News of the School Summer 2012 Park Tudor School
librarian Donna Johnson and Upper School Spanish teacher Sheila Young were honored at several end-of-year events.
Sharon Robinson, daughter of baseball legend Jackie Robinson, presented Raeya Ponugoti ’19 with the Breaking Barriers Award at a Lower School assembly on April 27.
Fifth-grader wins national writing contest
F
ifth-grader Raeya Ponugoti was one of two grand-prize winners of the 2012 “Breaking Barriers: In Sports, In Life” North American essay contest. Raeya’s essay was selected from more than 10,000 submitted for this year’s contest, sponsored by Major League Baseball and Scholastic. Park Tudor fifth-grade students entered the writing contest in February. Students in grades four through eight across the U.S. and Canada wrote 200-700 word essays sharing personal stories of how they used the values exemplifed by Baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson to overcome personal barriers. Raeya’s essay was about how she handled a difficult situation at a local dance studio. Sharon Robinson, Jackie Robinson’s daughter and Educational Programming Consultant for Major League Baseball, visited the Lower School on April 27 to present the award to Raeya, and later that evening Raeya and her family attended Jackie Robinson Night at a Cincinnati Reds game. Raeya also was honored by the Indianapolis-Marion County City-Council Council at its monthly meeting.
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Three honored upon retirement
Three
distinguished faculty members whose careers total 80 years of service to Park Tudor retired at the end of the school year. Upper School math teacher Emily Moore Sturman ’66, Lower School
Emily Moore Sturman ’66 The recipient of a Park Tudor Distinguished Alumni Award in 2011, Emily Sturman has educated generations of Park Tudor students. For the past 40 years, she has combined high standards and expectations with exceptional warmth and deep engagement with students. In announcing her retirement, Head of School Dr. Matthew Miller noted, “She has elevated our understanding of professionalism, and she represents the sort of stability and continuity that make our school remarkable.” She has served as an advisor for Student Council, Brain Game and the junior class, as well as a member of the Personnel Practices Committee. Emily was president of the Park Tudor Alumni Board of Directors (1977-78) and a representative for the Tudor Hall Class of 1966. Although retiring from the classroom, Sturman will stay closely connected to Park Tudor in a mentoring capacity, working with advanced math students as opportunities arise and assisting new faculty members in their transition to Park Tudor. And she will also remain connected
Retiring faculty members Sheila Young, Emily Sturman and Donna Johnson were honored at an end-of-year faculty dinner on May 30. Long-time tutor Sandy Kling, who is retiring from tutoring this year, also was honored at the event.