarship Award (see page 50). At encourage me to declare a business major, as did my uncle, who the Upper School Awards Assembly, she earned the Senior Spanish works for Dr. Pepper.” and Outstanding Student of the Sciences awards, and was honored with the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Award for epitomizing the Scoville said there are so many people to thank for her FWCD ideal “scholar athlete” and the Falcon Award, for best symbolizing academic experience. “First, I’m thankful to my parents, who had FWCD’s ideal of participation in School life. the foresight to send me here,” she said. “I also am thankful to the School for awarding me the Malone Scholarship during my Meghann will attend Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, where junior and senior years. I don’t know how I would have finished she is considering a major in biochemistry and Spanish. “I cannot at FWCD without it. And, of course, I need to thank all of my stress enough that the focus of learning isn’t about the grades you teachers for believing in me.” She especially credits David Hoppe, receive, but about understanding what is actually being taught and Upper School Math Department chair, and Dean Barker, Upper applying it,” she said. “You see the world in a different way when School history teacher, for their friendship and guidance. “I’m you are able to apply what you’ve learned out in the world. I’m excited to begin this new journey, and I know I am well prepared looking forward to doing even more of that.” thanks to FWCD.”

Taylor Ray, Carson Ray and Megan Ray

Aaron and Steve Hoover

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A National Merit Commended Student, Meghann found time to be involved in the life of her school. She was a member of Mu Alpha Theta (mathematics honor society), the Cum Laude Society, the National Art Honor Society, TEAM Service, the Celery Heads Improv Troupe, Venture Crew and the student ambassador program. She also traveled to Japan in Middle School with People to People, to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands as part of an interdisciplinary service/Spanish immersion/scientific expedition trip, and to France and Normandy. “The opportunity to travel and experience different cultures opened me up,” she said. “I love to see how others live, and I have a new appreciation for how big the world is and for the opportunities I’ve been given.”

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Kaelyn carries away fond memories of soccer games and spirited team ribbons that the girls wore in their hair, as well as working with the Lacrosse team on and off the field. “I experienced athletics from both angles,” she shared. “I loved being part of a team and actively playing, but I also liked being that support system behind the team as a manager. I was lucky to do both.” As a senior, she did not have an athletics requirement, but she chose both soccer and lacrosse again. “It makes me happy,” she said. “It’s what I wanted to do.”

Meghann’s list of mentors goes on. “Mrs. [Kathy] Williams (retired third-grade teacher) inspired me to be a better me; Mrs. [Alison] Robinson sparked a passion for Spanish language and culture; Dr. [Jim] Aldridge taught me such profound things in science,” she said. “I really do feel I could list every single FWCD teacher as a mentor who touched my life.”

Kirstin Mullins

Jessie Mickle and Robert Malloy

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Mayor Betsy Price declared March 6, 2013 as Fort Worth Country Day School Day in an official proclamation that she read and presented to Evan D. Peterson, head of school. Mayor Price spoke at the School’s annual Founders’ Day event, which also kicked off the School’s yearlong 50th anniversary celebration.

Photo credit: Sharon Ellman, Ellman Photography

Founders’ Day Celebration Kicks Off FWCD’s 50th Anniversary Celebration Fort Worth Country Day’s Founders’ Day celebration on Wednesday, March 6, was certainly one to remember. Not only did Head of School Evan D. Peterson recognize faculty and staff for their years of service (see “Service Awards”) and introduce the School’s five new endowed chair recipients (see page 46), he also welcomed Frasher Hudson Pergande ’81 and Cynthia Rimmer Prince ’87 to the stage to officially kick off Fort Worth Country Day’s 50th anniversary. (Pergande and Prince serve as 50th anniversary cochairs.) A major highlight of the program included special guest speaker, Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price.

“In 1963, a dream turned into a school that started with 210 students on 10 acres,” said Peterson. “Fifty years later, we have over 1,100 students on more than 105 acres with 14 buildings and over 3,000 graduates who have attended or are attending the best colleges and universities in the country.”

Peterson thanked Founding Trustees Priscilla Holland Johnston and Betty Claire DuPree McKnight for their courage and vision to dream of the Country Day that is today one of the finest schools in the country. (To learn more about how the School was formed, visit the FWCD 50th anniversary website at fwcd. org/50 and click on FWCD History.)

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Current Board of Trustees President L. Russell Laughlin engaged the audience in a little “did you know?” fun facts game: “Did you know that 50 years ago, they [girls] were wearing the same jumpers that you are wearing today?” he asked. “Did you know that 50 years ago, the students went to chapel every morning, which the Head of School Peter Schwartz led by the fireplace in the Lower School? Did you know that 50 years ago, all of the boys had to play football in order for them to field a full team?”

Mayor Price shared her thoughts on education and giving back to the community. “For a half-century, Fort Worth Country Day has provided a worldclass education for youth in our city. So many of the graduates of Country Day have blazed trails, too many to be named,” she shared. “But if you start looking at successful businesses, the community partners, those who are committed to the arts, who are volunteering, Country Day pops up over and over again. Graduates lead in medicine, engineering and science, law, and many other fields.

“There is nothing more important than a great education,” she added.

She encouraged students to pursue their passion and use their knowledge wisely: “The education that you’re gaining––you

may not realize where it will take you … I hope some of our future senators, Congress people and, indeed, the mayor of Fort Worth are in this audience,” she said.

“Because you’ve got to be committed to your community. Take what you’ve learned here and take what you do and bring it back and serve in your community.”

Mayor Price also declared March 6, 2013, as Fort Worth Country Day School Day with a formal proclamation that she read to the audience and presented to Peterson.

The “official” start to the anniversary was highlighted by the opening of the 25thanniversary time capsules––one for each division. Pergande, Prince and Peterson shared some contents with students, including Lower School items such as a handmade birthday banner from 1988 and birthday cards from June Van Buskirk’s first-grade class. The Middle School time capsule included a large, fashionable hair bow and a stuffed rat, courtesy of one of Sharon Foster’s students. The Upper School’s capsule included a floppy disk and a cassette tape recorded by Peterson 25 years ago when he served as head of Upper School. All three capsules contained a kite ––the 25th anniversary theme was “Flying High” and students flew kites all over campus for their celebration. A list of the time capsule items are on display via the FWCD 50th anniversary website. fwcd.org

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Founding Trustees Honored for Progressive Vision

The 50th anniversary flag and logo were also unveiled. “When you were driving to school this morning, did any of you notice the new banners on the street and light poles?” Pergande asked. “We have a new logo that was specially created for the 50th anniversary.”

Prince added: “We hope you enjoy all the events we have planned for you and that you are excited to be part of our yearlong celebration.”

For the latest information on the yearlong celebration, visit the 50th anniversary website at fwcd.org and click on FWCD Celebrates 50 Years. The site is full of interesting historical articles that are refreshed monthly, fun Falcon Facts and information about the latest anniversary events. Students, parents, faculty, staff and alumni can all share their own FWCD stories and photos by emailing memories@ fwcd.com. Memories and photos will be part of a 50th anniversary digital scrapbook.

Cynthia Rimmer Prince ’87 raises a stuffed rat that she pulled from the 25th anniversary time capsule as Frasher Hudson Pergande ’81 and Evan D. Peterson, head of School, look on. Students in Sharon Foster’s (H’05) classes remember this taxidermy project well.

Photo credit: Sharon Ellman, Ellman Photography

Service Awards The following members of Fort Worth Country Day’s faculty and staff were honored for their years of service at the School’s annual Founders’ Day celebration: 35 Years Sharon Hamilton Dr. Suzanne Lewis 30 Years Dr. James Aldridge

Christine Derber, new Thomas M. Ryan Chair for Distinguished Lower School Teaching and current Lower School music director, and Jack Noble White, first music teacher at FWCD and author of the School’s alma mater, posed following the Founders’ Day event that kicked off FWCD’s 50th anniversary celebration.

Photo credit: Sharon Ellman, Ellman Photography

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25 Years Karen Curella Barbara Meyers 20 Years—Club Viginti Initiate Debbie Eastwood Denver Edmunds Alison Robinson Edwena Thompson

15 Years Holly Clifford Esperanza Elizondo Melodee Halbach Aimee Jenkins Jerry Mahle Stacy Sanford 10 Years Carrie Cheng John Cordell Tiffini Crum Brian Farda Kevin Ford DeAnn Hall Aaron Hoover Terri Hutton Chuck Kraus

The Founders’ Day celebration continued into the evening on March 6. The Landreth Family— Bill ’67 and Gail Widmer Landreth ’69, Angie Landreth Butler ’96, W.A.’01 and Regan Landreth, and William Landreth ’03—served as chairs of the Trustees Reception, which was hosted on campus in the Lou and Nick Martin Campus Center. Current and former Trustees were invited back to campus to kick off the School’s 50th anniversary celebration. The event honored FWCD’s 15 Founding Trustees, as well as past members of the Board of Trustees, for their vision and commitment to education.

“Fort Worth Country Day has come a long way since its 25th anniversary,” noted Evan D. Peterson, head of School.

“Twenty-five years later, I can say Country Day continues to grow and lead the way in

Head of School Evan D. Peterson and Board of Trustees President L. Russell Laughlin honored Priscilla Holland Johnston, Patricia Honea Schutts, Betty Claire DuPree McKnight and Paul Leonard, four of the School’s 15 Founding Trustees.

independent education. Today, we are on the cutting edge of education for the 21st century. Today we lead, we don’t follow.

Today, Country Day is known as a national leader in independent education.

“We are a school that cares,” Peterson

10 Years continued Molly Risewick-Zeno Claire Robin Ginger Robinson Mike Vincent Al Wamsley Five Years Ann Blair Gaby Booth Alessandra Carrasco Kay Cody Maria Garcia Denis Heinrichs Judy Lee Mandy Lofquist Renee Pierce Sharon Sorensen

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continued. “We care about education; we care about success, but, first and foremost, we care about people.”

The evening was extra special because four of the School’s 15 Founding Trustees were present. Priscilla Holland Johnston, Patricia Honea Schutts, Betty Claire DuPree McKnight and Paul Leonard were present to mark the celebration.

McKnight drafted the letter to Peter A. Schwartz, headmaster of Pembroke Country Day in Kansas City, asking him to serve as head of FWCD. L. Russell Laughlin, current Board president, and Frasher Hudson Pergande ’81 and Cynthia Rimmer Prince ’87, 50th anniversary co-chairs, also addressed the nearly 150 current and former Trustees who attended the event.

Former chairs of the Fort Worth Country Day Board of Trustees celebrate the launch of the School’s yearlong 50th anniversary celebration. Pictured are Stephanie Burk ’77, Bill Landreth ’67, Kathleen Stevens, Mark Hart, John Stevenson, Randy Gideon, Bill Meadows, Tori Adams H’10, Scott Kleberg, L. Russell Laughlin and John Roach.

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To read more about the founding and creation of Fort Worth Country Day, read “FWCD School Archives Uncover a Treasure” on page 42 and visit fwcd.org/50 and click on FWCD History for Peter Schwartz’s full manuscript.

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about. … Ten years as head of a thriving school! Not a very long time. Yet, change was in the air. … I had been informed that many prospective parents were enthusiastic about a private day school in Fort Worth that was then the only city of comparable size in the United States that didn’t have such a school. … Would anyone dare to pioneer one in the Fort Worth area? More important, would I dare?”

Taking the helm in June 1962, while simultaneously transitioning out of his position at Pembroke, the document chronicles the challenges of Schwartz’s first year of building the school, while also detailing the process of how the Board decided upon a name.

With a name and headmaster in place, ground was broken on December 12, 1962, with the master plan being developed by Fort Worth’s premier architecture firm of the day, Preston M. Geren & Associates. Schwartz adds: “A large number of trustees and friends of the school gathered on the cold hillside, and with shovels hastily provided by Mr.

Leonard from his store’s stock, earth was ceremoniously turned.”

While building the school in one year posed a significant challenge, Schwartz details the mountainous task of hiring the administration, teachers and coaches needed for a school offering grades 1-9 on its very first day of class.

“We had decided that the faculty of the new school should represent Texans, nonTexans, and people who, regardless of where they had been reared and educated, were currently residents of Fort Worth. … In the course of the teacher search, I began to realize that teacher talent was in short supply,” Schwartz added.

glimpse into the incredible hard work and determination that the Founding Trustees and Schwartz shared in an effort to make Fort Worth Country Day a reality.

During FWCD’s 50th anniversary year, the School has set aside a special place on the FWCD website for this document in its entirety so that all members of the community have an opportunity to review this piece of Fort Worth Country Day history. To read “Fort Worth Country Day: The Beginning” go to fwcd.org/50 and select FWCD History.

The above excerpts eloquently illustrate the time and culture in which Fort Worth Country Day was founded, and the document shares Schwartz’s philosophy, which ushered in the core values that are associated with FWCD today. Moreover, it provides a

FWCD School Archives Uncover a Treasure

By Jason Meyer As Fort Worth Country Day celebrates its 50th anniversary, there has been quite a bit of reflection on the past by School administration, the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, parents and students. As any organization might do when looking back on its own particular journey, this anniversary gives FWCD an opportunity to review the School’s archives of historical documents and artifacts. One of the year’s more interesting activities to date was the reopening of the 25-year time capsules on Founders’ Day 2013—one per division— from 1988. For some of us, the time capsules were a trip down memory lane; for others, it was an introduction to an era of floppy discs and cassette tapes.

While the time capsules brought back memories and a few laughs, a review of the

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School’s archives revived a true treasure—a fascinating and inspiring document written

by FWCD’s first headmaster, Peter A. Schwartz. Written in 1975, the document details Schwartz’s first two years at the helm of FWCD, a school without a building, a teacher or a name, but a school that had a vision. And one that Schwartz and the Founders tirelessly worked to realize during 1962 and 1963.

Coming to Fort Worth in 1962 was a bold move for Schwartz. By this time, he was already the successful headmaster of Pembroke Country Day School in Kansas City, and he had only been to Fort Worth once—spending a night at a local Holiday Inn, while traveling to San Antonio. The circumstances surrounding his decision to join the FWCD Founders in creating Country Day couldn’t have been more unlikely.

In fact, he was hesitant as he read through an initial invitation to meet with the Board of a school that had yet to be built.

Taking advice from a friend and fellow headmaster in Houston, he decided to give the interview a chance. Like most adopted sons and daughters who move to Fort Worth, it’s the warmth of the people that often becomes the deciding factor—and who better to sell Schwartz on Fort Worth than Perry Bass, one of the School’s Founding Trustees.

Founding Trustees George Ann Carter Bahan Perry R. Bass Sam B. Cantey III Rufus Garrett, Jr. James S. Garvey Robert K. Hanger Elton M. Hyder, Jr. Priscilla Holland Johnston O.P. Leonard, Jr. William W. McKinney Betty Claire DuPree McKnight William W. Meeker Thomas M. Ryan Edmund W. Schenecker Patricia Schutts

After meeting with the Board, Schwartz became enamored with Fort Worth and the idea of building its first college-preparatory school. It took only two brief meetings for the Board to be convinced that Schwartz was the right man for the job.

Schwartz recalls the experience: “I went home to Kansas City with much to think fwcd.org

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Edgar “Ted” Sanford, FWCD’s Edgar “Ted” Sanford took Fort Worth Country Day’s helm in 1976, continuing in Founding Headmaster Peter A. Schwartz’s trailblazing footsteps and building a school committed to the “3 A’s”— academics, the arts and athletics. Schwartz served the School as headmaster for 13 years and is currently FWCD’s longest-serving headmaster.

In Sanford’s summary statement of his resume, he said: “I have been a headmaster, for sixteen years, of two schools. Both were initially, and for different reasons, in difficulties but became strong and healthy. In both schools, faculty stressed the positive, students were happy, and there were high rates of student retention and low faculty turnover. I have been most complimented for ability in attracting, margining into an effective team, and delegating to, diverse but talented and unselfish associates. “ … I am imaginative in finding ways of achieving greater economy and efficiency without sacrifice to quality of the operation [of a school] and have the ability to see to the heart of a problem quickly and to related isolated facts and decisions to the overall picture,” he continued. “My experience encompasses boys and girls, elementary and secondary, day and boarding, and I am enthusiastic about all of these.” Sanford served as headmaster of the Charles Wright Academy in Tacoma, Washington, for 10 years and headmaster of the Thatcher School in Ojai, California for six years prior to joining the FWCD community.

During Sanford’s tenure (1976-87), he built a fine arts program that today remains one of the best in the region. Sanford’s idea was to broaden options to students. While he was headmaster, he oversaw the construction of the fine arts building and advocated for the addition of orchestra and ballet to the curriculum. Students began playing violin in first grade, which was unheard of in the Fort Worth area.

Second Headmaster He was also committed to faculty—establishing competitive salaries and benefits to attract top teachers—and students— teaching fourth-grade math and lecturing in Middle School history classes to get to know students on a personal level.

His mantra: The people make the School. Sanford believed in using as much of the School’s budget for the classroom, which translated to the teachers. With competitive salaries, he was able to better recruit from a national perspective and make a name for Fort Worth Country Day. For Sanford, FWCD evoked family. As headmaster, he was dedicated to the teachers, students, parents, alumni and Trustees who made up the School. “Together, they produced an incredible sense of family,” he said, “and nothing draws you in like being part of a warm, wonderful family.”

From 1987-2002, the former William E. Scott Fine Arts Center, which included a 500-seat theater, arts classrooms and performing studios, was renamed the Sanford Arts Center in honor of the retiring headmaster and his wife, Diana. It served as a thank you for their commitment to the strengthening of the Fort Worth Country Day arts curriculum. Today, it is known as the Sanford Arts Wing, housing the performing arts programs in music and dance, as well as the Scott Theater.

Stay 50th Anniversary Connected!

Each month, the 50th anniversary website, fwcd. org/50, is “refreshed” with new nostalgic articles and sentimental photos. As the site goes live, an e-newsletter alerts community members to the latest news! If you are not receiving this newsletter, please email shannon.allen@fwcd.org to get added to the list.

You won’t want to miss out! Features have included: March: Peter A. Schwartz’ Memoirs April: Valedictorians May: Big Bend June: FWCD Insignia and Logos Fun Falcon Facts are also sprinkled in. Visit fwcd.org/50 today and see what’s going on.

Maybe you even have a memory or photo to share—send it to us at memories@fwcd.com.

Get the free mobile app at

http:/ / gettag.mobi

FWCD’s 50th Anniversary Commemorative Book There was no plot of land. No buildings. No faculty, headmaster nor even a name.

Fort Worth Country Day began as an idea.

And so begins Fort Worth Country Day’s commemorative book, which highlights the School’s first 50 years.

Be on the lookout for information regarding sales and distribution in the coming months! Details about the book will be available at fwcd.org/50 and through the 50th anniversary e-newsletter.

You won’t want to miss out on purchasing this keepsake piece.

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New FWCD Endowed Chairs Paige Farris Chisholm ’87 was honored as The Perry and Nancy Lee Bass Distinguished Teaching Chair in Athletics & Physical Education. A graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder, Paige earned a BS in Journalism and Broadcast News.

She began her news career working at NewsRadio 1080 KRLD in North Texas and KTVT, a local television station serving the Dallas-Fort Worth market area.

She came to the Fort Worth Country Day faculty team in 1993 originally to be the girls’ varsity soccer, JV field hockey and track coaches. She left after a few years to work at the Episcopal School of Dallas, and returned to her alma mater in 2004 where she is responsible for sports information and serves as field hockey program director and varsity coach, PE teacher and Middle School tennis coach.

Her FWCD accomplishments include two SPC Division I Championship titles (Fall 2005, 2009) and two SPC Division I Championship Runner-Up titles (Fall 2006, 2011) in field hockey. The team she led to a championship win in 2005 was the first in School history.

Paige also served on the All-American West Region Committee for High School Field Hockey and coaches in the Olympic Development Program (Futures) for field hockey. She is married to Ed Chisholm, FWCD associate athletic director and head athletic trainer. They have two daughters at FWCD: Farris ’19 and Kaylee ’22.

“FWCD has been a huge part of my life,” Paige said. “As a student, you don’t always realize what a tremendous opportunity it is to attend the School. I love that I was able to play multiple sports, be a yearbook editor, throw a pot, sing and try to play the oboe. I truly believe I am where I am today because of the opportunities I had at FWCD.”

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Michael Parker was honored

as The Perry and Nancy Lee Bass Distinguished Teaching Chair in Middle School. A graduate of Tarleton State University, Michael earned both a BA and MEd in Education.

Michael’s teaching career began in Weatherford ISD, where he worked as a sixth-grade math and science teacher for six years. He went on to serve as an assistant principal before joining the Fort Worth Country Day community 14 years ago. He began his tenure here as a Middle School English and history teacher and, this academic year, switched his teaching focus to Middle School math and science.

When Michael thinks of FWCD, it evokes early memories of his first day on campus and dropping off his children, Erin ’12, then Reagan ’16 and Sawyer ’22, for their first days of kindergarten. His wife, Lisa, joined the FWCD community a few years ago as athletic administrative assistant, so his entire family is now rooted in the blended FWCD family.

“Once we were all here, it was not uncommon for us to spend almost 25 percent of our year on campus as a family engaged in a variety of activities,” Michael said. “This created a blurring of the lines between my physical family and the extended ‘family’ of surrogate fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts, sisters and brothers here on campus. Fort Worth Country Day is more than a place to work. It is an integral part of who we are as individuals and as a family.”

Caroline Corpening Lamsens ’99 was honored as The

Perry and Nancy Lee Bass Distinguished Teaching Chair in Lower School. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Caroline earned a BS in Applied Learning and Development with a minor in

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Spanish. She received her MEd from Texas Christian University in December 2012.

Caroline began her teaching career in Fort Worth as a first-grade teacher before moving to Illinois to join a charter school.

There she was a first-grade teacher and later became a member of the leadership team as a master teacher.

When she and her husband, Frank, moved back to Fort Worth, Caroline knew she wanted to return to her alma mater and has served as a kindergarten teacher here since 2010. “FWCD is so much of who I am today,” Caroline said. “Country Day instilled a love of learning that continues to flourish. This school encourages students to give back, and I’ve carried that with me and continue to give back to the community around me.”

For Caroline, teaching young students is a new and exciting adventure every day.

“Their thirst for knowledge is inspiring and contagious,” she said. “My goal is to foster lifelong learners who feel compelled to make a difference wherever their passion takes them. Being a kindergarten teacher allows me to cultivate a love for learning, a love for self and a love for others.”

When she’s not in the classroom, Caroline enjoys spending time with her husband, Frank, and their two children, Charlotte and Teddy.

Brian Farda was honored as the James S. Garvey Chair in History. A graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington, Brian graduated with honors with a BA in History and an MA in European History.

He joined the Upper School History Department at Fort Worth Country Day 10 years ago and has taught American Government, Economics, World History and Modern Problems. Brian has served SPrinG/SUMMER 2013

Photo credits: Sharon Ellman, Ellman Photography

as chair of the History Department since 2010 and also took on the role of Honor Council adviser from 2008-10. As a longtime assistant coach in both football and track and field, Brian enjoys teaching on the field as much as he does in a classroom.

“In this inviting, welcoming and supportive environment, I have been allowed to grow as a person and a professional,” he said. “FWCD wants me to succeed and, through my successes, take the School to even greater heights. In many ways, this school made it possible for me to become the person I am today. Plus, I get to work with wonderful and talented people who are my very best friends, and not many people can say that.”

Brian has a genuine passion for teaching and working with young people. “I want to be the teacher who reminds students that even when the outside world tells you that average is good enough, excellence is still an option,” he said. “FWCD offers teachers the creative space to challenge students in new and innovative ways, and our students literally say ‘thank you’ for it as they leave the room on a daily basis. Here at Country Day, teachers and students work together to elevate each other’s performance.”

In his downtime, Brian enjoys reading, looking over historical maps and timelines, and working on family genealogy. During holidays and long breaks, he and his wife, Marisol, enjoy traveling to dusty, forgotten Texas towns or destinations abroad.

Christine Derber was honored as the Thomas M. Ryan Chair for Distinguished Lower School Teaching.

A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, Christine earned both a BFA in Music and an MFA in Music Education.

She began her teaching career 38 years ago as a classroom music teacher in

Pittsburgh. She came to Fort Worth in 1979 to serve as coordinator and organizer of the middle school instrumental program for the Catholic School System of the Diocese of Fort Worth and later served as music instructor at Tarrant County Junior College (now TCC) Northeast Campus. She joined the FWCD teaching community in 1987 as a classroom music teacher and became director of the music program five years later.

Christine’s FWCD accomplishments include starting several traditions at the school; most notable is Plight of the Turkey.

“One of my proudest moments was spearheading the writing of the school song with PFA President Jeanie Luskey during the 1993-94 school year,” Christine said.

“We used the talents of Jack Noble White, who was the first music teacher at FWCD. Mr. White wrote the melody, and Mrs. Luskey and I led student surveys where our students submitted phrases they would like to see in the song. The phrase, ‘As we make friendships deep, may we your honor keep,’ was my personal submission.”

That phrase sums up Christine’s sentiments about teaching at FWCD for the past 26 years. “I have been privileged to teach many students music and to produce many musical programs showcasing our students,” she added.

“But what is truly memorable to me is the community we are. This community is something even bigger than the classroom.

It’s a feeling like we are all in this together: students, faculty, staff and parents. We are all in pursuit of quality, not only in education, but also in the skills to tackle and enjoy all that life has to offer.”

Christine is the proud mother of two FWCD graduates: twins Joel and Jonathan Nesvadba, Class of 2000. Her daughter, Jamie, attended FWCD from kindergarten through seventh grade.

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PERFORMING ARTS

PERFORMING

Arts

Students Offer Legal Advice through Legally Blonde The Musical

Yuri Favorin, a 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition competitor, played a mini recital for Christine Derber’s summer Music History class in the Lower School Atrium on Wednesday, June 5. Favorin’s riveting performance included works by Schubert, Liszt and Boucourechliev. At the Q&A following the performance, the students learned that Favorin began playing piano at age 5 and was encouraged by his grandmother to practice. His daily routine includes three to four hours of practice, but if he is playing for his own enjoyment, he might play six hours. This is Favorin’s first trip to the U.S., and he has discovered a fondness for tacos. He will soon begin a European concert tour.

For her performance as Paulette Bonafonte, Wood earned a 2012-13 Betty Lynn Buckley nomination in the Best Female Supporting Actor category. Named after Fort Worth’s own Tony Award-winning Best Actress, Fort Worth ISD and Casa Mañana alumna Betty Lynn Buckley, this program promotes and celebrates excellence in high school musical theater.

The awards are open to high school students in Denton, Wise, Parker, Hood, Johnson and Tarrant counties. A panel of distinguished judges, comprising local theater professionals and educators, vote for a winner in each of 14 categories with winners announced at a Tony Awards-style ceremony at Casa Mañana Theatre.

Ballet Performs Coppelia Coppelia tells the story of Dr. Coppelius (Ben Phillips ’13), who creates a life-size dancing doll. So enamored with this creature is Franz (Patrick Lanning of the Texas Ballet Theater) that he sets aside his true heart’s desire, Swanhilda (Haley Pigman ’13). Swanhilda ultimately shows him his folly by dressing as the doll, pretending to make it come to life and ultimately saving him from an untimely end at the hands of the inventor.

Glen E. Ellman

Congratulations to FWCD Ballet seniors Annie Dzurilla, Kaitlyn Frantz, Mattie Karsten, Ben Phillips and Haley Pigman.

Ben Phillips ’13 as Dr. Coppelius, a toymaker, and Haley Pigman’13 as Swanhilda dance in FWCD’s performance of Coppelia.

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For Hannah Fowler ’14 (Delta Nu Sister), Ally Barber ’14 (Delta Nu Sister), Emily Jackson ’14 (Ensemble) and Mary Claire Ekstrom ’14 (Erin) rehearsing for and performing in Fort Worth Country Day musicals is something they look forward to each year. “Musicals help us to make new bonds and give us something to look forward to after a long day,” the group said. “Legally Blonde had a large cast so there were always conversations going on, SPrinG/SUMMER 2013

allowing cast members to get to know each other. The hilarious and fast-moving script lent itself to laugh-out-loud moments and was a blast to put together. This comedy also featured singing and dancing, adding a new take on the hit movie.”

Michael Wittman ’14, who played Callahan, said, “The most thrilling aspect of the musical is the sense of unity the cast develops over time. Not only did we act together and help to develop our characters, we helped each other with homework, talked about life, said hi to one another in the hall, practiced lines and scenes, and became a family. Once you’ve joined the theatre family, you become a part of something you will never forget.”

Sold-out performances took place in the FWCD Scott Theater, February 21-, February 23 at 7 p.m. with a February 24 matinee. Melodee Halbach served as director, with Natalie Bracken ’05 as choreographer, Cathy Gullo as technical director, Aimee Hurst Bozarth as pianist/ conductor; and Tricia Franks as costume designer.

Glen E. Ellman

Van Cliburn Competitor Dazzles

Elle, played by Kirstin Mullins ’13, appears to have it all. Her life is turned upside-down, however, when her boyfriend, Warner Huntington III, played

by Morgan Pergande ’13, dumps her so he can start getting serious about his life and attend Harvard Law. Determined to get him back, Elle uses her charm to get into Harvard Law. At school, she struggles with peers, professors and Warner. With the help of Paulette (Whitney Wood ’13) and Emmett (Ben Phillips ’13), Elle quickly realizes her potential and sets out to prove herself to the world.

Glen E. Ellman

Lisa Koger

It’s the cast and crew that truly make a musical special, and Fort Worth Country Day’s spring musical, Legally Blonde, debuted and closed to rave reviews. Based on the 2001 movie of the same name starring Reese Witherspoon, the musical version highlights Elle Woods as she dispenses legal advice and more through song and dance.

For her performance as Paulette Bonafonte, Whitney Wood ’13 earned a 2012-13 Betty Lynn Buckley nomination in the Best Female Supporting Actor category.

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Athletic News

ATHLETIC

News

FWCD Ranked SPC Top School in Tarrant County

Since 1986, the Davey O’Brien Foundation has provided more than $550,000 in scholarships to high school seniors. Recipients are chosen on the basis of scholastic achievements, community service, character, leadership and varsity sports participation.

Founded in 1977 to honor and remember the strong character and leadership of football great Davey O’Brien, the foundation is widely known for its Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award.

The foundation recognizes champions on and off the field through awards programs encouraging academic and career success.

The Davey O’Brien Foundation has given away more than $850,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field to leadership in life.

To read more about Meghann, who was named the Class of 2013 salutatorian, see page 35.

Kristin Vaughn

Meghann Kasal ’13 earned a $2,500 scholarship as a finalist for the 2012 Davey O’Brien High School Scholarship Award. The scholarship is presented by The Davey O’Brien Foundation and partially underwritten by Higginbotham and the Sid W. Richardson Foundation. As one of five finalists, Kasal was also in the running for a $30,000 scholarship.

Meghann Kasal ’13

Lisa Koger

The Southwest Preparatory Conference comprises 19 like-minded independent and private schools throughout Texas and Oklahoma. There are 16 coeducational schools and three singlegender schools. Fort Worth Country Day competes within the co-ed category.

Each year, the SPC ranks schools based on their season finish for every sport.

FWCD is consistently at the top of the list every year. This year was no exception, as the School was the topranked school in Tarrant County.

Field Hockey Players Honored Six Fort Worth Country Day scholar-athletes were recognized by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) for their outstanding work on the field and in the classroom. Seniors Grace Cowan, Maddie Relyea, Lilly Cowan, Haddy Self, Elizabeth Pruitt and Megan Ray and were named to the 2012 Gladiator by SGI/NFHCA High School National Academic Squad. They each earned this award based on their participation as a varsity player and their overall, unweighted GPAs.

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1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

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7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

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15.

16.

St. John’s School The Kinkaid School Episcopal High School Greenhill School Episcopal School of Dallas Fort Worth Country Day Houston Christian High School The John Cooper School Holland Hall St. Andrew’s Episcopal School All Saints’ Episcopal School Trinity Valley School St. Stephen’s Episcopal School Casady School St. Mary’s Hall The Oakridge School fwcd.org

makes FWCD students special,” Gendusa noted. “They strive to be the best in whatever activity they take part in, whether it is in their academic coursework, on a team or as part of the theater cast.”

something new. FWCD athletes do not specialize. The coaches want students to experience a variety of sports. “We ultimately need participation in multiple sports to be successful as a team,” he said.

Gendusa said his staff makes all the difference in the School’s athletics program. “Our coaches work hard; they are committed to the students and their successes,” he said. “We want all of our student-athletes to succeed and reach their goals. We feel like their goals are our goals.”

To determine the rankings, sports earn points based on how they finish a season.

The school with the lowest total number of points is the winning school. “What is important to note about the schools that place ahead of Fort Worth Country Day is their size,” Gendusa said. “Those schools are larger than us. For FWCD to rank sixth and not have an SPC championship title this year speaks to the strength of our program.”

To foster success, the athletics team works in tandem with division heads and performing and visual arts directors. As a result, FWCD students compete on three teams, as well as have the opportunity to take part—and excel—in band, choir, school plays and musicals, within extracurricular leadership activities, and more.

Gendusa does admit there are challenges.

One of which is football—especially in Texas, where “Friday Night Lights” can stop a town for the evening. “We work our athletes hard and create a love of the game,” he said. “We emphatically do not recruit. We love our loyal families, and we don’t bring in outside influences for the purpose of a winning season.”

FWCD’s well-balanced program and competitive athletics require scholarathletes to compete at a high level—in the classroom and on the field. “That’s what

The key: sharing—which is something the School does exceptionally well. “Because of our smaller student pool, we share the wealth,” Gendusa added.

Another key to the program includes its commitment to allowing athletes to try

With the School’s recent Middle School Expansion, there are now many more entry points for students, giving athletes the opportunity to begin to understand the athletics experience and what is expected as seventh- and eighth-graders.

“But at the end of the day, our program is about the personal successes of our student-athletes,” Gendusa said. “Yes, everyone likes to win, but there are more ways to assess a win, and I feel like our standing within the competitive SPC shows what a winner FWCD is.”

Tiffini Crum

Meghann Kasal Named a Davey O’Brien High School Scholarship Award Finalist

The cornerstone of the Fort Worth Country Day experience is the breadth and depth of opportunity. The School is built upon the three A’s: academics, athletics and the arts. FWCD values its ability to give students the opportunity to succeed in all aspects of school life. This year, FWCD athletics ranked No. 6 in the Southwest Preparatory Conference out of 16 schools—and No. 1 in Tarrant County.

Athletic Director Frank Gendusa says that year in and year out, the FWCD Falcons fare well in this ranking.

SPC All Conference: Reagan Smith ’14, Adele Elkind ’16, Christina Paulus ’15, Isabella Chieffalo ’14, Alex Chieffalo ’16, Crosby Lipscomb ’14, Shane Markwardt ’14, Turner MacLean ’15, Campbell Bishop ’13, Morgan Pergande ’13, Clinton Harlin ’14 and Brandon Evans ’16

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Athletic News

train year-round. That is when the 110-foot runway named the “Warpath” was born. They built a pit with the runway and several training apparatuses in the backyard. The boys would film each other and then critique their performances. It became an obsession for the brothers—and a bonding experience for them as well as a family passion.

Clifton ’11, Clayton ’06 and Clinton Harlin ’14

The Flying Harlins

Clayton spent much of his youth jumping and flipping off the diving board. So when the opportunity came along to try pole vaulting, he thought it looked like fun and wanted to give it a try.

When Clayton started getting serious about the track and field event, his mom, Gynna, signed him up for a camp with legendary pole vault coach Don Hood. Parents were encouraged to stay and learn with their children. Once she heard what the coach was saying, she realized this might be something her husband would love to be involved in, too. All the details and technical aspects of the sport were right up his alley.

By Paige Farris Chisholm ’87

Clayton enjoyed vaulting, and his dad was learning and helping right along with him. With help from Fort Worth Country Day coach Dan Jones and former coach Ken Allen, Clayton broke the FWCD record his senior year with a jump of 13-1. After graduation, he attended Texas A&M University and earned a degree in Petroleum Engineering. He now works for Anadarko Petroleum in The Woodlands.

Photos by Gynna Harlin

What do three brothers do when they are all home at the same time? Well, if they are the Harlins, Clayton ’06, Clifton ’11 and Clinton ’14, they grab their music and video camera and hit the “Warpath” in their backyard.

The “Warpath” is a pole vault pit their father, Billy Bob, built for them years ago when the family’s love affair with pole vaulting began.

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While Clayton was breaking records, the pole vault bug was hitting Clifton and Clinton. The coolest thing about these three brothers is that there is a mutual admiration among them; following in each other’s footsteps was just natural. Their common passion is just one that happens to propel them through the air.

Billy Bob soon realized that to truly improve, the boys needed to

fwcd.org

SPrinG/SUMMER 2013

By the time Clifton graduated, he had broken Clayton’s record by clearing 15-4. Clifton was crowned SPC Champion his junior and senior years and set the SPC record. He also fulfilled another dream when he signed with Texas A&M University, a track and field powerhouse. Clifton just completed his sophomore year and is still competing and majoring in engineering.

While all this was going on, Clinton was taking it all in, learning from his brothers’ successes and failures. Clinton continued training with his dad on the “Warpath” and this past season, he enjoyed the opportunity to work with Mark Brady, FWCD track program director, and pole vaulting coach Tracy Carrington ’95.

After watching two Harlins propel through the air with much success, it was no surprise when Clinton was crowned SPC Champion this year as a junior by clearing 14 feet. It will be interesting to see how the final chapter of the Flying Harlins at FWCD ends after the 2014 track season.

Clayton and Clifton are excited for their little brother. They are optimistic that great things are still to come and would not be surprised if a record falls again and another SPC crown comes home.

Of course, with all this support and brotherly love comes a fair amount of smack talking and prodding. But at the end of the day, perfection is three brothers practicing vaulting, dad coaching, mom cheering and the dogs running around the pit in circles—truly a family affair.

“You often hear track coaches say pole vaulters have to be a little bit crazy,” Gynna said, “and I guarantee you there is no shortage of crazy in the Harlin house!”

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New Breakthrough alumna Jacqueline Molina, who will attend Oklahoma Baptist University in the fall, reflected on the evening, “The Senior Banquet was a wonderful experience for both the students and parents. It was great to come together as a Breakthrough family and nice that the parents could feel like part of the process. Seeing how much we’ve grown and accomplished made it really special.”

Fellow alumni, Manny Rangel and Gladys Guevara, agreed. “It was great to be recognized for my accomplishments and hard work,” stated Manny, who starts Southern Methodist University in the fall as a Presidential Scholar. Gladys added, “Realizing all the hard work Breakthrough and I have invested made me more grateful for what I have in my life and want to strive for my college graduation even more!” While still weighing her options, she has been accepted to the University of Dallas and Texas Wesleyan University.

Breakthrough Fort Worth

Breakthrough CREW students on the annual college campus tour.

By Renee Pierce

This year, as Fort Worth Country Day celebrates its own half-century of progress, the School’s onsite Breakthrough program has remarkable growth to rejoice in as well.

Originating in California as Summerbridge, the program expanded to a nationwide system of independent sites. The program’s founder, longtime educator Lois Loofbourrow, initiated the summer series to academically prepare highpotential, inner-city middle school students to succeed in demanding college-preparatory high schools and thereby increase their chances for college achievement.

The FWCD site started in 1993 with approximately 40 underserved seventh- and eighth-graders fulfilling a six-

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Constantly envisioning new services for the students, she developed Fort Worth’s first ninth-grade component, Breaking Through to High School. Other pilot programs Hamilton helped implement

Executive Director Joe Breedlove imparted his thoughts, “The Senior Banquet was a fantastic way to commemorate the students’ many Breakthrough accomplishments, and the presentation was poignant in capturing and helping everyone realize their growth through the years. It is amazing to watch them progress and impossible not to be inspired by these young achievers. Seeing their excitement as they realize college goals builds our enthusiasm and often motivates us to examine our own life goals. In fact, my three fellow Breakthrough team members have decided to ‘grow on’ alongside our Breakthrough seniors this year.”

A Culture of Growing: Growth. The older we get, the more meaning and application this simple word has. We start out measuring it in age, and, over time, our assessments rapidly expand to knowledge, experience, skill, communities, services, revenue, end-users and more.

Anna Hamilton, the longest tenured of the three, related that Breakthrough has been part of her life since she was 15 years old.

She started as a teaching assistant; advanced into student teaching; and, in 2007, became part of the program’s staff team.

week academic summer session. The program’s early growth included increasing capacity to double student classes, adding services to incorporate leadership learning activities for the students and integrating a preparatory summer for ninth graders to prime them for high school.

Today, the year-round enrichment program now known as Breakthrough Fort Worth serves 270 underrepresented students in grades 7-12, providing them supplemental academic classes, leadership training activities and workshops that focus older students on building “college knowledge” for the admission process. Motivated by FWCD’s commitment to college counseling services, the Breakthrough team recently added college advisory services to its high school offerings, and great results are already evident.

Friday, May 10, marked the first annual Breakthrough Senior Banquet, an event created to celebrate the students’ accomplishment of fulfilling their six-year commitment to the program. Parents were invited; their past student teachers sent video congratulations; and the students were highlighted for memorable moments in the program, high school achievements, and most importantly, for their college choices.

fwcd.org

The Class of 2013 was the first ninth-grade CREW class.

SPrinG/SUMMER 2013

Anna Hamilton looks on as Jacqueline Molina relates her experiences during Breakthrough’s inaugural Senior Banquet.

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Carrasco accepted her Breakthrough position in 2008. “My favorite part about the job is being able to work closely with students and families who are truly invested in education,” she said. “Their passion and commitment inspire me to be a better individual each and every day. So much so, that I decided in 2010 to begin working on my master’s degree.”

While she’s seeking her next growth opportunity, Carrasco’s objective is clear. “My hope for the future is to take all I have

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News

For Eric Mosley, middle school coordinator and summer dean of faculty, the Senior Banquet was bittersweet. His Breakthrough story began six years ago—alongside the graduating seniors as one of their student teachers. They were learning to be stronger students; he was learning about the joys and challenges of teaching.

Breakthrough also gave Mosley the opportunity to hone his skills through a coveted summer spot in 2010, where he taught drama with the Hong Kong site—the only affiliate outside the U.S.

Growing from here, she will With those experiences teach eighth-grade English solidifying his passion and social studies at Uplift for Breakthrough Mighty Preparatory in and educational southeast Fort Worth, one equity, Mosley sought of the newer sites in the opportunities at FWCD rigorous Uplift Education and became a staff charter school network. member in 2011. “I’ve Perhaps her most substantial been inspired by the contribution to her new role students and families who is the attitude she has about commit to this program her time with Breakthrough. in ways that I cannot “I would say the most lasting describe,” he said. “It impact that Breakthrough motivated me to accept and the FWCD community the position as a middle have made on me is the school English language power of relationships. arts teacher with a Mentors; lifelong charter school network in friendships; colleagues; and Brooklyn, New York.” the Breakthrough students, Breakthrough National’s founding director and program originator, Lois teachers and families— Remarkably, all three Loofbourrow (lower left), visits the Breakthrough Fort Worth site last year. Pictured there’s nothing more team members credit the with her are the Breakthrough team members, Anna Hamilton, Eric Mosley, Joe rewarding than to connect students’ achievements Breedlove and Alessandra Carrasco along with Breakthrough and FWCD student, Sarai Dominguez ’15. with so many people on a for fueling their choices meaningful level like the to grow beyond their common ground that Breakthrough provides,” Hamilton said.

Breakthrough experiences. Breedlove understands.

Alessandra Carrasco, Breakthrough’s student services coordinator and dean of students, said: “Breakthrough is a place where hard work and dedication thrive, and growth is part of the daily routine.” Her time with Breakthrough taught her to embrace positive risks and effectively program meaningful experiences.

Those skills will serve her well in the next phase of her journey as she returns to her childhood community of West Texas.

ALUMNI

learned here and work to improve college access and retention initiatives in West Texas, particularly among underrepresented groups,” she noted.

“The Breakthrough program requires advancement for its students, and its culture is one of constant encouragement for their continuing progress. It’s challenging to talk about growth and new adventures with the kids and not echo that same expectancy for your own life,” Breedlove said. “While we will miss this team of three terribly, I am pleased for their choices to blossom and deeply admire that they planned their departures to benefit the program and its students. It’s a wonderful example for our students and a testament to the dedication of our joint community.”

The trio’s collective remarks about journeying from here are well summarized by these parting words from Mosley: “I’m taking many things from my time here at Breakthrough and Fort Worth Country Day, but I’m most happy to leave here with the commitment to education that has so inspired me each and every day. This will be a huge change, but like our students, I know that my time here has prepared me for that growth.” fwcd.org

Lisa Koger

include Grade 9 Academics, CREW (College Readiness in Every Way) for ninth- and 10th-grade students and Keys to College for juniors and seniors. A longtime liaison to Breakthrough Collaborative’s national office, she earned the opportunity to participate in the national pilot of the Improving Teacher Training Initiative (ITTI) and has been a member of the Leadership Team since 2011—a role that involved her in leading ITTI trainings at national conferences and work sessions for Breakthrough directors. These successes embody Hamilton’s philosophy for the program: “We only have a short window [of time] to make a difference,” she said. “It would be a travesty not to put our complete effort into that endeavor.”

Young Alumni Chat It Up with FWCD Seniors The transition from high school to college was foremost on FWCD seniors’ minds in January as they started their final semester as Falcons. To offer some guidance related to transition, academic preparation and college social life, College Counseling invited back eight FWCD alumni who are currently immersed in college life. Returning to their old stomping ground to speak with the 99-member Class of 2013 were (pictured above): Hannah Pohler ’10, Texas Christian University Marylynn Smitherman ’12, Louisiana State University Jalyn Gordon ’12, University of Houston Kate Wall ’12, University of Texas at Austin Kevin Murphy ’12, University of Oklahoma Phillip Diffley ’12, Harvey Mudd College Stephen Hwang ’12, Tufts University Maddie Hill ’12, New York University

The goal in hosting this panel discussion was to allow FWCD students to hear directly from college students so they feel more confident about their own high school-tocollege transition, alleviating some of the fears about making new friends and finding a comfortable niche at their future college campus, noted Kristin Vaughn, director of College Counseling.

The panelists addressed academic rigor, college socialization, homesickness, forging relationships with fellow students and professors, motivation, getting to know your college town, time management and study techniques.

SPrinG/SUMMER 2013

FWCD Wall of Honor— Nominations Being Accepted Head of School Evan D. Peterson announced a new award, the Wall of Honor, at the Fort Worth Country Day’s Founders’ Day celebration on Wednesday, March 6. The School is now accepting nominations through December 1, 2013, and the first recipients will be announced at the Founders’ Day 2014 celebration.

Nomination Criteria: • The individual should be a School community member who has had a lasting impact on the mission and vision of FWCD. Current members of the staff, faculty or Board of Trustees, whether part-time or full-time, are not eligible to receive the award.

• Any member of the School community may nominate someone to be considered for this honor. Nomination letters must be received in the Advancement Office by December 1.

• Final selection is the responsibility of a committee appointed by the head of School.

• Letters of nomination should include years of service to the School, positions held and specific highlights of that service.

Please send nominations in the form of a letter to Sandra Tuomey, director of advancement, at sandra.tuomey@fwcd.org.

Calling All Alumni Artists!

Become part of the Alumni Art Show sponsored by the 50th Anniversary Committee and the Visual Arts Department. The on-campus exhibit and reception coincides with Homecoming festivities on Thursday, October 24.

Alumni artists are invited to send one piece to represent their artistic process.

Works may include framed photographs, drawings, prints, collages, painted canvases, ceramics and sculpture/fine art jewelry of reasonable size. For more information, call the Advancement office at 817.302.3201.

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CLASS NOTES

Notes

To submit information for Class Notes and Alumni News, contact Mary Lou Hilliard, alumni relations coordinator, at marylou.hilliard@fwcd.org or 817.302.3292.

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1960s Dr. Bill Curtis ’67 was recently cited by the Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, NBC News and Dallas Business Journal as a software industry expert on the type of software problems that affected the American Airlines reservation system in midApril.

1970s Karen McKenzie ’79 is bracing for an empty nest as her youngest, Kaydee McKenzie Reese, graduates in May from St. Stephen’s Episcopal School and attends Texas A&M Honors College. Her oldest, Kelly Michelle McKenzie Reese, is thriving in her first-year experience at the University of Alabama Honors College as a Delta Gamma.

1980s

Lisa Miller Mills ’84 received the Award for Excellence at the Colored Pencil Society of America’s (CPSA) 20th annual international exhibition last year in Covington, KY, for her piece, Reflections on Heavy Metal. The piece went on to win Best in Category— Professional Artist at the local DFW chapter of CPSA. Lisa’s artwork titled Morning Preyer has also been juried into this year’s CPSA 21st annual international exhibition. It goes on to the second round of judging and is on exhibit from July 31 to September 13 at the Brea Gallery in Brea, CA. Lisa’s work can be found at www. colormehere.wordpress.com and on her studio’s Facebook page at facebook.com/ ColorMeHere?ref=tn_tnmn.

Class of ’82 Reunion The FWCD Class of 1982 celebrated its 30th reunion last fall at the family farm home of Renee Rimmer Mesecher ’82.

Rush Olson ’86 started his own creative services firm, Rush Olson Creative and Sports, specializing in sports advertising projects. These services will be similar to the work Rush has done for the Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars, but also includes video and copywriting.

Marie Olson ’84 just finished her third-year pediatric resident training at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson. In February, she traveled to Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala, to volunteer her medical skills and to work on her Spanish for a month at Hospitalito Atitlán. This small hospital serves 75,000 Mayans living on the southern shore of Lake Atitlán and is the only facility offering 24/7 emergency and surgical care, with an emphasis on women and children. Before joining the UA Department of Pediatrics residency program in 2010, Marie was an emergency room physician for 13 years at Tucson Medical Center.

Baron Lobstein ‘89 and his wife, Irene, begin a two-year program of study in Mandarin Chinese at the Foreign Service Institute in preparation for their assignment to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. Lobstein currently serves on the White House national security staff as director for Russia, where he coordinates U.S. policy toward Russia in the areas of economic engagement, human rights and democracy, and consular affairs. He is a career Foreign Service officer on a one-year detail assignment from the State Department, where he most recently served as the senior economic officer in the Office of Russian Affairs. In that role, he led the Russia

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Leslie Ritchie Robnett ’00 was featured  on the cover  of the Texas Super Lawyers   magazine publication as a 2013 Texas Rising Star.

Leslie has a regulatory and appellate law practice at Gardere, Wynne Sewell, LLP, in Austin, TX.



desk’s economic unit in coordinating the department’s economic and commercial engagement with Russia. Lobstein earned an MBA and an MA in Arts Administration from the University of Cincinnati and a bachelor’s degree in Russian and Soviet Studies from Harvard University. He speaks Russian, German and Uzbek.

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 

   

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    

1990s

Jennifer Gaines Drez ’90 and Lisa Carrington Voight ’92 have released their second book, Goodnight San Antonio. The book takes readers on a colorful trip through San Antonio’s museums, sports teams, historical landmarks and favorite spots. This book follows Goodnight Cowtown.

Leigh Taylor ’95 and Michael Bornitz were married on May 5, 2012, in Santa Fe, NM. Falcons in the wedding party included Blair Taylor Walker ’99, Nicole Cavazos Dresher ’95, Leigh Eisenman Nemetz ’95 and Jenny Pace ’93. Leigh is a selfemployed interior designer, and Michael works in private equity at Luther King Capital Management.

After many years living in the Middle East and Europe, Jessica Brown ’96 recently moved to New York City and looks forward to reconnecting with classmates. She is currently completing a master’s degree at Cambridge University. fwcd.org

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Holly Price Green ’98 and Woody Green welcomed their daughter, Jane Cypress, on August 17, 2012.

Cully Wiseman ’97 married Maureen Dickens on April 13 in Austin, TX. Falcons in the wedding included Todd Wiseman ’02, Andrew Billingsley ’97, Alan Boswell ’97, John Kirkley ’97 and Chris Young ’97.

Cully is completing his final year of a general surgery residency in Seattle, WA, and begins a fellowship in minimally invasive surgery in July in San Diego, CA. Melissa LeBus O’Neill ’97 is thrilled that her daughter, Madeline, is starting Kindergarten at FWCD in the fall.

Nikki Reynolds Farris ’97 married Michael A. Farris, Jr. of Fort Worth on April 6. Michael and Nikki have a blended family of four children. Nikki’s two children are Hudson and Hadley Reasor. Michael’s two children are Victoria and Olivia Farris.

Nikki is a stay-at-home mom and owner of Simplify Your Space, a professional organizing company (simplifyyourspacetx. com), and Michael is a mortgage originator with World Capital Mortgage. They live in Fort Worth.

SPrinG/SUMMER 2013

Malcolm Louden ’99 and Lia Pritchett Louden welcomed George Malcolm Louden III on April 5.

Kristen Sutherland Peelle ’99 and her husband, Jeff Peelle, welcomed their third child, Heidi, on October 21, 2012.

Heidi joins big brothers Michael and Bradley. The Peelles live in San Diego, CA, where Kristen works as owner and principal photographer for Kristen Peelle Photography and is copy editor of San Diego Magazine’s Exquisite Weddings. Jeff works as a senior accountant for the City of San Diego. Kristen regularly returns to Fort Worth for photo shoots and corporate photography assignments.

2000s Sylvia Broude ’00 was recently named executive director of Toxics Action Center, a New England-wide public health and environmental nonprofit organization. She moved to Boston, MA, eight years ago to take a job as a community organizer with the organization and worked her way up to her current position.

Kristen Sutherland Peelle ’99

CLASS

Elizabeth Hoffman ’00 and Matthew Lucas, of Mequon, WI, were married April 20 at the Rosewood Crescent Hotel in Dallas, TX. They lived in Chicago, IL, for eight years and now reside in Dallas.

Falcons in the wedding included Emily Hoffman ’97.

Justin Burk ’02 married Christine Bass on April 28, 2012, in Nashville, TN, at West End United Methodist Church. A reception immediately followed at Belle Meade Country Club. Falcons in the wedding included Jonathan Burk ’04 and Thomas Burk ’08. The happy couple honeymooned in the Turks and Caicos islands and now live in Nashville. Justin works for Hospital Corporation of America and is in physician mergers and acquisitions.

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CLASS NOTES

CLASS NOTES Jay Stouffer ’09 played in the final lacrosse game of his college career at the University of Oklahoma. The lacrosse program at FWCD gave Jay the opportunity to play lacrosse in college, and he was one of four captains two years in a row.

Geof LeBus ’02 is engaged to Meg Logan; they plan to marry on October 12 in Nashville, TN. Meg graduated from Ole Miss and is a burn ICU nurse. Geof is an orthopedic surgeon at Vanderbilt Medical Center.

Haley Sutherland ’03 will attend the University of North Texas Health Science Center’s School of Medicine this fall.

Haley has worked as a senior paramedic at MedStar, Fort Worth, for more than five years.

Jonathan Burk ’04 is the director of Boy’s Trails’ End at Cheley Colorado Camps in Estes Park, CO, this summer and fall.

At the end of the regular summer camp sessions, Cheley hosts a camp for pediatric burn victims in conjunction with Denver Children’s Hospital: Children’s Hospital Burn Camps Program. Burn Camp gives these children the opportunity to take pack trips on horseback, hike and climb with the help of an army of medical staff. During his time off between camps, Jonathan is busy fundraising for the pediatric burn victims’ camp through Peaks for Peace.

He and several friends are currently hiking through Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, Canada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. Peaks for Peace has generated almost $15,000 climbing over 65 peaks and hiking most of the Appalachian Trail. This year’s goal is to raise $20,000. To read more about Peaks for Peace, visit peaksforpeace.com/ peakreports/.

Kate Delaney ’05 is a copywriter at J. Walter Thompson in New York City.

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Brian Alexis ’08 was honored at the annual TCU Football Banquet acknowledging graduating seniors. Each player received a framed jersey.

Alyssa Cotterman ’06 married Ben Bahorich on August 19, 2012. Falcons at the wedding include (as pictured) Chandler Farquharson ’06, Alexandra Espinoza ’07, Elizabeth Bewley ’06, Kelsey George ’06, Kristen Carter ’06, Taylor Dickson ’06, Mary Madison Eagle ’06 and Morgan Johnson ’06.

Madeleine Samuelson ’05 graduated from The University of Texas Medical School in Houston on May 31, receiving her MD/MPH. She begins her residency in otolaryngology—head and neck surgery— at Louisiana State University-Shreveport following graduation.

Hannah Clair Meadows ’06 married Jarratt Watkins on March 16 in Fort Worth.

The ceremony took place at Broadway Baptist Church with a reception at the Modern Art Museum. Falcons in the wedding include Mary Madison Eagle ’06, Sarah Kleberg Friedman ’06, Lauren Partovi ’06, Rachel Holt ’06, Molly Thompson ’07 and Caroline Wagner ’07.

Hannah graduated from the University of Texas School of Law with a JD on May 18.

Sarah Hunter ’06 and Luke Walton will marry in Fort Worth on September 21. Sarah is an associate in the consulting studio of the New York City office of Gensler, a global architecture, design, planning and consulting firm. Luke is a principal and owner of 817 GROUP, a consulting business to large corporations specializing in product strategy and digital marketing.

Anne Hargis Olson ’07 and her husband Matthew are celebrating their second wedding anniversary, Matthew’s graduation from Law School at the University of Texas, the beginning of his career with Locke Lord, LLP, and the beginning of Anne’s career with Heritage Auctions. They are thrilled to be back in Dallas.

Bryce Parten ’07 was hooded on June 7 as Master of Business from the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver with a concentration in strategic marketing and business intelligence. fwcd.org

Elizabeth Reimer ’08 is engaged to Lee Chichester.

The couple plans to marry October 19.

Lee is an ’03 graduate of All Saints’ Episcopal School, an ’07 graduate of Texas A&M and a ’12 graduate of Texas A&M’s Veterinary School. Elizabeth graduated from Northeastern in May and will attend physical therapy school until May 2014.

Shannon Bull ’09 graduated cum laude on May 11 with a BBA in Marketing from Texas A&M.

Falcons from the Class of 2009 enjoyed reuniting at the Alumni Soccer Game in December. Pictured: Marshall Jones, Bryant Buechele, Spencer Duran, Chase Caraway, Stephen Goodwin, and Brandon Tierney Barron Parker ’09 graduated in May from Texas Tech University with a BS in Business Management and a minor in Spanish.

SPrinG/SUMMER 2013

2010s Cody Bills ’11 was again named Scholar Athlete at Washington & Lee University.

Paul Mackey ’11 was recognized at the TCU Army ROTC Awards Ceremony on April 11. He was honored with The Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, which is presented to one outstanding cadet in the second or third year of a four-year program who demonstrates patriotism by deeds or conduct during participation in extracurricular activities or community projects; academic excellence by being in the top 25 percent of his/her class; and potential for outstanding leadership by exhibiting qualities of dependability, good character, self-discipline, good citizenship and patriotism. He also earned the Army Superior Cadet Award, which is presented to a cadet in each class in the top 5 percent in ROTC and top 25 percent academically.

Bill Baker H’12 and Alice Johnson Smith ’99 ran into each other at the Mission Beach Café, as they both vacationed in San Francisco during the winter break.

Alice lives in Portland, OR. Seniors from the Class of 2012 enjoyed a reunion lunch at Pappasito’s on December 22, 2012. This was their first event since leaving for college the previous August.

Sixty-three out of 96 alums attended.

Pictured from left to right: Chase Hale, Blake Waltrip, Cameron Fraser and Oliver Salonna

FWCD theater alumni met at the Old South Pancake House in late December for their annual reunion to catch up and reminisce about the good ol’ FWCD theater days. Pictured are Ross Neuenfeldt ’07, Kim Sotman ’07, Michael Allen ’06, Emily Skipper McDermott ’06, Tavisty Tarkenton ’02, Steve McGaw (former Improv coach), Pierce Ekstrom ’08, Jillian Rosentreter Blackwell ’08, Lauren Bailey ’08, Melodee Halbach (director of theatre), Whitney Williamson ’07, Tricia Franks (theatre teacher), Colin Fuller ’04, Christian Sanders (former FWCD tech director), Clinton Elledge ’10, Zeke Blackwell ’09, James Ekstrom ’10, Jonathan Hardin ’10, Erin Lafferty ’09, Page Maxwell ’11, Sydney Darrow ’12, Kyle Sapienza ’11, Colin Ford ’10, Ian Ford ’11, Matthew Brewer ’09, Stephanie Farris Sanders (Christian’s wife), Glen Hall ’07 and Natalie Bracken’05.

FALCONER

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BOARD SPOTLIGHT

BOARD

Spotlight Judie B. Greenman

Reed Pigman

Judie B. Greenman began her most recent tenure on the Fort Worth Country Day Board of Trustees in 2007. She and her husband, Bob, have a longstanding relationship with the School and its community. Two of their children—David ’88 and Jill Greenman Segal ’85—are alumni, and Judie is a returning Trustee, having previously served from 1981 through 1987. Her latest tenure on the Board includes serving on the Finance, Trustee and Leadership, Ad Hoc Strategic Planning and Diversity committees.

Reed Pigman began his tenure as a Trustee in 2007, yet his service to the School is longstanding. He and his wife, Pam, have a deep appreciation for the School and its programs. They are the parents of two FWCD alumni: Macy ’11 and Haley ’13. Together, Reed and Pam served as co-presidents of the Falcon Club.

While on the Board, he served on the Advancement, Finance, and Building and Grounds committees, and was chair of the Sustainability Subcommittee. Reed has valuable executive insight into many of the issues that the Board faces. He is the owner of Texas Jet, Inc., an executive aviation terminal at Fort Worth Meacham International Airport and is the former chairman of the board of the National Air Transportation Association and the Fort Worth Business Assistance Center.

Advancing community organizations and their services is in Judie’s nature. She is a consultant with Training Unlimited, a human resources consulting group that specializes in nonprofit organizational development, strategic planning, board orientation, advocacy training and fundraising. A respected community volunteer, Judie has given her time and talents to many organizations. Her past affiliations include chairman of Cook Children’s Medical Center, president of the Junior League of Fort Worth, vice president of the Association of Junior Leagues, board member of Planned Parenthood of North Texas and board chair of the Funding Information Center. Judie currently serves on the boards of Safe Haven and as treasurer of the Fort Worth Lecture Foundation.

Using his experience as an industry leader, he has contributed significantly to the life of the School through his assistance with the FWCD Fund and the Capital Campaign. “Not only has Fort Worth Country Day prepared our daughters for college, it has taught them to be leaders who ‘live’ the core values of integrity, kindness, courage, respect, responsibility and scholarship,” Reed said. “I wanted to do my small part to leave the School better than I found it. My mission for the School is to be, without question, the private school of choice for families in the Fort Worth area.”

“Fort Worth Country Day provided an educational and social home for our family for 15 years. It was a true part of our lives—we are still close with the families and the educators we met through Country Day,” Judie noted. “It was important for me to ‘pay back’ for the outstanding education my children received at FWCD. As a member of the Fort Worth community, I wanted to help assure that Country Day remains the outstanding school it is—with its emphasis on the Three A’s.”

Mike Waltrip

Joining the Board of Trustees in 2007, Mike Waltrip approached his leadership role as an investment in the School and its students. He chaired the Advancement Committee from 2008-11 and has continued to serve as a valued member of the committee. He also served on the Executive and Building and Grounds committees during his tenure.

Frasher Hudson Pergande ’81

For Frasher Hudson Pergande ’81, Fort Worth Country Day is a second home. She and her husband, John, are the proud parents of three sons: Morgan ’13, Graham ’15 and Spencer ’17. Frasher has been immersed in the life of the School since 1968—her kindergarten year. She returned to FWCD as a parent in 2000 and has been involved in all aspects of School life: Alumni Association president; Homecoming Committee; thirdgrade captain for Carnival; Bingo co-chair; kindergarten head room mom and junior room representative; holiday sale, Carnival, and Book Fair volunteer; football, soccer and lacrosse team mom; self-proclaimed boys’ sports team photographer; Board member; and she was honored in 2009 with the Jean Webb Service to Alma Mater award for her love and commitment to FWCD. This year, she is co-chair of the 50th Anniversary Committee and has worked painstakingly to create a celebration year with a range of events that will appeal to all ages.

As principle and owner of PetroHill Resources, Mike is particularly knowledgeable about the oil and gas industry in Fort Worth and well-practiced in financial management. He and his wife, Letty, chaired the 2005-06 annual fund drive and were very successful in their efforts. Mike is active in the Fort Worth Stock Show Syndicate and the University of Texas Alumni Association. He and Letty are parents to FWCD alumnus, Blake ’12, and current student, Will ’14.

“Fort Worth Country Day is an investment, and I wanted to be involved and help that investment grow,” Mike said. “It is so much more than a school—it’s a community of caring faculty, staff and lifelong friends. The School has provided a nurturing and safe environment, yet demanded the most of our boys’ natural abilities. While Letty and I would like to take full credit, the fact is, FWCD has played a major role in helping us raise our children and shape their characters. The least I could do is help build upon the great foundation established 50 years ago.”

Frasher joined the Board of Trustees in 2007. During her six-year tenure, she served as the Executive Committee secretary, as well as on the Building and Grounds Committee. “I am honored to have served as a member of the Board of Trustees. I am passionate about the past 50 years of the School, and I hope that I helped guide FWCD toward a successful future,” she said. “While FWCD represents my past, more importantly, it now represents my children’s future. I am amazed by the quality of the current faculty: My children have thrived with ‘new’ teachers, but they have also enjoyed a few ‘old’ favorites, like Sharon Hamilton [H’05] and Dan Bloch [H’06]. I used to call Mr. Bloch my fifth-grader teacher; now I must also call him Morgan, Graham and Spencer’s fifth-grade science teacher. We are blessed to have such incredible people in our lives.”

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FALCONER

fwcd.org

SPrinG/SUMMER 2013

FALCONER

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Congratulates the Class of 2013!

College Acceptances for the Class of 2013 The Class of 2013 was awarded more than $7.2 in merit-based scholarships and awards.

Abilene Christian University Angelo State University Arizona State University Auburn University Aurora University Austin College Baylor University Belmont University Boston College Boston University Carnegie Mellon University Case Western Reserve University Catholic University of America Centenary College of Louisiana Chapman University The Citadel Clemson University College of Charleston Colorado State University Columbia College Chicago Columbia University Cornell University Dominican University of California Duke University Earlham College Elon University Emerson College Fairfield University Florida Institute of Technology Franklin College Switzerland Furman University George Mason University Georgia Institute of Technology Hampton University

64

FALCONER

Hendrix College Hofstra University Houston Baptist University Indiana University Iowa State University Jackson State University Kalamazoo College Kansas State University Louisiana State University Loyola University Chicago Marist College Maryland Institute College of Art McMurry University Midwestern State University Missouri University of Science and Technology New York University Northwestern University Nova Southeastern University Oklahoma City University Oklahoma State University Oxford College of Emory University Pennsylvania State University Pepperdine University Purdue University Rhodes College Rollins College Sam Houston State University Sewanee: The University of the South Simmons College Smith College Southern Methodist University Southwestern University St. Edward’s University

Stephen F. Austin State University Swarthmore College Sweet Briar College Tarleton State University Texas A&M University Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Texas Christian University Texas State University-San Marcos Texas Tech University Trinity University Tufts University Tulane University University of Alabama University of Arizona University of Arkansas University of California at Berkeley University of California at Los Angeles University of Colorado at Boulder University of Colorado at

Colorado Springs University of Delaware University of Denver University of Evansville University of Georgia University of Houston University of Kansas University of Massachusetts, Amherst University of Michigan University of Mississippi University of Missouri-Columbia University of North Carolina at

Chapel Hill University of North Texas University of Notre Dame

University of Oklahoma University of Oregon University of the Ozarks University of the Pacific University of Pennsylvania University of Pittsburgh University of Portland University of Puget Sound University of Richmond University of San Francisco University of South Carolina University of South Florida University of Southern California University of St. Thomas University of Texas at Arlington University of Texas at Austin University of Texas at Dallas University of Texas at San Antonio University of Texas at Tyler University of Tulsa University of Utah University of Virginia Utah State University Vanderbilt University Virginia Military Institute Wake Forest University Washington University in St. Louis Weatherford College Wentworth Institute of Technology Westmont College Wofford College

fwcd.org

CONTENTS

Volume 4, Issue 2 • Spring/Summer 2013

Be part of their legacy.

38 CAMPUS NOtES 2 3 4 6 9

Message from the Head of School Message from the Board of Trustees President Parent Faculty Association Speaker Series Lower School A Salute to FWCD Founders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Second Grade Celebrates Heroes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Poetry Explosion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Daniel Boone Sighting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 50 States Come to Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 For the Love of Math. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 FWCD Artists Recognized. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Round ’Em Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 14 Middle School Debate Team Ends Season with a Win . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Perfect Day for a Bike Ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Middle School Competes in First Science Olympiad. . . 15 Night at the Museum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Greek Gods and Goddesses Abound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Middle School Scholars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Middle School Awards & Recognition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Oh The Places We Go. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 FWCD Idol. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

22 Upper School FWCD Eagle Scouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

A Glimpse of Paris. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

The Falcon Quill: This student has an app for that . . . . . . 23 Governor Perry Brings D.C. Home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Cum Laude Inducts 21 New Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Senior Awards & Recognition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Lecture Series Focuses on Civic Responsibility . . . . . . . . 27 Prom 2013. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 48 Performing Arts

Van Cliburn Competitor Dazzles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Ballet Performs Coppelia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Students Offer Legal Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 50 Athletic News

Davey O’Brien High School Scholarship Award Finalist . 50 Field Hockey Players Honored . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 FWCD Ranked SPC Top School in Tarrant County . . . . 51 The Flying Harlins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 54 A Culture of Growing: Breakthrough Fort Worth 57 Alumni News

Young Alumni Chat It Up with FWCD Seniors . . . . . . . 57 Wall of Honor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 58 Class Notes 62 Board Spotlight

The Peter A. Schwartz Legacy Society Fort Worth Country Day established the Peter A. Schwartz Legacy Society to honor and recognize those individuals who have made planned or estate gifts to Fort Worth Country Day.

Contact Sandra Tuomey, director of advancement, at 817.302.3223 or sandra.tuomey@fwcd.org

F o r t

Fort Worth Country Day 4200 Country Day Lane Fort Worth, Texas 76109-4299

Volume 4, Issue 2

Address Service Requested

W o r t h

C o u n t r y

D a y

Spring/Summer 2013

Homecoming 2013

1968

1973

1978

1983

1988

1993

1998

2003

2008

FWCD vs TVS! Friday, October 25

Don your red and blue and cheer your FALCONS onto V-I-C-T-O-R-Y! Pre-game festivities begin at 5 p.m. in Falcon Alley complete with food trucks, photo buttons, live music, bounce houses, and fabulous 50th anniversary giveaways and surprises.

It will be a celebration you won’t want to miss.

Halftime includes our Athletics Wall of Fame and more! Plan to stay after the game for pizza and a 50th anniversary fireworks extravaganza. This is a night 50 years in the making! Check the 50th anniversary website at fwcd.org/50 for details and more information.

Contact Mary Lou Hilliard, alumni and special events coordinator, at marylou.hilliard@fwcd.org or 817.302.3292.

A Past to be Proud of A Future to Believe in