News of the School

Following the announcement that Gareth Vaughan, Head of School, will retire at the end of this school year, the Park Tudor Board of Directors has been working diligently to prepare a national search for our next Head of School. The Board understands that selecting the next Head of School is the most important job it has, and as such, the development of a thoughtful process is critical to attaining the best result.

In early October, Park Tudor Board of Directors President, Cathy Ferree ’82, announced the members of the Head of School Search Committee:

• Aman Brar (Chair): Aman is a member of the Board of Directors and a parent of a current Park Tudor student. He is the former

CEO of Jobvite, a recruiting software company.

• Dr. Heather Carmody: Heather teaches Middle School math at

Park Tudor and is a parent of two current PT students.

• Justin Christian: Justin is a member of the Board of Directors and a parent of two current students. He is the CEO and

Founder of BCforward, an IT consulting company.

• Ben Evans: Ben is the incoming Chair of the Park Tudor Trust, an alumnus, and a parent of two current students. He is the

Founder and Chief Growth and Strategy Officer for Marathon

Health.

• Andrea Hailey: Andrea is a member of the Board of Directors and a Park Tudor alumna. She is the CEO of Vote.org, a nonprofit specializing in non-partisan voting registration.

• Lisa Hoskin: Lisa is the Park Tudor Parent Association Co-chair and a parent of a current student.

• Carlie Irsay-Gordon: Carlie is a member of the Board of

Directors, a parent of three current students, and an alumna of the school. She is Vice-chair/Owner of the Indianapolis Colts.

• Dr. Scott McDougall: Scott is the Science Department Chair at

Park Tudor and teaches Upper School science. • Scott Moorehead: Scott is a member of the Board of Directors and a parent of two current students. He is the CEO and

Owner of Round Room LLC and each of its entities: TCC,

Wireless Zone, Redux, and Culture of Good.

• Molly Murphy: Molly teaches Junior Kindergarten at Park Tudor and is a parent of a current student and an alum.

• Ersal Ozdemir: Ersal is a member of the Board of Directors and a parent of four current students. He is the Founder and Chairman of Keystone Group, a real estate development company.

The first order of business for the Search Committee will be the selection of a search consulting firm, which will help the Committee establish a process, recruit candidates for its consideration, and provide counsel throughout the search process and leadership transition.

Jeff and Benita Thomasson have funded a new scholarship, the Thomasson Scholars. This four-year scholarship, which is funded in perpetuity, is awarded to an incoming freshman and will cover 100 percent of tuition and fees. Students will be selected for the scholarship by the Admissions department, with preference given to students matriculating from Oaks Academy, another school the Thomasson family has supported. The first Thomasson Scholar joined Park Tudor this fall; a second full scholarship will be awarded in the 2022-23 school year.

“Benita and I are so pleased to fund these scholarships that benefit two schools that are very close to our hearts. Our family values the educational opportunities that Park Tudor provides, and we have enjoyed the school’s many co-curricular opportunities. We are pleased the Thomasson Scholars program will provide a transformational educational experience to other families,” said Jeff Thomasson.

Head of School Gareth Vaughan worked closely with Jeff and Benita to create the scholarship. “Park Tudor is grateful to Jeff and Benita Thomasson for this wonderful gift to create the

Thomasson Scholars,” said Vaughan. “The students who receive this scholarship will benefit from the Thomasson’s thoughtful philanthropy for years to come.”

Back row: Luke Pittman (holding Emma Rose Pittman), Jeff Thomasson, Elliott Thomasson ’07 Middle row: Benita Thomasson, Charlotte Pittman ’35, James Pittman ’33 Floor: Brittany Pittman ’04, Lizzy Pittman ’31, Lili Glazer (fiancée of Elliott)

Congratulations to the nine seniors who have been recognized as Semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program:

• Adelaide Benoit • Sophia Davison • David Du • Violet Isaac • Lauren Kittle • Ian Minor • Zachary Phelps • Audrey Wang • Vanessa Xiao In addition, junior Joshua Bumpus and senior Luke Hayes have been named as Scholars in the National African American Recognition Program, and senior Clara Skovronsky was designated a Scholar in the National Hispanic Recognition Program.

Left to Right: Joshua Bumpus, Luke Hayes, Clara Skovronsky

More than 1.5 million juniors entered the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2020 Preliminary SAT/ National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). The nationwide pool of Semifinalists represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors and includes the highest scoring entrants in each state.

National Merit Scholarship Finalists will be announced in February, and Scholarship winners will be announced beginning in April.

Six members of the class of 2022 have been named Commended Students in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program:

• Isabel Goodwin • Edward Hu • Pooja Krishnan • Nandini Mathavan • Emma Oxtoby • Mary Kate Tanselle

Left to Right: Pooja Krishnan, Edward Hu, Emma Oxtoby, Nandini Mathavan, Mary Kate Tanselle, Isabel Goodwin

About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2022 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 students who entered the competition by taking the 2020 PSAT/NMSQT.

On Saturday, October 2, 14 PT robotics students represented the school at the Marion County VHC Tournament at Purdue Polytechnic High School in Indianapolis. The students had an impressive performance, competing earlier in the year than ever before.

All four Park Tudor teams were picked earlier than expected in alliance selections, indicating that the other teams respected their robots, driving skills, and sportsmanship during the tournament.

One Middle School team, 6842X, led by Audrey Ko, Lauren Lo, and Anjali Pai, participated in their first tournament. The team had a very strong first showing, finishing with three wins and three losses and a rank of 13 out of 25 teams in attendance.

Left to Right: Anjali Pai, Lauren Lo, Audrey Ko

Team Cobra Kai, led by Daniel de Dios, Cole Burkman, and Alex Wei, advanced to the quarterfinals. Despite some impressive offensive play, they were edged out in that match 135-140 against an impressive alliance of teams in the final seconds of competition.

Two Park Tudor teams, PigPen and Ghost Code, advanced to the finals match to compete against each other. PigPen, led by Zach Phelps, Mary Cudworth, and Alyssa Effland, joined forces in an alliance with the #1-ranked team. Ghost Code, led by Matthew Bender, Sruthi Devarapalli, Ibrahim Mohsin, Jathan Pai, and Leo Shaw, joined an alliance with the #2-ranked team. The exciting final match between the two alliances concluded in a tie, 100100, but the Ghost Code alliance had won the early autonomous section, earning six additional points, so Ghost Code edged out the win with a final score of 106-100. Ghost Code earned the Tournament Champion award as a result.

PigPen earned the Robot Skills Champion award for scoring the highest total rank in skills during the event. Their score of 463 is currently the highest overall VEX Robotics skills score in the world! PigPen also earned the Excellence Award, presented to the top all-around team at the tournament.

In a longstanding Park Tudor tradition, students, faculty, alumni and parents came together to build a home for a deserving family through Habitat for Humanity. The build began back in July, and the home was dedicated to the Garrett family on November 5.

A huge thank you to everyone who participated, from spending a day at the build to driving and chaperoning students on-site. In addition, thank you to all of the generous donors who helped support the build financially, including those who purchased items from the Garrett family’s Amazon wishlist.

The arts returned to Park Tudor with a bang this fall, with performances November 5-7 of the Upper School fall play, She Kills Monsters.

She Kills Monsters tells the story of Agnes Evans as she leaves her childhood home in Ohio following the death of her teenage sister, Tilly. When Agnes finds Tilly’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook, however, she finds herself catapulted into a journey of discovery and action-packed adventure in the imaginary world that was her sister’s refuge. In this high-octane dramatic comedy laden with homicidal fairies, nasty ogres, and ’90s pop culture, acclaimed playwright Qui Nguyen offers a heartpounding homage to the geek and warrior within us all.

Congratulations to the cast and crew for a fantastic weekend of performances!

* Seniors Nandini Mathavan and Rex Burkman have been named Silver Congressional Award Medalists. These awards are bestowed by Congress on students who demonstrate exceptional commitment to public service, personal development, leadership and academics.

* Freshman Michael Pinner took first place in the NXG Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 18. He was also crowned the 2021 NXG Grand Prix Champion. NXG’s focus is to teach STEM and life skills to children from underrepresented communities via the classroom and go-kart and motorsports racing. Currently, Grand Prix participants are selected via invitation only, from their previous demonstrated success at prior levels of the NXG program. Grand Prix is a 2 year competition; Michael is the second student to win the Grand Prix 2 consecutive years.

* Middle School students Arie Jones, Lauren Lo, and Audrey Ko have been selected for the Indiana American String Teacher Association All-Region Orchestra. They rehearsed with teachers from Northern Indiana at Zionsville High School and performed on Saturday, November 20. Congratulations to Arie, Lauren and Audrey on this achievement!

Please save the date for the fifth Annual Trivia Night hosted by the Park Tudor Booster Club! Trivia Night has become a Park Tudor tradition, so we hope you will join us. This year’s event will be held in-person at the Irsay Family Sports Center for Health and Wellness. Opportunities to purchase a table for a team of 8 or individual registrations will be available. Look for more information soon to register and to become a sponsor. We look forward to seeing you on Saturday, January 29, 2022.

The boys tennis team improved in 2021 both on and off the court. Thirty-three boys at all levels of play came out for the team. The varsity team finished the season with a 13 win/7 loss record, and the JV team finished with 8 wins and 5 losses.

The varsity team tied for 5th place in the North Central Invitational, and we were finalists in the Marion County Tournament. In addition, the Panthers captured the Pioneer Athletic Association Conference (PAAC) Championships. The following players were named All Conference: Jack Anderson, Michael Fryburg, Ian Harris, Charlie Held, Simon Rothbaum, Oliver Seifert, and Rohan Shah. The team’s season came to an end with a tough 4-1 loss to Brebeuf in the Semi-Finals of the Sectional Tournament. The doubles team of Michael Fryburg and Simon Rothbaum advanced in the IHSAA Boys State Individual Doubles tournament, eventually losing a hard-fought three set match to a very good Brownsburg team who went on to be in the Final 8 of the State Finals.

To provide additional play, the JV team participated in the Carmel Invite and the HSE Royals JV Invitational. These events provided great competition and match play for our team members. In the HSE Royal JV Invitational, the Panthers tied for 3rd place; Cole Burkman and Will Schmidt won their flight at #1 Doubles position. The Varsity team was named Academic All State for having a combined 3.6 GPA or higher. Ian Harris was named Academic All State Individual, and Jack Anderson, Lucas Bassi, Ian Harris, Nik Mukhin and Simon Rothbaum earned PAAC Academic Achievement recognition.

The 2021 season for Park Tudor football was one to remember! The Panthers totaled over 3500 yards and 400 points in their 11-game season. The record of 8-3 is the best since 2005, including a win in the first round of the IHSAA Sectional vs. Sheridan High School by the score of 26-7. In the second round of Sectional Semi-Final the team came up just short on a cold and rainy night, losing 25-13 against #1-ranked Lutheran High School. None of this success would have been possible without tremendous play in the trenches; the offensive line averaged 7.6 yards per rush, while the defensive line allowed just 3.1 yards per rush. This group was anchored by Luke Hayes, Kaleb Strong-Jones, Rylan Watkins and Ty Lewis. Aaron Roach finished his career as a Panther with 375 tackles, the second highest in school history. CJ Thompson closed out his career ranked third in receiving yards, touchdowns and receptions. Among the rest of the senior class are key performers at all levels. While the seniors will be missed, the future is bright: six starters will return on each side of the ball and the team looks toward building onto the legacy of greatness that this group has established.

The boys soccer team had one of the most successful postseason tournaments in PT history, making it to the Semi-State Championship game. While the Panthers ultimately fell short to Westview High School 2-1 in overtime, the hard-fought game capped off a great season. The Panthers finished the season with an overall record of 15-4-1. The team only allowed 14 goals, and scored a total of 70 throughout the season. In the Sectional Championship game, senior Humza Raza scored the winning goal in a penalty shootout against Heritage Christian to win the title. Juniors David Mokaya, Isaiah Crafton and goalkeeper Matthew Bender, along with seniors Raiden Miyamoto and Will Morris, led a strong defense all season with 13 shutouts. Junior George Ferguson and senior Peter Dubie led the attack for the Panthers with 17 and 20 goals respectively. The team will be graduating only four starters, with center midfielders Teddy Kramer and Francesco Nofrini both returning to help lead the charge to another run at the State title in 2022.

The 2021 PT girls soccer season ended with a double overtime, shootout loss in the Sectional Finals to rival Brebeuf. The Sectional final came after a 1-0 win against Chatard (ranked #1 in class

2A) two days prior. The team ended the season with an overall record of 14-4-1 and with a final ranking of #5 in 2A - the highest ranking ever for Park Tudor girls soccer. The IHSAA moved the girls soccer team from class 1A to 2A based on their success over the last two years. The team did won PAAC title for the fourth-straight year, with five players earning All-Conference honors: 1. Colina Miroff (Conference Player of the Year) 2. Gretchen Farley 3. Jenny Walker 4. Gracie Whitacre 5. Dejanae Butler The players were also well represented on the Marion County Coaches of Girls Sports Association 2021 All-County team: 1. Gretchen Farley 2. Emma Miller 3. Colina Miroff 4. Gracie Whitacre 5. Jenny Walker Park Tudor also placed two players on the All-District team: 1. Colina Miroff (First Team) 2. Gracie Whitacre (Honorable Mention) The team looks forward to continuing PT’s winning tradition in girls soccer next year.

The volleyball team had great success on the court, despite having to play all games on the road due to the construction of the new Irsay Family Sports Center for Health and Wellness. Highlights included wins over Pike High School and Warren Central.

In the Pioneer Academic Athletic Conference (PAAC) tournament, they defeated Liberty Christian, Seton Catholic and Muncie Burris, emerging victorious. In Marion County tournament play, they defeated the Sparkplugs from Speedway High School in the first round and Decatur Central in the second round, but eventually fell to Brebeuf, 3-0. The Panthers finished the regular season ranked #4, posting an overall record of 24-4. In the IHSAA Sectional, the Panthers defeated the Trailblazers from University High School in the first round, 3-0. However, they lost in the Sectional Championship to a tough team from Western Boone by a score of 1-3.

An historic cross country season for PT ended with third and fourth place finishes in the State Cross Country Meet by juniors Sophia Kennedy and Gretchen Farley. These are the highest finishes at the State meet in school history; Sophia has now earned All-State honors each of the last three years. Gretchen has now earned All-State honors two years in a row. In the Pioneer Academic Athletic Conference championship meet, both the girls and boys teams won the conference crown for the second year in a row, with the girls finishing one point shy of a perfect score. The girls were led by Gretchen Farley, who placed first individually. The boys were led by Spencer Hughes, who finished second overall.

At the IHSAA Sectional meet, the girls team was once again led by Gretchen Farley and Sophia Kennedy, who placed second and third respectively; the girls team finished fourth overall. The team’s performance earned Park Tudor a spot at the Regional meet for the second consecutive year and just the second time in school history. The boys team placed eighth and were led by Spencer Hughes, who finished 14th overall. At the Regional meet, Gretchen and Sophia again placed second and third to advance to Semi-State, where they earned spots in the State Championship Meet by finishing second and third once more. Sophia and Gretchen capped off their great seasons by finishing third and fourth in the State; both will be returning next year to make one more run at the State Championship.

The girls golf team got off to a strong start with a 3-way match vs. Ben Davis and Cathedral. At the Lapel Bulldog Classic on Saturday, August 14, the Panthers finished 9th out of 16 teams. On Saturday, August 21, they followed up with a strong performance in the Connersville Invitational, with the team of Sia Patel, Mary Kate Tanselle, Audrey Wang, Anastasia Ebersole, and Lilianna Spartz shooting a 396 and finishing 5th overall out of 12 teams.

In IHSAA Sectional play, the team had to battle rain but ended up shooting a 408 which advanced them to the IHSAA Regional. There were a total of 18 schools who competed in the Regional; only the top three overall advanced to the State Finals. The team finished just out of the top 10 and did not advance, but we congratulate the team on an outstanding season!