Wellan’s 2021 End of Year Ceremony

§ Closing Ceremony thursday, june 17, 2021 · 7:00 pm

CELEBR ATING THE 3-Y EA R CYCLE Dr. Maria Montessori developed her theory of child development based on observations of children. Through her research, she identified four “planes of development” that roughly correlate to three-year periods in a child’s life: ages 0-3, 3-6, 6-9, and 9-12. In each of these three-year spans, common physical, intellectual, and psychological characteristics were evident in the children she studied.

From this insight, Montessori developed an educational approach that provides an extended time frame for learning. The three-year learning cycle and the multi-age classroom are key components of any accredited Montessori program because the work activities students do to build their knowledge and skills are meant to be experienced over a fluid, sequential, continuous three-year time span, rather than in individual, successive, one-year chunks as is the case in other schools.

Within each three-year cycle, a sequenced body of information and skills is presented. Much depends on the repetition, at successive stages of development, of similar learning activities, so that understanding is fully assimilated through senses, feelings and thinking. The third year is the culmination of this multi-layered learning process. We call it a “leap year” because there is often a major leap in third year students’ achievement and confidence.

Finishing the three-year cycle ensures that the student completes the work necessary to the development of the whole child at that particular age, preparing them for further challenges.

ORDER OF CEREMON Y Welcome

Elizabeth Black, Head of School Opening Remarks

Lauris Lambergs, Chair, Wellan Board of Trustees I Am Enough

Kindergarten Readers’ Theatre performance of Grace Byers text

Conducted by Jen Cardy, Specialist Division Leader/Drama Program Coordinator Primary Year 3 Graduates

Presented by Katie Hamill, Primary Division Leader Are You Smarter than a 3rd Grader?

Trivia Game Show by 3rd Grade Students Lower Elementary Graduates

Presented by Caitlin Bowring, Elementary and Middle School

Division Leader We Are the 6th Grade Class of 2021

Collaborative Speech by 6th Grade Students Upper Elementary Graduates

Presented by Caitlin Bowring, Elementary and Middle School

Division Leader We Inspire

Individual Remarks by the 8th Grade Students Alumni Speaker

Benjamin Otting, Class of ’14 Voyager Graduates

Presented by Caitlin Bowring, Elementary and Middle School

Division Leader Closing Remarks

Elizabeth Black, Head of School “Give a Little Bit”

Song by Supertramp conducted by Katie Ng, Music Teacher

CONGR ATUL ATIONS Congratulations to the following students, each of whom has completed the 3rd year of a Montessori program.

Asterisks indicate students returning to Wellan Montessori School for the 2021–2022 school year.

Primary Year 3 Students * Elliot Anguilla * Luca Anguilla Inaya Ashai Alex Baccini Lucas Bell * Lorenzo Betanzo Iniya Bharathan Meer Bhardwaj Ashton Blackshire * Martina Bou * Jack Brumme * Misha Burmistrovich Benjamin Chen

* Luna Cianfrone * Gabriella Crystal * Lucy Dumas Bennett Elworthy * Evi Engel * Yoav Friedman * Daniel Gaba * Katelyn Germak * Sofia Germak * Lillian Kane Ayden Khan * Ananya Kher * Ella Kirtley

Jonas Lee * Abhinav Nambudiri * Luke Nelson * Ravi Oza Charlie Pierce * Theo Rodrigues * Emilia Schuch * Emma Sun * Nuri Swann Aiden Toffling * Ada Wagner Gabrielle Zawaneh

Lower Elementary Year 3 Students Annalee Brooks * Gabriel DeDomenico * Florence Engel * Zoe Epstein * Penny Gatzos Ethan Gu * Aria John * Katie Jolly

* Sasha Khan * Isabella Laubach Awen McKinley * Dillon Morris * Vivian Nelson * Charley Petrasek * Luke Raskin * Ryan Ren

* Jacquelyn Shen * Nate Spier * Nina Taylor * Alessandro Traverso Sofia Trojanowski * Elle Van Dyk * Caleb Vranich

Upper Elementary Year 3 Students * Abby Bono * Jordan Gillette

* Margaret McNeal * Kian Nashat

* Andrew Yum

MEET THE GR A DUATES: VOYAGER CL ASS OF 2021 Maria Alam (Inspiring Integrity) Joined Wellan: 2013 Capstone Project Topic: The Use of Masks as a Tool for Social Mobility

Logan Bell (Inspiring Peace) Joined Wellan: 2020 Capstone Project Topic: The Evolution of Writing in Chinese Characters

Maya Dimmick (Inspiring Determination) Joined Wellan: 2012 Capstone Project Topic: The Role of Music in Concentration Camps

Zoe Engel (Inspiring Leadership) Joined Wellan: 2020 Capstone Project Topic: The Role of Queer People in First Peoples Nations, Before and After Colonization

Esmé Erdos (Inspiring Curiosity)

Joined Wellan: 2019 Capstone Project Topic: The Evolution of Hemline, Fashion, and Silhouette from the 1800s to Today

Ethan Goulding (Inspiring Empathy) Joined Wellan: 2012 Capstone Project Topic: Why Certain Inventions Were Not Attributed to the Original Creator, and the Lasting Impact

Aidan John (Inspiring Compassion) Joined Wellan: 2010 Capstone Project Topic: The Effect of Diseases on the Outcome of the Civil War

Zach Levine (Inspiring Innovation) Joined Wellan: 2010 Capstone Project Topic: The Evolution of Electricity and the Way It Is Understood

MEET THE SIXTH GR A DE CL ASS: Abby Bono Joined Wellan: 2012 Independent Research Project Topic: The Behavior and Anatomy of Cats

Jordan Gillette Joined Wellan: 2014 Independent Research Project Topic: Evolution

Margaret McNeal Joined Wellan: 2014, Re-entered 2020 Independent Research Project Topic: Type 1 Diabetes

Kian Nashat

Joined Wellan: 2012 Independent Research Project Topic: The Fall of the Roman Empire

Andrew Yum

Joined Wellan: 2012 Independent Research Project Topic: The Fibonacci Sequence

§ We would like to thank our parents and friends for their love and support.

We want to express our appreciation and gratitude to all of our teachers at Wellan. Thank you to Head of School Beth Black for all of your stories and for helping us tell our story. Thank you to Ashley Calise, Ben Jolly, and Haley Crocker for filming, editing, and transforming our separate video clips into a full video. Finally, thank you all for celebrating with us!

ACKNOW LEDGMENTS As we celebrate students’ accomplishments, we also gratefully acknowledge the many positive influences in our school community that have shaped their learning and their character during the past three years.

Teachers and Staff Thank you to all the Wellan teachers, past and present, who have given lessons and supported these students in their learning and growth.

2020–2021 Faculty and Staff Beth Black, Head of School Jaqueline Almeida Becky Alukonis Jasmin Argueta Cheryl Bell Caitlin Bowring Justine Brooks Kaylee Brooks Kimberly Burke Ashley Calise Jennifer Cardy Sarah Chadwick Jessica Chahanovich Hannah Chasse Ruth Clifford Savannah Clinton Erin Conway Haley Crocker Amanda Cusanno Emily Davulis Sarah Donnelly Meredith Dourian Anny Espiritu Sandra Fernandes Samantha Foley Jodi Fredrickson–Niemi Rachel Friebe Laurie Gallagher Allison Gass Pauline Gennis

Kenny Gilbert Steve McDonough Maria Gionfriddo Marianne McGaffigan Fiona Gohery Katie Ng Nathalie Gonzalez Amy Norrod Deanna Griffiths Marianna Perks Katie Hamill Cailey Purcell Andrée Hernandez Nolan Reimondo Kayla Hindle Sophia Rose Vanessa Irzyk Alex Rosemond Mikail Jaikaran Merav Rosen Rebecca Jean-Baptiste Beth Schuch Ryan Jean-Louis Rich Scorzella Brian Johnson Michael Silverstone Joe Jolly Wendy Smith Elyse Kalins Laura Smitherman Kate Kane Maddie Sosnowski Sachié Karmacharya Wei Stanten Terry Keeling Kayla Stiffler Lisa Lappin Levine Jen Taschereau Beatriz Lares Julia Tatsch Esther Lee Priya Venkateswaran Margarita Londono Quianna Walker Jutta Lossner-Liang Timarra Warren Rose Lovera Becki Warshow Mary Evelyn Lucier Amir Young Christine Mak Cameron Youngblood Ana Marban-Lorenzo Abby Zimage Austin Matte

Lauretta Maynard

Volunteers and Donors We gratefully acknowledge all those who volunteer their time and expertise to serve Wellan, from Class Parents to Parent Association leaders and members of the Board of Trustees. Your investments in helping the school run more smoothly allow Wellan educators to focus their energy more fully on students. Thank you also to all those who make gifts to the Wellan Annual Fund campaign and other fundraising efforts. Your voluntary contributions provide funds that ensure our school can invest in new curricular resources, on-going improvements to facilities, and professional development for teachers.

2020–2021 Board of Trustees Lauris Lambergs, Chair

Kerry Stevens, Vice Chair

Brian Alfermann, Treasurer

Cara Candal, Clerk

Jacqueline Angell

Erica DeRosa

Chad Hinkle

Bob Kane

David Bono

Jill Dumas

Mac Jackson

Anna Turkova-Khan

Sabeena Chacko Raskin

Brian Elworthy

Anish John

Claudia Urrea

2020–2021 Parent Association Council Kara Nemeth, President

Lisa Gillette, Vice President

Tracy Goulding

Elizabeth Kane

Sabeena Chacko Raskin

Sachié Karmacharya

Lisa Lappin Levine

Catherine Sabatos-Peyton

Meghan Murphy

Jaime Vines