Spotlight 2019
BUILDING WITH A PURPOSE After a year of planning, months of work on every surface of the building, and a down-to-the-wire clean-up effort, Orchard House School was ready to welcome students back for the 20192020 school year and beyond! Maybe you passed the school this summer to see it shrouded in scaffolding and black netting. Behind the curtain was a beehive of activity working to bring our beautiful 110-year-old building back to its original glory - and what a stunner it is!
through the building shows off rooms full of light from sparking clean windows framed in white.
Construction of the scaffolding started the Monday after graduation. Masons began the tedious work of grinding out joints, then repointing each joint to create a water-tight seal, and cleaning the entire surface.
The work of dismantaling the scaffolding started the week of August 12, and the final phases of landscaping and new uplighting began. Thanks to the generous donations from the Fund-a-Need campaign at last year’s auction, a lighting designer was contracted to complete the work early October. The design will gently illuminate our beautiful corner of the city, so it can be enjoyed in the evening hours.
Simultaneously, work began on both the interior and exterior of all our 87 windows and 5 entry doors. Broken glass was replaced, and all frames were scraped, painted or stained, and sealed air and water tight. This eliminated the need for the obsolete storm window coverings. What a difference it makes to have all of that battered plexiglass gone! A walk
Working silently and skillfully overhead, roofers pulled out the rusted tin internal gutter system that spanned the perimeter of the building and replaced it with a state-of-the-art rubber lining and a continuous-edge vinyl cap that matches the freshly painted cornice at the top of the building!
All of this was done to protect our historic gem and to ensure that it remains a solid foundation for learning for years to come, and it wouldn’t have worked without an army of folks behind the scenes. The
OHS Buildings and Grounds Committee met for over a year to develop a budget, find funding, work with an architect, vet and hire the General Contractor and subcontractors, and approve change orders. The faculty and staff were patient and cooperative in working with construction time schedules to ready classrooms and work spaces. Our contractors pushed through and altered plans to keep things running efficiently during unpredictable weather. Overall, the project went smoothly and came in under budget and on schedule! Many thanks to SMBW Architects, James River Exteriors, Blake Contracting, and Roof Systems of Virginia. A heartfelt thanks to families and friends who made generous contributions to make this critical project a reality. Fundraising efforts continue as we work toward matching a $150,000 challenge grant from the Mary Morton Parsons Foundation. All of us, especially the girls, love Orchard House, our second home. Now we can really show off our beautiful Building With a Purpose!
WELCOME TO THE
SPOTLIGHT
Strong girls, strong building, strong community, strong future.
Laura Haskins Head of School Orchard House School
As we step into the third decade of our female-forward journey, OHS remains firmly rooted in the belief that providing an excellent education for girls today creates better and stronger communities in the future. In addition to student stories, this year’s Spotlight recognizes the incredible gifts and efforts of our faculty, staff, board, alumnae and donors. Our critically needed building renovation project - Building With a Purpose - is a shining example of the kind of big work we can accomplish by working together. This issue also highlights innovative curriculum that promotes critical thinking, problem solving, social responsibility, and identity formation that builds confidence and competence in our students. Sincerely,
AN ALUMNAE REVIVAL - reported by OHSAA President, Nathalie Oates
The 2018-2019 school year brought a spirit of rejuvenation for the Orchard House School Alumnae Association (OHSAA), and we hope to continue to build that momentum this year! With officers in place, OHSAA hosted a reception for alums to meet before the 2019 auction, OH What a Night! Later in the spring, alumnae met at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery for Happy Hour. At the graduation ceremony, a large group of alums, stemming from Orchard House School’s original class to our most recent grads, joined together in singing the school song “Simple Gifts” in celebration of the 2019 graduating class.
Annual Block Party
The 2019-2020 school year promises even more opportunities for alumnae of all classes to meet and connect. Save the date for Saturday, October 19, for our annual Block Party. It’s the perfect time for alums to return to school or perhaps to visit OHS at the 500 N. Allen Avenue location for the first time where they can see favorite faculty members and reunite with classmates. It is also a time to see how far Orchard House has come and experience what it’s like for middle school girls in 2019.
cheon
un yL a D ion Elect
And who can forget the Annual Election Day Alumnae Luncheon? In keeping with tradition, alumnae are invited to gather for a free pizza lunch, on Tuesday, November 5, at noon. What better way to spend the afternoon than by catching up with old friends? We are always eager to make connections and welcome back alumnae who are in the area and beyond! Do you want to represent your class and share news about OHSAA events? If so, contact us at orchardhouse.org/alumnae-corner.
It’s a few days before the International Food Festival, and the acquisitions team hovers around a sketch of the auditorium. It’s definitely crunch time, and the chatter is jumbled as six fingers point at folding table rectangles, outlet diagrams, and hastily drawn crockpots. ”Wait, so there are 4? Okay so...right here, we’re putting these on the side?” “Oh right! Trash, trash, trash. What about recycling? Wait, it’s not trash. One of these is recycling!” “Supplies and utensils...” Every spring during their CORE class, the Seventh Graders organize the festival as a fundraiser, learning not only how to cook a traditional dish from another country, but how to advertise, plan, and operate an event. This year, they ended up learning much more. The beneficiary of this food festival was the locally headquartered nonprofit, Building Lives of Orphans from Morocco (BLOOM), headed by the mother and aunt of an OHS student. Both Amina Shams and Noma Saeed adopted their sons from the same orphanage in Morocco, and they wanted to do more for the children they could not make part of their families. In addition to taking on individual child sponsorships, Shams and Saeed developed BLOOM with the goal of creating more playspace at orphanages in Morocco.
The orphanage where their sons once lived was housed on the top floor of a hospital, where lack of space and materials meant that children spent entire days sedentary. As part of their project, seventh graders researched the role of play in childhood development. One student explained the organization’s mission and why it’s important: “BLOOM...helps build playgrounds for kids in Morocco because play helps them grow mentally, cognitively, and physically, and it’s just a big building block in childhood.” Listening to the suggestions of BLOOM organizers, Seventh Grade Homeroom teachers, Lucretia Anderson and Lauren Jones, asked students to create notebooks for the heads of the orphanages outlining the importance of play and what the organization was trying to do to support that. Students approached the work enthusiastically. Ms. Jones said, “It was so much work, and we needed to direct them very little.” In addition to the notebooks, the class designed brochures that BLOOM could give to potential partners and donors. The food festival raised $700, which was matched by a BLOOM donor who had committed to matching any gifts made during Ramadan. Ms. Anderson said, “That week when they were done, the notebooks went over to Morocco and [the Sham family] sent us pictures of the director of the orphanage reading through it; she was really engaged and wanted to learn more.”
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY | INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY | RESPONSIVENESS
FOOD FOR THOUGHT (AND CHANGE)
RESPONSIVENESS | INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY
APPLYING SCIENCE TO REAL LIFE Every summer, rising Eights Graders conduct an independent science experiment of their choosing. It’s not designed to interrupt their summer activities. It’s a chance to see how science applies to real life. Science teacher, Jennifer Brookman, says, “The reason I do this project is because science is all about how stuff works and why stuff works, and there’s a little bit of effort or goal in making things work better. So it allows [students] to answer questions about or help find solutions to their everyday circumstances, their interests, their hobbies.¨ The summertime window is ideal for completing the project because it allows each student to individualize projects more than would be possible in a school or lab setting. They also learn time commitment planning, taking into account what kind of experiments will realistically weave into the plans they have for the summer. “Some students do a project that takes two hours. They’re testing different athletic shoes on speed, or different surfaces on how fast they can run, and that could take an afternoon, but then some girls actually want to grow plants and try different composting soils or certain fertilizers, and they need the time over the summer in order to do it well.” Once they have brainstormed the scientific aspects of their everyday lives, students identify possibilities for independent and dependent variables within the scientific questions they have about their interests, as well as the approach to measuring outcomes. Before summer starts, students have planned their
experiments, written introductions to their research papers, and fleshed out the methods and materials. They also form a hypothesis. This year’s experiments included the speed at which different pain medications dissolve, the effect of different music genres on running speed of a set distance, and the relationship between a kombucha scoby and sugar consumption. “I’m a kombucha fanatic,” says one student, “so I’m using kombucha, white wine vinegar, and water, and I’m going to see which one of them dissolves sugar fastest.” This kind of specialization is precisely what Ms. Brookman wants. She says, “I want them to think about what they already do and then figure out how they can alter it or change.” When girls return as Eighth Graders, Math teacher, Cathy Pelnik, teaches them how to input the data they collected from their summer experiment into Excel Spreadsheets. Then they learn to use Excel formulas to calculate and graph statistics that summarize their data. The final step is to analyze their data, explaining its relationship to the hypothesis they set in the previous year. Using the scientific method authentically and understanding the connection between research, math, and technology builds skill and confidence in the girls during their final year at OHS as they prepare for high school and beyond.
Every year, the members of the Fifth Grade class write a monologue play to share what they enjoy about themselves as Fifth Graders as well as their dreams for the future. After reading examples of monologues and discussing how dramatic literature differs from writing for other forms, the students begin by reflecting on what makes them unique, stating their wants and desires and penning a letter to their older selves. Once the monologues are edited and ready for performance, each girl learns the critique process, incorporating changes to realize the ultimate potential of her work. When final drafts are in place, the girls work to produce a cohesive piece that allows each to shine as individuals. The composition of the monologue is about the girl’s path in developing her individual voice and sense of self. It helps each Fifth Grader successfully construct a foundation on which
to build skills for self-reflection, communication, and presentation. In the end, here is what some of our Fifth Graders had to say:
I want to be happy with my life and with what I’ve done. I want to make the streets, oceans, mountains, and this world a better place. I want to make the world a better place with less sickness. I want to be the kind of person who fights for gender equality. I will fight alongside other civil rights activists and nothing will stop us. This is what I want for my future.
RESPONSIVENESS | SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY | INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY | EMOTIONAL INTEGRITY
DEVELOPING INDIVIDUAL VOICES
ALUMNAE NOTES Rachel (Imburg) Beverly (2000): The Beverly family is excited to welcome their first child, a baby boy, to the family in early December.
Regina (Sol) Terry (2001): Regina just celebrated her 5-year anniversary with her husband and is in her last year of school at VCU for a new Bachelor’s degree.
Kate Belleman (2003): Kate had a busy end to her 2018 as she got married in October, had a wedding party in December, and planned two major fundraisers for her job in September and October. She has continued to spend lots of time choreographing shows, and has a busy fall coming up with three productions back to back. She and her husband Aaron recently went on their honeymoon to England and Scotland, the trip of a lifetime! Kate will continue to serve as a member of the Orchard House Board and is looking forward to taking over as chair of the Trustees Committee. In addition to her board service with Orchard House School, she also recently joined the board of Family Lifeline.
Kelsey (Butler) Fatsi (2004): For the past 7 years, Kelsey has been residing in Boulder, Colorado where she relocated to attend Naropa University and graduated with a Masters Degree in Art Therapy in 2015. Both Kelsey and her husband, Elias, are from Richmond. They attended the same high school and reconnected in Boulder. They are the parents of 3 girls - Clover (3.5), Fia (2), and Tansy (3 months). While Kelsey’s main job is being a mama to her girls, she facilitates support groups for pregnant and postpartum moms, and teaches process-based art classes for children.
Hey, Alumnae! We want to hear what you are doing! To share your story in the next issue of Spotlight, click on Spotlight News at www.orchardhouse.org/alumnae-corner.
Kate (Townes) Schiefelbein (2004): Kate was promoted to Financial Advisor at BB&T Scott & Stringfellow, and her practice brings a client-centered, serviceoriented approach to investment management. She celebrated the end of her Richmond’s Finest campaign as an honoree at the Brewer’s Ball benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Kate and her husband William recently celebrated their 2nd wedding anniversary and traveled this summer to Seneca Lake/Geneva, NY, Napa Valley, CA, and Austin/ Dallas, TX. She will continue to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees for OHS and is chairing the Development Committee for the 2019-2020 school year.
Caleigh Reid (2005): Caleigh is having a baby boy!
Melody Harrison (2006): Melody graduated Cum Laude from Marymount Manhattan College in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History. She works as the Community Engagement Coordinator for 3Degrees, a renewable energy company that manages the Dominion Energy Green Power program. In 2018, she served as cochair of 3Degrees’ Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She recently purchased her first home in Montrose Heights with her partner, Brian. They share their home with their pet babies Phiz and Margay, and tons of plants, art, and musical instruments.
Maggie Alphen (2017): As part of a capstone project for the James River Leadership Academy, Maggie contributed to the health of the James River by painting storm drains at Robious Landing Park, River City Sportsplex, Bettie Weaver Elementary, and The New Community School, where she is currently attending. She used permanent spray paint, stencils with animals found in the James River environment and the slogan, “Your river starts here--only rain in the drain.” The artwork reminds people not to litter. She also attended the Precollege Art Intensive program at VCU this summer.
“I have always liked doing things differently. I’m a firm believer in pushing the envelope in a safe way, which I talk about with the girls.” Whether it’s teaching a volleyball serve or organizing a fitness circuit to “Eye of the Tiger,” Horner is constantly finding ways for Orchard House girls to move. She’s been doing so for 19 years as the Physical Education and Health teacher, a role that she is transitioning out of in the 2019-2020 school year. Horner believes in the interconnectedness of physical, nutritional, and mental health. In addition to introducing new activities, she helps students understand dietary choices, stress-reduction strategies, and relationships. “If you are in tune with your physical self, it helps you to be better in tune with your emotional self. Both of the areas I teach are crucial to fulfilling the mission for each girl.” The emphasis in Physical Education, Horner says, is never about being an elite athlete, but finding lifelong ways to be active. To this end, she teaches everything from sports to step aerobics, with an expectation of full participation. She also takes advantage of the school’s location, taking students on what she calls “urban hiking” expeditions in the historic Fan neighborhood. “Usually everyone doesn’t like everything, and that’s okay.” She encourages girls to identify activities they like. “There should be joy in movement.”
Asked what she is best known for among students, Horner doesn’t hesitate: “I think I’m probably best known for not sugar-coating things with the girls.” This approach is particularly important in Health class. When students know they will be regarded seriously and straightforwardly, Horner says, “They’re not afraid to ask anything, which shows me a high level of comfort and trust. I see that as one of my biggest challenges and greatest rewards here. I feel very honored to be able to talk with these girls about those important things, and many parents will come back later and tell me how much they appreciated that.” The same trust is critical in her ongoing roles as Eighth Grade Homeroom teacher and High School Coordinator. She coaches girls on application skills and encourages them with her ongoing mantra: bloom where you’re planted. As her role here shifts, Horner is excited about having more time to ride her motorcycle, giving someone else a chance to drive the bus and negotiate broomball disputes. “I am also looking forward to kayaking, because it’s quiet and peaceful, and you can get close to a lot of wildlife that you can’t get close to otherwise.” When she is not with her first grandchild, she will be spending her free time as she always has—walking her dogs twice a day, finding joy in movement, and blooming wherever life plants her.
PHYSICAL WELL-BEING | EMOTIONAL INTEGRITY
BLOOM WHERE YOU’RE PLANTED
500 N. Allen Avenue | Richmond, VA 23220 orchardhouse.org | 804.228.2436
LOOKING BACK
AT THE 2018-2019 SPEAKER SERIES Orchard House School hosts a lunch speaker series throughout the year for its students. Speakers from all walks of life share their stories during the lunch hour. In 2018-2019, the girls had the great fortune to meet and learn from:
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Tanea Reed Ph.D., Professor of Bio Chemistry at Eastern Kentucky University
Amina Shams and Noma Saeed, Co-founders of Building Lives of Orphans from Morocco (BLOOM)
Alison Rhoades, D.V.M, Veterinarian at Midlothian Animal Clinic
Grace Gallagher, Executive Director of Cameron J. Gallagher Foundation (pictured on the left)
• • • • •
Rebecca Sontag of the Virginia Home OHS Alumnae: Nathalie Oates of the Children’s Museum of Richmond, Melody Harrison of 3Degrees, Kate Belleman of the Virginia War Memorial, and Iram Amir, a student at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University