Spirit of the Dragon Magazine (Winter 2023)

MISSION

Glenelg Country School cultivates a COMMUNITY that stimulates our students to realize their highest potential. Outstanding academic and enrichment opportunities nurture a PASSION for lifelong learning, personal INTEGRITY , and RESPECT for others.

By embracing DIVERSITY of background, culture, and thought, our students are prepared to become RESPONSIBLE and CONTRIBUTING members of our GLOBAL society.

ACCREDITATION

Glenelg Country School is accredited, age two through twelfth grade, by the Association of Independent Maryland & DC Schools (AIMS) and by the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges (MSA).

The School is affiliated with the Association of Independent Maryland & DC Schools (AIMS), the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), and the Educational Records Bureau (ERB).

HEAD OF SCHOOL

Matt Walsh

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Danielle Peterson

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Lindsay Frost-Bhasin, Deborah Lieberman, Karis Nichols, Danielle Peterson, Joseph A. Sierzega Jr., and David Weeks

DESIGN

Danielle Peterson

PHOTOGRAPHY

Jonathan Culbreath ’24, Danielle Peterson, Memi Pluznik, Classic Photography, and the faculty and staff of Glenelg Country School

© 2023 Glenelg Country School

Please direct questions and comments to communications@glenelg.org.

12793 Folly Quarter Road Ellicott City, Maryland 21042 glenelg.org

410.531.8600

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

The idea of “connections” has been at the heart of the Glenelg Country School experience since our founding in 1954. Kingdon and Mary Gould sought to connect with other like-minded families who were interested in establishing a first-rate independent school for people in Howard County and beyond, and together the founding families and many others over the decades forged strong bonds with one another and with the greater community as they built our school into what it is today.

From the beginning, it was important to our early leaders that academic subjects not be taught in isolation as separate disciplines. There’s a wonderful video of Kingdon Gould discussing how important it was, for example, for our classroom efforts to show how history, the arts, and literature are so closely tied together. A great example of how this tradition lives on in our program today is the Upper School Humanities Department, where historical knowledge, appreciation of literature, and writing skills are developed simultaneously.

In his piece “Creativity through Design and Manual Arts,” Upper School Head, Brandon Neblett, describes the amazing interdisciplinary work being done by students in our Innovation Lab and manual arts program through the inspired leadership of Director of Academic Technology, Marc Schmidt, the Innovation Lab’s Technical Director, Ben Shovlin, and Humanities teacher, Walter Mattson. This dynamic trio leads students to conduct work and to create projects encompassing a variety of disciplines while also encouraging them to connect with our alumni in multiple STEAM fields and to consider how their work might benefit students here at school in all of our divisions.

Further exploring the theme of connections, this issue covers the collaboration of global education and community service director, David Weeks, with Deborah Lieberman’s fifth-grade class to plant a chestnut tree on campus this year. Of course, while all of us can benefit from this type of aesthetic enhancement to our campus, initiatives like this show how students and faculty from all divisions can work together to underscore the importance of caring for and respecting our natural environment and physical surroundings.

Other stories in this edition show our efforts to strengthen ties with the broader community. With support from its advisor, David Weeks, and its President, Zachary Schulman ’23, the Community Service Club hosted a sustainability summit here on campus that brought together representatives of several other independent schools to consider solutions to sustainability challenges in a wide array of different areas. Meanwhile, the student leadership of the class of 2025 developed a fun “Under the Sea” event for Lower School students to help fund their ongoing support of students with special needs at Cedar Lane School. Finally, under the leadership of Choir Director, Karis Nichols, 18 members of the Upper School Choir recently traveled to New York City to perform as part of an ensemble choir at the famed Carnegie Hall.

So, this edition of Spirt of the Dragon invites you to explore the deep and varied opportunities our students have to conduct work across a variety of academic disciplines, to collaborate with their fellow GCS Dragons in all divisions, and to continue to cultivate strong relationships outside of school by engaging actively in the broader community. Enjoy!

MATT WALSH

IN THE COMPANY OF TREES

WITH CAMPUS BEAUTIFICATION, THE PAST CONNECTIONS LIVE ON AS THE FUTURE TAKES SHAPE.

For anyone that has visited Glenelg Country School, the beauty of the school’s campus is immediately evident. From its open space to the secluded pond, the landscape is truly iconic. And throughout the campus, various trees dot the roadways and hillsides, providing shade and educational opportunities to students in all grades.

This fall, students in Deborah Lieberman’s science classes, learned about the historical relevance of one tree and contributed to the beautification of the campus.

Third grade students learned about Maryland’s historic Wye Oak. The tree was the largest white oak tree in the United States and the State Tree of Maryland from 1941 until its demise in 2002. But all is not lost. Students were thrilled to discover that a descendant of the famous Wye Oak grows in front of the Manor House. The revelation led to many nature walks through the woods on campus for the third graders, who weren’t the only class to learn about the importance of trees.

With help support from David Weeks, global education and community service director, Lieberman’s fifth grade class planted a chestnut tree on campus this school year. A gift from the Howard County Master Gardeners, the sapling represents efforts to reestablish the magnificent tree in forests.

The mission of the Howard County Master Gardeners is to educate residents about safe, effective, and sustainable horticultural practices that build healthy gardens, landscapes, and communities. The Master Gardener program is administered by the University of Maryland College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Service.

The American Chestnut tree was one of the keystone tree species in the eastern United States until the mid-1900s when most chestnuts succumbed to an invasive blight. The sapling planted by students is an Asian chestnut resistant to the blight.

Above: Fifth-grade students gather around a freshly planted Asian chestnut sapling. Opposite page: Third-grade students stand in front of a descendant of Maryland’s historic Wye Oak.

CREATIVITY THROUGH DESIGN & MANUAL ARTS

THE INNOVATION LAB CONNECTS STUDENTS TO CAMPUS-WIDE PROJECTS.

By Brandon Neblett UPPER SCHOOL HEAD

On display in Glenelg Country School’s Innovation Lab, home of the Upper School’s digital electronics elective, sits a Flying V-style guitar. Designed by Andrew Roth ’23, the guitar occupies a place of honor and is among the first to catch a visitor’s eye in the dedicated STEAM space.

Located opposite the fitness room, the Innovation Lab is the hub of tools and materials used by students for design and construction. Roth and dozens of students have built these guitars, designed buildings, coded software, constructed furniture, and animated characters by applying the same design process over the past five years.

The guitar project is, in some ways, the perfect school project: it implements fundamental skills in a multi-disciplinary setting with a tangible outcome in which the students are deeply vested. After all, what teenager wouldn’t love to build a guitar? Combining wood, metal, circuits, strings, and basic hardware, the guitars bring learning to life. But, as Roth notes, the sustained attention to detail, precise measurements, and manual dexterity required to build a successful guitar don’t come quickly.

“One challenge I faced while stringing the guitar was drilling the holes for the tuning pegs,” Roth notes in a digital presentation of his project. “They had to be drilled so that the strings didn’t overlap, and they were in line with the notches on the nut. If the hole was too far off by the slightest measurement, playing it was problematic. And we had to be careful when using the drill press because going too fast could crack the head of the guitar. One mistake could ruin the whole thing.”

While the Innovation Lab heralds advanced technology, such as the 3D printer and computerized numeric control (CNC) machine, Marc Schmidt, Roth’s teacher, is passionate about the importance of developing a facility with essential tools and materials, the kind you find in your garage or at the local hardware store.

“So many students considering studying engineering in college lack basic skills with hand tools and knowledge of materials needed,” Schmidt says. “Here, we first give students experience in fundamental skills with fundamental tools, whether they want to be engineers or not. They may learn the intricacies of the 3D printer later, but first, they learn to screw, hammer, cut, and solder. These are key skills you need at every level: how to plan, make accurate measurements, pay attention to detail, and develop a sense of craftsmanship.”

Schmidt also serves as the school’s director of academic technology and computer science department chair, giving him access to and interest in resources and opportunities across campus. He brings those directly to his classes and sometimes takes his classes directly to them. He recently invited LaRon Land, an instrumental music teacher, to class to help students tune their guitars and understand the relationship between frequency, notes, and chords. Land even taught students to play a traditional blues progression. Schmidt also asked Scott Proffitt, director of studies and Latin teacher, to share his love of playing guitar and the lessons he learned about vacuum tubes and circuits when he built his 1952 guitar amplifier from scratch.

The Innovation Lab has also sparked collaborations across campus. In coordination with Katie Burkman, a Middle School English teacher, and Melissa Kistler, a Middle School learning specialist, the Innovation Lab team is helping the Middle School’s Destination Imagination program with robotics and engineering challenges. Burkman and Scott Doughty, Middle School Latin teacher, have coordinated with Schmidt and Ben Shovlin to develop block-based coding and Python curriculum for sixth and seventh-grade students.

Shovlin, the lab’s technical director, arranged for Alex Pereira ’23, one of three GCS seniors who have worked in a unique high school internship over the past year at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, to visit the Middle School to demonstrate the robotic arm he is developing.

In demonstrating the transferability of knowledge across disciplines and the interests and expertise of teachers beyond the specific subjects they teach, Schmidt sees the guitar-building project and similar student-centered construction projects as a crucial step for Upper School students thirsty for hands-on, practical learning. But the impact of this work, and other work in the Innovation Lab, extends well beyond GCS.

The Innovation Lab team’s most recent initiative has been building a formal network of alums and parents working in STEAM fields to provide additional resources to students. Schmidt organized an Innovation Lab open house this fall to connect students, alumni, and parents and to provide an opportunity for anyone in the school community to see what happens there. Schmidt reflects, “We are trying to create a culture of collaboration and interdivisional cooperation. It’s all about making connections. And that continues beyond graduation. The GCS community has

Guitars crafted in the Upper School’s Innovation Lab.

an impressive track record of success in STEAM fields. We are trying to highlight and celebrate that while providing opportunities to students after they leave GCS.”

Thinking beyond traditional parameters is also a hallmark of Shovlin, Schmidt’s Innovation Lab colleague. His civil engineering and architecture (CEA) class exposes students to traditional and innovative building approaches and provides opportunities to use tools professionals use. Last year, the class searched for a project to put their skills to use while also making a direct contribution to the GCS community. When the pandemic accentuated the need for outdoor learning spaces, students realized that the Lower School required far more outdoor seating than was available. Out of this realization was born a plan to construct 10 new benches for students, designed specifically for them and sturdy enough to endure all kinds of weather.

“The ownership and sense of agency in the Lower and Upper Schools students made all the difference,” notes

Shovlin. The project focused on making a direct contribution to the GCS community, one that everyone understood. After speaking with Lower School students and soliciting suggestions for the values that would decorate each bench, Upper School students saw how excited their younger peers were about the project. There was no turning back.

But the endeavor required significant effort before actual machine work. This research and development included many meetings and additional presentations. The students consulted with the Development Office and Operations team, faculty, and Hilary McCarthy, head of Lower School, to ensure they had gathered everything they needed before designing the benches. Connecting with all the stakeholders involved in a tangible addition to the campus underscored a sense of responsibility for getting it right. It also included mathematical work such as establishing the exact specifications for the height of the tabletop and seat, which required investigation into how high off the ground) Lower School students completed their academic work.

Marc Schmidt begins a demonstration of the Innovation Lab’s 3D carving machine.

From top, left to right: The new arbor in front of the garden; Close-up view of the Lower School’s benches; a close-up view of the top of the new mailboxes; and an Upper School student works on a project.

Having completed all these steps, CEA students turned their attention to developing sketches by hand and computeraided design software. Another round of consultation with stakeholders ensued to ensure that all was ready to produce the prototype, followed by ordering and purchasing materials required for the first build. Then came the cutting, painting, and epoxying “Glenelg Country School” and the values identified by the Lower School students, such as “truth,” “mindful,” and “brave.” This process alone took 90 minutes per word. At five words per table for 10 tables, the CNC machine was in use for 75 hours.

Oversight and maintenance were Shovlin’s learning curve. It was the first use of the CNC machine at this capacity, and no one in the class, even Shovlin, had ever poured epoxy. “Students saw that I was learning, too,” Shovlin notes. “I was going to make mistakes, and they understood that.” In short, it was an authentic process: a unique product filling an immediate need for outdoor academic purposes. Mistakes were part of that authenticity.

This year’s CEA students are building a second set of 10 tables. Looking back on the first year’s work, Shovlin is reflective. “It has been a ‘soup-to-nuts’ production, developed through an intentional framework, and the students see the tangible results of their designs. The entire process has been a ‘Yes, and…’ experience,” he says, noting one of the essential guidelines for improvisational theater. “And seeing the benches used at this year’s Family Day by students and their families was inspiring. I had this moment where I realized, ‘Now the benches are a part of the landscape.’”

Upper School students are also designing and building in other spaces across campus. In Walter Mattson’s Manual Arts class, they drill, cut, and solder on the Chapman Porch, just a few steps from the Innovation Lab. Mattson, a humanities teacher in his third decade at GCS, is a renaissance man. Mattson pursues his passion for building fine furniture as a master woodworker during the summer and is an amateur beekeeper throughout the year. He is as passionate about homemade honey as he is about Emerson’s poetry.

His class’s signature project is the renovation of an antique mailbox for Lower School students. Lower School teacher Karen Dodge saw potential in the massive piece of furniture several years ago and helped procure it for the school. “It was in very rough condition,” Mattson recalls, “racked out of shape, with a rotted sorting surface and missing pieces. The Lower School asked us if the inaugural class of the manual arts could repair and renovate it.”

Students milled and installed a pair of classical pilasters with fluting, a frieze with dentil molding, and an architrave with custom crown molding. The neo-classical, municipal style of the original complements the whimsy students incorporated into the refurbishment as a tip of the hat to the Lower School students who would use it. “After trying several color combinations, students chose the paints and coated the entire piece, including the interior of about 150 little cubbies. By hand,” Mattson added. They had to engineer and adapt rollers and brushes to complete this intricate work.

The Mulitz Theater is another space focused on studentcentered creativity and construction. Corey Brown, technical theater and facilities director, teaches stagecraft classes and oversees all technical preparations for theater productions, including sets, light, and sound. His students are always busy and demonstrate a wide range of skills. To Brown, it’s all about building a vision and making it come to life. Brown comments, “We bring different worlds to life, bringing the audience into that moment.” Following a long-honored GCS tradition, students design, construct, and finish the physical apparatus that sets each play and musical scene. “We work through the challenges together as a team. It’s about creating a vision together to tell a story,” says Brown.

Roth’s final thoughts on his guitar capture the freedom and autonomy central to all these opportunities to design and build. “My favorite part of the project was being able to choose the shape of my guitar and what kind of finish I wanted. I could customize it to my taste and preferences, wanting it to be perfect. I liked that we could choose how we wanted it to look in the end while going through the same process as everybody else.”

CONNECTING THE MANY PERSPECTIVES IN LEARNING

GLENELG COUNTRY SCHOOL TAKES THE LEAD IN INTERSCHOOL SERVICE LEADERSHIP COLLABORATION.

“Meeting new people from different schools was a nice experience, along with working with them. This is the first Leadership Summit I’ve attended, and it won’t be my last.” This evaluation comment from a participant who attended the 2023 Service Leadership Summit in February at Glenelg Country School (GCS) demonstrates the value of interschool learning and collaboration on topics of mutual interest.

The school’s Community Service Club, with advisor David Weeks’s guidance, established the sustainability theme for the summit. Zachary Schulman ’,23 the club’s president, welcomed summit participants. Representatives from three AIMS schools complemented GCS students: Boys Latin, Gilman, and St. Timothy. The day began with icebreakers and team-building activities introduced by leadership expert Craig Culp. Weeks partnered with Culp in adapting the conceptual model of vision, alignment, and execution to student interpretations of sustainability in different contexts for the future.

Working in small groups, students collaborated on their vision for a sustainable future and described its stakeholders. Prioritizing necessary steps emerged

while developing an action plan. After creating each group’s strategy, participants depicted their sustainability plan on a poster. Finally, the students shared their creative posters in a “gallery walk.”

From sustainability visions, students engaged in a discussion of their most valued service projects. They learned how to elevate their voices in their school communities by advocating for service initiatives. After lunch, participants considered their most valuable service activities and possible ways to achieve interschool collaboration on a community service project.

The interschool sharing of ideas enabled students to view service possibilities through different lenses. Although the students longed to gain additional perspectives from representatives of other schools, they recognized the day’s potential to be even more valuable with more interschool engagement. As one of the participants proclaimed in the final evaluation, “This Summit exceeded my expectations in terms of the extremely beneficial skills and learning with groups and individually about making a change and how to create growth for others and ourselves.”

Opposite page: Participants of the 2023 Service Leadereship Summit gather in the cafeteria of Glenelg Country School’s Upper School building.

THE RIPPLE EFFECT OF CREATING FUN

THE CLASS OF 2025’S LEADERS CONNECT WITH LOWER SCHOOL STUDENTS FOR A GOOD CAUSE.

By David Weeks

GLOBAL EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY SERVICE DIRECTOR

Eager to have fun with Lower School students and share their creative ideas on a service project, members of the sophomore leadership team demonstrated their talents in an “Under the Sea” event at Glenelg Country in November 2022. Adapting their theme to the Disney classic, The Little Mermaid, the tenth-grade students dressed in creative character costumes and played games with their elementary school partners. Activities extended from the Lower School gym to the Lower School library, where young Dragons were treated to delicious refreshments while appreciating the beautiful voice of Mia Sandhu ’25 as Ariel. More Little Mermaid music from the film was in store for all the participants as they viewed excerpts while waiting to be picked up by their parents.

Planning for this event was months in the making. Created to fund a future spring fair event to support the Cedar Lane special needs children, Lower School students paid a registration fee to participate, raising over $850.00.

Each Upper School student assumed specific roles and responsibilities to help make “Under the Sea” successful. In addition to Sandhu, Layaan Abbasi ’25, Arjun Bajaj ’25, Sid Bajaj ’25, Camille Cole ’25, Isaiah Cooper ’25, Elizabeth Etuaful ’25, Avery Fox ’25, Yash Gunisetty, Nancy Guo ’25, Meera Khosla ’25, Eva Ntiege’25, Alexandra Oseghale ’25, Victoria Richardson ’25, Cecelia Solomon ’25, Chase Traff ’25, Brinley Tebit ’25, and Zayna Tujjar ’25 round out the class team.

In the early spring, sophomores and ninth-grade leaders will visit Cedar Lane School to better understand the developmental needs of cognitively and physically challenged children. The 10th grade class’s leadership team will then lead the development of the fun multi-sensory play stations for Cedar Lane students at the Spring Fair in May. Sophomores will also mentor ninth-grade leaders as they prepare for their own future sophomore service adventures.

Above, from left to right: Emmanuel Potier ’25 coaches Lower School students; Amare Baker ’25 and David Carrera ’25 play games with students in the Lower School gym; and Alex Pereira ’23 assists Lower School students during an activity. Opposite page: Lower and Upper School students pose for a photo during the “Under the Sea” event.

BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY

GCS UPPER SCHOOL CHOIR CONNECT WITH AUDIENCES AND EACH OTHER THROUGH THE POWER OF MUSIC.

Violinist Isaac Stern once said, “Everywhere in the world, music enhances the hall, with one exception: Carnegie Hall enhances the music.”

Situated at the intersection of 57th Street and Seventh Avenue in New York City sits one of the most famous concert halls in the world. Every major artist has performed there, from Tchaikovsky to Judy Garland, The Beatles, and Beyonce. And now Glenelg Country School (GCS) is among those participating in the 132 years of tradition of musical excellence and prestige the hall boasts, as 18 members from the Upper School Choir recently returned from their debut performance on this world-famous stage in New York City.

The students joined seven other California, Florida, and New Jersey choirs to create a 200-voice ensemble under Dr. Amanda Quist, director of choral activities at the University of Miami. The choir sang a diverse range of challenging repertoire, including an excerpt from Mozart’s “Coronation Mass” with three GCS students featured as soloists: Peter Seelman ’23, Nancy Bao ’23, and Jola Oyegoke ’24. A contemporary piece also featured Mia Sandhu ’25 singing an arrangement of Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers,” complete with a bluegrass band.

GCS submitted three distinct audition recordings to be selected to perform. Once selected, students dove into

Members of the Glenelg Country School choir in New York City.

the challenge of learning six new pieces. “The music was the most challenging repertoire GCS has ever performed, and they loved exploring it!” explains Karis Nichols, choir director. The musical selections, designed for collegiate and professional ensembles, were a challenge to which students rose. “This process allowed students to experience creating music professionally and develop their music reading skills at an accelerated pace.”

But there was also time for relaxation. Students had a few days to explore the city, including short trips to the Hayden Planetarium, the top of the Rockefeller building, and the brand-new Museum of Broadway. They caught the 1,000th

performance of the hit Broadway musical, “Hadestown,” where GCS students took photos with Broadway royalty André de Shields. Students sang “Hairspray” songs at Ellen’s Stardust Diner, home to the world-famous singing waitstaff. Also, they attracted a large crowd when inspired by an acoustic guitar cover of “Shallow,” ensemble members broke out into song at the Bethesda Terrace in Central Park.

Three days of rehearsals culminated in a “mountain top” performance at Carnegie Hall on the evening of Monday, March 20. Many students shared it was an experience they would never forget, made even better that they could share it with their friends from the choir.

From top left: Karis Nichols with the Carnegie Hall Concert advertisement pointing to Glenelg Country School; Featured voices at Carnegie Hall (from left to right) Peter Seelman ’23, Nancy Bao ’23, Mia Sandhu ’25, and Jola Oyegoke ’24; Kyla Mendez ’24, Brogan Graham ’23, André de Shields, Molly Kalis ’26, and Nicole Lee ’26.

CONCERTS & SHOWS

FALL SPORTS RECAP

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY

The boys cross-country team finished the season with a seventh-place finish in the MIAA B Conference. The squad was led by Tryston Brown ’24, Kyle Goh ’24, Luke Jackson ’26, Gavin Lees ’25, and Ian Noble ’23. Season highlights included four runners earning medals among the top 25 finishers at the Georgetown Prep Classic Meet. Brown, Noble, and Michael Hersey ’24 finished 15th, 16th, and 17th in the varsity race, and Luke Jackson finished eighth in the freshman race. With six of the top seven runners returning for the next season, the Dragons are looking for big things to happen next year!

FIELD HOCKEY

The varsity field hockey team ended their regular season with a record of 6-1-1. The team was led by captain, Ashley Dyer ’23 and fellow seniors Katie Roesch ’23, Alex Schoenfeld ’23, Anjali Shah ’23, and Ava Keenan ’23, who was recovering from knee surgery. The year was full of many great memories, wins, and achievements for the team. Nichelle Desbordes ’24, Ashley Dyer ’23, Ella Dyer ’26, Riya Madaan ’24, and Camille Wimberly ’24 were selected to the IAAM All-Conference team. The Dragons had an incredible group of hard-working players that were supportive and encouraging, growing tremendously as a team throughout the season. The team made it to the IAAM semi-final, falling in a hard-fought game to Catholic High School 1-0. The team hopes to build on this year’s success and continue to progress next season.

BOYS SOCCER

Boys varsity soccer had a great year of development with a young squad led by captains MB Barrie ’25 and David Carrera ’25. Freshman goalie Drew Harris ’26 had a standout season as one of the top goalies in the conference. Thank you to seniors Yash Antil ’23, Jack Demers ’23, Mitchell Jackson ’23, Jackson Pacylowski ’23, and Connor Wilson ’23 for their support and effort over their GCS soccer careers especially this season. We look forward to seeing this young team continue to grow for the upcoming season.

GIRLS SOCCER

The girls’ varsity soccer team had an exciting and competitive season this year. Players and coaches were excited to be back on the field and ready to take on challenges as the team competed in some non-conference games allowing players to gain more game experience. Goals were scored this season from a variety of players, which gave the team the confidence and heart to play strong the whole year. The team was led by senior captains Taylor Closson ’23, Julia Dustin ’23, and Cate O’Ferrall ’23. As the team continues to grow and make moves, fans are looking forward to another exceptional season next year.

Chiderah Nwaogba ’24

Ashley Dyer ’23

Max Thompson ’24

Katie Gorski ’24

Varsity Volleyball does not drop a playoff set on its way to an IAAM C Conference Volleyball Championship.

Glenelg Country School’s varsity volleyball team had a near perfect regular season conference record, finishing the year 9-1 in the conference and earning the second seed in the IAAM C Conference playoffs.

The Dragons used home court advantage to sweep seventh seed Concordia Prep and third seed Beth Tfiloh, earning a spot in the finals. There, Glenelg Country School (GCS) faced top seeded Chapelgate Christian, the only conference foe to hand the Dragons a regular season defeat in a five-set thriller earlier in the season. The Dragons had vengeance on their mind, as they took down the Yellow Jackets in three straight sets: 25-18, 25-17, 25-13.

GCS received championship caliber contributions all around the court. Zinnia Pickett ’25 guided the offense which was paced by Tiffany Blakely ’24 who led the team with 19 kills. Nancy Guo ’25 and Ronnie Stanard ’25 led the team in aces as they kept the Yellow Jackets on their toes. The defense was highlighted by Annika Nilsen ’26, who led the team in blocks, with added contributions from game saving digs from Kennedy Cummins ’26 and Morgan Miller ’25.

Shalom Omo-Osagie, the squad’s head coach was proud of the players’ efforts. “I’ve watched them grow into the team they are today through hard work, dedication, and just a genuine passion for the sport. It feels good to make history and the girls deserve every bit of shine they get from this.”

History indeed, as Glenelg Country School took home its first IAAM volleyball title in school history. Congratulations to Omo-Osagie and the 2022 varsity volleyball team. Also, congratulations to Blakely, Guo, and Pickett for being selected to the IAAM All-Conference team!

Sydney Monaco uses revenge tour to win singles championship.

Last fall, top-ranked singles player, Sydney Monaco ’24, capped off a season to remember. Monaco finished the regular season 9-2, culminating in a third overall seed in the IAAM B Conference Tennis Tournament and a first-round bye. The good news: the bye left her just two matches away from a championship. The bad news: those two matches would mean she had to face the only two players in the conference to hand her a loss. Let the revenge tour begin.

In the semi-final round, Sydney took on second seed Anna Keefer of Friends School, and recovered from a tough 1-6 first set loss. And recover she did. Monaco fought back to take the second set 6-4, forcing a third-set tiebreaker. After battling back and forth in what ultimately turned into a two hour and 15-minute match, Monaco took the third set 7-5 and punched her ticket into the finals.

One loss avenged, one more remained. The conference finals proved to be the battle of the Sydneys as Monaco took on the top-seeded Sydney Kuner of Park School. Once again, Monaco dropped the first set 3-6. But, this was familiar territority for the junior player. Monaco dug deep to come back to win the second set 6-3. Not looking for another marathon match, she then made quick work of the third set, winning 6-2.

In completing her revenge tour, Monaco became the 2022 IAAM B Conference singles champion.

Darryl Smith, Monaco’s coach, was proud of her grit and determination. “Throughout the regular season and tournament, Sydney brought to the court aspects that can’t be coached or taught,” explains Smith, “a never give up attitude despite the odds.”

The volleyball celebrates their championship at Stevenson University.

An annual auction has been part of our school’s event calendar for many years. Organized by the Parents & Friends Association (P&FA), the event has been virtual for the past few years and benefited the P&FA’s events and programs, such as Family Day and Faculty and Staff Appreciation Week.

This year, we’re turning the auction into an in-person gala event on Saturday, April 29—a prom just for grown-up Dragons! We hope the DragonProm will become an annual signature event for our community. We’re leaning into the “prom-ishness” and holding the event in the Upper School gym, and the Dragon community voted on this year’s “prom theme” from a list of perennial prom favorites. The winner was “Masquerade”! We invite everyone to come out

A huge thank you to the many families, alums, faculty and staff, grandparents, and friends who have supported the Annual Fund this school year. And a special thanks to those who took advantage of the $40,000 funds match offered by grandparents James and Elizabeth Rushe and Yolanda and Frank Bruno. We are thrilled to report that the Dragon community helped raise over $111,000 in November and December 2022. Best of all, every dollar directly supports our students and teachers this school year!

The 2022–2023 school year isn’t over, and the Annual Fund continues through June 30. There is still plenty of time to support Glenelg Country School by giving back. You can always make a gift at glenelg.org/donate. And remember, giving feels good! Thank you!

and dance, drink, eat, bid on various amazing auction items, and enjoy the company of your fellow Dragon families and friends. And with no high-school awkwardness! Tickets are now available at glenelg.org/dragonprom. Even if you can’t attend, you can register to bid in our silent auction!

DragonProm is made possible by the efforts of volunteers and the contributions of local businesses and organizations. We welcome sponsors and have a variety of sponsorship options and levels, including advertising in our printed event program. We also accept donations of auction items from local businesses and organizations. The DragonProm will be a great advertising opportunity for a large audience, and the sponsorships include some fantastic perks! Visit glenelg.org/dragonprom to learn more.

THE IN-PERSON RETURN OF FAMILY BINGO

AN ANNUAL FAVORITE RETURNS FOR A SOLD-OUT EVENT.

After three virtual years, one of the Parents & Friends Association’s signature events, Family BINGO, returned to the Mulitz Theater on Sunday, February 5. Over 180 Dragons packed a sold-out Mulitz for an afternoon of fun and friendly competition. Every Lower School classroom donated prize baskets for each BINGO round this year.

Many thanks to the house parents and families for creating and assembling a fantastic array of baskets and to all the volunteers who made the day possible.

Mark your calendars for next year’s Family BINGO on Sunday, February 4, 2024.

ALUMNI EVENTS

We welcomed over 60 alumni back to campus in early January for two favorite events:

Grade 12 and Alumni Cracker Barrel on January 5 and Alumni Basketball Night on January 6.

Check out full photo galleries of both events at glenelg.org/alumni.

SATURDAY, MAY 13 | 3:30-6:30 PM | GCS MANOR

Join your fellow alumni at the Manor House and lawn to reconnect with old friends and faculty and to bring back the spirit of being a Dragon. This year, we will be honoring classes ending in three and eight. This is a family friendly event with activities for all ages, so bring your children, spouses, parents, grandparents, and friends!

This year’s Spring Alumni Reunion will also celebrate someone who has been an essential part of the Glenelg Country School community. After 40 years of above-and-beyond commitment to GCS and the surrounding community, David Weeks, global education and community service director, is retiring.

HOUSE AND LAWN

For those who know him, Weeks has spent countless hours helping Dragons grow into incredible and outstanding members of our global society with a sincere commitment to service and making our world a better place. Join us as we celebrate and thank him for all he has done! Alumni are also invited to share your favorite story or memory of Weeks or send a thank you and best wishes to a beloved educator, mentor, colleague, and friend. Submitted entries will be collected and added to a memory book that he can treasure as a memento of his time at GCS.

Register for Reunion and share your memories at glenelg.org/alumni.