Norwood Magazine - Fall 2019

Head of School

A. Gould,

A. Voeks

Making History

Norwood unveils the tremendous progress towards growing the School’s endowment, as well as the exciting plans for a new lower school building. Read about the success of the Our Children, Our Purpose campaign and the community celebration held on October 5.

Alumni Profile: Genevieve Ryan Bellaire

How do college seniors and recent graduates successfully navigate the many critical decisions that come during early adulthood? Genevieve Ryan Bellaire ’03 leads the way with her new brand and platform called realworld.

the Classroom: Out of this World!

The 2019-2020 school year launched with an exciting science theme in grades K-6: aerospace engineering. Students were immersed in building and testing a variety of planes, rockets, and rovers, while learning about the moon, planets, and our galaxy.

Day

Dear Friends,

This is an exciting time for Norwood School! Now in the fourth year of our five-year strategic plan, Our Children, Our Purpose, we have made tremendous progress toward our four goals, presented in abbreviated format here:

n Further develop and support a child-centered program of distinction;

n Establish Norwood School as a nationally recognized leader among PK-8 independent schools;

n Ensure that the School’s campus and facilities reflect the high quality of the program;

n Build and sustain a financially secure future.

The common thread woven into all four goals is this idea of preparing for and investing in the future— both the future of our School and the futures of our students. While we do not have a crystal ball, we are crystal clear on three important steps we must take to insure a strong and bright future for Norwood School and its students. First is to make sure the School is supported by a strong and healthy endowment. Second is this idea of instilling in our students the “soft skills” needed in their future careers. And third is making sure we provide flexible, creative, and

collaborative learning spaces that reflect the quality of our exceptional child-centered program.

Let’s start with endowment and how it impacts the future health of our school. For schools like Norwood, a healthy endowment is critical to providing long-term financial security, sheltering the School from short-term economic fluctuations, and preserving our ability to invest strategically for the future. Additionally, a healthy endowment makes it possible to respond to demands on our current

operating budget, to increase needbased financial aid, add innovative and distinctive curricula, and reduce the reliance on tuition. Additionally, a strong endowment invests in our most important resource—our people—by ensuring competitive salaries and benefits, an ongoing and robust professional development program, and an exciting and inspiring work environment.

Let’s now consider how we can best equip our students with the skills they will need to be successful in their future careers. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that 65 percent of today’s grade-school students will end up in jobs that do not yet exist. In addition, many of the jobs that exist today will become automated by artificial intelligence in the future. How do we prepare our students for these nonexistent jobs? How to we make sure that they aren’t preparing for jobs that will be obsolete when they begin their careers? The answer, I believe, is to teach them what are often described as “soft skills”—character traits and interpersonal skills that are essential to humanity. These skills may be di cult to measure and quantify, but they are integrated into all aspects of the Norwood School experience.

As I discussed in my remarks at this year’s back-to-school nights, I believe that the recipe for the development of these skills comes down to what

I call the four Cs and one P—critical thinking, communication, creativity, collaboration, and perseverance—all of which play a major role in Norwood’s program. Take this year’s science theme, for example, featured on page 18. This one unit on aerospace engineering brilliantly encompasses all five ingredients. Students are required to think critically and deeply as they investigate flight. They must communicate e ectively as they explain their thought process to teachers and classmates. They must call upon their creativity to come up with design plans that solve problems. Working in teams, they learn to collaborate, knowing when to speak up with their own ideas and when to defer to a classmate. Perseverance is also at work as students find solutions through failed attempts. The science theme is just one example of many that take place every day in every classroom, PK-8.

These critical soft skills are best developed when children are challenged in collaborative, innovative, and flexible learning spaces that inspire vibrant creativity, productive teamwork, and e ective communication. Earlier this fall, on Saturday, October 5, many people who are part of Norwood’s past and present gathered on campus to celebrate its future—a future that includes the realization of a longtime vision for a new lower school building that o ers exactly these kinds of modern learning spaces. You can read

about this fun community event and the exciting success of the Our Children, Our Purpose comprehensive campaign that makes the new building—and a robust boost to our endowment— possible on pages 4-15.

As we prepare for the future, we remain firmly rooted in the core educational philosophy on which our school was founded—a deep belief that children learn best when they are truly known, loved, and respected, and when they are part of a joyful learning community. Our school motto, How You Lead Your Life Matters, will continue to fuel hearts and minds, preparing our students to make positive contributions to our world.

The future is indeed bright— for Norwood School and the amazing children and teachers who fill its classrooms today and tomorrow.

Yours sincerely, Matthew A. Gould, Ph.D. Head of School

Making History...

Norwood unveils plans for a generous endowment boost and new lower school building.

Twenty years. That’s how long it has been since the Norwood community gathered to celebrate a major milestone in the School’s history. The milestone being the groundbreaking of a new middle school building, which allowed the School to add seventh and eighth grades. This fall, two decades later, the community gathered at Norwood on Saturday evening, October 5, to hear about the next big milestone in Norwood’s history. Two milestones, actually. >

Construction on the Marriot Early Childhood Building is anticipated to begin in May 2020. Rendering by cg+s architects.

Standing before a crowd of hundreds—including many of the parents who were present when the middle school building first opened, as well as a new generation of parents who could have been attending the Middle School as students at that time—Norwood’s fifth head of school, Matthew Gould, announced plans to add $10 million to the School’s endowment and to build a new lower school building for students in grades PK-2.

“What you are hearing about tonight is the result of the largest and most ambitious philanthropic e ort in Norwood’s 67-year history,” said Matthew. “Thanks to the vision and awe-inspiring generosity of many families in our school community, the quiet phase of the Our Children, Our Purpose comprehensive campaign has raised an unprecedented $13 million, allowing us to move forward with the community phase of the campaign. If our fundraising success continues on pace, we anticipate breaking ground on a new lower school building this spring.”

The 2016-2021 Strategic Plan calls for Norwood to embrace—and pioneer—best practices in di erentiated instruction, reshape its campus to support flexible and collaborative teaching, and safeguard its ability to remain committed to innovation and diversity. The campaign, with its goal of raising a total of $15 million, positions the School to meet those important strategic priorities.

“Norwood was created on a solid foundation of expertise in the early elementary grades. Today, we seek to build on that legacy by strengthening the

School’s financial future and establishing a new standard of excellence in childcentered education,” Matthew continued. “This is a tremendous time and opportunity for our school.”

Investing in the Future

{ PHASE 1 }

A strong endowment is integral to a school’s financial sustainability. According to data from the National Association of Independent Schools, a distinguishing characteristic of independent schools in the highest tier of academic excellence is a healthy endowment that is equal to or greater than the school’s operating budget. Today, Norwood’s endowment stands at approximately $12 million, while the operating budget is approximately $18.5 million. During the course of the Our Children, Our Purpose campaign, $10 million will be added to the endowment, a generous boost that will greatly strengthen Norwood’s financial future.

“A more robust endowment helps to sustain and build upon what makes this school so special,” explained Matthew.

“It makes it possible to support key priorities such as ensuring long-term financial security; sheltering the School against short-term economic fluctuations; preserving its ability to invest strategically for the future; reducing reliance on tuition; and adding innovative curricula.

“Most important,” Matthew continued, “a healthy endowment invests in our most valuable resource: our people. Our ability to inspire confident, compassionate, independent, and creative thinkers is determined by our capacity to pair committed and forward-thinking teachers with curious and enthusiastic students from a wide range of backgrounds. A healthy endowment is the best means of ensuring an exceptional faculty and a diverse student body because it allows us to protect funds for competitive salaries and benefits, a stimulating work environment, and a top-quality professional development program.”

At the October 5 celebration event, Matthew announced the game-changing Rales Family Endowment Challenge, a $5 million gift that came with the call to raise an additional $5 million in endowment

See photos from the October 5th event on

dollars. According to Director of Development Cathy Voeks, this generous and inspirational lead gift had tremendous impact during the quiet phase of the campaign. “The Rales Family Endowment Challenge has been the catalyst for further progress toward our goal of raising $10 million in endowment dollars,” said Cathy. “The family’s leadership and dedication to Norwood inspired and energized others to step in with the additional philanthropic support needed to achieve our goal.”

Building for the Future

{ PHASE 1 }

“Our spacious grounds and lovely classrooms have contributed to the quality of our lives here and have served to increase the e ectiveness of our program…but the job is not yet finished. There is still, and perhaps there always will be, much to be done.”

These were the words of Norwood’s founder, Frances Marsh, written in 1972 just months after the School had moved to its permanent home at 8821 River Road. Since that time, four buildings have been added as the program grew from 137 students in 1972 to over 500 students in the early 2000s: the Marsh Building in 1975, housing the Marsh Gym and additional classrooms; the Murray Arts Building in 1982; and the Ewing Building in 1990 to connect the Steuart and Marsh buildings. The middle school building opened in 1999.

Continues on page 8...

Campaign Priorities

The Our Children, Our Purpose campaign will strengthen Norwood’s position as a preeminent, innovative, and best-in-class PK-8 school by:

n Significantly increasing our endowment

n Adding a new lower school building with innovative child-centered learning spaces

n Continuing our commitment to annual giving, The Norwood Fund

Achievements to Date

The Norwood community has made great progress towards the goals of the Our Children, Our Purpose campaign. Highlights include:

n $13 million raised in gifts and pledges toward campaign goals

n $4 million raised in gifts and pledges to meet The Rales Family Endowment Challenge

n Generous contributions from all constituencies: alumni, past and current parents, past and current faculty/staff, and friends n Design work completed on the new Marriott Early Childhood Building

“The Norwood community has a nearly seven-decade history of rallying and supporting the School when it was ready for a new capital project, and today, 20 years later, is no di erent,” Matthew said. “Aside from the simple fact that we have outgrown our current space, our lower school learning spaces no longer best serve the child-centered and di erentiated teaching and learning happening in our classrooms. We are thrilled to announce design and construction plans for an exciting new 21,000-square-foot building for grades PK-2.”

The design of the new lower school building will result in four transformative outcomes:

n Flexible, child-centered classrooms best equipped to provide di erentiated instruction;

n Enhanced team-teaching opportunities in the early elementary grades;

n Increased curriculum and scheduling flexibility and e ciency;

n Community spaces that inspire creative interaction, exploration, and small group learning.

“Norwood is known for its expertise in early childhood education. It’s time that our learning spaces reflect the childcentered, di erentiated, and flexible teaching and learning happening at Norwood today. Thanks to a generous lead gift of $3 million from The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation,

the School is able to put together the financing and a long-term financial plan to make these new learning spaces a reality. In recognition of this extraordinary gift, the new building will be named the Marriott Early Childhood Building,” Matthew announced.

For the past 18 months, architects cox graee + spack (cg+s) have been working closely with teachers and administrators to design a new building with both big and small learning areas, flexible spaces to meet Norwood’s varied teaching methods, an art gallery to display the tremendous breadth of artwork created by Norwood’s youngest students, two expansive commons areas, a beautiful and spacious outdoor courtyard, and classroom layouts that allow teachers and students to reach their full teaching and learning potential.

The Marriott Early Childhood Building will also house a new library that will enable students to explore information in all formats while o ering spaces for quiet reflection and collaborative projects.

Mike Risen, head of lower school, added, “The creation of a new lower school building is a phenomenal opportunity to reimagine an early learning community where the design, the classrooms, the community spaces, and the furnishings fully support and honor our child-centered teaching pedagogy. It’s truly exciting— and an amazing gift from generations of Norwood families who wholeheartedly believe in our mission.”

-mike risen, head of lower school

Renovation of Existing Spaces

{ PHASE 2 }

With the intended opening of the Marriott Early Childhood Building in September of 2021, many Steuart Building classrooms, previously used by grades PK-2, will be vacant. Phase two of the campaign, which will require additional fundraising beyond the current $15 million goal for phase one, involves renovating the current lower school library into classroom space and moving third and fourth grades into the Steuart and Ewing Buildings.

This shift allows fifth and sixth grades to move into the Marsh Building, providing the following benefits and improvements for grades 5-8:

n Much-needed additional classrooms for the middle school program.

n More classrooms dedicated to math and world languages classes that currently share with other subjects, allowing classroom setups and displays to better reflect the content and skills of each subject area.

n Larger music classrooms with improved instrument storage for band and strings.

n Larger gathering space for middle school lunch and middle school chapel.

n Reconfigured middle school entry and o ce space, which will create a smoother and more welcoming transition into school for students, parents, and visitors— while maintaining safety and security.

“Thecreationofa newlower schoolbuildingisaphenomenalopportunity to reimagine an early learning community where the design, the classrooms, the community spaces, and the furnishings fully support and honor our child-centered teaching pedagogy.”

Campaign Donors

Thank you to all of the donors that have given to the Our Children, Our Purpose campaign!

Gary & Pennie Abramson

Charitable Foundation

Elizabeth & Bill Adams ’79

Lee Ann Anderson

Karen & Alvaro Anillo

Anonymous (4)

Debra & Ted Barrett ’73

Ryan Basen

Marlynn & Cheryl Bauch

Heidi & Steve Bauer

Diane & Mark Berman

Laini Bettencourt

Irene Pantelis & Andre Bhatia

Rachelle & Earle Bowman

Leslie Hale-Braxton & Odis Braxton

Robert & Lenore Briskman

Chris Bruno

Corey & Beanie Burr ’73

Joel & Wendy Buzy ’83

Sarah Cali

Lily & Gregory Camet

Naomi & Clarke Camper

Houri Tamizifar & Augusto Cangahuala

Kelly Carr

M & I Carswell Foundation

Cathy & Michael Caruso

Joelle Chall

Anindita & Nafees Chowdhury

Audrey Ellis & Adam Chud

Michele Claeys & Hugh McGuinness

Maureen Coleman

Susan Baker & Adam Cooper

Laura & Daniel Cotter

Heys & David Crist

John Currie ’86

Stephen Czarkowski

Moyna & Mike Daley

Melissa Silverman & Jim Denaro

Andrea & Alex Diaz

Dana Egan

Manisha & David Eigner

Anne & Cli Elmore

Hannah Epstein

Rachael Feola

Peace Ferreby

Michelle & Sean Fling

Carole Freret

Dana Gaither

Sara Gallagher

Susan Lee & Bowen Garrett

Sandra Gichner ’78

Chris Giles

Kenneth Giles

Leanne & Doug Gill

Hillary Davidson & Jordan Goldstein

Cathy & David Goldwyn

Charlotte Hartley & Matthew Gould

Amy & Dan Graham

Barbara & Stephen Greennagel

Alisha & Sean Gri ey

Marianne & Fab Guillaume

Bernice Gully

Mukti & Naveen Gupta

Maryanne Lavan & Larry Harris

Mike Haynes

Daniel & Jane Heath ’67

Stephanie & Howard Heiss

Jennifer & Brian Hemann

Julie Hudson & Steve Holden

Eileen & Craig Hollander

John & Margie Holt

George Frederick Jewett

Foundation East

Matt & Lee Anne Jillings ’78

Lan Jin & Ben Johns

Heather Johnson

Mary Kwak & Simon Johnson

Susanna Jones & Robert Beguelin

Agueda Villarreal & Shyam Kambeyanda

Leana & Marc Katz

Sandy & Scott Katzman

Ann & Andrew Kay

Sharon & Vince Keegan

Feraidoun & Mary Anne Ketabchi

Sarah Whitesell & Wan Kim

David & Crystal Kirk

Martha Dippell & Danny Korengold

Jen & Eugene Krichevsky

Lisa Finneran & Serge Learsy

Nikki & David Ledbetter

Sarah & Bruce Lee

Kenora & San Lim

Jenny & Ryan Lipford

Claudia & Kelson Logan

Robin & Jeremy London

Maria & Steve Lostoski

Theresa & Dan Luchsinger

Jenn & Mike Lustbader

Sharon Kedar & Greg Maged

Kirby Mahoney

Stacey & Andy Malmgren

Ty any & Botio Mandov

Naomi & Matt Manzella

The J. Willard & Alice S.

Marriott Foundation

Maralyn & Robert Marsteller

Emily Marsteller ’09

Wiley Marsteller ’07

Jane & Chris Martens

Mable Sun & Alan Martin

Vicky Masson

Annette Matzner

DeeDee Fisher & Matt McBrady

Janet & Mike McCormick

Derek & Cathy McCoy

Jack McCune

Janet & Randy McDermott

Caroline McDowell

Jose Melendez

Karen Mendelson ’05 & Joshua Mendelson ’05

Meredith & Robby Miller

Grayden Mitchell ’19

Nicole & David Mitchell Christine Evans & Andy Morgan

Ronald & Cappie Morgan

Sally Morsy

Mimi & George Mulligan Virginia & Ed Murphy Lulito & Jon Newsome

Emily & Joss Nichols Max Nolin

Jennifer & Dennis O’Leary Callie Otness

The Owen Family Foundation, Inc.

Debbie Pakaluk

Shelly Lofino & Giancarlo Pala Beth & Bryan Palma

Mike & Vicky Parker

Quiana Piggee

Ashley & Antonio Piraino

Tara & Craig Primis Ellen & René Pulupa

Paran Quigley ’96

Jaleh & Homayoon Rahbari

Mitchell P. Rales Family Foundation

Rocio Sanchez & Juan Ramirez

Meredith Reese

Tara Reilly & Je Levin

Gwen & Del Renigar

Meg & Mike Risen

Bianca Rolon

Roy & Ellen Rosenthal

Marlene & Jay Roudebush

Stephen Rowley

Iris & Mike Rubin

Cathy & Tom Russo

Lynda Saelens

Jana & Seth Safra

Lara & Geo Salyer

Karen & Wayne Saxe

Erica & Jay Sayko

Robert I. Schattner Foundation, Inc.

Frazier & Bruce Schulman

Elinor Scully

Imalka Senadhira

Annie Carey & Jonathan Sherman

Jen & Phil Sides

Rachel Siegel

Maureen & Bob Sievers

Jeanne Simons

Holly Simpson

Kate Latimer & Rick Slaten

Stan Smith

Eneida & Jorge Somarriba

Alison & Tucker Sowers

April & Josh Spencer

Chrissy & Je Spigel

Sue Gail Spring

Esther Stanton

Lisa Stark

Steuart Investment Company

Kathryn Sutton

T. Rowe Price Foundation, Inc.

Aafia & Ali Talib

Thenthia & Binod Taterway

Silvia & Abraham Taylor

Kim Pham & H.T. Than

Sue Tischler

Agni & Anthony Trambley

Patrick & Betsy Turley ’71

Liz Marlantes & Nate Tyrrell

Billy & Iris Vargas

Cheng Hoon Lim & Kenneth Vaughan

Cathy & Wynn Voeks

Leslie & Joe Wallace

Craig & Nicki Wangness

Chris & Robert Ward

The Steven L. & Jane G. Weiman Family

Mitch Weisbrot

Barbara Bowie Wiesel ’57 & Sam Wiesel

Victoria Wilbur

Ryann Williams Berry

Fielding & Robb Winters

Sangwon Jeon & John Woo

Terri & Ken Woodard

Travis Wooden

Chatice & Sean Yarborough

Brittany & Aaron Young

Shirley Chang & Steve Zhang

No matter the generation, families look back at Norwood as a nurturing and loving school home for their children, as a place where they grew up and were exceptionally well prepared for high school, college, and beyond. Thanks to the generosity and care of so many families, Norwood will continue to deliver on its commitment to provide an innovative, dynamic, child-centered education at the very highest level.

The success of the Our Children, Our Purpose campaign is testament to people’s love for Norwood.

Celebrating Norwood...

The Norwood community gathered on Saturday, October 5, to celebrate the successful completion of the quiet phase of the Our Children, Our Purpose comprehensive campaign. At the event, Matthew Gould unveiled plans to make our great school even greater by significantly growing our endowment, adding a new lower school building, and continuing our commitment to The Norwood Fund.

Learn more!

To learn more about the Our Children, Our Purpose comprehensive campaign, including information on the new Marriott Early Childhood Building, visit the Norwood website or contact Cathy Voeks, director of development, at cvoeks@norwoodschool.org or 301-841-2203.

“Thanks to the vision and awe-inspiring generosity of many families in our school community, the quiet phase of the Our Children, Our Purpose comprehensive campaign has raised an unprecedented $13 million.” -matthew gould

Why we’re “all in” for Norwood...

THE SIEVERS P’97: A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO SUPPORT THE SCHOOL THEY LOVE

Maureen and Bob Sievers’ relationship with Norwood can be divided into three distinct and equally rewarding phases.

The first phase started more than 25 years ago when their daughter, Jennifer, came to Norwood as a fourth grader. They were immediately taken by the joyful learning environment where children were at the center of everything. “Norwood provided the environment that allowed our daughter to grow, to learn to give of herself, to be compassionate, and to learn that making mistakes is acceptable,” shared Maureen. “The amazing, strong, giving, independent woman she is today is, in part, due to her years as a student at Norwood.”

Phase two started in 1997, when Jennifer graduated from sixth grade

and moved on to Stone Ridge. Maureen, who has a background in elementary education, applied for a teaching position at Norwood, a decision that shaped the next 17 years. Maureen taught kindergarten for one year, and then went on to teach first grade until her retirement in 2014. It was during this time that Bob found his second act at Norwood: establishing and running the first-grade Father’s Day woodworking project. For 16 years, “Bob the Builder,” as the children called him, guided hundreds of first graders and their dads or special guests as they built and then decorated lighthouses, birdhouses, and windmills.

The third phase of the Sievers’ relationship with Norwood came as

a bit of a surprise. After the 2017 death of his dear friend and former employer, Dr. Robert I. Schattner, a dentist turned inventor who created Chloraseptic and the medical disinfectant Sporicidin, Bob was named the director of the Robert I. Schattner Foundation, which was founded by Dr. Schattner in 1992. In this new role, Bob is one of the people responsible for managing Dr. Schattner’s long-running philanthropic program and has designated Norwood School as the recipient of a generous contribution towards the new lower school building. “We feel incredibly blessed to have this tremendous responsibility and opportunity to continue Dr. Schattner’s philanthropic work,” said Maureen. “He was committed to making a positive impact on people’s lives in di erent ways.”

Independent from the Foundation, Maureen and Bob have personally made two exceptional contributions to the campaign: one earmarked for the new building and the other to establish the Maureen and Robert Sievers Endowment to Support Testing and Tutoring. The endowment will provide financial assistance for lower school students receiving financial aid when tutoring and other learning support services are recommended by the School. “Over my long tenure as a teacher, I recognized the achievement gap when students who would have benefited from outside support services couldn’t take advantage of them due to the financial burden it would have placed on their families,” Maureen said. “Making tutoring and assessments more

a ordable for families feels good, and by establishing the endowment, this opportunity will last in perpetuity for generations and generations of Norwood students to come. That’s pretty neat!”

Maureen also recalls the space limitations during her many years as a teacher in the Lower School. “I remember how challenging it was to do important timed, individual assessments in the hallway outside my classroom as older students passed by on their way to music, art, or language classes. I also remember how desperately we needed space for small pull-out groups in math and reading. So when Bob and I learned about the campaign, we knew—without a doubt—that we wanted to support the new lower school building.”

Norwood is immensely grateful to Maureen and Bob for their continued dedication to the mission of the School—to be “all in” for Norwood, enriching the experience for the teachers and children of today and tomorrow.

DO YOU WANT TO BE #ALLINFORNORWOOD?

For more information, please call Cathy Voeks at 301.841.2203.

“Norwood provided the environment that allowed our daughter to grow, to learn to give of herself, to be compassionate, and to learn that making mistakes is acceptable.”

Maureen and Bob Sievers P’97.

Getting Real with Genevieve Ryan Bellaire ’03

FOUNDER OF:

After graduating from Norwood in 2003, Genevieve Ryan Bellaire continued her education at Georgetown Visitation, Princeton University, and Georgetown University. With an academic resume like that, one would think she would be ready to conquer the world. She was—and she wasn’t. While she felt prepared to tackle the challenges of her first real job, she stumbled when it came to real life responsibilities like budgeting, bank accounts, leases, insurance, retirement savings, and taxes. Interestingly, it was Genevieve’s lack of preparation that led to a career pivot and the creation of realworld, an online program that provides tools, resources, and a comprehensive course to prepare college seniors and recent graduates for life after school.

What advice do you have for future entrepreneurs?

In what ways did Norwood prepare you to be high school ready?

I failed at entering the “real world.” I was 26 when I graduated from a JD/MBA program at Georgetown University and realized when I stepped in the door of my first employer that I had no idea what I was doing. There was paperwork to fill out, accounts to set up, and decisions to make, but unlike most major life moments, there was no orientation for the real world.

I’m the oldest child in my family, so I didn’t have someone giving me the “play-by-play” for becoming a grownup, and I made all sorts of avoidable mistakes around my finances, health care, and living situation. Besides asking my parents and friends what to do, I looked for a platform that had trustworthy and relatable information about how to navigate this life moment, and I found there really wasn’t anything out there. Realworld is just that—a one-stop shop for navigating the real world. We’re on a mission to simplify adulthood and to help young people make smarter real world decisions when they are starting out.

Feedback so far?

It’s been terrific! We’re really lucky to work with colleges across the country to help teach these skills to students. We’ve grown rapidly over the last year, and we’re excited to reach even more students across the nation.

Greatest challenge so far?

Deciding how to focus our time. The real world is so complex, and there’s so much we can help with, so we have to be very purposeful with which subject areas we cover and how we decide to best bring that information to our users.

Solve a problem that you actually care deeply about. Starting a business is challenging, and ultimately what will keep you going during the ups and down is your drive to fix a real problem out there. Your solution might change 100 times, but as long as you have a clear understanding of the problem you’re chasing and a vision of how the future would be di erent if you solved it, challenges won’t seem quite as insurmountable.

If you were teaching a life skills class at Norwood, what would you focus on?

I would start with the basics of personal finance. Finances are at the foundation of so many real world decisions. Having a solid understanding of things like credit, budgeting, and debt will help you make smarter, more informed choices when starting out in life.

How can Norwood help its students be real world ready?

Teach them these life skills! Even a high-level overview of topics like budgeting, health care, taxes, and insurance at a young age will help make these concepts less “scary” in the long term and prompt students to recognize the need to become informed about these topics as they grow older.

Favorite Norwood memories?

The traditions and the people. I loved being part of school plays, the Christmas pageant, and Spirit Days. I’m still very close with my Norwood friends—nearly a dozen of them attended my wedding last May! We all still make a point to get together whenever we can. How many other friends from elementary and middle school can say that?!

Norwood gave me deep confidence in myself, and a mindset that valued creativity and authenticity. In high school, there is so much pressure to act like everyone else, and I think that training made me feel very comfortable being myself. I also felt very ready to take on some tough classes!

What can we find you doing when you’re not working?

I love spending time with my family and friends and exploring New York. Whether it’s a picnic in Central Park, riding bikes along the West Side Highway, trying out a new restaurant, or cruising around the amazing neighborhoods, it’s a one-of-a-kind place!

Time management

Goal setting

Study skills

Using a planner

School-life balance

Interviewing skills

Healthy eating

Personal safety

Importance of sleep & relaxation

What was the catalyst for creating realworld?

Norwood’s life skills curriculum covers these “real life” topics, along with many others...

2019 SCIENCE THEME

Out of this world!

In honor of Apollo 11’s fi ftieth anniversary, this year’s science theme was all about aerospace engineering. During the fi rst month of school, students in grades K-6 were immersed in designing, building, and testing a variety of planes, rockets, and rovers, while learning about the moon, the planets, and our galaxy. Here, Norwood’s superstar K-6 science team—Claudia Logan, Meredith Reese, Karen Saxe, and Chris Ward—share some of the exciting explorations that took place on Planet Norwood. >

In the Classroom

Why aerospace engineering? With 2019 being the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11’s trip to the Moon, we thought it would be a “blast” for students to study space and do some problem-solving, designing, and building around air and space vehicles.

Activities in each grade included:

GRADES K & 1

Studied moon phases, comets and meteors; built Mars rovers and straw rockets.

GRADES 2 & 3

Designed and built hot air balloons, airplanes, astronaut landers, and Mars rovers.

GRADES 4 & 5

Tested telescopes and spectroscopes; built and launched stomp rockets.

GRADE 6

Built and programmed model Mars rovers using Lego Mindstorms NXT kits; worked in teams to complete rover challenges such as driving on uneven terrain and retrieving rock samples.

DESIGN THINKING

Every year, science teachers at Norwood redesign existing curricula, adding new projects and thinking routines. This year, the team is adding the principles of design thinking: a mindset shift that incorporates the idea of designing with empathy and using creative and critical thinking to understand the human need behind the challenge or problem. Science teachers will be working with fourth graders on design thinking in the coming months, and they look forward to expanding this approach to other grades in the near future!

What’s next for these engineers and scientists?

“This year’s science theme openeda whole new universe of curricular explorations for students—from designing astronaut landers in the younger grades to programming model rovers to complete different space missions in the older grades. Everyone had a blast and learned a great deal about this exciting field.”

- Chris Ward, Lower School Science Teacher

Campus News

Creating a Roadmap

CONNECTING OUR YOUNGEST AND OLDEST STUDENTS

One of the pride points of the Norwood School experience is the genuine connections that form between younger and older students. Take the beloved Buddy Program, for example, where incredible, lasting friendships develop between students of di erent ages. Another example of these special cross-age connections is a unique and creative project that was driven by the Class of 2019 when the new pre-kindergarten playground opened in the fall of 2017.

A hard-surface section of the new playground is dedicated to a favorite pre-K activity: tricycle riding. But a large area of cement, a fleet of tricycles, and a group of enthusiastic four-year-olds can sometimes mean mayhem. To bring some order and additional fun to trike time, science teacher and advisor Annette Matzner and students from the Class of 2019, seventh graders at the time, came up with the idea to paint a town and winding road on the cement surface. “At times the pre-K kids would come and watch us paint and give us suggestions,” recalled Annette. “When we were painting a parking lot, one of the pre-K girls asked us to include a handicapped parking spot, so some of the seventh graders researched the symbol and made sure to incorporate it into the design.”

Today, two years later, the pre-K town and roadway remain a popular destination. Each day at recess, students race to the tricycle shed to grab their helmets and

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THANK YOU!

Thanks to this wonderful gift from the Class of 2019, our pre-kindergarten students are clearly starting their Norwood journeys in the fast lane!

trikes so they can maneuver the winding road, passing the local bank, o ce towers, post o ce, gas station, hospital, school, library— everything you need for a strong and vibrant community.

Celebrating Milestone Years at Norwood!

We are so appreciative of the talent and dedication of these outstanding educators and sta members who in 2019 reached milestones in their years of service to Norwood School. The following faculty and sta members were celebrated at Founder’s Day Chapel on May 17, 2019, with a special gift and enthusiastic applause.

5 Years

Chris Bruno

Webmaster

Lynette Conrad

Middle School Security and Sub Coordinator

Sara Gallagher

Lower School Learning Specialist

Matthew Gould Head of School

Janet McDermott

Assistant Director of Admission

Emily Nichols

Middle School Drama Teacher

Cathy Voeks Director of Development

15 Years

Sandra Gichner

Latin Teacher and Alumni Associate

15 Years continued...

Sarah Lee

Kindergarten Homeroom Teacher

Wilfredo Morataya Grounds and Maintenance Assistant

Susan O’Connell

Middle School English Teacher and Advisor

Mike Parker

Director of Facilities and Security

25 Years Eneida Somarriba Middle School Art Teacher

30 Years

Maria Lostoski Lower School Music Teacher

Pre-kindergarten teacher Rachel Siegel cruises through town—with a few passengers—along the roadway painted by the Class of 2019 on the pre-K playground. (Photo by: Stephanie Bragg)

2 Eneida Somarriba poses for a photo with Matthew Gould to celebrate her 25 years of service to Norwood. 3 Wow! Maria Lostoski is honored for her 30 years of service to Norwood. 4 The varsity baseball team had a great season and were runners-up in the tournament, losing an exciting game to Woods in the championship game. 5 The varsity boys lacrosse team enjoyed a successful season and played their best lacrosse in the tournament beating two teams that they lost to in the regular season. They knocked off McLean in the semifinals and beat Woods in the championship.

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Henderson and Hudnut Grants

A commitment to lifelong learning is just one of the hallmarks of an exceptional Norwood faculty. For nearly 40 years, two important endowment funds—the Welles and Lucia Henderson Fund and the Thomas Hudnut Fund—have provided support for exciting, rejuvenating, and inspiring faculty learning experiences outside the School’s normal professional development program. Congratulations to this year’s Henderson and Hudnut recipients, who used their grants to visit exciting places around the globe to deepen knowledge or simply to restore, renew, and gain inspiration.

2019 Henderson Grants

The Welles and Lucia Henderson Fund was established in the early 1980s to support proposals that will have a broad impact on student learning by enhancing and enriching existing curricula or initiating new curricular programs.

Moyna Daley, Lower School Strings Coordinator

Travel to Vipiteno, Italy, to attend the Orfeo Music Festival: “This trip meant a lot to me because it gave me the opportunity to travel to

1 Ty any Mandov used her Henderson Grant to visit four of the big five Utah national parks. 2 Aafia Talib traveled to Morocco on a Henderson Grant to explore its diverse cultures. 3 Emily Nichols enjoyed a fun and relaxing trip to South Carolina with her Hudnut Grant.

the northern part of Italy where it is the most beautiful because of the natural landscape of the Alps. To be able to immerse myself in classical music in that venue was both educational and restorative. Thanks so much, Norwood!”

Chris Giles, Physical Education Teacher

Travel to Queensland, Australia, to observe model physical education programs: “I learned about the philosophy, curriculum, and teaching techniques that PK-8 private schools in Australia focus on for physical education. I was happy to see that Norwood shares many of the same philosophies and techniques as schools down under. And I must say, a hug from a koala bear is so much better than you could ever imagine!”

about the traditional and modern lifestyles of the Navajo people of Monument Valley. I will use what I learned and photographed to enrich the third grade study of some of the many American Indian nations.

Aafia Talib, Middle School English Teacher Travel to Morocco to understand the influence of Muslim civilizations and to learn about the diversity of cultures: “I was able to explore the impact and influence of the diversity of cultures that have made their mark—especially though literature and the arts—in Morocco. I am excited to bring firsthand experiences and interactions back to my classroom to deepen my students’ understanding of many of the characters in the novels we read.”

2019 Hudnut Grants

did I enjoy being exposed to other cultures, I loved having the chance to learn about the history of an area I can trace my ancestry to and being able to see absolutely jaw-dropping natural wonders—the Cli of Moher and the Isle of Sta a!”

Lan Jin, Middle School

Mandarin Teacher

Costa Rica: “I greatly enjoyed the tropical beach and mountains, the diversity of climates, experiencing the rainforest, and exploring the tropical plantations and animals. I also enjoyed some interesting educational tours at cocoa, co ee, and sugar factories. The trip really helped me relax, unwind, and rejuvenate my thinking and spirit.”

Emily Nichols, Middle School

Drama

Teacher

Ty

any Mandov, Lower School Reading Specialist

Travel to Utah to explore the cultures of the Navajo, Shoshone, and Ute:

“My RV trip took me through four of the big five Utah national parks, where I marveled at the diverse landscapes of Arches, Zio, Bryce, and Capitol Reef. I learned

The Thomas Hudnut Fund, also established in the early 1980s, supports faculty enrichment and renewal above and beyond normal professional development activities.

Claudia Logan, Science Teacher

Ireland and Scotland: “This was my first trip outside of the U.S. Not only

South Carolina: “My Hudnut grant sent me and my family on a relaxing week-long vacation to Kiawah Island, South Carolina. We explored Charleston, took lots of fun bike rides, and mostly relaxed on the beach together. It was wonderful. Thank you, Norwood School!”

View more photos: norwoodschool.smugmug.com/May-2019

Watch the show: vimeo.com/norwoodschool

2019 Spring Musical: The Little Mermaid, Jr.

On May 3 and 4, audiences at this year’s spring musical were immersed in a magical underwater kingdom where the beautiful young mermaid princess, Ariel, longs to leave her home—and her fins—to live in the world above, much to her father King Triton’s dismay. Adapted from Disney’s Broadway production and the motion picture, and based on one of Hans Christian Andersen’s most beloved stories, this dazzling and colorful production of The Little Mermaid, Jr. was an enchanting look at the sacrifices we all make for love and acceptance.

Certainly two stars of this humorous and touching show were the set design and lighting. The expansive stage, constructed in Marsh Gym, shimmered with tropical coral and seashells against a backdrop depicting a golden underwater castle. Different colored lighting effectively created a variety of environments—from a cheerful tropical sea to a dark and eerie sea cavern. The amazing costumes, too, added sensational splashes of color and sparkle.

As Ariel faced her challenges, audience members were introduced to a delightful cast, including a trio of sea-creature friends, Flounder, Scuttle, and Sebastian; the dashing Prince Eric; Chef Louis with his penchant for cooking seafood dishes; and fantastic ensembles of “mersisters,” sailors, and sea gulls. On the less friendly side were the wonderfully evil sea witch, Ursula, and a pair of slimy eels, Flotsam and Jetsam, who slinked around the stage to assist Ursula with her evil plot.

Norwood’s middle school drama teacher, the very talented Emily Nichols, successfully steered the production through two months of preparation and rehearsals. She was supported by six highly capable crewmembers: Craig Hollander (assistant director), Max Nolin (music director); Marie Darling (set design), Kirby Mahoney (lighting), Claudia Logan (costumes), and Chris Bruno (sound). The actors’ singing and dancing were truly impressive, especially in show-stopping numbers like “Part of Your World,” “Under the Sea,” and “Kiss the Girl.”

“The production was an incredible experience for the entire cast and crew,” said Emily. “It was a lot of hard work and it all came together beautifully. I am so proud of the students and grateful to the team of talented adults who supported me. I’d go back ‘under the sea’ with them anytime!”

COMING UP NEXT: THE RELUCTANT DRAGON (Nov. 22 & 23, 2019)

Runners and Walkers Cross the Finish Line in Support of Horizons!

The fifth annual Horizons 5K & Fun Run was held at Norwood on Sunday, October 20, 2019. Nearly 120 runners and walkers of all ages gathered to support Horizons Greater Washington, a transformative educational enrichment program that is committed to giving low-income public school students the skills and support they need to succeed. In total, the event raised $27,000 for Horizons.

Norwood has been a liated with Horizons Greater Washington since 2010 when it became a host school in partnership with Rock Creek Forest Elementary School. Currently, the Horizons at Norwood program serves more than 100 students in grades 1-9 with a curriculum that emphasizes hands-on, experiential learning in reading, language arts,

math, science, and art. Horizons students enjoy field trips around the region, and unique to Horizons, every student learns to swim.

Horizons National began in 1964 and now runs a network of more than 50 sites in 17 states and the District of Columbia. Nationwide, 97% of Horizons graduates complete high school, and 91% enter post-secondary education, compared to 49% of low-income high school graduates as a whole.

Norwood Welcomes Four New Trustees

Norwood is fortunate to have an outstanding board of trustees that works tirelessly to support the School’s educational program and mission. This year, the board is pleased to welcome four new trustees, each of whom brings valuable expertise, knowledge, and a love for Norwood School: Je Carswell, Beth Palma, Nisreen Schneider, and John Woo.

Jeff Carswell is a partner with Capital Markets of The Shidler Group focused on the financing of new acquisitions and the development of joint venture relationships with capital and operational partners. Previously, for five years, Je was a principal with Alliance Partners HSP, an o ce and industrial acquisition platform where he served as chief investment o cer and led the acquisition and financing of o ce and industrial assets valued at $750 million. Prior to his tenure with Alliance Partners HSP, Je was the founder and CEO of Oak River Capital LLC, a boutique investment-banking firm. He began his career working in the healthcare industry for a regional behavioral healthcare provider based in Washington, D.C. As COO, Je was responsible for the company’s entire scope of operations, managing a workforce of 300 employees and a base of operations spanning three states. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology

from Villanova University. Je ’s daughter, McKenna, is a sixth grader at Norwood.

Beth Palma serves on the board of trustees in her role as the current president of the Norwood Parents Association. Beth has been a leadership volunteer at Norwood for the past five years. She co-chaired the Norwood Auction in 2016, served as a class captain for The Norwood Fund

IN APPRECIATION

We are deeply grateful to the following departing trustees for their exceptional service, countless contributions, and unwavering dedication to Norwood.

THANK YOU!

Thank you to everyone who ran, walked, and cheered in support of Horizons!

Cli Elmore

Jamie Groban (PA President, 2018-19) Cheng Hoon Lim

Norwood’s New Trustees: (top left, clockwise) Je Carswell, Nisreen Schneider, John Woo, and Beth Palma.

and a grade-level representative in 2014-2015, and was one of the PA’s two vice presidents for volunteers in 2016-2017, while also participating on the PA’s Welcome Committee. Last year, she served as president-elect of the Parents Association. Beth graduated from the University of Richmond with a bachelor’s degree in English and education, and she also has a master’s degree in language and composition from the University of Massachusetts. She taught secondary English for ten years prior to having her children and beginning her career in volunteerism at her children’s schools and serving on the boards of several non-profits. Beth and her husband, Bryan, are the parents of Lucy ’19, Ben ’22, and Charlie ’22.

Nisreen Schneider has been with the IMF since July 2001. Currently, she serves as an advisor for IMF Digital Transformation. Previously, she was chief of internal communications and deputy chief of public a airs, responsible for building relationships with civil society, parliamentarians, labor unions, and think tanks, as well as overseeing the IMF’s corporate social responsibility program (IMF Giving Together). She also worked as an economist in the Middle East region and in Africa. Her role included systematically evaluating economic developments and policies, formulating and assessing structural reforms, and maintaining contacts with Fund counterparts, external donors, and other organizations. She has a strong understanding of IMF policies and policymaking and a diverse experience and analytical skills in cross-country issues. Prior to her work at the IMF, Nisreen taught economics at the University of Durham. She also worked as an

economist at the Central Bank of Jordan. Nisreen’s son, Aidan, is a fourth grader at Norwood.

John Woo is founder and medical director of Advanced Retina Center, a medical practice specializing in treating patients with retinal conditions. Prior to private practice, John taught residents and medical students through lectures, in medical clinics, and in the operating room. He was associate professor of ophthalmology of New York Medical College and assistant director of residency program at St. Vincent’s Hospital of Manhattan. He also served on the Residency Selection Committee. John has served on the board of directors of the Medical Society of Northern Virginia. He earned a B.A. from Johns Hopkins University and an M.D. from the University of Maryland Medical School. John completed residency training at St. Vincent’s Hospital of Manhattan and New York Medical College, serving as chief resident his last year, and a fellowship in retinal diseases and surgery at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Harvard Medical School. John and his wife, Sangwon Jeon, are the parents of Lucas ’25.

Introducing Ryann Williams Berry

NORWOOD’S NEW DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION

When Mike Risen, former director of curriculum and instruction, was named head of lower school last winter, Matthew Gould immediately commenced a national search for someone to lead curriculum development and planning, assessment, scheduling, and faculty

professional development. While Mike capably juggled two positions for a year, he was thrilled to pass the curriculum and instruction baton to the very talented Ryann Williams Berry, who arrived at Norwood on July 15, 2019.

Ryann joins us from National Cathedral School (NCS), where she worked in a variety of roles for over a decade. She was a homeroom and English teacher in both fifth and sixth grades, and served on a number of committees, including those for curriculum development, honor code review, spiritual life, the Center for Ethical Leadership and Service, community culture, strategic planning and academic risk-taking. In addition, she mentored new teachers and served as a faculty representative to the governing board for two years. Ryann was also the assistant director of admissions to the lower school, supporting the admission team with tours, event planning, and prospective student applicant files. Prior to her work at NCS, Ryann was a ninth and tenth grade English teacher at St. John’s College High School for five years. While at St. John’s, she oversaw the school’s Middle States Association Accreditation for Growth planning process. Ryann has also been a writing instructor at Montgomery College. She holds a B.S. in speech communication from Syracuse University, an M.A. in public communication from American University, and an M.S.Ed. in school leadership from the University of Pennsylvania.

“During my visits and many conversations with members of the community, it was clear that Norwood values every student, believes strongly in the importance

of academic risk-taking as well as joyful and deep learning,” says Ryann. “As an educator for the past 17 years, these guideposts have been the underpinning of my work with students.”

Ryann is excited to engage in all aspects of school life—from the classroom to the stage to the athletic fields, and she welcomes visitors to her o ce located just inside the Middle School O ce. In fact, during the summer, she held two open houses for faculty as opportunities to connect names to faces and begin conversations about goals for the school year ahead.

“The Norwood community’s care for one another and commitment to educating the whole child are palpable,” she continues. “I look forward to learning from the talented and dedicated faculty while supporting their daily work rooted in the School’s mission. I feel so fortunate to be at Norwood!”

1 A group of Norwood sixth graders formed the largest team in this year’s Horizons 5K on October 20. 2 Ryann Williams Berry, Norwood’s new director of curriculum and instruction (photo by Jim Healey/Peapod Design).

View more Class Day photos at: norwoodschool.smugmug.com/June-2019

Watch the event: vimeo.com/norwoodschool

Class Day Remarks: Leaving Norwood...

GIBRIL COLLEY

How you lead your life really does matter, and Norwood does an outstanding job of giving us a head start to the right path.  Here are some things that come to mind when contemplating this motto:

Listen. If you want to ever be a leader, you need to be willing to consider other people’s ideas (and plus you may learn a thing or two from someone else).

Try something new. There is a whole world out there for you to seek out and venture. And it is okay if you are nervous; this simply means you are stepping out of your comfort zone.

Have and show gratitude. Gratitude should be practiced every day. We all need to show appreciation for one another.

Be different. Don’t worry about what “they” are doing. Everyone is unique in their own way and should take pride in displaying that.

ELENA FORLINI

Norwood’s teachers and staff have challenged us to always do our best, but do so with a supportive nature. Whether it was the long road to writing our research paper or following the careful steps of the Sludge Project, our instructors were always there to help us along the way. They have taught us not only to be well prepared and enthusiastic students, but also to allow ourselves to grow and embrace our growth. This is why Norwood is truly special; they strive for us to succeed not just here and not just in high school but for the rest of our lives.

Norwood has also instilled the lessons that are taught each and every month. At the time, it may seem as if each value of the month is just a chapel presentation. However, when you step back from it, you are able to see how these short lessons and values each month create a whole, moral, and just citizen who is ready to go into the world. Along with all of the individual skills, each value is unable to be taught without the other skills. For example, respect is necessary when being compassionate. Since Norwood has provided me with these values and, over time, the skill of being able to tie them together, Norwood’s motto of How You Lead Your Life Matters is truly one of the most important lessons that I will be taking to high school and beyond.

ZACHARY JAGER

Class Day Awards

EIGHTH GRADE AWARDS

The Ronald B. Goyette Community Service Award

Ailish Learsy

Molly McCall

Deeya Mistry

Helen Primis

The Faculty Prize for Leadership and School Spirit

Nacho Escriba

Sophie Wohlstadter

Julian Yarborough

The Head of School’s Prize for Academic Excellence

Charlie Burr

Derick Denecke

Andrew Dupree

Daryn Fling

Alex Gerson

Lucas Holden

Zachary Jager

Lucie Johnson

Molly McCall

Alex Pedraza

Helen Primis

Ben Schirmeier

Noore Talib

Graham Webber

Lauren Williams

Julian Yarborough

The following awards were presented at the Middle School Athletic Banquet on May 23, 2019:

Coaches Spirit Award

Deeya Mistry

Nacho Escriba

Summit Spirit Award

Rohan Bhattacharyya

Athletes of the Year

Lucie Johnson

Colin Redmond

“In a world where people spend so much time arguing with each other because of our differences, it is also important to remember all of the ways that we are similar as human beings, as fellow citizens of a country, and as people who all have a voice that others should hear.” -natalie rose, excerpt from class day speech

Good morning, welcome, and Eid Mubarak. I have truly enjoyed working with every graduating class I’ve known here at Norwood, but the class of 2019 will hold a special place in my heart for years to come.

You have experienced a lot together as a grade, and you’ve each learned a great deal as individuals. You’ve also provided valuable lessons for your teachers and me. You have shaped how we will teach, lead, listen to, challenge, support, and guide our future students. Thanks for that.

You are a highly capable, passionate, engaged class—one that will leave a lasting footprint at Norwood. You pull together no matter what the situation is, including a two-hour open-top bus ride in cold, pouring rain last week. How could I even consider ducking inside below decks when you were all so cheerful, literally singing in the rain?

You have strong values and strong opinions. You love to debate, but you also love to join forces to put on a brilliant show, organize to demonstrate your convictions, or strive for a victory together out on the fields. I hope you will always remember that a diversity of ideas, experiences, and abilities yields the richest and most powerful solutions to complex problems. Remember how much you accomplished collectively over the years, and please continue to support one another wholeheartedly in high school and beyond.

About half an hour ago, we shared the last of our morning handshakes—I can’t believe it! I’m not sure you know how

much those handshakes have meant to me over the years. I am grateful for that brief opportunity to connect with each and every one of you every morning.

It’s a little di erent every day and with every student. Sometimes, especially on Mondays, you’re not quite awake, so your arm knows what to do, but your hand just sort of hangs there, making for a soft, lumpy, weird sort of handshake. That’s not my favorite. Usually, though, your handshake is ready and firm, I get a little eye contact, often a smile, and a quick “good morning,” or, “good, thanks” when I ask how you’re doing. Some of you even ask how I’m doing, which is lovely, but I’m really OK even when you don’t ask.

First thing in the morning, I’m more focused on how you’re doing, how your day is shaping up, how you’re feeling, how much sleep you got, did your team win last night, did you find your missing science notebook, did you finish that paper, make amends with that friend, or have a discussion with that teacher? Those few seconds with you every morning tell me a lot. I’ve shaken your hand when you were down, when you were worried, when you were in trouble and needed help, when you were anxious, when you were happy and feeling triumphant, and even when you seemed like you were a little angry with me and I couldn’t tell why. I have appreciated every one of those handshakes.

Recently, just a few of you stopped and shook my hand as you stowed your bags on the bus our last morning in New York City. I’m sure you didn’t see that

I had to blink back tears, realizing how few handshakes we had left.

As you leave middle school and—in a sense—leave your childhood, I encourage you to remember all those Norwood handshakes, and to continue greeting, and shaking hands with others you meet as you morph into your adult self. Take a few seconds, make sure the handshake is ready and firm. Go for the eye contact. Say hello. Like I have all these years, take advantage of the opportunity to connect and to show respect, trust, and openness toward others, to learn about them, and to be a little vulnerable, so they can learn about you too.

Congratulations to all of you in the Class of 2019. You’ve worked hard and accomplished much on the way to graduation.

Thank you for sharing your authentic selves with us here at Norwood, and thanks in advance for stopping in to visit in the years ahead. They will fly by! Please come often, throughout high school and then college and beyond, so you can update us on your adventures and achievements along the way. I’m sure there will be many.

And when you do come by, just be sure to be ready for a handshake.

View more Commencement photos at: norwoodschool.smugmug.com/June-2019

Watch the event: vimeo.com/norwoodschool

You are a remarkable class. At Norwood, we’ve always said that our students don’t really complete their education until they reach the top of the Middle School and become leaders and role models for the rest of the School. Taking on these roles allows students to give back all they have learned in their years here, and at the same time, make the education they have received truly their own. From the beginning of this year, your commitment to Norwood’s values and traditions—and your own sense of responsibility, purpose, and generosity— have set a standard of leadership that is unparalleled at the School, and all of the students who follow in your footsteps are indebted to you. We are grateful for your gifts.

To you graduates, we say thank you for what you have given to Norwood School.

MATTHEW

Class Notes

Thomas Weil ’55 sent this photo taken in 1953 on the playground at St. John’s Church, when Norwood was located there as Norwood Parish School. We would love some assistance identifying these smiling faces. Send a note to Alumni Coordinator Sandra Gichner at sgichner@norwoodschool.org if you can help.

1955

Thomas Weil found some fantastic old pictures of the Class of 1955 taken in 1953. He writes, “I was in the first class at Norwood. We lived just down the street from St. John’s Church, on Bradley Lane. My father was in the Foreign Service, and when he got orders to head to New Delhi, my folks thought that it might be good for me to get some quick exposure to U.S. schooling before we left, so Mrs. Marsh allowed me (although I was younger than most of my classmates) to attend for a few months.”

1990

Virginia Bond Andres, alumna and former middle school dean of students and drama teacher, is the new middle school principal at St. Paul Academy and Summit School in St. Paul, Minnesota. Virginia and Chuck (former director of technology at Norwood) moved to Minnesota with their daughters, Fiona and Olivia Andres ’23, this past summer and say, “Bring on the snow, lakes, and funny accent. We are very excited!”

1993

Ryan Spoon is a senior vice president in Digital and Social Content at ESPN. He and his team oversee the creation of content for ESPN’s digital and social channels and manage the execution of their social strategy, content, and shows. Ryan has been at ESPN since 2012. He and his wife, Anette, have three children; Dillon (8), Jaden (6), and Taryn (3). Ryan, who was a college swimmer, still participates in Masters Swimming.

1995

Leigh Spoon Shull leads Visa’s New York Innovation Studio where they “evangelize Visa’s global point of view on the future of commerce and help clients solve for customer pain points. The Studio is 1.5 years old and a destination for clients and partners. I live in New York with my husband, Zach, and our zesty Norfolk Terrier, Zoey van Pickles.”

2000

Morgan Kret is the founder of the ethical fashion brand Yesisa, as well as an education and international development professional. After completing a master’s degree from American University, Morgan’s career took her to Ghana in 2013. During her five years of working in education sector reform with organizations like the Varkey Foundation in Ghana, she saw that improved access to school and learning was not enough to prepare children for the workforce. Simultaneously, her love of art and creating by hand led her to work with tailors and jewelers to discover new ways of incorporating contemporary

Ghanaian fashion into her daily style. Yesisa, meaning “we are changing,” evolved out of these passions as a way to promote West African design and to position work as a solution to building the bridge between education and sustainable employment. In addition to running Yesisa full-time, Morgan works as a consultant for the Global Partnership for Education at the World Bank. Morgan is based in Washington, D.C. Check out her brand at www.yesisa.com.

2001

Sarah Buchman is a pediatrician in Los Angeles, California.

Randi Spoon Evelson had her second baby girl in March. Max joins big sister Brady.

Ashley Perkins gave birth to her second son, Charles Salguero, on March 3, 2019. She writes, “We are all doing well, and thankfully his older brother has been pretty great with the transition.”

send

to Sandra Gichner, Alumni Associate, at sgichner@ norwoodschool.org. Photos (JPG, 1MB+) are encouraged! The deadline for Class Notes in the spring issue is March 1, 2020.

Ashley Perkins’ ’01 second son, Charles Salguero, was born on March 3, 2019.

2003

Doug Eacho is a Ph.D candidate at Stanford University and engaged to be married.

Nini Moorhead is studying for an MBA at Stanford University.

Robert Parrish is a manager at KCIC Consulting in Washington, D.C. The firm helps companies manage their product liabilities.

Genevieve Ryan married Christopher Bellaire in Los Angeles on May 25, 2019. The couple met 12 years ago as classmates at Princeton University. More than 10 Norwood graduates were in attendance! Read more about Genevieve and her startup, realworld, on page 16.

2004

Langley King Ellmann is pursuing a master’s degree in education from Harvard University. After she completes her degree, she will return to North Carolina, where her husband is also in graduate

school at Duke University. She says she loves her graduate program but is looking forward to getting back to work with students.

Ari Opsahl and his family recently returned to Denver after living in Los Angeles. Ari has joined a startup called Plutoshift.

2005

Greg Eacho is living in New York City and working at Ares Management Corporation as an investor in alternate credit. Ares is one of the largest global alternative asset managers in the world.

Ashvin Kapur is a director at an information technology consulting company. He dances bhangra dance (a North Indian folk-dance form) professionally.

Karen Mann Mendelson and Josh Mendelson welcomed a baby girl named Callie Anne Mendelson in April. They recently moved back to the Washington, D.C. area.

Phillip Moussavi works for a global research and advisory firm called Gartner, Inc. and lives in Washington, D.C. Previously, he lived and worked internationally in Colombia and Spain.

Kate Raber works full-time for the Celiac Disease Program at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. She is also a substitute teacher here at Norwood, and we love having her back!

2006

Thurgood Wynn graduated from the United States Naval Academy and has completed his five-year commission as a lieutenant in the Navy. While at the Naval Academy, he played basketball wearing #11 and had the opportunity to meet one of his NBA heroes, David Robinson! While working in IT/ cyber, Thurgood was stationed in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and Pearl Harbor, and his last assignment was in Norfolk, Virginia, on the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), where he was the information security

1 Genevieve Ryan ’03 married Christopher Bellaire in Los Angeles on May 25, 2019. 2 Callie Anne Mendelson, daughter of Karen Mann Mendelson ’05 and Josh Mendelson ’05, with her grandmother, Mary Mann, former math teacher at Norwood.

Dempster ’20 (son of John Dempster ’85); Anna Barrett ’20 (daughter of Ted Barrett ’73); Harper Smith ’20 (daughter of Lloyd Smith ’81); Olivia Barrett ’20 (daughter of Ted Barrett ’73); Alice Caroline Marriott ’21 (daughter of David Marriott ’85); Tahlia Williams ’21 (daughter of Jed Williams ’90). Middle row (left to right): Carter Jillings ’22 (son of Lee Anne Elliot Jillings ’78); Zach Genser ’23 (son of Jared Genser ’84); Fionnuala Steuart ’23 (daughter of Brad Steuart ’73); Henry Marriott ’23 (son of David Marriott ’85). Bottom row: Emma Jillings ’27 (daughter of Lee Anne Elliot Jillings ’78); Alexandra Genser ’26 (daughter of Jared Genser ’84); Clara Nephew ’29 (niece of Elizabeth Doyle ’00, John Doyle ’03); Haddie Harrison ’25 (daughter of Christopher Harrison ’95); Will Harrison ’28 (son of Christopher Harrison ’95); Katie Schenker ’26 (niece of Sarah Cornfeld ’03); Adam Schenker ’28 (nephew of Sarah Cornfeld ’03). 4 Will Korengold and his wife, Kathryn Smith Korengold, with Will’s sisters, (left to right) Greer Korengold ’10, Maddy Korengold Terbell ’01, and Lizey Korengold Bernstorf ’04. Will and Kathryn were married on March 16 in New Orleans. 5 Guy Steuart and his wife, Alexandra Musk Steuart, with Guy’s sisters, Lolly Steuart ’10 (left) and Anna Steuart ’05 (right). Guy and Ali were married on June 29 in Colorado Springs.

systems manager for the installation and daily operations of the ship’s computer network defense suite. He spent his free time coaching community basketball. Thurgood is now attending Pepperdine Law School in Malibu, California.

Bryan Goldman is in medical school in Michigan.

Will Korengold married Kathryn Smith on March 16 at St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church in New Orleans. The reception was held at the New Orleans Jazz Museum (formerly the New Orleans Mint). Norwood was well represented with his sisters,

row (left to right):

Lizey Korengold Bernstorf ’04, Maddy Korengold Terbell ’01, and Greer Korengold ’10 David Duber served as best man. Brad Neal, Brooke Neal ’08, Ben Hammer, Victor Farr ’04, Ben Ourisman ’93, and Chris Ourisman ’96 were also there to celebrate the big day.

Luke Mastalli-Kelly earned his Ph.D in physics from the University of Houston’s Texas Center on Superconductivity in May of 2019. He expects to return to the Washington, D.C. area to work in quantum computing. Luke decided to become a physicist while in Andrea Grossman’s second

grade class and never once changed direction!

Stephen Parrish is an account manager at England Logistics, Inc., a global shipping and freight business in Portland, Oregon.

2007

Ford Martin has returned to Washington, D.C., after living in Nashville, Tennessee, for six years. He is now working as a project manager in Capital One’s national headquarters in Tysons Corner.

2008

Guy Steuart married Alexandra Musk on June 29 in a small ceremony in Colorado Springs. Guy and Ali live in Denver where he works in commercial real estate, and Ali is an environmental consultant with Guayaki. Guy attended St. Albans School and the University of Colorado; Ali was born and raised in South Africa and attended the University of Colorado, where they met. Guy’s sisters, Anna Steuart ’05 and Lolly Steuart ’10, were in the wedding party.

3 Children (and current students) of Alumni: Back

John

CLASS OF 2015

CLASS OF 2015 REUNION: MAY 2, 2019

gap year

COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES CHOSEN BY THE CLASS OF 2015

Eshan Alamdeen Shahzada

George Washington University

Joe Anderson

University of Maryland, College Park

Virginia Asher University of Michigan

Ricky Bell

University of Richmond

Emma Bookoff

University of Michigan

Jared Byrd

Syracuse University

Alex Caldeira

Dickinson College

Finn Camper Yale University

Chris Coleman

University of Southern California

Raphy Conrad

Savannah College of Art and Design

Julia Curran Haverford College

Emily Cyrway Clemson University

Sophia Dinte

Washington University in St. Louis

Alexa Drescher

Boston University

Thomas Ferris Boston College

Robin Forsyth Gap Year

Caroline Francisco Furman University

Eve Fredman

Connecticut College William Galbreath

Claremont McKenna College

Ella Glassman

Washington University in St. Louis

Michael Hansan Colgate University

Stephanie Hong Harvard University

Rose Horowitch Yale University

Sophia Jacobs University of Colorado, Boulder

Ade Jones

Temple University

Zak Khera

Vanderbilt University

Nathan Kim University of Florida

Anna Kim Middlebury College

James Klusaritz University of Pennsylvania

Jacob Kowitz Davidson College

Jason Lerner

Virginia Military Institute

Christian Lostoski

University of Maryland, Baltimore Campus

Hank Malmgren

Middle Tennessee State University

Amanda McAndrews

Georgetown University

Joey Miller

Pennsylvania State University

John Modelfino

Wesleyan University

Kit Neifach

University of Pittsburgh

Mark Novikov

University of South Carolina

Casey O’Leary

Washington and Lee University

Hayley Parsons University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Gabe Pereira

Western University, Canada

Nicholas Polansky

Pedro Rodriguez Williams College

Max Roman Ohio State University

Ellen Schlick Carleton College

Sameer Shaikh Yale University

Dylan Strother University of Oregon

Matthew van Bastelaer

University of Wisconsin

Sophie Wentz Colby College

Jillian Wiener University of Michigan

Milan Yazhary

University of Maryland, College Park

Abby Zimmerman Colgate University

University of Chicago (Fall 2020)

We loved seeing a big group of alumni from the Class of 2015 during this exciting time in their lives, and we hope they will keep us posted on their news as they settle into college or begin

experiences.

Alexa Goldman earned her master’s degree in nursing from Johns Hopkins University in May 2019.

2009

Robert Augustine started his own music company, ARIMÉ, LLC, which is a management, record label, digital distribution, and creative agency. He lives in Los Angeles.

Gary Awkard is working in IT and administration for New York Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan, New York. He writes that he enjoys the city and is “doing a wide variety of work spanning from finance all the way to community outreach.”

David Eacho works at Facebook as a software engineer for Instagram.

Katie Jannotta lives in Annapolis and works for Governor Larry Hogan in the Appointments Office, which appoints people to over 530 boards and commissions in the State of Maryland.

Lee Lovett is in his last year of pursuing a master’s degree in clinical social work. As a part of that program, he is interning at a community mental health center called Family Services Inc. in Gaithersburg, Maryland, where he sees a wide range of clients, all of whom suffer from severe mental illness and many with co-occurring substance abuse issues, for individual therapy. Lee will graduate in May of 2020.

Emily Marsteller is attending the University of Virginia School of Law.

Sam Snowden was a field biologist/biological technician at Lassen Volcanic National Park in California and was then studying birds at Point Reyes, located about an hour north of San Francisco. She just started a master’s program in ecology and evolution at UCLA.

2010

Brian Bies graduated in May from Georgetown University with a B.S. in business and

theater and a performance studies minor. He is founder and head of publishing for New Degree Press. In this capacity, he has published and launched over 100 first-time authors.

Aaron Ellsworth writes, “I now live in the Bay area, CA, but anticipate moving back to the East Coast in the near future. I look back fondly on my time at Norwood and the warm community it is!”

Alec Frydman was working as a researcher with Amnesty International in Accra, Ghana. “It was an amazing experience, and I am hoping to return to West Africa soon to do some reporting.” He has been back in Washington, D.C., since the end of March and working as a research assistant for a newspaper editor who is writing a book on a Supreme Court justice. He credits his sixth grade advisor, Barbara Vaughan, for getting him “hooked on writing.”

Andrew Reitzes works locally for Clark Construction.

2011

Taylor Wynn graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Michigan and magna cum laude with a degree in computer/information science. While at Michigan, she played club volleyball all four years and was captain her senior year, when she led her team to the National Volleyball Club Tournament in Denver, Colorado. Taylor and a co-team from University of Pittsburgh designed a bronchial app, which was selected for international competition at the University of Sheffield, England. She is now pursuing her master’s degree in nursing informatics at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing as a Conway Scholar.

2014

Madison Than, who is a sophomore at the University of Chicago, interned for 10 weeks this summer in Chicago at Summer Links, which is a social justice education internship program founded by Michelle Obama.

1 Members of the Class of 2015 gather on prom night for The Potomac School: (left to right) Thomas Ferris, Michael Hansan, Joe Anderson, Grace Sherman, Chris Coleman, Emma Booko , Pedro Rodriguez, and Casey O’Leary. 2 Regan Simmons ’17 and Ava Eszenyi ’18 at an Episcopal School gala at the Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

2015

Raphy Conrad presented his set design for the Bullis School musical, Mama Mia!, at the International Thespian Festival in Baltimore in January. He advanced to a national competition in June, where the judges awarded him a “superior rating.” Raphy’s award-winning design was inspired by the white, blue-trimmed, stucco houses typical in Greece. It was one piece but moved and had multiple faces. The actors were even able to run and dance up and down a curved staircase. Raphy now attends Savannah College of Art and Design and is studying industrial animation.

Anna Kim recently graduated from Sidwell Friends School and spent her senior project at Norwood, working in a third grade classroom with homeroom teacher Dana Gaither.

2016

Dave Gould released his first EP, “Times Like These,” on October 25, under his stage name, Dave Gold. The release features seven original songs and appears

on iTunes, Spotify, and other platforms. Congratulations, Dave!

Patrick Newcombe and his birding team, the Marsh Gigglers, won their division of the 2019 World Series of Birding, which took place in Cape May, New Jersey. His team won with an amazing 209 species found in 24 hours, topping the second place team’s 48 species. Their score was the top score of the day, including adult teams. To compete, the team took a couple of days off school to scope out the location of hardto-find birds so when the kickoff sounded, they could be most efficient. A representative of the Maryland Ornithological Society wrote, “Finding 209 species is utterly amazing.”

Will Norry spent a semester of his high school junior year living in both Idaho and Chile, participating in a program that brought him back to basics (living in a yurt and chopping wood to stay warm), all while taking AP courses.

2017

Emma Scielzo won first place in a national high school essay

contest sponsored by the AAMI as part of its Healthcare Technology Management Week festivities in May. Participants were asked to paint a picture of health technology 20 years from now. In her winning essay, Emma wrote, “Perhaps nothing will have as great an impact on the healthcare industry as artificial intelligence.” Her essay explored the ethical considerations as well as privacy and security concerns inherent in any technology. Emma says she entered the competition because she is fascinated by the intersection of healthcare and technology. The junior at Holton-Arms School plans to pursue a career in the healthcare field.

2019

Helen Primis received a shoutout in the September 10 edition of The Washington Post for her role as the new goalie on the Sidwell Friends’ varsity soccer team, the District of Columbia State Athletic Association’s girls champions last year. The Post wrote, “The Quakers have a new goalkeeper this year in freshman Helen Primis.” At the time the article was published, Helen had already posted two shutouts.

New alumni from the Class of 2019 gather with their older Norwood alumni siblings on Commencement Day, June 5, 2019.

CLASS OF 2019 REUNION: OCTOBER 10, 2019

We loved welcoming these recent graduates back to campus for a fall reunion and hearing all about their exciting experiences at the 22 different high schools they attend.

WHERE OUR 2019 GRADS ARE GOING...

Auben Ball

Bullis School

Jake Berman

Loomis Chaffee School (CT)

Rohan Bhattacharyya Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School

Charlie Burr Landon School

Zaira Chowdhury Georgetown Day School

Gibril Colley Georgetown Preparatory School

Michelle Cooke Holton-Arms School

Derick Denecke

Landon School

Alex Diamond

The Field School

Andrew Dupree Sidwell Friends School

Nacho Escriba

Thomas S. Wootton High School

Ana Fazili

The Awty International School (TX)

Daryn Fling Whittle School & Studios

Sidney Ford Sidwell Friends School

Elena Forlini

Georgetown Day School

Alex Gerson Georgetown Day School

Jacob Getlan Georgetown Day School

Benjamin Goldwyn Georgetown Day School

Rhyan Goozh Bullis School

Nakiyah Greene

Hammond High School

Olivia Heenan St. Andrew’s Episcopal School

Nic Hillman

The Key School

Lucas Holden Sidwell Friends School

Zachary Jager

The Potomac School

Lucie Johnson Georgetown Day School

Inshera Kankam-Boadu Whittle School & Studios

Harrison Latimer St. Albans School

Ailish Learsy

The Field School

Lawrence Li Landon School

Molly McCall Miss Porter’s School (CT)

Kate McManaman Holton-Arms School

Ethan McNamara St. Andrew’s

Deeya

Grayden

Mila Noshirvani

Lucy

Colin

Natalie Rose

Ben Schirmeier The Potomac School

Nathan Spigel Landon School

Isabel

Noore

Graham

Eli

Sam

Shelby

Alex

Michael

Manuela Prieto

Helen

Kylie

Lauren Williams Holton-Arms School

Sophie Wohlstadter

Julian

Episcopal School

Mistry Quince Orchard High School

Mitchell St. John’s College High School

Georgetown Day School

Palma St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School

Parsons

Thomas S. Wootton High School

Pedraza St. Albans School

Perlmutter Landon School

The Potomac School

Primis Sidwell Friends School

Redmond

Landon School

Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School

Stares Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School

Talib

Winston Churchill High School

Webber St. Albans School

West Whittle School & Studios

Wiesel St. Andrews Episcopal School

Wilbur St. Andrews Episcopal School

Georgetown Day School

Yarborough

Sidwell Friends School

Connecting Science to Art

The 2019 science theme on aerospace engineering inspired fourth graders in Mr. Somarriba’s class to explore color and value in art while creating these stellar space drawings.

Read more about the science theme on page 18. Artwork created by: 1 Ayla 2 Patrick 3 Chloe Q. 4 Ben 5 Leigh 6 Maddie 7 Chloe D.

Upcoming Events...

Fall Play: The Reluctant Dragon

Nov. 22, 7:00pm Nov. 23, 2:00 & 6:00pm

Grandparents & Special Guests Day Nov. 26, 8:30am

Middle School Winter Concert Dec. 18, 7:00pm

Lower School Winter Concert Dec. 20, 8:30am

norwoodschool.org/ calendar