Letter From The Head of School

letter from

THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

The Carroll-Helvie family (from left): Emmet ’21, Owen ’27, Sean, and Sherri

Dear Orchard Friends and Families,

One of the most beloved community songs amongst our students, faculty, staff, and families is “Here We Are, Altogether,” and you can often hear it being sung by our students in the Center, in our performing arts spaces, in the gym, and outside in our amphitheaters. This song has been the soundtrack of our school year, bringing us together, lifting our spirits, and reminding us how important the care and cultivation of our community has always been. Halfway through our school’s 99th year of delivering outstanding Progressive education in Indianapolis, none of us take for granted how special it is to gather together and join our students whenever we hear the opening chords of our song. By the time we reach the song’s bridge, everyone feels a sense of shared purpose as we sing:

“Join we now as friends.”

We are very fortunate to have had so many friends of The Orchard School in our 99 years of operations. Our faculty and staff, Trustees and Governors, parents, grandparents, and alumni bring their time, talents, and treasure to help us create the best learning environment for the children in our care. No matter the challenges, Orchard’s friends have found countless ways to pursue our mission to develop and educate the whole child, even during a pandemic.

“And celebrate the community we share, all as one.”

Our community has found meaningful new ways to celebrate our students, their learning, and our beloved Orchard traditions. Although the ways we gather together have looked different across the last two years, we have hosted successful community events online and in outdoor spaces, and The Orchard School Parents’ Association has led the way in innovative planning. From outdoor family celebrations like Pumpkinpalooza to auction events held online and at Tibb’s Drive-In movie theater, the Parents’ Association has created new and fun ways to keep our community connected, engaged, and supporting the mission of our school.

“Keep a smile handy.”

Our school has been filled with smiles over the last year, and we’ve seen them all over our campus. The huge smiles of students, faculty, and staff shine through; even when we’re masked up indoors, the joy and excitement of teaching and learning is on full display. Being here, altogether, and in person for hands-on, integrated learning is truly special and, in this new year, we have seen the many ways in which the advances in public health are making our students’ experiences better and better all the time.

Progressive education grounded in Nature as Teacher; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Social-Emotional Learning; and Hands-On, Integrated Learning: this is what makes Orchard so special and keeps us all smiling, every day.

“Lend a helping hand.”

The phrase I have heard most often over the last year is, “How can I help?” Our Alumni Heritage Association helped by sponsoring our first drive-through Pancake Breakfast to continue a beloved Orchard tradition, and staff members scanned student temperatures every morning, ensuring that every student starts the day with a trusted adult checking on their health and well-being. Middle School students helped by planning and executing a community clothing drive to welcome Afghan refugees to the United States at Camp Atterbury; and, of course, our teachers planned learning activities that reflect our Progressive educational model, always putting students at the center of all of their work. These are just a few examples of the ways, both big and small, that we have approached each day with gratitude for the ties that bind our Orchard community together.

Our many helping hands have allowed us to complete our school’s first Capital Campaign in more than 20 years, exceeding our goal of $11 million and achieving success a year and a half early. Capital Campaign Cochairs William “Bo” Elder Jr. ’65 and Suzie Fehsenfeld led the charge, inspiring the Capital Campaign Cabinet and our entire community to invest in our students, our faculty and staff, and our future. Once again, the generous financial support of donors is reflected in your participation in the Owl Fund, the Auction, Orchard’s endowment, and the success of the Capital Campaign. We simply could not do this work without you, and your generosity has left a legacy that will serve Orchard students for many years to come.

“And we’ll all join in and sing!”

In December we were able to bring all of our students, teachers, and staff together outside to sing our Winter Pageant community songs for the first time in two years. The sheer joy we all felt in that shared experience was palpable, and we all certainly did join in and sing – and dance, and laugh, and there was even some exuberant screaming as each grade level sang their lyrics for “The 12 Days of Christmas.” A true moment of celebration and accomplishment, reflected fully in our students, as the best educational moments always are; on the eve of our school’s centennial, the vision of our nine founding mothers is alive and well.

Thank you for all that you do to support our students and our school, and for partnering with us as we plan for the future. The chorus of our song captures the true gift of this year beautifully: “Here we are, altogether, as we hope we’ll always be.”

Owls Forever,

Sherri C. Helvie, Ph.D. Head of School Head of School Sherri Helvie joins her third-grade son Owen on the mini-golf course he designed with his classmates.

More on Page 18.

message from

THE BOARDS OF GOVERNORS & TRUSTEES

Dear Orchard Community,

The 2020-2021 school year was a year of challenges, changes and, most importantly, community. The Orchard School community rallied to ensure that, though a global pandemic raged, the health and wellbeing of our students, faculty, and staff remained at the core of every decision made throughout the year. As a result, and with the unremitting work of Orchard’s administration, teachers, and staff, our school maintained in-person learning for most of the year; completed facility upgrades to support healthy teaching and learning environments; protected faculty and staff positions; continued work on the accreditation process; and laid the foundation for strategic planning.

The Orchard School community again triumphed, as we not only completed but exceeded the $11 million goal of our Capital Campaign, “Celebrating our Roots: Cultivating for the Future.” The Capital Campaign Cabinet, led by dedicated Board of Governors members William “Bo” Elder Jr. ’65 and Suzie Fehsenfeld, in 2016 launched the largest campaign in Orchard’s history and worked tirelessly to achieve $11,349,455.58 donated. The Orchard School also received a $10,000 grant from The Nicholas H. Noyes Jr. Memorial Foundation to support Orchard’s inaugural Symposium for Progressive Teaching and Learning this September. The Owl Fund raised $574,000, $24,000 over the goal. Governors and Trustees gave their support not only financially but, as always, in their expertise and time. Faculty and staff achieved 85% participation, exceeding the 80% goal, and 51% of our families donated (exceeding the 50% goal). The Orchard School Parents’ Association, under difficult pandemic circumstances, created innovative and successful events to donate $125,000 to the Owl Fund. This year, we need your continued support to reach our $600,000 annual goal. Special focus will be placed on outreach to our alumni and their families. Orchard’s endowment, carefully managed by the Board of Governors, saw phenomenal growth this year, starting at $33.8 million and ending at $42 million; the endowment continues to provide approximately $2,500 per student per year for educational support.

Even in the throes of the pandemic, Orchard’s mission to develop and educate the whole child remained the focus. All faculty and staff completed training in Responsive Classroom principles and practices, setting the stage for improved student achievement

The 2021-2022 Board of Trustees

and improved faculty-student interactions. Members of both boards and senior administration took part in Child Advocates’ Interrupting Racism workshops and, over the summer, with a $15,000 donation from an Orchard family, faculty and staff also participated. During the 2020-2021 school year, keeping pandemic restrictions in mind, many joyful events took place, from collecting 800 boxes of cereal for the Crooked Creek Food pantry to shouts of laughter as our students made full use of the new playgrounds to celebrating our first outdoor graduation!

This is The Orchard School’s 99th year. As we look forward to next year’s Centennial Celebration, institutional sustainability remains at the forefront of our responsibilities. The boards have formed the Alternative Revenue Task Force and the Affordability Task Force, and the entire community will be involved as we create our strategic plan for the next seven years.

“The Path Well Chosen: History of the Orchard School 1922-1984” notes that one of the nine founding mothers, Mary Carel Appel, once exclaimed of the school, “This thing is just like having a baby – you get it started and it grows!” It is our responsibility to continue the vision of the founders and ensure the continued success of The Orchard School. We hope to see our entire community for our Centennial Celebration on Sept. 30, Oct. 1 and 2 at school and at the Eiteljorg Museum. Please pass the word to family and friends to help us celebrate the vision of our founding mothers!

Philip Genetos

President Board of Governors

Dawn Batson

Chair Board of Trustees

CHAIR

Dawn K. Batson, Ph.D.

VICE CHAIR

Tina Korty

TREASURER

Jordan Kraner (not pictured)

SECRETARY Jennifer Shin

Christa Adkins Lesley Akosa Andrew Appel ’95 Caroline Asava Eric Christopher Adrianne Glidewell Smith ’94 (not pictured) Colleen O’Brien (not pictured) Shawn Odle Ayana Rowley-Henderson ’95 Brandon Sorge Kurt Weiper Meredith Thornburgh White ’97 (not pictured) Christopher Wilburn

PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT

Tiffany Turner