R E F LE C TION
SABOT AT STONY POINT DECEMBER 2020
TOGETHER, WE’RE A GENIUS
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CHILDREN’S THINKING PHILANTHROPY REPORT
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CLASS NOTES BRIDGES & BOATS
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AFTER SABOT
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LEADERSHIP 2020–2021 Administration Tom Bendel Head of School
Maggie Barrett Director of Admissions & Enrollment Grace Rochfort Director of Communications & Marketing
Christine Webb Director of Finance & Operations
Mary Driebe Director of Teaching & Learning
Marty Gravett Director of Early Childhood Education and The Sabot Institute for Teaching & Learning Kara Page Head of Middle School
Board of Directors Courtney Beamon Chair President, Delta Airport Consultants, Inc.
Jonathan Becker, J.D., Ph.D. Vice Chair Associate Professor, Educational Leadership, VCU Katherine Brakman Secretary Senior Producer, The Martin Agency
Brenda Daglish Treasurer Owner, House to Home Renovations, LLC
On the cover:
Terressa Campbell Oten IT Strategy Coordinator, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Micah Dalton Principal, Dalton Group Consulting
Patrick McColgan Managing Director, Duff & Phelps, LLC
Laura Meyers Artist & Community Volunteer Theresa Murray Auditor, Commonwealth of Virginia Auditor of Public Accounts
Mac Purrington Owner, Apple Spice Junction
Adam Rose Managing Director, Global Strategy Development, Deloitte Esa Sferra-Bonistalli Attorney, Department of Homeland Security, Office of the General Counsel Toni Winston Executive Assistant, Capital One
Each year, a group of Middle School students creates personalized diplomas for our 8th Grade graduates. The Class of 2020’s 16 diplomas were drawn by Oliver Frankel ‘20, Gabriella Mazzeo ‘22, and Tom Meyers ‘20.
Dear Sabot Community, This issue of Reflection, perhaps fittingly for a year like no other, not only reflects on last school year, but reaches farther into Sabot’s past and celebrates our enduring relationship with the Reggio Emilia Approach® as we mark the retirements of two long-serving members of our community. In our feature article, Marty Gravett and Sara Ferguson take time to speak with Irene Carney about the advent of our Reggio-inspired approach. As we say farewell to them, they can be sure of the firm foundation they leave behind on which we can build. And build we will, in more ways than one. As we look toward Sabot’s future, we are excited that the building project is proceeding and is expected to be completed in early 2022. Our new classroom building will provide us a purpose-built facility that matches the quality of the program. We are eager to occupy it and are grateful to all of you for your contributions to this much-anticipated project and for your confidence that now is the right time to move forward. Of course, we also reflect on the last year, which was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and our shift to connected learning in the spring. Sabot was and is uniquely positioned to respond to changing conditions, even ones as dramatic as these, while preserving the heart of the program. An important part of that story was the immense effort of teachers, staff, parents, and children to adapt to that new context, something for which we are immensely grateful. We would be remiss to not take this opportunity to tip our hat to the graduating class of 2020. You should be proud that you rose to the challenge of completing your Sabot education under difficult circumstances. We were not surprised. Thank you for your continued trust and confidence in Sabot. This pandemic stressed the school in innumerable ways, but those stresses also highlighted the underlying strength of this community, another thing on which we will build as we move toward the future.
TOM BENDEL, HEAD OF SCHOOL
COURTNEY BEAMON CHAIR, BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS Meet the Teacher 2019
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Sabot Institute Open Doors Fall 2019
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Rumors of War Unveiling
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1.
Magnus ‘26 with parents, Patrick and Natalie, and his new sibling.
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Lorraine ‘28 with her older sister and parents, Terressa and Bryan.
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Henry ‘21; his dad, Kurt; and his sister order some tasty ice cream.
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Anna Golden, atelierista, presents at our Open Doors: Visiting Educators Day.
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Grace ‘21, Iris ‘21, and Matilda ‘21, are thrilled to be back after the summer.
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Spencer ‘23 with his siblings and mom, Julie, gathered with other Sabot families to celebrate the unveiling.
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Fall Fest 2019
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Reading Buddies
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Super bubbles were a big hit at Fall Fest!
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Friends cheered as Fest-goers ran in the wheel, powering the creation of a snowball.
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Esmé (PS) with mom, Julie.
10. Can you hula hoop? Emerson (PS) gives it a go.
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11. Kenny ‘24 helps his reading buddy up the slide as Emilia (PS) and Shayna ‘24 look on. 12. Amarís ‘25 looks at Mia’s (PS) work in her Home to School Journal. 13. Reese ‘22 shows the trout that 6th Grade raises to her buddy Charlotte ‘28.
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TOGETHER, WE’RE A GENIUS A conversation with living legends. In 1995, Reggio education didn’t exist yet in Virginia. Sabot School, as our preschoolonly school was named at the time, was instrumental in bringing this educational approach to young children in central Virginia. What’s transpired over the past 25 years? We gathered three of our renowned educators and pedagogists who led Sabot with passion and ingenuity for a combined 75 years to share their stories. Marty Gravett, Director of Early Childhood, and Sara Ferguson, Preschool TeacherResearcher, are retiring this year, leaving Sabot with a strong Reggio foundation and a promising future of innovative education. Our former head of school, Irene Carney, leads the following conversation with Marty and Sara about building the Sabot we know today. This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
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Sara Ferguson, Anna Golden, Debbie Lickey, Marty Gravett, and Pam Oken-Wright in Lugano, Switzerland
Diving into Early Childhood Education Irene: Marty, why don’t you tell us the story of when the idea of being in early childhood as your career first attracted you? Marty: It’s interesting. I flash back on my mother. She didn’t work until I was in high school when she became a teacher’s aide, and the stories that she told about people disrespecting children were just, they were so strong. And then I went on to see that; I got a summer job as an aide for a teacher, and I saw firsthand the disrespect of children. That was hard to see and to watch, and it was really very counter to the way I’d been raised. When I went on to college, there was a group of us that was reading A. S. Neill’s Summerhill, and that really intrigued me. I studied in Denmark and saw their social systems, and I lived in England and participated in a British infant school there. So all of that, coupled with the possibility that I saw in Summerhill and in the education system, is what appealed to me. When I was a young professional in Richmond, I’d heard about Sabot, so I decided that I would like to go and visit. That was the point at which I said that if I ever have children, I’m going to bring them to Sabot. This was when Sabot was at Saint Mary’s Church. There was this large space where they had those long white benches, which were made by Sabot parents and are still upstairs in the hallway of the preschool. My image of that experience is two or three boys running in from outside and jumping over those benches like it was an obstacle course. It’s so curious that that was the image, but what was going on there was so compelling to me. It was a dynamic, lively, engaged experience those children were having. Irene: Sara, I think that maybe for both you and me, our road to early childhood came when we came to Sabot. Sara: I’ve always worked with children in some way, but not in early childhood, so my introduction to Sabot was when my oldest daughter started. I used to carpool with Marty and Irene. We lived in the same neighborhood, and we were part of a babysitting co-op and a dinner co-op. So there was just that sort of community spirit. I think that’s one of the things that really drew me to Sabot. The community spirit, and the way that the parents were really involved and were a significant piece of the school. That was always very important to me. I can remember being struck the first time I walked in when kids were there by the respect that was accorded to the youngest children. I’d grown up in an educational system and a family system where there was the pecking order, and the fact that children were respected across the
board, and parents were respected too—that was very, very obvious. Irene: Marty, you had started to learn about these schools in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Could you talk a bit about the beginning of your awareness of and response to the Reggio Emilia Approach? Marty: Between reading about it and attending conferences… the Model Early Learning Center in D.C. brought Loris Malaguzzi and Tiziana Filippini, and Lella Gandini was translating for everybody… and I still have the t-shirt! I was just really hooked, so that led me to keep my eyes open for possibilities. Through my quality childcare grant work, I was in touch with one of the other regional directors of the program. She called me because there was a study tour going to Reggio. “Do you want to go?” So of course I did! My husband taught me that you just keep going for something that you want to do, until you have to stop, and gosh, it hasn’t stopped yet. The trip to Reggio was in 1995 when it was Reggio Children’s first birthday, so there was a lot of celebration and engagement. I came back really jazzed, and meanwhile Irene had taken over the leadership at Sabot. Irene: I have a very, very clear memory of you sending me an article about Reggio. And then we agreed to meet because you were trying to imagine how it could be possible to do this work in Richmond. And we had a cup of tea, and you made the pitch: Could it be possible that Sabot would be
Rockstars of Reggio Loris Malaguzzi A psychologist and educator considered the father of the Reggio Emilia Approach® (1920 -1994)
Tiziana Filippini A psychologist and pedagogista for the Municipality of Reggio Emilia since 1978
Lella Gandini The United States Liaison for the Dissemination of the Reggio Emilia Approach since 1994
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interested in exploring this work more deeply and thinking about taking it on?
Making Sabot Home
bopping, and doing all sorts of things with their mouths. They were engaged in this, and wanted this, and were passionate about this.
I was able to provide observation of it and lead them into a Irene: There was a brief period of time where we were a place where they recorded it, and then ultimately listened little bit of a SWAT team just to get the school through. to the recordings and drew their own understanding of A director had left suddenly, and we had about another what they were listening to. And then they’re using these six weeks of the school year. So a few of at a circle to share with each other. Then us stepped in to help the teachers finish one child at a time was leading an orchestra I WAS ALWAYS the year, and Sara stepped into the role of of sounds by holding up the paddles with LOOKING FOR admissions and filled in at the office. By their images on it. And once you have an SOMETHING MORE, this time, I think Marty had been on the experience like that it’s just – oh, it’s all AND THERE WAS Board. Sara, then you became a member over. That’s what it has to be, because the THAT KIND OF of the teaching faculty. children are so powerful, and the experience YEARNING, BUT is so compelling. Sara: My youngest daughter had left Sabot, THEN I SAW REGGIO. but I would still see Marty and Irene, and This was all on the basis of Irene’s Marty had started talking to me about these schools in observations, and this really became the template for how Reggio. I was working in a library, and we would get these we could work – that collective observation of children. educational journals, and I was reading about Reggio. And Irene: It was brilliant. It was our first example of the culture I just thought this is the most incredible thing I have ever of engagement, because the kids thought, number one, this read in my life. This is the way it should be for children, adult is really listening to us. She’s not thinking this is and I was thinking, I just need to be here. something that needs to be shut down so that we’ll all be Irene: We had these little pieces in place. Individual teachers quiet and listen. The kids were so engaged in it, and then who’d begun to think about and be interested in this they took it to musical notation. They were able to replicate approach, and then we created a position for a program the sound patterns because Marty led them through it in director who really knows early childhood. So Marty that way. So that was the beginning of, wow, this is really came and interviewed for that position soon after having going to be a departure. It’s going to be really different returned from Italy. Within a week I think, within the jet from what we’ve done before, and it has been. lag window. When we had our interview with Marty, she was talking very freshly from this experience. I have a physical memory of that, because I feel like the entire committee was leaning in on our chairs listening to her, and it was so compelling. Marty: I was asked to do something with the children. And Irene, you were such a good observer. You could tell me what was going on with a group of children. And you said, “Well, you know, they really like making noises with their mouth.” You had observed that they were clucking and
1972
Irene: When Marty came and started to work with the faculty, she was very artful early on in helping us move towards change. I’d been years into a career in special education, and then a couple of years paying more attention to early childhood best practice and research, but it was still a puzzle that was not really coming together for me. It was when Marty brought Reggio, not just the practices but the belief system, that the puzzle became like a group of magnetic filings that all started to cohere. It was the first
1985
Sabot School founded at Sabot Hill Farm, Manakin-Sabot
Move to St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Goochland campus
1973 (6)
Spreading Reggio Inspiration
Move to River Road United Methodist Church campus
Sara & Irene become Sabot School parents
1989
L: Sara works with preschoolers on the computer. R: Marty leads a preschool circle.
time I started to realize there’s a unifying set of beliefs that can help to guide everything that we do moving forward. Here was a way of seeing children and thinking about working with them that was just such a strong through line. Marty: I am resonating with that image of the magnetic filings all coming together. I really felt like in my work in early childhood, I was always looking for something more, and there was that kind of yearning, but then I saw Reggio. They were decades ahead of where we were, so it gave me the vision that I needed to think about how to move forward. When I was hired at Sabot, I really felt like they weren’t hiring me. What they were doing was saying this is the vision that we want, we want this approach. This is a next step for us. We can do this. We can go forward. So here we are, 25 years later. Wow. Irene: Sara, do you have memories of those early months and the first couple of years of moving towards that change? Sara: It was hard, and it was that thing of trying to get everybody on the same page, and some people were more willing than others, and it was very daunting. These people in Reggio have been at it for 40 years. Where do you even begin? Where do you even start?
The most powerful thing has been this group of people just all learning together. It’s the way that we ask the children to work together. I can remember spending the day at the Model Early Learning Center, and the big takeaway from that was slowing down. And we all said that’s what we’re going to try. We’re all going to try to slow down. It was that same thing of together, collectively thinking about how we’re going to proceed and then taking that on, and that was just so powerful, working in that way. Irene: The first new sensibility that I remember Marty bringing to the faculty was the idea that we had to become comfortable with civil discourse because this process is one of collaboration, and it’s one where everybody’s bringing their strengths and their languages to the process. I remember Marty would tell us that we need to get comfortable disagreeing with one another. That it’s going to make the work better. That was absolutely true. And it was that permission to recognize that we’re going to be richer for our ability to embrace difference, and different points of view, and different talents. Sara: One of the things about Reggio is that it’s such an intellectual approach, so really you’re debating ideas. And that’s what’s so exciting about it, but it was emotional as
1990
1992
1995
Marty becomes a Sabot School parent
Irene & Sara step in to help the Sabot offices
Marty becomes Program Director for Sabot School
Marty serves on the Board of Directors
1991
Adoption of a Reggio-inspired curriculum
Irene becomes Executive Director of Sabot School Move to Grace Street campus
1993
Sara joins the Sabot faculty
1996
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Clockwise: Sara surprises the children as the Sabot Dragon; Marty engages with students on the Grace Street playground; Marty shares an instrument; Sara works in the garden with a student.
well. We went through a lot of boxes of tissues, but I think it also really brought us together. We were just this really tight group that really had each other’s backs and were really supporting each other through this, because it was so new and different and unknown. But we knew that we all were supporting each other through it, and that’s very powerful.
2005 Parents express interest in starting a Kindergarten
Extend the preschool approach to elementary education Acquisition of Stony Point property
2006
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Irene: A part of what we had to learn in those early months – months and months – was to trust each other. And to trust that it would be okay to disagree, and to trust that it would be okay to try something and mess up. Along with the necessity of our learning to trust each other was to get to the place of trusting children. Marty, you had to be really patient in helping many of us to get to that place. What Marty was saying to us was that the children will
2007 Sabot at Stony Point established through merger
Preschool moves to Stony Point campus
2009
know, the children have the knowledge and the wisdom to seek out what they need to know, and if we let them be children and if we let them play, and if we watch carefully and really reflect on what we’re seeing, we will see what it is that they’re trying to learn. Sara: It’s that vision, you just hold the image of the child right there, and it all comes from that. Marty: It was that parenting perspective that really helped feed us and drive us in many ways. The parenting literature is what feeds our language of respect and our behavior guidance, and so at the heart of that I think too, is that idea that play was central to knowing a child.
Finding Our Forest Irene: In fall of 2005, the parents started to come to us about creating the kindergarten. We couldn’t support a larger program in the space on Grace Street, but then this group of parents came forward and together they said that they’d do the work to find a new campus. That idea of “wouldn’t it be wonderful if ?” was finally going to be realized. Sara and Marty, you two really had to take on the lion’s share of holding the preschool together while it was still in a different location, until the move of the preschool to the Stony Point campus.
Irene: Marty, you had begun to organize people locally and regionally to create a network of people who are working at various degrees of experience along these lines. Sabot became that place that had, with lots of hard work over a very long time, figured out a lot and was able to give people a sense of that vision. A clarity about what they could envision and what they could imagine. A destination for people who are seeking ways that they can relate to children differently or work differently. Marty: There was a series of presentations that preceded what would become the Sabot Institute for Teaching & Learning. The Virginia Early Childhood Association had asked us if we would be a site, and we presented a series called Finding the Forest on our project work in nature. By that time, we were on the Stony Point campus. Irene: And boy, did we find a forest. Sara: Sabot serendipity, right? That was one of our phrases. Marty: That, and together we’re a genius. That was another phrase that we used often… It’s like the forest found us, really, because then we were invited to write for the book Nature Education with Young Children. And then Sara and I worked on Beautiful Stuff from Nature. We have several articles in there, so really it is like the forest finding us. People learned that that was a piece of the Sabot context.
Sara: It felt like the right move. Here’s our dream place.
Keeping the Vision
Marty: The thing that was hard was the challenge of having two different programs running at the same time – the legwork and the planning and all of that. This just doesn’t work with one person. It works with a team that’s somewhat symbiotic, and so it never felt like it was more than could be managed, because there was somebody there that had a strength that you didn’t have, that was willing to take on that big piece. I always felt so supported in this work by other peoples’ strengths, and that’s what we seek in the classroom. It was the personal interactions and the collaboration amongst the staff that mirrored what was going on in the classroom, that provided the support that we needed to build this school.
Irene: For each of you, 25 years ago, did you imagine or know that 25 years would go by and you would still be at Sabot?
2012
Marty: I think it’s so interesting, the slowing down is a kind of mindfulness that comes with this work, and mindfulness is only the label that comes later, is coming now, but there is such an aspect of being in the present that I’m not sure I could have imagined being in the future. The piece that one could imagine is that this is so compelling, that I don’t have any idea of when I’d want to give it up. Reggio was decades out from where we were, and so that vision of getting there. Who knew what that pathway was? But I wonder if I knew that it would be as hard as it is, and as
2019
Initial Virginia Association of Independent Schools accreditation
Irene retires after leading Sabot for 26 years
Founders Hall dedication
Sabot Institute for Teaching & Learning established
2013
Marty and Sara retire after 25 and 24 years respectively
2020
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slow and as incremental and as building as it was.
holding the vision and moving towards it. Are there other things that we would say we need to leave to the people who are going to be carrying Sabot forward into its next 50 years? To remember and to embrace?
Sara: It doesn’t feel like 25 years. It just doesn’t. I think it is that thing of being in the present all the time, but there’s also that intense curiosity. I just want to know more about this. I just want to keep on learning how to do this, and Marty: Be willing to make mistakes. Be willing to try. There every year, there’s some child who just opens my eyes were places and times I think that we would get a little about something, and I see something in a stuck or get a little afraid. But whenever we completely different way. I don’t know of tested it, tried it out, there was always something THE WORK IS – some part of it that worked or something that many other jobs where that happens on a NOT DONE. regular basis. we learned, or something that helped to propel us forward. We are figuring it out for ourselves, Irene: Sara, I have a very clear memory of the conversation because there’s no Reggio 101 in the university. We still that you and I had where I wasn’t confident yet that you are on the cusp of this, having to figure this out as we go would choose to stay, but you had started to develop the along. Willingness to be in that place of discomfort or garden on Grace Street. All you said to me was, “A garden disequilibrium, or vulnerability and making mistakes is is a commitment. I’ve started the garden. I’m staying.” really central to this work and to moving it forward. We’d experienced a couple of physical processes of relocating or refashioning our physical space, which we then had to do again in coming to Stony Point. So we learned about patience and trust, we learned about persistence, we learned about slowing down, and about
Irene: The work is not done.
Marty Gravett
Sara Ferguson
Sabot has been Marty’s working home for 25 years, where she has led us into our 3rd decade of Reggioinspired teaching in the preschool. Marty is committed to disseminating and sharing the work of our teachers and students and is inspired by the possibilities of collaborating with other educators.
Sara taught in Sabot’s preschool for 24 years and helped Sabot transform the classroom environments. Over the years, she worked with children in Ireland, Scotland, France, and the United States, both as a teacher and as a children’s librarian. As part of her ongoing fascination with education, she visited the preschools of Reggio Emilia in Italy, established a strong relationship with a Reggioinspired school in Northern Ireland, and studied for a year with a group of Freinet teachers in France.
Marty has presented at numerous national early childhood and Reggio-inspired conferences, had an article published in the inaugural issue of the Early Childhood Research Quarterly, and has contributed chapters to Teaching and Learning and Nature Education with Young Children. She also developed a master’s level class for Virginia Commonwealth University entitled The Constructivist Classroom: Everyone Teaches, Everyone Learns. She holds an undergraduate degree in Anthropology, earned her master’s degree in Child Development from Virginia Tech, and she has completed three study tours of the municipal preschools in Reggio Emilia, Italy.
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Maybe in our retirement we can support that next effort, that next step.
Sara has facilitated and presented at numerous national Reggio and early childhood conferences and helped to create a Reggio track for the Virginia Association for Early Childhood Education conference. Sara values having been part of a dynamic learning community that recognizes the power of children and the magic of childhood. She is fascinated by how children respond to a sense of place, and she appreciates being part of a community that supports learning through relationships.
Guided by curiosity. Propelled by imagination.
At Sabot, children play a leading role in their own education and become confident, capable, and creative lifelong learners. With so many unknowns right now, make sure your child’s education isn’t one of them. Schedule a time to talk with us about enrollment for 2021-22.
sabotatstonypoint.org/welcome
A progressive school for children age two – 8th grade adjacent to Larus Park at 3400 Stony Point Road • (804) 272-1341
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2019-20 Giving Annual giving is the cornerstone of the school’s fundraising efforts. Gifts reflected below were made between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020.
Visionaries Circle
Forest Club
Jane & James Hartough
Alison & Creighton Anders Ellen & William Armstrong, Sr. Stephanie Fox & Eric Bowers Vanessa & Egidio Del Fabbro Elizabeth & Jim Featherstone Sara Ferguson & Richard Fine Gatewood Family Charitable Fund Lenore Gay Jennifer & Diego Lo Prete Jeanine & Michael Maruca Cliff Miller Marlo & Bryan Morrison Judith & Glenn Nordin Terressa Campbell Oten & Bryan Oten Ginny & Riker Purcell Rachel Lape & Dennis Smith Amy Parke & Jim Spencer Courtney Beamon & Spencer Waddell Nicole Sackley & Eric Yellin Laura & Joel Yellin Wanda & Daryl Yoder
gifts of $2,500+
Founders Circle gifts of $1,000 – $2,499
Esa Sferra-Bonistalli & Ryan Bonistalli Brenda & Dan Daglish Sarah & Max Fischer Sarah Lile, The James & Jane Hartough Family Charitable Fund of The Community Foundation Serving Richmond and Central Virginia Laura & Eric Meyers Sally & John Meyers Lucile Miller Theresa & Jeff Murray Kristy & Adam Rose Tara & Jason Stamm Amy Chenoweth & Andrew Woltman
Leaders Circle gifts of $500 – $999
Melanie Nan & Clifford Barcliff Maggie & Tim Barrett Jen & Tom Bendel Leigh Dudding Ann Reavey & Peter Gilbert Kim & Jonathan Hahn Deborah & Timothy Hanger Caroline & Kevin Hoover Myung-Wha & Samuel Koo Cynthia Mathews Meghan McSweeney Carol & Gaillard Owen Dale & Mac Purrington Cat Henney & Mike Raff Elizabeth & Jennifer Redpath Page & Randy Redpath Britt & Brendan Staley ( 12 )
gifts of $250 – $499
Garden Club gifts of $100 – $249
Jacqueline & Jonathan Becker Lynne Chambers Mary Boodell & Evan Davis Lisa & Allan Funk Laura Hinkle Heather & Christopher Paoloni Bonnie Holland & Jon Patmore Mary Anne & Richard Rochfort Grace Rochfort Terri Lin & Alan Smith Elizabeth & Thomas Sundberg Lillian & Mark Wauford Toni & Antoine Winston
Gifts up to $99 Candice Davis Ginni & Ross Mackenzie Joyce Parcell-Green Gavin Raphael Sarah Anne & Charles Reed
Corporate Donors & Matching Gifts Network for Good Benevity United Way
Directed Gifts Robin Blanchard Stephanie Fox & Eric Bowers Jacqueline & Matthew Cohen Suzie & Chris Eklund Kyra Haigh & Shawn Humphrey Julie & Michael Lang LeAnn & Frank Mazzeo Laura & Eric Meyers Kara Page S. Zachary Sisisky and Clare Rita Sisisky Family Fund
Gifts in Kind Mark Campbell Mauren Campbell Molly Campbell Danielle & Brad Goldschmidt Marty Gravett Jane & James Hartough Marlo & Bryan Morrison Kristy & Adam Rose
es
Memorial & Honor Gifts to the Annual Fund In honor of Ada & Scarlett Armstrong Ellen & William Armstrong, Sr.
In honor of Cy Overstreet Lenore Gay
In honor of Andrea Pierotti & Amy Stearns Esa Sferra-Bonistalli & Ryan Bonistalli
In honor of Ellie Maruca Jeanine & Michael Maruca
In honor of the 8th Grade Laura & Eric Meyers Payroll Protection Program Bonnie Holland & Jon Patmore 13% In honor of Emma & George Anders Kristy & Adam Rose Contributions Alison & Creighton Anders 10% In honor of Tümay Ferrara & Janna In honor of Vanessa Del Fabbro Other & Jen Sources Fuentes Rho 1% Page & Randy Redpath Esa Sferra-Bonistalli & Ryan Bonistalli Auxiliary Programs 0.5% In memory of Taylor Hahn In honor of Kim & Jon Hahn’s home sale Student Activities Kim & Jonathan Hahn Heather Paoloni 0.5%
In honor of Ann Reavey Esa Sferra-Bonistalli & Ryan Bonistalli In honor of Avery & Max Hanger Deborah & Timothy Hanger
In honor of Peter Santos Joyce Parcell-Green
Income
In honor of Emileigh Benson, Chris Hackenberg, and the Extended Day team Esa Sferra-Bonistalli & Ryan Bonistalli
Tuition & Fees
75%
2019–2020 Income: $4,031,693
Expenses
Payroll Protection Program
13%
Contributions
10%
Student Activities
Other Sources
1%
1%
Auxiliary Programs
0.5%
Expenses
Fundraising
1%
0.5%
Tuition & Fees
75%
25%
Auxiliary Programs
0.3%
Student Activities
Management & Support
Other
0.2%
Academic Programs
72%
We greatly appreciate each gift given in support of Sabot at Stony Point and have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this listing. Please notify Christine Webb of any inaccuracies or omissions by contacting her at 804-272-1341, ext. 2, or cwebb@sabotatstonypoint.org. We regret any errors.
Student Activities
1%
Fundraising
1%
Auxiliary Programs
0.3%
Other
0.2%
Thank You Management & Support
25%
Academic Programs
72%
to our wonderful donors!
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Where the Heart Is: The Campaign to Grow Sabot’s Home Gifts reflected below were made through June 30, 2020. Anonymous Cheri & David Anthony Melanie Nan & Clifford Barcliff Kerry Mills & Pippin Barnett Maggie & Tim Barrett Janet Barstow Jacqueline & Jonathan Becker Jen & Tom Bendel Emileigh & Matthew Benson Emma & Clyde Beverly Erin Bishop Edith & John Bleattler Esa Sferra-Bonistalli & Ryan Bonistalli Paulette & Richard Bonistalli Stephanie Fox & Eric Bowers Katherine & Eric Brakman Charmaine Nerone & Isaac Brown Nicole & Anthony Brown Linda Burroughs Luellen Butler Elena Calvillo Sheree Campbell Marty Gravett & Mark Campbell Lynne Chambers Sarah Golding & Jay Chiaramonte Margy & Gene Childs Cara & Whit Clements Jacqueline & Matthew Cohen Brenda & Dan Daglish Christy & Micah Dalton Ross Decker Vanessa Del Fabbro Mary & Joe Driebe Amanda & Andrew Featherstone Heidi & Chris Fidler Sara Ferguson & Richard Fine Jennifer & Christopher Finn Sarah & Max Fischer Shannon & Danny Fisher
Erin & Jason Forsyth Simone Frantz Gretchen & Morgan Friday Janna & Jacques Fuentes Elizabeth & Ryan Furgurson Jennifer & Michael Galvan Tara Gardner Ann Reavey & Peter Gilbert Maya & Stuart Glaser Russ Gnoffo Anna & Mark Golden Danielle & Brad Goldschmidt Helena Gromosaik Kim & Jonathan Hahn Elizabeth & Douglas Hanson Jessica Lucia & Dan Hardy Ashley & Brian Harris Jane & James Hartough April & Jim Heitchue Regis Heitchue Donna Joyce & Laurence Hill Laura Hinkle Alison Kent & John Hoke Rebecca & Jonathan Hollis Caroline & Kevin Hoover Kyra Haigh & Shawn Humphrey Linda Huntington Sally & Kurt Jaskowiak Barbara Leary Jones & Douglas Jones Caroline Browder & Brian Jones Mickey Jordan Jennifer & Wes Kaufman Lisa & Sean Kelly Denise Daly Konrad & Otto Konrad Myung-Wha & Samuel Koo Nour & Timothy Krawczel Renee & David Kunnen Julia & Mike Lang Julie & Bill Langan Mary Ann Leatherwood Morgan Todd Ledford & Jason Ledford
Beverly Light Carrie Anne & Raymond Lile Sarah & Brian Lile Jennifer & Diego Lo Prete Pamela Leber & Stanley Mabbitt Kirsta Millar & Ken Marcus Jeanine & Michael Maruca Mary Morton Parsons Foundation Julie & Chris Massie Mabrey Matherly LeAnn & Frank Mazzeo Natalie Crichigno & Patrick McColgan Sarah & Scott Meacham Laura & Eric Meyers Elica Ivanova & Svetoslav Milev Cliff Miller Lucile Miller Jennifer Miller Susan & Howard Moss Mimi Hanaoka & Shahan Mufti Kate & Hugh Murray Theresa & Jeffrey Murray Rebecca Domin & Chris Musina Jay Nanavati Vanessa Nixon Jodi Perl-Odell & Betsey Odell Irene Carney & Fred Orelove Stuart Orelove Terressa Campbell Oten & Bryan Oten Carol & Gaillard Owen Alisa & Jace Padden Ann Page Kara Page Sara Lovelace & Rob Paige Heather & Christopher Paoloni Kimberley & Todd Parsons Andrea & Gian Pierotti Dale & Mac Purrington Cat Henney & Mike Raff Harriet Schanzer & David
Raine Jyoti Gwalani-Ramnani & Dharamdas Ramnani Elizabeth & Jennifer Redpath Sarah Anne & Charles Reed Sherri Reese Jennifer & Matthew Rho Amy & Bill Rider Patty & Tom Roberts Grace Rochfort Samantha & Charles Rodriguez Kristy & Adam Rose Emily & Alan Sanfratella Vineeta & Jay Shah Amina & Omar Shams Meredith & Rob Shields Megan Taylor-Shockley & Jeff Shockley Karolyn & Keith Silliman Julie & Vincent Slack Britt & Brendan Staley Amy Stearns Lynn & Mark Stevens Graciela & Robert Tedesco Brenda & Marshall Tucker Lauren & Marshall Tucker, Jr. Suzanne Bessenger & Kevin Vose Courtney Beamon & Spencer Waddell Jordan Williams & Edwin Wallace Lauren & Brett Waterworth Linda & Alan Waterworth Christine & Kyle Webb Amanda & Garret Westlake Margaret & Mark Westlake Emily Pendleton & Carmen Wicker Suzanne & Harold Williams Lenna Ottewill & Matthew Willis Marla & Craig Wilson Toni & Antoine Winston Colleen & Stephen Wright Tina Kierzek & Nick Wright Nicole Sackley & Eric Yellin Jennifer Horton & Stephen Yoder Wanda & Daryl Yoder
LISTENING TO REVEAL CHILDREN’S THINKING ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS by Lisa Kelly & Fran Withrow, 2019-20 Preschool Teacher-Researchers As we began our connected learning experiences, we noticed how often the children brought up the coronavirus, often randomly commenting, “you know there is a virus,” or “people are getting sick.” While our impulse was to protect the children from the worrisome news, we began to understand that the children were telling us they already knew some information and needed to talk about it. To explore this topic, we needed to do so together, carefully, and with an emphasis on listening. Our job was not to fill their minds with news reports but to reveal their thinking. How could we help them make better sense of what was happening? If we were in the classroom, we would begin asking questions during morning meeting or by pulling together a small group to begin thinking together. How could we use our new virtual small groups to explore this sensitive topic?
CHANGE We introduced the concept of change through web albums to gradually begin to explore how all of our lives were different from before spring break. By thinking together about all of the different ways the world changes, for better or not, we knew we would stumble upon some wonderings about the virus and feelings about the requirement to stay home.
CREATING OUR OWN CHANGE We explored the ways we can create positive change in our own lives, which helps us feel empowered during a time when so many things feel limited. The prompt to look for ways to create more kindness invited children to respond in many ways: One student found a way to share happiness by drawing a huge sign for her neighborhood on her street. Another sent a letter filled with love to her neighbor. One started with change in her own home by helping her dad by cleaning and vacuuming. And another set her sights on creating global change by creating her own cure for the coronavirus made from tears, soap, and hand sanitizer, among other things.
MASKS After setting the stage with exploring change, we felt confident that the children were thinking about the coronavirus and perhaps looking for ways to talk about what they knew. We decided to prompt the children to think about
Image: Juno’s drawing with “lots of horns, lots of spikes.”
wearing masks – an item that represents change, is associated with the virus, and is likely present in their lives. We brought masks to small-group and put them on. Why do we wear masks?
Younes (age 5.0): It keeps OTHER people from getting sick. Jace (4.3): You sneeze and it doesn’t get on other people… the virus. Amira (4.7): Maybe because of the flu? Charlie (4.3): There is a virus. I don’t like the virus. Roman (5.1): The virus could get out. Some people can go outside and they don’t even wear a mask! Charlotte (4.9): It keeps you safe. It keeps the virus out of the body. How does the mask keep the virus out?
Charlotte: Well, the mask is on and the virus comes along and it just bounces off the mask.
Amira: It’s going all around the world. Nobody can go to school, not in Italy or England or India or Japan or anywhere! Everyone across the whole world is staying home because of the virus. People have to stay at home for a long time. I get to see you on a computer. I miss friends and I can see them but I can’t go near them. You can’t hug or kiss people but you can blow kisses on the screen.
CO-CONSTRUCTING UNDERSTANDING Over time, the small groups became more comfortable talking about what they had heard about the virus, sometimes with heated exchanges. Children learned to listen to each other and examined information they felt they understood from trusted grown-ups and the news. Instead of correcting them, we asked them to consider different points of view and offered careful questioning. This provided a safe way for them not only to think more deeply about their assumptions but also to refine their understanding by critically examining their beliefs. The children were co-constructing their understanding, a process that brought them both disequilibrium but also new insights about their world. When friends felt they could challenge each other and even disagree, we knew our virtual classroom was working! What do you know about the virus?
Younes: The coronavirus stays there so we have to stay in ( 15 )
L: Charlotte’s virus drawing with legs (age 4.9) R: Jon drew a hamburger with a coronavirus on it. “The hamburger will eat up all the coronaviruses at one time! It’s a super burger.” (age 4.3)
the house forever. They look like balls. They go through your body and through your eyes and ears. Jace: NOT YOUR EARS! The virus doesn’t come from your ears. Younes: Yes it does. It comes through EVERYTHING! Then why do we only wear a mask on our mouth and nose? Younes: It comes from your WHOLE HEAD! The mask covers your nose and you need a mask for your head. Then nothing will happen to you.
Jace: I only have one mask. (They continue to argue whether the virus comes through your ears.) Does it mean ‘not right?’
Jace: I want to tell you all the things Younes said that are incorrect. It does not come out your ear. It does not come out of your head and all that stuff. I’m mad.
We are listening to each other and sharing opinions. It’s ok to feel frustrated when opinions differ.
DRAWING AND DIALOGUE REVEALS THE CHILDREN’S THINKING By using the language of drawing to represent their theories about the virus, children are invited to turn their ideas around and take a close look at them. Does this make sense? What do I still need to know to understand this concept better? Drawing brings these questions to the surface. Charlotte: It comes through your eyes, your nose, and your mouth. They are invisible, gross things that only scientists can
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I see. Charlotte, how do viruses move around?
Charlotte: They have really tiny legs that you can barely see.
Makena (4.6): These are the arms and these are the feet and this is the tooth and it doesn’t have eyes. What does it do with all of those arms?
OUR VIRTUAL CLASSROOM HAS PROVIDED A SAFE HARBOR FOR WONDERING AND PLAYING AROUND WITH THEORIES, BUT MORE THAN ANYTHING, IT IS A PLACE TO CONNECT.
Younes: That’s incorrect. Incorrect means… not …
What does the virus look like?
see because they have microscopes.
Makena: That’s how it climbs into bodies. It just stays in your body forever and the people try to get it out but they can’t.
You have lots of circles. What are they?
Roman: Oh they are the germs. The germs come off the coronavirus so the coronavirus just grows more right away so it can go to another person and then another and another and another and another to the whole whole whole whole world has it. As co-construction continues, theories are refined and big ideas emerge. Thinking together about the size and function of the virus leads to new insights. Questions, not corrections, lead the children to a more thoughtful understanding of novel concepts and strengthen skills critical for problem-solving. Last week Charlotte said that the virus was so small that you can’t see it with your eyes and you need a microscope to see it.
Juno (4.6): Un hmm, but my Mom showed me on her computer and it was big when I saw it on her computer.
Amira, if the virus is really big then how does it get inside your body?
Amira: Well if you open really wide it comes into your body… like this (opens mouth really wide) So… if the virus is big enough to see, you have to open your mouth really big to let the virus come in?
L: Roman’s virus, a big circle with many little circles on the outside, the germs. (age 5.1) R: Makena’s virus with many arms. (age 4.6)
Amira: Yeah it depends on how big your mouth is. If you are a kid you would have to open really wide. So you have to have a big mouth to get this virus?
Amira: Yeah. Can you open your mouth really big? (both Juno and I open our mouths big) Juno, what is your theory on how the virus gets in the body? Is the virus you are drawing really big or small?
Juno: Well, it’s really small. I drawed it really big so you guys can see it.
That makes sense, if you drew it the size it really is then we wouldn’t be able to see it! What is your theory?
Amira: The virus is tiny as you would be to the universe. You would be a tiny dot in the universe. How do you think it would make somebody sick?
Amira: I’m thinking that it’s so tiny that when your mouth is closed it can get into your mouth when it gets closed. The virus can get into your mouth.
And then what does it do? Once it’s in your mouth?
Amira: Well it has germs and little germs can get to you. I’m not going to get the virus. You have to sleep well, eat well, play. I sleep in every morning and I have dreams. Over time, Amira and Juno were able to refine their thinking often arriving at very different insights from where our conversations began. Our role as teachers was to help the class slow down, respect the children’s thinking, and scaffold learning through listening. This process helped the class not only to think more deeply about the coronavirus but also to cope with a topic that feels distressing at times. When children feel supported to take risks in posing theories or asking questions, they learn to become more flexible, creative, and tolerant of the ideas of others.
The questions will continue, and their theories will change as the children change. We are still discovering more about the virus and modifying our response. Our virtual classroom has provided a safe harbor for wondering and playing around with theories, but more than anything, it is a place to connect.
EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION Congratulations to Sarah Lile, Middle School Language Arts Teacher, who received the Blick Outstanding Regional Educator Award. In January 2020, the Visual Arts Center of Richmond, in conjunction with the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, Plaza Art Materials, and Blick Art Supplies, recognized six educators who help support their students in creating artwork and written work. Here, she’s pictured with Cy Overstreet ‘20 who received the Visual Arts Center of Richmond Artistic Merit Award.
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SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
Follow us so you don’t miss out! @SabotRVA
We’re thrilled to begin construction on a new classroom building this fall! As we move towards groundbreaking, lots of preparation activity is beginning on campus, like rerouting our campus network and utility infrastructure.
To celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, Sabot’s Administration delivered flowers to our dedicated faculty. It was wonderful to see their smiling faces! Thank you for all you do to make Sabot a joyful place for our students.
Carpool was a little extra colorful this morning with a rainbow adorning Founders Hall!
Congratulations to ten of our middle school students who received recognition from the Scholastic @ artandwriting Awards! Each student dove into the vulnerable work of creative writing, drafted multiple pieces, workshopped with their peers, and read excerpts to a wide audience.
Preschool children have been excited about digging and starting their own construction on the campus before our new building begins. They work together to build a house in the mud with the blocks, communicating and cooperating while loading and unloading trucks.
A student engages with Mr. Santos during a break over a math question from class in an effort to prove that repeating .99999 is equivalent to 1.
We’re a community that values #kindness. We look after each other and lend a helping hand. Children are grateful for a friend to help them put their water bottle away when they already have their backpack on. It’s #ConnectedSabot Week and we’re celebrating kindness!
We were thrilled to see our students, whether in-person or virtually! It was a great first day after many months apart, and we look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow!
A special delivery was made to our graduates on Friday after the virtual graduation ceremony. In addition to student speeches, we were able to continue the tradition of presenting personalized, student-made diplomas. Congratulations Class of 2020!
Some of our students have chosen to be virtual learners. Whenever you see the iPad on a tripod, that is our friends joining in on the day from home.
We are thrilled and honored that Sabot has been voted Richmond Magazine’s Best Preschool Education and 2nd Best AfterSchool Care Program in August’s issue!
Many classes start their morning with yoga.
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BRIDGES AND BOATS: PROBLEM SOLVING IN FIFTH GRADE by Marla Wilson & Jon Patmore, 2019-20 Fifth Grade Teacher-Researchers
W
hat do you do when you are faced with a problem? You might complain. You might try to ignore the problem, hope it goes away, or just do something else instead. You might try to fix it by doing something that has worked to solve other problems in the past or try something random and cross your fingers. However, to solve a new problem, you might decide to use some sort of strategic approach. One such approach is the design cycle. Another more formal, documentation-based strategy is the scientific method.
Problems big and small arise in just about every area of our lives. In fifth grade, as part of our effort to support and foster problem-solving across the curriculum, we incorporate the design cycle and the beginnings of the scientific method into our work. These systems are critical to internalize if we are going to solve problems that have not been solved before, whether by us or ever, at all.
with other teams and collaborate to try to solve problems more complicated than any individual mind can tackle. In Math/Coding/Science, we have been focusing on using the design cycle, first applying this approach (Define the problem; Research and access past knowledge; Try a solution; Reflect and improve) to the tinfoil boat challenge. The goal was to make a boat from a 12” x 12” sheet of foil which could hold as many pennies as possible, with a homework pass on the line as the prize (for anyone needing a little bit of external motivation). Per the rules of the challenge, each team of two would receive two sheets of tinfoil, one at a time, and each team would have two trials. Faced with a problem to solve, partners could–and did– construct the knowledge necessary to build an effective tinfoil boat together. However, as the class went through the design and building process, teams also observed each others’ trials. This gave them the benefit of up to eight trials per round, not just their own.
Problem-solving comes up in every subject area, and it is a primary human activity. (Even non-humans work to fix things and figure things out.) However, at Sabot, we take a social constructivist approach, so we emphasize another dimension in our process: teamwork. We not only ask the students to implement the design cycle and the scientific method individually but also as a group. This means the class can work together to define a problem, learn from the mistakes and insights some might make or have, and reflect on the range of results that everyone gets.
Each team had many theories about what would help a foil boat carry the most weight in Round One. A reinforced hull! A pocket of air! An enclosure over the top! Scrunching the foil to make it thicker! But, after Weston and Carlin’s boat, with a moderately tall, rounded hull and a flat bottom, floated a mind-boggling 297 pennies (we ran out of pennies before it sank) everyone’s design began to look more alike.
The group approach is important, not just in the context of the classroom but for us as citizens of the world. It is no longer enough to problem-solve as individuals. In the STEM fields, for example, the isolated genius making breakthroughs in their personal laboratory is a relic of the past. Teams work
First, almost every team took a big leap forward from Round One to Round Two, with many teams increasing their penny loads by an order of magnitude. We expected this, but it was
From there, at least three interesting things happened in the problem-solving process:
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exciting to see, nonetheless. Second, a couple of teams, including the duo of Nathan and Harper, decided that, if a medium-tall hull was good, a hull as tall as possible would be even better. They would make a boat “with just a little opening at the top to put the pennies in.” The high-sided boats, alas, could not stay upright and quickly took on water. While this was frustrating for those teams, everyone else took note of their findings and factored them into their own designs. Third, for their second boat, Leo and Miles made a refined version of Weston and Carlin’s craft. By this time, we had acquired more pennies for testing, and Leo and Miles’s total surpassed Weston and Carlin’s by almost another dollar’s worth, officially winning the prize. We had a second challenge for those who had time: make the tiniest boat (as measured in tinfoil area) which would float one penny. Teams each got a total of one 12” x12” sheet of foil and could make as many small boat iterations as the sheet would allow. Nathan and Harper won this challenge. This time, they made the first tiny boat to float a penny at all and then made several trials, removing small bits of foil each time. By this point, the group had formed new knowledge from their work with the boats. We wanted to support them to access that knowledge, but we also wanted to make sure that the third challenge was just different enough to make using the design cycle necessary again. Teams had to make a bridge from a single piece of paper and no more than five paper clips that would support as many pennies as possible. Again, there was a homework pass in it for the pair whose bridge held the most. But this time, we saw a huge difference. On the morning the challenge began, each team wanted to build a wall around their work and not let anyone see or hear them. They were afraid that sharing their ideas with others would cost them. After lunch, we reconvened the group and asked them to say what they could get out of this challenge. Their ideas were: • A homework pass • The joy of accomplishing something you didn’t know you could do for sure • The joy of helping others if you helped them to do well ( 20 )
• Bragging rights We reminded the group that these lessons were about problem-solving more than anything else. Then, we pointed out that, for the challenges we face today as a species, we are going to have to work together in order to succeed. No single person or idea is going to undo climate change, for example. Furthermore, we wanted each individual fully engaged in the project, using their best thinking to move the group as a whole forward. We asked them how to restructure the challenge so that they could learn from each other and work hard as individuals. Their suggestion was: if the group can get every team to build a bridge that will hold 150 pennies, everyone would win a homework pass. Knowing that one team had already reached the 150 penny mark, we upped the number to 160. Otherwise, we agreed. As soon as we dismissed the group, the atmosphere changed completely. Barricades came down immediately and people began sharing their best suggestions with other groups. The first two teams officially tested their bridges. They are similar in concept, involving cylindrical structures with holes for placing the pennies. Both of those teams breathed sighs of relief amid cheers from classmates and teachers when they reached 160 pennies, and both teams wanted to keep going. Each of their structures eventually held over two hundred pennies. Bragging rights may still be involved. This process shows up in different forms throughout the classroom. In Science, we are working toward using the scientific method to design, conduct, and report on plant experiments. The group is charged with giving feedback and approval for moving forward. In Literacy, we are reading a complex mystery, and the class is collaborating on solving it by collecting clues, tracking strands, and sharing theories with the group. In Village, citizens are writing laws to address issues as they arise. The laws are subject to revision and voting by the class. Throughout all of these seemingly diverse projects and lessons, the class is learning content and process. They are also learning to harness the power of thinking and refining their ideas as a group, which will ultimately equip them to solve the problems of the future.
CLASS NOTES
WHAT A WONDERFUL, CREATIVE OUTLET FOR YOUNG STUDENTS WHO ARE STARTING TO ASK MORE AND MORE THOUGHTFUL QUESTIONS ABOUT THE WORLD AROUND THEM. —Shanti Coleman ‘12
Sabot Preschool Gracie Golden moderated a discussion hosted by the Penn Cultural Heritage Center entitled “Lost Cause, Potential Futures: Rethinking Confederate Monuments in Richmond, Virginia” which explored the ongoing activist movement in Richmond and the themes of racial justice, the power of monumentality, and the ongoing work being done to understand, grapple with, and reconfigure historical interpretation in public spaces. You can hear her discuss this topic in a short video she created for PBS’ American Portrait. Visit sabotatstonypoint.org/pbs to watch!
‘15 Corbette Condit-Fox ‘15 is an Honors Theatre Major at Christopher Newport University. This summer, Corbette worked with a professor on research for the fall play, The Living, and ultimately served the play as the Student Dramaturg as an independent study. The show went off without a hitch! Margaret Langan ‘15 attends the University of Mary Washington where she passed the Praxis Core exam and
is in the 5-year master’s program through the College of Education. She is a member of Alpha Mu Sigma, a coed service fraternity, and was initiated into Delta Alpha Pi International Honor Society.
‘16 Alex Broening ‘16 had a senior mentorship with VPM. Read and listen to his report about The Valentine helping students to document life during COVID-19 at sabotatstonypoint.org/vpm. Maxie Broening ‘16 was awarded a National Merit Scholarship and will attend the University of Chicago after a gap year. Tristan Franz ‘16 was Open High School’s Salutatorian. He also graduated summa cum laude from J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College with an Associates’ Degree in Social Sciences. He now attends Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering and plans to major in Computer Science. Benjamin Lee ‘16 graduated from Freeman and is an Eagle Scout, member of the National Honor Society, and an officer of Beta Club.
Ben co-founded the Chess Club and played four years of varsity tennis. He participated in Blue Sky Fund Outdoor Leadership Institute for two summers and volunteered during the school years. Ben is now at William & Mary as a history major and is interested in academia and teaching on the university level. Ted Owen ‘16 attended Patrick Henry High School where he was a member of the National Honor Society, Beta Club, Mu Alpha Theta (math national honor society), Key Club, Science National Honor Society, Art National Honor Society, the state volleyball championship team for two years, and the Hanover Food Outreach Program. Ted is a Hanover Scholar and is studying at The University of Virginia School of Architecture. Chas Purrington ‘16 had planned to take a gap year to travel and kayak, but because of the pandemic, chose to start college at UNC. During high school, he was a member of the Outdoor Club, Spanish Club, and Battle of the Brains. He worked with RVA Paddlesports guiding river trips and teaching kayaking. He received certifications in First Aid, CPR, and Swift Water Rescue, and he is an ACA Level 4. ( 21 )
passion for volunteering and early childhood education, Ella plans to have a career in public service or medicine. Christopher Houck ‘17, known artistically as TIG, released his first album, From the Planet Above.
‘18 Giovanni Mazzeo ‘18 appeared on CBS’ Battle of the Brains on March 7, 2020.
‘20 Evan Wolff ’16 was the recipient of Maggie Walker’s Alex Kalata Scholarship Award, which honors a student who demonstrates the qualities of courage, camaraderie, determination, selflessness, and integrity. He served as co-president of the National Honor Society and was a Semi-Finalist in the 2020 National Honor Society Scholarships, chosen from among thousands of applicants. Evan was also co-captain of the indoor
track and field team and co-president of the Student Council Association.
‘17 Ella Brodwer-Jones ‘17 has continued serving her community during this difficult time. Now attending Trinity Episcopal School, Ella is using her natural gift of teaching to help students continue learning in the midst of this quarantine. With a
Cy Overstreet ‘20 was recognized at the Visual Arts Center Gold Key Ceremony with the Artistic Merit Award, which is given to one writer with a unique personal voice. The Visual Arts Center of Richmond, in conjunction with the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, recognizes students and the educators who help support them in creating artwork and written work.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Please send your alumni news and photos for social media and publications to: alumni@sabotatstonypoint.org When sending photos, please include a full caption that identifies everyone in the photo. High resolution images are encouraged.
You can be a Sabot Hero! Wear your mask. Wash your hands. Watch your distance. ( 22 )
GRADUATION 2020 Sabot’s Graduation is always a special experience, not only for our graduates and their families but also for our entire Sabot community. Because of the pandemic, we were not able to come together in person to celebrate the Class of 2020, but we honored our graduates with many of our beloved traditions. Every year, each member of the graduating class gives a speech, and this year was no different. Our graduates recorded their speeches, which were the highlight of the virtual ceremony on June 5. At the culmination of the event, special deliveries were awaiting at each graduate’s home that included the very special, personalized, hand-drawn diplomas. Details of these are on the cover, and you can watch the ceremony on our website: sabotatstonypoint.org/grad.
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AFTER SABOT Class of 2020: High School Acceptances
Congratulations to the Class of 2020! After gracefully handling the pandemic and being away from Sabot in their last months as 8th graders, our 16 graduates were accepted to and are now attending: Appomattox Regional Governor’s School for the Arts and Technology – Music* Code RVA Regional High School Collegiate School* Deep Run High School, Center for Information Technology* Douglas S. Freeman High School* Highland Springs High School, Center for Engineering James River High School* James River High School, Center for Leadership & International Relations*
Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School* Open High School* Richmond Community High School* Richmond Public Schools Governor’s Career and Technical Education Academy The Steward School* Thomas Dale High School Center for the Arts Thomas Jefferson High School, International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme Trinity Episcopal School* Wildwood School, Los Angeles, CA* * Schools our students have chosen to attend
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Class of 2016: After High School
Members of the Class of 2016 are pursuing their studies at the following schools. Due to the pandemic, several are taking a gap year before kicking off their college years. Emma Barrett Middlebury College (gap semester)
Ellie Myers University of Virginia
Alex Broening University of Richmond (gap year)
Cole Myers Clemson University
Maxie Broening University of Chicago (gap year)
Ted Owen University of Virginia
Emma Del Fabbro University of Virginia
Chas Purrington University of North Carolina, Charlotte
Kate Driebe University of Virginia
Izzy Schuler Southern Methodist University
Tristan Frantz Virginia Tech
Evan Wolff University of Richmond
Benjamin Lee College of William & Mary ( 25 )
3400 Stony Point Road Richmond, VA 23235
Save the Date While we hope and are currently planning to gather, the unknowns surrounding the pandemic might not make that possible. We will still plan to celebrate in a safe and meaningful way.
APRIL 23 & 24, 2021 Virtual Sabot Symposium
www.sabotatstonypoint.org/symposium
FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2021 Virtual Grandparents’ & Special Friends Day www.sabotatstonypoint.org/gpday
SATURDAY, MAY 22, 2021 The Sabot Auction
www.sabotatstonypoint.org/auction
FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021 Graduation
Voted Best Preschool Education & 2nd Best After-School Care Program
Learn more: www.sabotatstonypoint.org (804) 272-1341 @SabotRVA