2018 SSSAS Fall/Winter Magazine

FALL/WINTER MAGAZINE 2018-2019

Joy, Friendship, Community The Eighth Grade Bonding Trip As part of the Middle School bonding program, the eighth grade traveled to Assateague Island on a special trip this fall. The Middle School has been doing bonding days for each grade for a very long time, but last year the eighth grade trip was extended to two days, and this year an overnight trip for the seventh grade was added.

“We believe the bonding program offers a valuable way for students to get to know one another and their teachers outside of the classroom setting, build new friendships, and engage in collective, shared experiences that help build positive group dynamics,” said Middle School Associate Director Josh Bauman. “We want the class trips to be fondly remembered by students for years to come, creating positive memories that link them together as a class. The class trips encourage risk-taking and teamwork through a variety of activities with an emphasis placed on kindness and inclusivity. Developing these traits and characteristics are integral to our work at the Middle School.”

PHOTOS BY MIDDLE SCHOOL ART TEACHER VICTORIA CALABRESE

WHAT'S INSIDE

F E AT U R E S

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Music: The Language of the Soul Upper School Band Teacher Vaughn Ambrose shares the story of his visit to the Cheery Education Centre in Kenya.

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Flexible Seating The Benefits of Rethinking Classroom Design in the Lower School

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Saints Link Up Upper School students interviewed and photographed alumni artists Alden Leonard '04 and Rives Wiley '09.

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Lessons from Man's Best Friend

34

2018-2019 Board of Governors

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“Peter and the Starcatcher” A review of the Upper School Stage One Players fall play

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40

Our New Faculty Share Some of Their Favorite Things

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Mud Men

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Steve Williams '63 shares his memories of being a St. Stephen's Mud Man

D E PA RT M E N TS 6 Headliner

ON THE COVER: Second grade scientists went digging to investigate how long it takes an earthworm to burrow into the garden and how far it travels before it begins to burrow.

Photo by Mark Regan

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An Episcopal School

42

Saints in Action

50

Athletic Highlights

58

Alumni Connections

66

Milestones & In Memoriam

THE MAGAZINE

FALL/WINTER 2018-2019 Head of School Kirsten Prettyman Adams Director of Communications Jen Desautels Editor Director of Design & Production Melissa Ulsaker Maas '76 Design Melissa Ulsaker Maas '76 Jameson Bloom '13 Assistant Director of Communications, Digital Media and Marketing Mandi Sapp Admission & Communications Associate Marcia Mallett Alumni News Advancement Office Photographers Jameson Bloom '13 Melissa Ulsaker Maas '76 Marcia Mallett Mark Regan Photography Audra Wrisley Photography Printer Master Print Questions/Comments Melissa Ulsaker Maas '76 mmaas@sssas.org

A Beloved Tradition: In remembrance of St. Francis of Assisi, St. Stephen's and St. Agnes holds a Blessing of the Animals each year at the Lower School amphitheater.

Open to the entire community, families, faculty, and staff bring their best buddies for a blessing. Dogs, cats, hamsters, rabbits, and more were in attendance!

To Update Your Contact Information or Mailing Preferences Please email asmigel@sssas.org or call 703-212-2720.

Published by SSSAS for alumni, current parents, friends, and other regularly supportive members of the school community. Š 2019 St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School admits students of any race, color, religion, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school.

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HEADLINER

We've Got You. As we ring in the New Year, we are inspired by the promise of new beginnings, and strengthened by the school's commitment to support, celebrate, and honor one another for our individual talents and dreams. Head of School Kirsten Adams shared the following remarks at the school's annual JK-12 Thanksgiving service, and reminded each of us of the school's mission to love each member of this community as a child of God. My family will tell you that I have always struggled with trying to do things too quickly. I still remember my mother and my third grade teacher imploring me to “slow down and do my best work,” and I will admit that some things are hard to change!

Earlier this year, I was at the Safeway on King Street. I came down the escalator and saw my car halfway across the parking lot. As I am prone to trying to be efficient, I decided it would be a smart move to try and carry all of my bags and seltzer boxes from the cart through the parking lot to the car. Most people would have happily pushed the cart to the back of the car and unloaded the groceries right into the back seat and returned the cart back to the store. But I, who continues to have a crazy obsession with trying to do things quickly, decided carrying everything would be a smart move.

On this day at Safeway, as soon as I had everything balanced on my arms, the cart started moving very quickly towards a car in the parking lot. My brain raced trying to decide if I should drop the groceries, including a dozen eggs, and lunge for the cart or hope the cart stopped before it crashed into the car in front of me. Luckily, a man who works in the parking lot for Safeway came out of nowhere and slid in and grabbed the cart as stealthily as a cat. He turned to me with a big smile and said “I've got you.”

I've got you. What a powerful statement. A man I had never met and a man who I may never see again saved me from losing my groceries or damaging the car in front of me, but his message was much more powerful. I've got you.

A mundane moment, a moment that could have easily passed by, has been deeply impactful for me, and I have thought a lot about what “I've got you” really means. What does it mean for me as a human being to say to someone else “I've got you.”

What does it mean for our school to say to each of you “We've got you?” How do I build a community around me to make sure that I have friends who will say “I've got you” when I need them? How do we grow deeper in our faith that God says to us every day “I've got you?”

While knowing that God has got our back is remarkably powerful, it also calls us to figure out how can we make sure that we have got each other. How can we make each other feel confident, safe, assured that we are standing together?

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Some examples of “I've got you” are really obvious. Images of firefighters in California battling the blazes or rescue workers around the world during times of crisis scream “I've got you.” These are heroic and visual and obvious.

I think we can each find ways to say I've got you without having to be quite as heroic as the firefighters or aid workers.

I always read the same book to the kindergarten classes—it is called ”Just a Little Bit” by Anne Tompert. In this book, we learn that a tiny beetle makes all of the difference to a big group of animals and it leads to a conversation about how kindergarteners can be like that beetle and make a difference to those in need. They share things like “You can give you friend a hug. You can take your friend to the nurses office if they get hurt. You can go get your teacher.

You can just sit with them or invite them to play on the playground.” Aren't these examples of saying “I've got you?”

“I've got you” does not mean I have to agree with you, or even be best friends with you. Instead it means, I am in community with you, and I will stand beside you when you need help. I will love you even when we disagree, and I will stand up when you need someone.

I think about recent events in our country that have demonstrated hate towards people who were different from others in their belief, race, religion. How do we stand up in solidarity to others and say collectively “I've got you?”

In this morning's reading Paul says: 21 The eye can't say to the hand, “I don't need you!” The head can't say to the feet, “I don't need you!” 22 In fact, it is just the opposite. The parts of the body that seem to be weaker are the ones we can't do without. 23 The parts that we think are less important we treat with special honor.

We are together one body. We cannot do without each other. We need each of you to help us be able to say “I've got you.”

The gentleman who works at the Safeway changed my life with three short words; “I've got you.” The interaction was not long and required only quick thinking and a confidence that he had something to give. His words reminded me that the impact we have on each other is so powerful.

I hope you will think about how can you say “I've got you” to those around you. Thank you for being ready to catch that proverbial shopping cart for your classmates, teachers, family and people you do not know. We are all in this together and together we will be able to assure that we've got each other.

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MUSIC...

The

Language of the Soul

BY MANDI SAPP In my role at St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School working in the Communications Office, I am often lucky enough to find myself observing a kindergarten Writer's Workshop to post on social media or videotaping an interesting Upper School science lab to share on the website—and everything in between. On September 27, I was invited to a seventh grade music class to observe a special Skype lesson. As class began, we found ourselves staring at a large screen eagerly waiting to connect with a familiar face—Upper School Band Teacher Vaughn Ambrose, yet he wouldn't be Skyping in from the Upper School. Instead, he was teaching students halfway around the world...in Africa.

Just days prior, Vaughn had embarked on a once-in-a-lifetime five-day musical journey to Kenya. For a week, he participated in a music program in the Cheery Children Education Centre (CCEC) outside of Nairobi alongside his high school band director, Perry Ditch. CCEC is located in the heart of Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya, at Mashimoni. It is a small educational institution offering humanitarian assistance,

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caring for the needs of the poverty-stricken children living in the largest slum in Africa. This is where Vaughn would be Skyping with us from, along with his class of excited seventh grade musicians who just received “real” instruments that week.

Like many of our students, I have never traveled to Africa and wasn't exactly sure what to expect. What would the school look like? What music would they play? What would they ask our students? Many of my questions were answered when a smiling Vaughn and class popped on the screen. The connection wasn't the best but the students were able to play music for each other and ask a wide-range of questions.

The two worlds connecting that morning could not have been any different. Our students are fortunate enough to have a dedicated music program and a wealth of resources all surrounded by the comforts of a safe and warm building, while the students at Cheery were

living in extreme poverty. However, what struck me most from witnessing this class activity was that even though our worlds are very different, the joy, curiosity, and excitement from all of the children was infectious. They were able to bond over music and it was heartwarming to watch.

It has been said that music is the language of the soul. This is a universal language that we can all understand regardless of our origins. This activity was a perfect example of this, and I was eager to talk to Vaughn to learn his perspective on this trip and all of the experiences that have led him to this moment in time.

The following are edited and condensed excerpts from my conversation with Vaughn about what compelled him to travel to Africa and the challenges he encountered there, his career in education and as a musician, and his plans for the SSSAS jazz program.

Vaughn grew up in Jacksonville, N.C., and attended White Oak High School, where there was a community servicebased music program. Through that program, his school adopted families at Thanksgiving, and participated in service opportunities like Toys for Tots. A couple of years ago, his high school band director at White Oak, Perry Ditch, discovered a school in Africa that was partially Microsoft-funded but had no music program. After contacting the school, he learned what some of their needs were, including a lack of technology. He presented an idea to his school and with everyone on board, they were able to supply Cheery Children Education Centre with Internet.

White Oak continues to fund Cheery's Internet, and they also provided a laptop computer to begin the Skype lessons, which

“If we take care of each other, music will take care of itself” VAUGHN AMBROSE

they began two years ago when the students were in fifth grade. During the Skype sessions, students have learned how to read music, play recorders, and are now moving on to other instruments. This was Vaughn's first trip to CCEC and the goal was to take instruments over to support the program and start a band program in Kibera, which is the largest slum in the world.

INSPIRED TO VISIT AFRICA Vaughn hardly ever says “no” to music. So his passion combined with being compelled by his high school band teacher Perry's vision and dream, inspired Vaughn to accompany Perry on a journey to Africa.

VA: I wouldn't be where I am or experience the things that I've experienced if it weren't for music. This trip was the perfect way to continue the tradition of sharing music, and in the process, growing people and growing a community, and making their lives better just through music.

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Upper School Band Teacher Vaughn Ambrose and his high school band teacher, Perry Ditch, at the Cheery Children Education Centre in Kenya.

“There is no place in America where you can go and see their living conditions, but they're still the happiest kids on the planet.”

out of me. I think it was the interaction with them, and then leaving every evening going back to a comfortable hotel, when they go back to their shanty. You start to think about, okay it's great we're teaching these kids music, but where are they going to be in two or three years?

Most of all, I was surprised how fast I connected to them. How I emotionally connected to them. It was immediate. Their smiles, all those things are just ... It was overwhelming.

EMBRACING THE UNEXPECTED

SETTING THE SCENE FOR SUCCESS

If you travel 7,750 miles away from home, there are bound to be some surprises and times where things didn't work out as planned.

Vaughn embraced these overwhelming moments.

Vaughn and Perry spent most of the week teaching students the proper finger placement on the instruments and helping them to become self-sufficient.

VA: I was surprised at the classroom space. I had been told it was a small room, but I didn't think it was going to be as small as it was. It was about half the size of this room [the green room at the Upper School] and we had 14 kids in there, with 14 instruments. It was a tight fit.

VA: Our goal for the trip was to get the students started on real band instruments. Up until this point, they played recorders where everything is in the same key. You can only play “Hot Cross Buns” so many times. So our goal was to put real instruments in their hands. To do that we needed to test each student, to make sure that their instrument choice would work for them, physically and definitely with the embouchure (the way in which a player applies the mouth to the mouthpiece of a brass or wind instrument). We needed to convince them that was the instrument for them, which is a thing in itself. We needed to get them creating sounds and then we showed them how to put them together. Because once we left, they would be on their own. They do have an instructor but he's learning as they're learning.

I was also surprised at how open the kids were. Not just the kids we were working with, but all the kids. It was amazing to see how happy they were to work with us, to see us, and to interact with us. We've never seen anything like the conditions that they live in. There is no place in America where you can go and see their living conditions but they're still the happiest kids on the planet.

What also surprised me was how drained I was at the end of every day. I usually have a ton of energy, but this took a lot 10 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

We also had to make sure they put the instruments together properly and that was stressful because if anything breaks, it's done. There is no instrument repair guy in Nairobi or in Kibera. One little girl took her flute and was swinging it around and I told her, “There are only two repair men in the whole country of Nairobi and they get on a plane tomorrow and head back to the United States.” So we had to be very stern with them about the care of the instruments.

One student caught his instrument on his shirt and damaged the hardest spring there is to fix on the saxophone, and I fixed it for him. It was a good lesson. They watched me work on this thing for 40 minutes, and I think at that point they realized like, okay, these are precious and if anything happens then we won't have a musical instrument.

Since the students can read music and make a good sound, the goal now is to have the seventh graders teach the younger students, who have recently started learning music on recorders, that way the program sustains itself. Vaughn explained that they're not really in a place where a long mapped out plan, like a curriculum, can be introduced yet. Vaughn will check back in with the school in February after their break.

VA: If the instruments are still working, that will mean success to me. That's number one. Hopefully they're playing through eighth note passages, that would be the goal. In an ideal world, we would check in, check progress, and then we would do a Skype session at least once a month. Right now, Perry teaches Skype lessons four times a week and I've Skyped with them to see where they are and to give them pointers.

“We live in peace and love one another.”

A CHEERY STUDENT

THE SKYPE SESSION Vaughn explained that the students at Cheery Skype quite a bit. Not only do they Skype with the students back at White Oak and at SSSAS, but they also Skype with other schools around the world. So they're used to seeing different environments and students on a weekly basis. It was a new experience for Vaughn when he witnessed the SSSAS students interacting with him and his new students in Africa through a Skype session.

VA: It was interesting to see the shock on our kids' [SSSAS students] faces. The kids in Kibera are used to seeing the other side, but our kids have never seen the other side. I'm an old man and I'd never seen the other side. That was a shock. But the cool thing I noticed is as they started to ask questions, I think our kids started to realize that they're just kids, too. They have kid questions. They're not walking around with the world on their shoulders because of where they are. They're still just as happy as our kids are, it's just that their living situation is different. But they have this internal joy, like this light that's amazing and I think, hopefully that started to come across. www.sssas.org | 11

This is the view from the breezeway outside the seventh grade classroom. The government decided to build a highway to connect two parts of Nairobi, so they claimed the land, evicted the residents, and began construction. All money paid went to the landlords of the shanties, and the tenants received nothing. The students said the displaced people had nowhere to go, so they were sleeping on the streets. Their President was silent. Then the students spoke hopefully about the next election because they believed there was a candidate who would fight for the people of Kibera, but the challenge is to get people to go out and vote.

In fact, when one of the SSSAS students asked what life was like in Kenya, a student at Cheery, a young girl, came to the screen and said, “We live in peace and love one another.”

I did show the SSSAS kids around [through phone video] so that they could see the environment, and it's different. It's totally different. You can't sugarcoat it. You can't say, “well over there;” there is no over there. The slum has to be as large as Arlington and Alexandria put together. We drove through it from the airport and it took us an hour to get through.

GLOBAL TEACHING Although Vaughn had never traveled to Africa before this trip, music has taken him all over the world. In 2009 he spent a month and a half teaching in the Middle East for the State Department as part of a new program. This program was similar to an older program known as “Jazz Ambassadors.”

Louis Armstrong was the first ambassador.

VA: The new program was called the Musical Overtures, and that's the program that I was part of in 2009. We only went into war-torn countries...countries where there had been no Americans for many years. We did the first outside concert in Baghdad since the war began, and we were the first jazz group there since Duke Ellington in 1963.

We taught at Kabul University for a day and spent a week in Armenia teaching. We taught for three or four days

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in Lebanon. In all of these places we taught kids about music, we interacted, and we played concerts out in the community with other artists from those areas. It was eye opening. There was true poverty in these countries, but in Africa, there seemed to be even more.

THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY Before joining SSSAS, Vaughn taught in Alexandria public schools for 16 years, 12 years in middle school, and four years at T.C. Williams. So he knew of the SSSAS program and was friends with retired SSSAS jazz teacher Jerry Mirliani. It was Jerry that told Vaughn he would be retiring and that the position would be perfect for him.

VA: After thinking about my conversation with Jerry and how I told him that I was happy where I was, I started to realize that I was comfortable. There's more to life than being comfortable. I asked myself, have I tried to change or expand myself, try something new? This was the perfect opportunity. It was the perfect opportunity to teach something that I'm very passionate about and have it supported as its own entity. Getting to teach jazz, jazz theory, and jazz history...A position like this doesn't come every day.

When I came to visit SSSAS, everybody was so nice. The day I visited there happened to be a chapel talk at the Upper School. There was a young man who talked about his acceptance here at an Episcopal school as a Muslim

student. He was standing in front of everyone, he was very articulate, and he was saying powerful things to a captive audience. And I thought, “We need more of this. I need to see more of this.” These are the kids and this is the community I want my kids to interact with.

It's a great place to be. We have our challenges, like anywhere else, but at the end of the day I'm treated like a human and a professional. I've been in situations where those things didn't exist. The thing that really stuck out to me is that our administrators are in the classroom, and they're connected to our students and faculty. The thing I really dig is we're in this together, we're all frustrated together, we're all happy together, as long as we're together.

“Kids are kids no matter what building they're in. They just need someone who will invest in them.”

A BALANCING ACT When we sat down to talk, Vaughn shared all of his upcoming “gigs” with me. In the matter of a week, he would be performing in six concerts from D.C. to NYC and places in between...and this is in addition to teaching full-time and raising his own family.

Music fuels him but he does admit that it's a bit of a balancing act.

for weeks at a time but when I am gone, they don't know any different, so it makes it a little easier. And whenever I can take them anywhere, I take them. I couldn't do what I do if they didn't allow me to do it.

CREATING HIS OWN LEGACY AT SSSAS Vaughn has been at SSSAS for three years and has already accomplished a lot with the jazz program. He has a lot to be proud of, but still has a lot of goals for the program.

VA: I'm proud that I am creating relationships. If we take care of each other, music will take care of itself. I've had the pleasure of meeting and working with kids that I would never have had the opportunity to work with. Kids are kids no matter what building they're in. They just need someone who will invest in them. As a teacher, you try to bring it every day. I'm always pleased to hear when my students who have graduated are still continuing to play. Not necessarily majoring in music, but they're still playing. I get emails from parents of our graduates telling me how their child is still playing in college or on the side, and it's great. So not only are the students invested but their parents are invested, that this is a wonderful thing for them to still participate in.

Looking ahead, I would love to triple the size of our jazz program and for our program to be the program that students in the metro area want to be a part of. I truly believe those students are out there, we just need to let them know we're here for them. We need to do all we can with making connections in the community. Trying to figure out how we can make it better for someone else and use our music to do it. That's always the goal.

VA: I have always been in love with music. Let me explain it this way: I don't like to fly. My dad, he wouldn't fly at all. He'd say, “Oh you're gonna end up dead.” And I said to him, “Daddy, my desire to play music is larger than my fear of dying.” If I can't play then I might as well be dead.

There's nothing like walking out and being able to express yourself musically, as well as being on stage with competent musicians and being able to have a conversation back and forth.

I've wanted to do this since I was 11 years old; I don't know anything else. There's nothing else that I want to do. When I was a child I told my mom when I was practicing one day and sounding terrible, “Mom, one day I'm going to tour the world, I'm going to play big.” And her response was, “Well boy, you better get into that room and practice.” We never had a conversation about my back-up plan if the music didn't work out. It was like okay, if that's what you want to do then you need to be professional at it, you need to respect people's time, and be respectful of other individuals. It was all the same things that you hear when you're looking to do any other profession. People ask me all the time, how are you able to sustain in music? And I always say it's like anything else.

If you play consistently and you're good at it, your phone will always ring.

I have four kids, and I have a wife who truly loves me—or she would not be with me. Balancing is hard because my wife's a musician as well. She plays in the symphony and has symphony concerts. Our kids are all playing, too. (Three are in middle school and one in fourth grade.) It is really tough. I don't leave them as much as I used to. I don't go off and leave

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SEATING

The Benefits of Rethinking Classroom Design in the Lower School

BY MELISSA ULSAKER MAAS '76

There were some exciting new changes at the Lower School this fall. When the fifth graders walked into their classrooms on Welcome Day, their jaws dropped and great excitement ensued.

Each room had new carpeting and a brightly colored wall, but the most amazing discovery was that all the traditional desks and chairs were gone.

In their place was a wide variety of functional, fun, and colorful flexible seating arrangements—perfectly sized for them and thoughtfully designed to accommodate their different, individual learning styles.

The switch to flexible seating was brought about by the need to swap the location of the fourth and fifth grade classrooms to accommodate the five fifth grade homerooms. The move gave the teachers the opportunity to completely redesign their rooms, and the fifth grade teachers—Caitlin Engelberg, Jonathan Lamkay, Sean Finan, Joe Lindsay '12, and Mollie Tolman—were particularly interested in flexible seating. There are flexible seating areas throughout the Lower School classrooms, especially in designated reading areas, as well as furniture that can be moved and 14 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

reconfigured. However, none of the teachers had previously decided to completely transform their classrooms.

Caitlin was already well-versed in the research behind flexible seating and had experimented with it previously in her classroom.“For many years I provided my students with time to pull out a pillow and get comfortable for independent reading,” she said. “So why not allow them this comfort throughout the entire day while they are focusing on all of their academic work?” The fifth grade team decided to implement the seating arrangements for their classrooms, and learned everything they could before making design choices.

morning. As I walked into each of them, the first thing I noticed was how good I felt being in the spaces. The rooms are bright without being overpowering, clean and organized, and exude an atmosphere of joy. There are exercise ball chairs, fuzzy camp chairs, armchairs, chairs on rollers, rocking stools, and soft couches. Small rugs placed over the new wall-to-wall carpeting help to define various study areas. Beyond how inviting the classrooms looked, I realized that although the official school day had not yet begun, students were already reading, writing, collaborating on something, or interacting with their teachers.

The primary challenge they faced was the process of rethinking classroom spaces, as the choice and arrangements of flexible areas would immediately influence their desired changes in learning and teaching methods.

They each considered how the design of their classroom would support collaborative and active learning; increase engagement with the students; offer means for interaction between the students and between the students and their teachers; and challenge and their support students.

Some of the earliest related studies were conducted by Herman Miller, Inc., a leading American furniture manufacturer, beginning in 2006. In their solution essay, “Rethinking the Classroom: Spaces Designed for Active and Engaged Learning and Teaching,” they revealed that “giving people some control over their surroundings adds to their sense of well-being.”3 In 2016 Steelcase Education funded a study which showed that classrooms designed to support learning through participation increased student engagement compared to traditional row-by-column seating.5 Several more following studies consistently showed

I made an unannounced tour of the fifth grade classrooms early on a Monday

that classroom design influences the way children engage, participate, and ultimately stay involved in their learning experience.1, 2, 4 “I chose to have flexible seating options because research shows that all students do not learn the same way and flexible seating offers the options necessary to best meet the different needs of our students,” said Jonathan Lamkay. “Some students might prefer to work on a flat surface at a table and chair, some may like to lay down on the floor to complete their work, and some might sit on a wobbly stool or in rocking lounger so they can have movement while they work.”

Simply defined, a flexible seating classroom is one in which traditional desks and chairs and seating arrangements have been replaced with furniture that can quickly and easily be moved and organized into a variety of options that allows students to work independently, in pairs, and in groups, while also reducing the amount of time students are sedentary. But there is much more to flexible seating than that.

There were many questions to consider beyond what furniture to buy.

“You must think about how to support children to be reflective in their learning

“I chose to have flexible seating because research shows that all students do not learn the same way and flexible seating offers the options necessary to best meet the different needs of our students.”

JONATHAN LAMKAY

Fifth Grade Teacher

“You must think about how to support children to be reflective in their learning practices.”

ZOE HILLMAN

Lower School

Associate Director

practices, and what agreements you need to establish at the outset so that when you roll it out it is successful,” explained Lower School Associate Director Zoe Hillman. Classroom guidelines for the students generally set rules for how to choose seating, use seating appropriately, and make the decision to move, and of course, the teacher's right to move a student at any time.

“The first few weeks are crucial,” Caitlin said. “You must set very clear guidelines and allow students time to explore each space. At the start of the year, many of them raced towards the couch or the big comfy chairs and wanted to sit near their buddies. However, over time, they began

to learn about themselves and what type of workspace works for them, as well as the importance of choosing a space where they are able to do their best work without distraction.”

The fifth grade teachers worked hard on creating guidelines specifically for their students that they were comfortable with, so the rules are not the same in each classroom. It's important that the approach taken to flexible seating meshes well with individual methods of teaching. It's okay to wade in slowly and not jump in all the way. Sean Finan likes the way flexible seating opens www.sssas.org | 15

up the space and learning opportunities, but has seating assignments in his classroom. “I have a variety of options, but assign my students to seats each day,” he said. “I ensure that they are different, yet I am not totally comfortable leaving that decision up to them every day.” For Jonathan, the number one challenge was how the students would select their seats. At first he allowed the students to choose their own seating, but after the first two weeks it became clear that the students arriving early had more choice, so they moved to a rotation system. “Each morning a different student selects first,” Jonathan said. “The student who had the first pick yesterday would then move to the end of the rotation the next day. The students feel this is a fairer way to regulate our choice of seating.”

TEACHERS' TOP 10 BENEFITS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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It provides options for differentiating the learning environment for students.

It offers a flexible physical space in which students can easily work individually, collaborate in small groups, or meet as a whole class and build community.

It can increase levels of student and faculty interaction through formal and informal means.

It influences levels of interaction and engagement; engagement and active learning improve retention.

It requires higher-order thinking skills, such as problemsolving, and emotional skills, like conflict resolution. Students learn to be patient, compromise, and find creative solutions to problems together.

It builds a sense of independence, accountability, and responsibility when students are given the choice of where to sit.

Comfortable classrooms—physically and psychologically— promote a sense of well-being, focus, as well as limiting distractions.

It helps students with ADHD who need movement to stay focused and on task by providing options like yoga balls for bouncing, chairs that can swivel back and forth, and stools that need core muscles to balance.

It reflects the real world. More jobs and workplaces are offering nontraditional physical spaces, so we are helping prepare them for a growing and changing world.

It's fun and the students enjoy it!

16 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

Flexible seating also integrates well into our Lower School philosophies. “One parallel thought is centered around the idea of community and how to build it,” Zoe explained.

“One of our Lower School foundations is the responsive classroom model, an evidence-based approach to education that focuses on the strong relationship between academic success and social-emotional learning. One of the elements is having community agreements and shared responsibility for the successful operation, if you will, of that community.”

A successful flexible seating classroom reinforces the daily practice of our four Lower School character traits: honesty, responsibility, respect, and compassion. “We work every day towards building community in our classrooms,” Caitlin said. “Flexible seating has helped to create a stronger sense of community as students gather together in comfortable spaces around the room to work together, to socialize, and to learn how to compromise when deciding on their workspace. When two students want the same space, they get creative and make the space work in a way that accommodates both of them.”

With our commitment to environmental stewardship in mind, Zoe encouraged the teachers to go beyond rules for the furniture and to move away from having individual resources to having shared, community resources in each classroom. “It's the idea of a shared commons and shared responsibility for those commons,” she said. “It immediately reduces waste and makes the students more thoughtful about how they use things and whether they are treating everything with respect, not just their things.”

For students who need to work in a more traditional space, each classroom has tables and chairs nestled in among the other options, because flexible seating is just that, flexible.

They can either be worked at individually or grouped together to meet the needs of the students, or the demands of the subject being taught.

“I like flexible seating because you have a variety of options of where you can do your classwork during the day,” Mia Knysh '26 said. “I personally like to work at a desk, especially when we have a test because there is a flat surface and it feels more proper. But I like to move around and get comfy when I am reading. It's fun to have a different workspace.”

Jonathan feels the switch to flexible seating has brought a lot to his classroom. “First and foremost, it promotes students to self-advocate,” he said. “They know where in the room they do their best work and are most comfortable, and it is up to them to make that choice so they can do their best learning. It has also brought a different type of energy to the school day.” His student, Madison Hughes '26, agrees. “What I like about flexible seating is that it allows you be more comfortable where you work,” Madison said.

“The ability to pick different seats allows me to be strategic. I have learned that I must choose the best seat for me each day depending on what we are doing in class.”

Bowen Deringer '26 summed up how the students' generally feel about their new flexible seating classrooms. “What I like most about flexible seating is that it's comfortable, and it is fun to learn and easier to stay on task. It helps me focus more and not be super rushed on my work, which helps a lot.”

“There is a greater sense of calm and creativity. The students are not restricted by their environment— they are liberated by it.”

SEAN FINAN

Fifth Grade Teacher

REFERENCES

1. Fernandes, A. C., Huang, J., & Rinaldo, V. (2011), “Does where a student sits really matter? The impact of seating locations on student classroom learning.” International Journal of Applied Educational Studies, 10(1), 66-77 2. Gremmen, M. C., van den Berg, Y. H., Segers, E., & Cillessen, A. H. (2016), “Considerations for classroom seating arrangements and the role of teacher characteristics and beliefs.” Social Psychology of Education, 19(4), 749-774.

3. Herman Miller (2008), “Rethinking the Classroom: Spaces Designed for Active and Engaged Learning and Teaching,” www.hermanmiller.com.

4. Marx, A., Fuhrer, U., & Hartig, T. (1999), “Effects of classroom seating arrangements on children's question-asking.” Learning Environments Research, 2(3), 249-263.

5. Scott-Weber, L., Strickland, A., & Kapitula, L.R., (2016), “How Classroom Design Affects Engagement,” www.steelcase.com.

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18 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

SAINTS LINK UP Five Upper School students put their writing and creative talents to the test, as they ventured out of the classroom and into Washington, D.C. to interview and photograph talented alumni artists, Alden Leonard '04 and Rives Wiley '09.

Journalists Helen Sweeney '19, Quinten Staples '19, Gummy Nicols '19, and Makeda Malkie '19, and photographer Xander Chiaramonte '20, were fully prepared, professional in their approach, and yes, a bit nervous. But the butterflies faded away as they engaged in deep converations with Alden and Rives. They returned to campus feeling exhilarated by the meaningful connections they made that day, and the opportunity to share it here.

Special thanks go to Upper School Art Teacher Kate Elkins and Upper School English Teacher Jill McElroy for their help coordinating, chaperoning, and enthusiastically supporting this student endeavor in every way.

PHOTOS ON OPPOSITE PAGE BY XANDER CHIARAMONTE '20 (TOP) AND UPPER SCHOOL ART TEACHER KATE ELKINS (MIDDLE AND BOTTOM)

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20 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

PHOTO BY XANDER CHIARAMONTE '20

ALDEN LEONARD '04

Posing Relevant Questions through Art Seniors Helen Sweeney and Quinten Staples, and junior Xander Chiaramonte interviewed and photographed Alden Leonard at the Heurich House in Washington, D.C., where his “A(GOOD)AMERICAN” exhibit was on display from October 5 - November 10, 2018.

BY HELEN SWEENEY '19

The expression of the individual opinion seems more important than ever. What better way to address relevant issues than to create meaningful and moving pieces of art?

Alden interlaces his passions for political advocacy and art, both of which he studied at the College of William & Mary, in response to the contentious politics of today. Alden a freelance artist, but he also somehow finds the time to have a day job as the associate director at CHIEF, a marketing agency in D.C. Last year the Trump administration announced it would end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, putting 800,000 young immigrants – called “dreamers” – into a state of limbo. Alden created “A(GOOD) AMERICAN” to reorient our relationship with numbers, and inspire everyone to consider 800,000 in terms of its impact on human lives.

“I think it's the epitome of unfair for children to have come here when it wasn't their choice, and then be told they have to return to a place they've never known,” Alden told me. “It's been a slow evolution, but as soon as they announced it a year ago, I was like 'I'm doing something about that. I must.”

Even though I had perused Alden's website the night before we met, I still didn't know what to expect when I met him at his installation. I was, I'll admit, a bit intimidated. He seemed not that much older than myself and yet here he was

creating purposeful artwork that appealed to even the least emotional of us.

Alden's easy-going personality soon transitioned my initial feeling of intimidation into reverence and inspiration. Being continuously angered by the state of our nation myself, the conversation flowed with ease and at the end I had never felt more inspired to express my viewpoints and opinions through my choice of medium of the written word.

because people were trying to find their families so we were waiting in the gym was terrifying; the Pentagon is just five miles away. My brother, who was a senior, and I wound up talking to Mr. Garikes who had just started at SSSAS a few days before. We bonded that day, and we still keep up with him.

Q: Do you remember any of the SSSAS traditions?

Here Alden delves into his artistic journey from St. Stephen's and St. Agnes and beyond and shares how he was able to tap into the viewer's desire to somehow remedy a broken system.

AL: Spirit week was obviously a big one; I loved that. I think our year it was Wizard of Oz and we decorated the whole senior hallway as the Emerald City. We put green everywhere, even green paper in the lights; it was very green. It was cool. We also won the Sleepy Thompson Basketball Tournament my senior year.

Q: What was your experience as an artist at SSSAS?

Q: Tell us about the “A(GOOD) AMERICAN” installation.

AL: I made more progress in my artistic ability in my classes at SSSAS than in any other point in my life. And I remember the moments of breakthrough, it was all oil painting but the skills translate across everything. There was one painting of Venice, where I went very abstract and sort of impressionist. That was a big eye-opener for me of how to use color, and how things don't have to look exactly as they are to still feel how they are supposed to feel. I have a lot of very clear vivid memories of my growth as an artist in that art room. I was also the head of the Arts Council.

AL: What this show is getting at is both the conversation surrounding the issue of immigration, specifically DACA recipients, and whether we are capable of understanding a big number like 800,000 without human context. More and more politicians and the media give you the number but they won't tell you what that means. So if we think of 800,000 in terms of human stories, of faces, it takes on a different meaning. This is only 0.1 percent of that number, but the scale of it is overwhelming. It makes you think differently about that policy. I reached out to Dreamers through social media to collect their photos and get permission to use them to create the portraits displayed here. Many of the photos are actually the ones they used on their DACA applications. Each portrait was drawn digitally on an iPad with adjustments made to the color palettes in Photoshop.

Q: Do you have any particularly vivid memories of SSSAS besides within the art world?

AL: On September 11 I was a sophomore, and after the attacks, we were in the gym.

They didn't want anyone leaving school

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Q: What kind of art did you do at home and when did you become interested in activist art?

There are 800 represented here, one for every 1,000 dreamers. Collectively, the portraits create a digital mosaic of President Trump.

Q: What does the arrangement of the portraits around the room signify?

AL: As you move through the space looking at the portraits hung from floor to ceiling, you will see there's a sort of pattern to them. There are three colors, blue at the top, a yellow tan color in the middle, and a darker blue at the bottom.

In the beginning the pattern seems pretty random, but eventually you realize that the pattern is building to up to be a larger mosaic of the person who makes the decisions. So it's meant to roughly evoke the same placement of colors in Trump's portrait. It's asking two questions in doing that: 1) Are we okay with this policy decision?, and 2) What does it mean to be a good American?

AL: I always was doing little cartoons.

In high school my family put a little white board on the fridge and I was always doing silly cartoons about my family, but I hadn't really done things that were topical in my art until Trump..

That's what inspired it. You can really pick and choose what you want to hear right now, and that's not just a thing at him, it's a thing on every side of the political spectrum. So the commentary that you can make through art feels more powerful to me now than ever so that's why I've done it. I think with the political environmental changes in the past few years, my art has become much more social advocacy-focused and political. I've done a lot of cartoons and illustrations that ask: Are we really okay with this contradiction between these ideas, and American values?

Q: Where do you find the inspiration for your pieces?

AL: I'm very aware of what's going on, probably to a fault, because it's distressing. There's 10 stories everyday that I could make a piece of art about.

I try to pick one a week that really captures the essence of what's wrong, or what's right, or where the two things are colliding. it's just a gut decision I guess, but there's no shortage of things to react to.

Q: Did you purposefully come to D.C. to do activist art?

AL: I came to D.C. for more politics and to be more involved in advocacy; the art was sort of a side piece for a long time.

But I've stayed here because it's the perfect place to be doing this kind of art.

One of the reasons I became motivated to use my art in this way is because there's so few ways to break through the conversation that's happening. Everyone has an opinion and everyone has the ability to publish it, so what do I have that's unique to make my questions and opinions known? I have art.

Q: When did you decide that being an artist was what you wanted to do to make a living? You mentioned you also work for a creative agency, but when did you decide that you really wanted to share your art in exhibits?

Q: How did you decide which ethnicities you were going to represent?

Q: How has your process changed over the years?

AL: I deliberately went broad. I wanted it to be representative of who has received this assistance. I don't know the country of origin of anyone. But I knew that question would come up so I looked up the statistics. The top country for DACA assistance is Mexico, the second country is South Korea, there are a number of Central American countries, and there's a lot of countries in there that you wouldn't expect. Beyond looking at those attributes of what a person is, it just makes you realize these are all individuals, and the idea that it's one monolith. In the way we're talking about this migrant caravan, this one big group; we're not thinking about the stories and the differences and the different motivations within there.

AL: I only started working in digital about two years ago when I got an iPad. That's actually relevant to how my art has evolved too, being able to respond really quickly to things has become more important as my art has shifted toward advocacy focus. You can't talk about it three weeks later because people will have forgotten what the thing was. So moving away from a medium like oil painting was important for that.

22 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

I think I plan better now. I used to just grab paints and throw them on a canvas, and at this scale you can't do that.

I think other than medium changes, it's become more deliberate. For this one I couldn't just start drawing portraits; I had to have a very specific plan. I had to know how big these were going to be, and how big this room was. I had to know what the end product was going to be, and I had to have like a thesis statement.

AL: Probably in my mid-20's. After college I didn't really think that it was going to be the thing that I did with my career but it became such an important outlet--to come home and create. I call it the 'artist guilt.' I don't know if other people have felt this before, but when you see something beautiful, art that someone else is making--Instagram is

AL: I would like this exhibit to travel around around the country. There's a lot of communities in which Dreamers and DACA recipients live. I would like to continue to explore topics that need more scrutiny. I thought about gerrymandering and voter suppression and people have been talking a lot about criminal justice reform and mass incarceration. I want to continue taking a subject and diving into the human stories within it as a way of having people question a bigger issue. I'm not sure what that looks like yet, but I'll let you know. constantly showing me this--and you think, 'Ah I need to do that!' It's like a pain that drives me to create. So I would do it after work. Eventually I realized that I had built up a portfolio that people were interested in, so I started seeking out galleries. Even now I don't know that I've made the decision to only be an artist. There's other things I do that I'm interested in, but I definitely knew from that point on that I would never not be able to do this as some part of my life.

My life would feel incomplete.

Q: Are there certain artists around the area or something that really inspires you to continue doing art as your career?

Q: How do you currently balance your work with your art when they are not overlapping?

AL: It's hard. At the opening of this installation someone came up to me and said, 'Man, how did you do this and have a job and have a life?' And I remember answering, “Well, I didn't have a life.�

For about two months, I had to just come home and create for about three hours drawing about 15 portraits a night with each one taking about 15 minutes. So it's

AL: Yes, the person who put this together, Phillipa Hughes, is the amazing artist/arts promoter who made this happen. She has so much vision.

I wouldn't have thought to make that council an art show; she is really pushing me and inspiring me in this hyperpolitical environment to explore my art.

it in 10 emojis in order. That would be an icebreaker and they would realize that they do have this visual language. Then from there we'll start to play Pictionary and other games that helps them organize thoughts differently.

Q: What advice would you give to students at St. Stephen's and St. Agnes who want to pursue art in the political climate we're in right now?

AL: I would just give the advice, separate from the political piece, to continue doing it, it's more important to your growth. Whatever you end up doing, art helps you think--I know that doesn't completely resonate when you're in high school. But being able to organize ideas and figure out what's really important, that's what you learn when you're making art or doing anything creative, including writing and photography. So keep doing it. It gives you a unique point of view, and it will help you even if you become a lawyer or a businessman or something else.

When you lean into the things you care about--political or social issues or something else--it is the feelings that you have that wake you up at night or those that jump to mind first thing in the morning that are artistic gold. Find the stuff that hits a nerve. I've heard the phrase, lean into the discomfort. I If there's something that's upsetting you, it will help you work through it to make art grounded too. I mean I'm frustrated by the political environment and that's one of the reasons that I'm making art.

I think most artists would tell you that right now is a good time to be making art. It's a silver lining in a lot of ways but having the heartstrings pulled is a great thing to respond to as an artist.

Q: Besides your work and freelance art, what else do you do in your limited free time?

hard. It's really hard to have a full-time job and create at this scale, but it's worth it.

Q: Is there anything else you want to do as an artist that you haven't done already?

AL: I work with Higher Achievement, a supplementary after-school program to D.C. public schools that provides art lessons and other enrichment to engage and stimulate really promising middle school students. I work with them on visual thinking, a blend of what I talked about with data visualization and our relationship with information,numbers, and also art. They take stories and information and ideas from their dayto-day life, and represent it visually. So it's fun. They'll come back from holiday break and I'll be like 'what did you do?' and they'll be like 'eh' because they're middle schoolers. And I'll be like 'tell me www.sssas.org | 23

RIVES WILEY '09

Blending the Surreal, Real, and Virtual Seniors Gummy Nicols and Makeda Malkie, and junior Alexander Chiaramonte interviewed Rives Wiley at a D.C. restaurant and then photographed her inside and outside the Hamiltonian Gallery where her work is currently on display for two years.

BY GUMMY NICOLS '19 & MAKEDA MALKIE '19

We sat on a red couch in the center of Busboys and Poets with mugs of chai lattes in our hands to keep them warm from the cool autumn air we had just escaped. Our legs bounced as we anxiously waited for Rives to arrive.

Soon enough we saw a tall woman rush through the doors with two colorful paintings, one in each hand. Although we previously had not met, we instantly knew it was her and stood up to greet her and examine the beautiful surrealist works she had brought to show us.

Our mission was to interview Rives, a Saint with a passion for painting and making videos. Rives discovered the power of her talent in Middle School, a period in her life during which she was lonely and felt she didn't fit in. She found solace, and ultimately herself, in her artwork. Her talent was recognized and her self-confidence bolstered.

She says, “I was the art kid.” After graduating from SSSAS she continued her artistic path at her dream school, the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where she received her B.F.A. in illustration in 2013. She returned to the D.C. area to complete a mural with a partner and decided to stay.

Now a thriving artist, Rives' work has been displayed across the country. She was selected to exhibit at the Satellite Art Show in Miami (2016) and the Spring/Break Art Show in New York City (2017). She has had two recent solo exhibitions in Washington, D.C., DIY Laser Eye Surgery (2017) at the Hamiltonian Gallery and Dinner Party Download at the Hillyer Gallery

(2016), as well as a joint exhibition with Los Angeles artist Allison Peck, Int/er/mission, S/PLI/T Projects (2016) in Portland, Ore. Recently she attended the Vermont Studio Center, the largest international artists' and writers' residency program in the United States and in 2016 was selected as a Hamiltonian Artist. The Hamiltonian, a prominent Washington, D.C. gallery, runs a fellowship program that accepts five artists a year for two years of gallery representation.

Although both of us were initially nervous, Rives immediately put us at ease. As we settled down to talk, she was warm and friendly and seemed just as eager as us to begin. She was articulate and intuitive in her responses to our questions and helped us better understand the D.C. art scene. After the interview we walked to the Hamilton Gallery on U Street, to look at Rives' work on display there. It was a perfect way to wrap up an amazing experience.

Q: When did you start drawing?

RW: I started drawing when I was about three or four years old. My parents didn't let me watch a lot of TV or even play with Barbie dolls, so I had to make up my own stories through drawing.

Q: How did your interest in art evolve at SSSAS? RW: I was the art kid. At first, I was just the designated Homecoming/ Sleepy Thompson t-shirt designer and visual aid specialist for class projects, but it quickly became more serious. I channeled the emotional turmoil of fitting in and finding my identity into a series of surrealist self-portraits. Mrs.

Pollard, my incredible art teacher, realized my potential and put me on the fast track towards a good art school. She gave me advanced instruction, access to the art room at night, and a myriad of opportunities. Because of her, I won awards, attended Governor's School, and was accepted into my dream school, Rhode Island School of Design.

Q: At what point did you realize you wanted to pursue art as a career?

RW: It was the first time I used oil paint. I was painting a zebra still life in freshman art class and I liked it so much that I just kept painting through the lunch period. I remember thinking “ I could do this forever!” So I did.

Q: Were your parents supportive of that decision?

RW: My parents were very supportive.

They have both made a living by working independently towards their passion, and I think they assumed I would do the same. They live close by, so they always come to my exhibitions and try to be involved.

Q: What was it like getting into RISD and why did you decide to move to D.C. to pursue your career?

RW: RISD was a crazy place. In school we joked that it stood for “Reason. I'm.

Sleep. Deprived,” and it was the truth.

We lived and breathed art to the point where we forgot about the real world.

At times, it was horribly stressful, competitive, and soul crushing, but it was the first time I had the liberty to be completely ridiculous. I learned so much about art, myself, failure, success, and creation that I use every day.

PHOTO BY XANDER CHIARAMONTE '20

24 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

www.sssas.org | 25

PHOTO BY XANDER CHIARAMONTE '20

A year after I graduated, I moved back to D.C. with a boyfriend from RISD. He had a graphic design job and I had a big mural commission. I didn't plan on staying that long, but I was accepted into a fellowship with the Hamiltonian Gallery. My two-year contract is up soon, so I'm going to try to move to New York City next year.

Q: Your degree is in illustration. Did the program at RISD allow you the same kind of freedom that Mrs. Pollard gave you at SSSAS? RW: Yes, almost too much freedom. I was making paintings and illustrations, but I learned that my concepts could take many different forms. I made everything. Wax sculptures, giant installations, movies, costumes, screenplays. I needed to take advantage of everything RISD had to offer. While I don't make those things anymore, they still inform my practice.

Q: What art movements inspire you the most and how would you categorize your art? Can you describe your work and what you are trying to convey?

26 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

RW: Generally speaking, my work is about the increasing tension between the digital image, reality and how we, as humans, are reinterpreting ourselves and the world through the image. The resulting artwork is a blend of the surreal, real, and virtual. Whether they are paintings, installations, or videos, they are always entirely created by hand to look like digital imagery. I think of each piece as a scene that integrates a digital phenomenon, subject, or contradiction with my personal experiences.

I am ultimately a surrealist. Aside from that movement, and other contemporary surrealists, I look at a lot of video and installation art, as well as individual artists.

Most of what feeds my work is not actually artwork. I study old silent comedies, music videos, interior design, advertisements, trends, and stock photography. Sometimes for reference, sometimes to steal tricks for my own work, and sometimes to critique.

Q: What is your process like and how has it changed over time? How do you bring your ideas to fruition?

RW: Once I have a basic idea, I do some rough sketches and writing.

For big projects, I'll often create a small painting and then transfer it to Photoshop. Other times, I collage photos and images, either taken personally or from the web, and filter them through Photoshop to reach a starting point that fits my vision. The interpretation and resulting work begins at that point. I would say that I spend 70 percent of my time designing. The majority of my work is oil painting. It's a slow process that involves strategy and many layers, but the finished product is always rewarding.

Q: What type of work are you doing currently?

RW: Right now I'm primarily a painter, but before this summer I was doing everything—installations, videos, and painting. It was driving me a little crazy, so I had to step back and refocus my energy. Installations and videos take a large amount of time, space, and money.

internationally, perhaps in museums, and be able to live comfortably off my art. I've want to introduce my aesthetic and ideas into a commercial sphere, such as music videos and high-end restaurants. I think there is a lot more room for creativity and concept in those areas.

Q. What advice would you give to a senior who is interested in pursuing a career in art?

To make them you need grants, which I've had, but not enough to fund a large production. Maybe one day‌ I have only been a full-time artist for a year. I have collectors around the country, but it not sustainable yet.

I actually make most of my money through murals and commissions.

Right now I'm doing some murals for the Guinness Brewery U.S. Headquarters that recently opened in Baltimore. I also used to be a bartender, so it's kind of the perfect job.

charged right now, which is giving us a lot of energy.

Q: What do you envision for your future? Where would you like to be in ten years?

RW: Well it's been about ten years since I graduated from SSSAS. I think I'm on the right path and I'd like to continue moving forward. I would like live in New York or Los Angeles, exhibit my work

RW: Master your skills! If you have full control over a specific medium, whether it be painting, computer graphics, glass blowing, etc., you will be a step ahead the herd. Not only will your technical ability help your creative process, it will give you jobs and be a source of income for when you can't solely live off your creativity.

In high school, I took adult figure drawing and painting classes every weekend at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Old Town. I highly recommend it. Since I entered college with most of my skills, I was able to experiment and focus on higher concepts.

Q: What is the art scene like in D.C.?

RW: I've been here about four years and I've grown to love it. I'm very involved with the people in my art studio as well as my gallery, and we all do our best to support each other. However, in an expensive city like D.C., it's not easy to afford the artistic lifestyle. There are lots of opportunities, but the ones that will truly further your career and take you beyond the D.C. area are few and far between. Right now, there is also a space issue. A couple of big art studios, including mine, have or will shut down. The main dilemma most artists face is how to afford studio space and a space to live in. Those studios are a major part of the art community.

Now that those big spaces are shutting down, I'm not sure if it will be as closeknit in the future as it is now. We are still moving forward. There is one new studio opening soon, but it is smaller and very exclusive. Otherwise, the art in the city is great. It's very politically www.sssas.org | 27

Lessons from Man's Best Friend

BY MANDI SAPP

I don't want to start a fight with cat people, but dogs have long been known to be a man's best friend. For centuries, dogs have been a protector, helper, lifesaver, and provider for humans. They remain the loyalist of friends through any task or challenge. They are part of our homes, workplaces, and even our Saints community.

In the early days of our school's history, both St. Agnes and St. Stephen's had campus pets, and dogs were allowed to roam the schools freely. The annual Blessing of the Animals, which celebrates St. Francis of Assisi, began at St. Agnes and brings our community together to bless its pets—most of them dogs. In recent years, we've had working therapy dogs on

our campuses to alleviate stress during exams, kindergarten classes have sponsored a shelter puppy, and the Middle School participated in a Wag-a-Ton (walking 26.2 miles) to raise awareness and funds for Guiding Eyes for the Blind.

We are fortunate to be a part of a community that appreciates the special relationship animals, especially dogs, can have in our lives. It's clear we can learn a thing or two from our fourlegged friends and as a community of lifelong learners, I was curious to find out more.

So, we asked some of our faculty: What are you learning from your dog?

“Moose has taught me that personal space is overrated. And I wouldn't want it any other way!”

Beth Barrow, Fourth Grade Teacher

“Roo has taught me to be more present in every moment we spend together.

Otherwise, I find myself minus one shoe, there's a tussle with Bugs Bunny (the cat), or he has run off to make friends with the neighbors.”

Carrie Meyers, Middle School French Teacher, Middle School Library Assistant, and Administrative Assistant to the Director of Teaching and Learning

“Booker has taught me that you never climb to the top alone!”

Tim Dodds, Upper School Science Teacher “Bandi has taught me that life is short so fetch what you want.”

Brendan Riebe, Third Grade Teacher

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“Waffles has taught me how to better live in the present moment and stay pawsitive.”

Katie Hahn, Third Grade Teacher

“Hank helps me remember to relax and enjoy the squirrels.”

Susan DeLaurentis, Director of Counseling

“Finnegan has taught me that fresh air, good views, and a hike in the woods are all you need to have a great day.”

Andy Carr, Middle School History Teacher

“Our dog Taio has taught us lots.

Here he is actively instructing us that family photos, and just about everything else, may not happen on our timetable. Boiled down, I would say that my sons and I have all learned that sometimes it's more important to stop and smell the grass than to get where you want to go on time!”

Linda McGuire, Upper School Dean of Students

“Every morning Dini (short for Houdini) sprints around a fence corner in our yard, hoping to find a squirrel waiting for her there.

While my kids think she's just not very smart, she is teaching me the importance of optimism.”

Bob Weiman, Associate Head of School

“Molly has taught me not to let a beautiful day be wasted indoors, and to be outdoors instead, whether for a walk, a hike, or just sitting outside to enjoy the sunshine.”

Alicia Blowers, Middle School Librarian and Library Department Chair

About the Author “I knew when I got a puppy (now a 5-year-old dog!) she would be a lot to take care of...but what I didn't realize was how much Arlie would take care of me.”

Mandi Sapp, Assistant Director of Communications, Digital Media and Marketing In memory of Dini, 3.13.11–11.17.18

“Bailey has reminded me of the importance of being fully present with those around you. She gives me her undivided attention every day and I find great joy in giving her mine. She is an hours-long napper and has taught me the restorative power of a good weekend nap!”

Jalene Spain Thomas, Lower School Director

www.sssas.org | 29

AN EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

Carrying the Light As a member of the Church Schools in the Diocese of Virginia, our foundation and our mission are rooted firmly in the tenets of our Episcopal identity. We welcome all faiths, and we are called to love one another and honor one another for who God has made each of us. We take this charge seriously, and we are guided by our mission each and every day to value each member of our community as a child of God. On October 23 Lower School Director Jalene Spain Thomas gave the following homily at Lower School Chapel.

30 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

It brings joy to my heart to see all the ways that our students participate and lead in our chapels each week.

First graders: I see you leading us in the school prayer.

Second, third, and fourth graders: thank you for reading scripture to us and carrying in the prayer basket and the bible in the procession.

Junior kindergarteners and kindergarteners: We love hearing you sing to us each week.

Fifth graders: thank you for serving as acolytes by carrying the cross and candle lighter.

These important roles remind us that we have gathered together to worship, pray, thank God for his love, and show God's love.

There are other important roles in our chapel, ones that I am also very thankful for.

Students: I see all of you pausing to silently pray the prayers in your hearts and listening carefully and respectfully to the prayers added to the prayer basket each week.

I see your excitement when a classmate, teacher, or any Saint's birthday is recognized and I love hearing you ask for God to watch over them as their days increase.

All of these roles are special and important as we receive God's love, share God's love, and pray for God's love.

When I was growing up I thought that there were only a few ways for children to participate in the Sunday worship service at my church, St. Matthews in Taylors, S.C. One way to participate was singing in the children's choir when you were in kindergarten through fifth grade. In one of the chapels last school year, I spoke about my choir director, Mrs. Bennet, who has led the children's choir at St. Matthews for 50 years and how she helped me and the other children sing joyfully with strong voices so we could spread God's love through music.

Another way for children to participate in services at my church was to be an acolyte. Just like in our chapels here at our Lower School, acolytes in my church wore a cassock and surplice and carried in the cross or candle lighter like Mackenzie and Jack did today.

This morning, I want to tell you about my first feelings about being an acolyte when I was a child.

The acolyte program at my church was for children in the later elementary and middle schools years; so between the ages of nine and 14, I got to carry the cross or the candle lighter.

My mother was in charge of the acolytes—she helped light the wick on the candle lighter (just like I got to do for Jack today!), she helped us know when to start walking down the aisle with a gentle tap on the shoulder or a serious nod, and she made the schedule of who would carry the cross or carry the candle lighters.

My mother also led the practices for the new acolytes that began in the summer before our fourth grade year.

And because my mother made the schedule for acolytes, if a cross bearer or candle lighter was out sick; she would tell my brother Cedric and I that we needed to fill in.

At our first practice as almost fourth graders, our minister, Rev. Bradley joined us. He let us know that the cross represents Jesus' presence coming into our worship service and our following him. He explained that the candle lighting represents the light and love that Jesus brings into our service and into the world.

At my church, two candle lighters walked beside the cross bearer so there were three people walking in a straight line. I soon learned that for me, this was not easy.

For the candle lighters, here was our advice from my mother:

b

Remember to look up.

b

Walk in a straight line.

b

Don't walk too quickly or too slowly.

b

If you notice the light getting low, push the wick up slowly to make sure it does not go out but not too far because the flame might go too high and wax may drip on your shoes or on the carpet.

The aisle in my hometown church is only about half the length of the one here in Daniel Gym. Here there are five steps to go up or down to get to the altar and candles. At my church, there were only two steps up to the altar.

Here there is a clear pathway from the steps over to the altar and candles. At my church, there was a very narrow pathway from the stairs to the altar.

At my first practice, my mother asked us to try walking down the aisle and she said we could practice without the candle lighter being lit. I was relieved because I had no experience walking long distances with a lit candle.

Remember that narrow pathway leading to the altar and candles at my church? On my very first try at my first practice, I tripped.

Remember my mother's advice to always look forward while also making sure the light did not go out? On my very first practice with the wick lit, the light went out; the second time I tried, the light went out again!

Saints, I have to admit something— and you might have guessed this already—at first, I did not like being a candle lighter. In those earliest months of fourth grade, I was sure that my candle would go out or that I would trip and I was not very happy when my mother asked me to fill in for someone else.

I was very nervous to take on such an important role. I did not want to embarrass myself or my mother.

Rev. Bradley's message to us about the importance of carrying the light into the church and lighting the candles on the altar went right out of my head each time I picked up the candle lighter.

In the gospel lesson from Matthew read today, Jesus' neighbors thought that he did not have the right training to be able to teach and preach in the synagogue in his hometown.

They thought that he would be an embarrassment to them. Jesus prayed to God and overcame his

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The School Prayer Our heavenly Father, we give you thanks this day for all the blessings you have showered upon us—our free land, food, shelter, and the ability to work and play without fear.

We ask that you will look with compassion upon all children in distress wherever they may be.

Grant them and us your peace in the name of the Christ Child.

Amen.

feelings of nervousness; he knew that he had God's blessing to take on this important role in his synagogue.

With God's help, he persevered and kept teaching and spreading God's love.

Over time, the fear and embarrassment I felt as an acolyte went away. I knew that if my light did go out, the other candle lighter would give me light from their candle.

I knew that if I did trip and fall that someone, probably my mother or Rev. Bradley would help me up and tell me that everything would be okay. I also prayed to God to help me and he did.

He helped me remember that my church was a place with kind and compassionate people, just like here at St. Stephen's and St. Agnes, and that mistakes are okay.

If you are nervous about being a cross bearer or a candle lighter ask Rev. Beales, Mrs. Bacas, or me if you would like an extra practice.

If you don't know all the words to one of our hymns that we sing at the beginning or end of chapel, do your best, sing out, together our voices create one louder voice, thanking God for his love.

That's the wonderful thing about going to a school with a chapel. All God's children have a special place and a special part in our service and I know that God hears our prayers. He heard mine.

Let us pray: God, thank you for St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School.

Thank you for providing a space and time for us to

As my fears went away, I was able to see how neat it was that this role was given to children in my church.

worship together. Thank you for helping us to show

So...

showing us the unique and different gifts that we can

If you are still learning the words to our school prayer, that's okay, do your best and speak with confidence. The words themselves matter, and not how perfectly those words are said.

32 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

your love to ourselves and each other. Thank you for use for goodness inside our school and away from our school, inside our chapel service and throughout the school day. Amen

NUMBERS can tell an amazing story...

30,794 BOOKS CHECKED OUT

BY LOWER SCHOOL SAINTS

90

CHAPEL SERVICES ON THREE CAMPUSES

4,600 3,400 HOURS OF SERVICE GIVEN

BY SAINTS SENIORS

POUNDS OF CLAY USED BY UPPER SCHOOL SAINTS ARTISTS

...of how much every gift

COUNTS. THE SAINTS FUND

Your gift to The Saints Fund directly supports our faculty in a meaningful way and helps our students become ready for college and beyond. Make a gift today and tell us “What Matters Most to You” by designating your gift to one of the 11 areas of strategic school support.

For more information or to make a gift today, visit sssas.org/give, or contact Nicole Morrell, Director of Annual Giving, at 703-212-2715 or nmorrell@sssas.org. *All statistics are from the 2017-2018 school year.

www.sssas.org | 33

The 2018-2019

BOARD OF GOVERNORS

n

New Members

Phil Herget III, Chair David Felsenthal, Vice Chair David Charlton '69, President, Church Schools in the Diocese of Virginia

n Timothy Adams Montez Anderson '93 Tom Archer '86 Reginald Brown Michael Chiaramonte Patrick Hendy

34 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

Freeman Jones n Sarah Knutson Ian Markham Catie Meyer '86 Chip Molster Page Moon

Christopher Murphy '91 Carla Murray n Clay Perfall n Barrye Price Anita Reed Donnan Chancellor Wintermute '65

n Katie Woodruff Kirsten Adams, Head of School, Ex-offcio member Glenn Archer '82, President,

n TIMOTHY ADAMS Where did you grow up? Prior to moving to Washington in 1988, I lived in Kentucky, first in Murray, a quaint town of about 10,000 in the far Western part of the state, where I was born and attended high school, then Lexington, which is in the heart of Bluegrass horse country, where I attended the University of Kentucky, both as an undergraduate and graduate student. My ancestors arrived in Murray in the early 1820s as part of the Scotch-Irish migration that begin on the Pennsylvania coast, then moved down the Wilderness Road of Virginia, stopping off in Western North Carolina for a decade or so in the late 18th century, then headed West following the ever receding frontier.

While I spend a sustainable amount of my time traveling the world, both as a professional necessity and for personal pleasure, I do try to carry with me the values and ethos and of my small town roots: a philosophy of plain dealing, common sense and a view that we're all God's children.

Tell us about your family. My personal life centers around family. My wife of 22 years, Jennifer Adams, is a tireless and avid supporter of SSSAS, a marvelous parent, and the glue that binds our family together and keeps me grounded. My oldest daughter, Tindall, is a freshman at Davidson College in N.C. My son, William, is a freshman at the Upper School and my youngest daughter, Augusta Lee, is a seventh grader at the Middle School. We are all active members of St. Paul's Church, which has served as an important part of our spiritual lives, friendships and community for multiple decades.

Why have you chosen to serve on the Board of Governors? I joined the SSSAS Board because I'm a big fan of Kirsten Adams and her leadership.

I am also a rabid advocate for education, and not just for information acquiring vocational purposes, but as part of our obligation to raise generations of critical-thinking, truth-seeking, wisdom-developing, adaptable and curious members of our community and society. As the Greek philosopher Epictetus best put it: “only the educated are free.�

In your downtime? I like putting on my running shoes and hitting the predawn streets of wherever I'm traveling. It's the best way to see a city: down deserted boulevards, alongside rivers and canals and through grand parks.

It's also a cathartic, contemplative experience. There's nothing greater than ending a long run at sunrise in Tokyo, Stockholm, Paris, or hometown Alexandria. I also like to read (all genres) but have a penchant for buying books faster than I can consume them, which leads to stacks and piles around the house and office.

Alumni Association Board Beth Chase, Chief Financial Officer Quincey Grieve, Middle School Director Mike Mallett, Upper School Director Carrie Schuyler, President, Association of Parents and Teachers

John Siegel, Chair, Foundation Board of Governors Jalene Spain Thomas, Lower School Director Bob Weiman, Associate Head of School

w University of Kentucky, Masters in Public Administration; M.A., International Relations, and B.S., Finance w President and CEO of the Institute of International Finance w Former Managing Director of the The Lindsey Group w Former Under Secretary for International Affairs, U.S. Department of the Treasury w Former Chief of Staff to both Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and Treasury Secretary John Snow w Served in the Office of Policy Development under President George H.W. Bush w Co-Founded the G-7 Group in Washington, D.C.

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n SARAH KNUTSON

during basketball season.

n CLAY PERFALL Tell us about your family.

I married my high school sweetheart, Brian, and we have three children – Jack, Walker, and Bodie – two of which attend SSSAS and are at the Lower School.

Our family is all about sports... local sports, personal sports, you name it...Redskins, Caps, Nats, lax, hockey, basketball. The only teams we can't agree on are Duke and UNC. All boys have sided with my husband and UNC...so I go it alone

Why have you chosen to serve on the Board of Governors?

Throughout my educational years, I have been lucky to have had exceptional experiences at all the schools I have attended. I know much of that is owed to the many people that served those schools in various capacities during my tenure. I am honored to support this institution that is working hard on developing and shaping future generations into quality citizens and community leaders.

What about our Strategic Plan or the school's future excites you?

Kirsten Adams and the Board has set the school on a wonderful trajectory and all initiatives are valuable and appropriate for where the institution stands today and the goals for where the school is headed for the future. I am most excited about the potential opportunities available to transform the physical structures and grounds at all campuses.

Why do you think pursuing goodness and being a welcoming, inclusive community is so important in our world today? There is so much negativity that surrounds us every day and it is amplified by our 24/7 connectivity. I can only imagine how this will continue to evolve as our children mature. It is imperative that our children are given the skill set and foundation to be strong and resilient with a mission of being good and creating goodness in the world.

Favorite series? Loved “The Crown” and “Game of Thrones,” and am eagerly awaiting the upcoming seasons.

w Attended Episcopal High School w Graduated from Duke University, majored in Mechanical Engineering and Economics w Works for Akridge, family's real estate company in Washington, D.C.

Tell us about your family. My wife, Anne, and I have three children, Cal '10, Evelyn '19, and Adrienne '22. All three have been “lifers” as SSSAS. We are very proud of each of them and we are grateful for the role SSSAS has played in their growth and journey. Investing in SSSAS is one of the best decisions we have made. Cal loves the outdoors and lives in Park City, Utah. We spend as much time there with him as possible.

What was your own school experience like? I was raised and attended public schools on Long Island, N.Y. We were the second graduating class of our high school and understandably had little in way of traditions. That has given me great appreciation for the traditions of SSSAS. Why have you chosen to serve on the Board of Governors? I am rejoining the Board of Governors after a two-year hiatus. The remarkable faculty and school leadership at SSSAS have helped our children become thoughtful and caring men and women that we truly admire. The school's community has been invaluable to our family. I originally joined the SSSAS Board of Governors hoping that I could be helpful and to demonstrate our gratitude. I found serving on the Board and working closely with the faculty and school leadership to be a tremendously rewarding experience. Working with Joan Holden during the last years of her tenure and Kirsten Adams during the first years of hers were each remarkable experiences. I am very grateful to have been invited to rejoin the Board of Governors. This is a very exciting time in the history of SSSAS and I am once again hopeful that I can contribute to our school and community.

What about the Strategic Plan or the school's future excites you? All the pieces have come together to allow our school to achieve new heights.

SSSAS enjoys outstanding leadership in Kirsten Adams, Bob Weiman, and the entire administrative team. Our school has been managed carefully and is financially strong. We have a generous and committed community and we have a clearly articulated, insightful Strategic Plan. This is a powerful combination. I am confident that the best years of SSSAS are ahead of us.

Why do you think pursuing goodness and being a welcoming, inclusive community is so important in our world today? It would be difficult to argue that the world today enjoys an overabundance of tolerance and thoughtful discourse. SSSAS teaches our children and our community to be informed, thoughtful, respectful, inclusive, and tolerant.

These are important messages that bear repeating.

Favorite book of all-time? My favorite book without a doubt is “Where The Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak. It was a favorite with all of my children and has given me great joy.

w Graduated from College of William & Mary with a degree in Accounting w Arthur Andersen (15 years) w CFO and CEO of several public and private companies w Currently Operating Executive, Tailwind Capital (NY-based private equity sponsor) and Chairman of two of their businesses w Board of Directors, Campagna Center

36 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

n MAJ. GEN. (RET.) BARRYE PRICE Tell us about your family.

My dad was a retired Marine and he and my mom enjoyed family travel. I had visited 32 states, Mexico, and Canada, by the time my dad died in 1975. Those formative travel experiences provided me a window of the world.

What was your own school experience like?

I attended public schools in Gary, Indiana, for grades K-12. We had a tremendous sense of community in those days and my teachers lived within our community.

Why have you chosen to serve on the Board of Governors?

Service is within my DNA. What about our Strategic Plan or the school's future excites you? The Strategic Plan provides the Board with a treasure trove of opportunities for growth and possibilities over the next five years.

Why do you think pursuing goodness and being a welcoming, inclusive community is so important in our world today? Creating a community that's both welcoming and inclusive requires a tremendous amount of work by all the stakeholders within a community. Achieving the desired end state—where the audio (of being welcoming and inclusive) matches the video of having achieved it requires measurement through survey.

Favorite book of all-time? My personal library hosts more than 3,000 titles—all of which I've read. My favorite book of all time is a children's book…“The Little Engine that Could.”

w 31-year veteran of the U.S. Army w BBA, University of Houston; M.A. and Ph.D., Texas A&M; M.S., National Defense University w White House Fellow (1999-2000) w US-Japan Leadership Fellow (2001-2003)

n KATIE WOODRUFF Who are you? Less than two weeks after I graduated from a small Division III college, I was working on Capitol Hill where I spent the next decade serving as a senior staff to several Members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

On the Hill, I met my husband, Dave, also a Michigander, and then left public service as we started our family.

Will '23 arrived in the midst of my private sector career, working for two of the largest public utilities on the eastern seaboard as their senior lobbyist. When Charlie '26 arrived, I transitioned out of the public policy community. After a break at home, I rejoined the workforce as the SSSAS Upper School registrar.

Why have you chosen to serve on the Board of Governors? I have volunteered in a number of roles in the classroom and throughout the school. From day one, I sensed that SSSAS was a special place and sought to deepen my commitment. Our mission is based on goodness, diversity, and embracing individual differences into a community; these are important messages that seem even more crucial today. An SSSAS education is not just a building block for their future academic endeavors, it is the foundation for them as members of our community-a community built by the students, families, and staff that have come before us. I'm humbled to be a steward of that legacy, to help shape it, and insure it will outlast our time here.

What about our Strategic Plan or the school's future excites you?

The faculty aren't just teachers, they're learners. They embody a neverending desire to grow and learn about the subjects they teach and the techniques that better move students. The Strategic Plan captures this sense of learning by ensuring they have the tools to learn as they teach. Our facilities are first rate, our commitment to technology unwavering, but it's the spirit of the teachers that excites me as as parent and a Board Member.

The school is not simply maintaining; we are constantly looking to improve and build upon our successes. While we continue to strengthen traditional forms of teaching, we also fully embrace a mission to help our students succeed in a world that is changing each and every day.

Why do you think pursuing goodness and being a welcoming, inclusive community is so important in our world today? With so many of a our norms and national traditions being challenged today, children need to feel a sense of a stability and inclusion - a place where they are held safe and supported, their voices heard, and new experiences shared.

Favorite book of all-time? My life is filled with many memorable reads that have shaped and inspired my view of the world. From Tocqueville in college to Vince Flynn last night, reading is my window on the world. One of my fondest memories was reading Richard Scarry's “What Do People Do All Day.” It imbues a sense of wonderment, a curiosity about the world, and a sense of our role and mission in our community and neighborhoods.

w Graduated from Hillsdale College with a Political Economy degree w Former Senior Congressional Aide w Senior Government Affairs Executive, CMS Energy and Progress Energy

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“PETER AND THE ST %RCATCHER” A REVIEW BY CAPPIES CRITIC DELANEY MOORE '20

The Cappies is a writing and awards program that trains high school students to be expert writers, critical thinkers, and leaders. Student critics vie to be published in local media outlets by attending productions at other schools and writing critical reviews.

Full of adventure, hilarity, and magic, the Upper School Stage One Player's fall play, “Peter and the Starcatcher,” had the audience either reveling in the remembrance of what it was like before they grew up or simply wishing they could fly. The spirited and confident performance left the audience captivated in a world different from their own reality.

The play is based on the 2004 novel written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, which was later adapted into a stage production by Rick Elice. The show premiered in 2009 at the La Jolla Playhouse in California, was later transferred to Off-Broadway, then had a one-year Broadway run ending in 2013, before returning to Off-Broadway and closing in 2014. Today, “Peter and the Starcatcher” is a popular play choice for many high school performing arts departments in the U.S. The play is a prequel to the well-known story of Peter Pan and provides back stories for the most recognizable characters, including Peter Pan, Mrs. Darling, Tinkerbell,

38 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

and Captain Hook. Set in Victorian England, it follows the story of two British ships that have set sail for the fictional kingdom of Rundoon. The first ship, The Neverland, is commanded by Bill Slank, an antagonistic, authoritative man who carries a hatred for the orphans he is transporting. Aboard The Neverland, are three orphans named Prentiss, Ted, and Boy, who later is named Peter.

While on the ship the three orphans encounter a young girl named Molly Aster, who has been given a special mission from her father. Also aboard The Neverland is Molly's nanny, Mrs. Bumbrake, who has an instant connection with a scruffy yet kind hearted sailor named Alf. The second ship, The Wasp, was overrun by notorious pirate, Black Stache, a clueless, ruthless man who often requires the assistance of his right hand man, Smee. Aboard the ship are two prisoners, Captain Robert Falcon Scott and Lord Leonard Aster. Lord Aster is Molly's starcatching father, who has been given the task of taking care of a special package from the queen. Overall, the show is full of twists, turns, and shocks, as the two ships encounter one another and the characters upon them battle for treasure, discover new lands, and learn the true meaning of friendship.

One of the highlights of the show was the onstage chemistry between stand-out performers, Jackson de Vallance '21as Alf and Jenn Lansing '21 as Mrs. Bumbrake. Jackson and Jenn played off each other's energy outstandingly and had the audience chuckling whenever the pair was showcased

1

2

4

3

5

together. Jackson especially had the audience giggling with his hilarious one-liners, impressive comedic timing, big personality, amusing motions, and well thought out facial expressions.

Other impressive performances included; Fred Gehlhoff '20 as Ted, Nick Griepentrog '20 as Slank, and Andrew Seale '21 as Prentiss. Each of them were committed to their respective characters and were always present when on stage.

Andrew and Fred were both able to create distinctive and recognizable characters that resonated with the audience and Nick was able to use drama and comedy to make his character a crowd favorite.

More quality performances included: Campbell Weiss '19 as Lord Leonard Aster, Julie Newman '20 as Molly Aster, Bette Vajda '19 as Peter, Mary Margaret Lehmkuhler '19 as Black Stache, and Maren Knutson '22 as Smee. Campbell and Julie were able to provide a sweet father-daughter bond when in scenes together, they both were able to command the stage as their respective characters adequately, and both were able to add notable comedic elements to their characters when needed. Bette used emotion and dramatics well to establish a firm character arc for Peter and bring him to life. Comedic duo Mary Margaret and Maren kept the audience laughing constantly at their antics, grasping the audience's attention with their collective humorous demeanor.

The technical elements, especially the set design by Emma Hughes '21 and Skye Schofield-Saba '21, were best showcased in the fight scene between the ships. The impressive construction and placement of the ships was enhanced by exceptional sound effects. The combination of a well-designed set and excellent lighting techniques designed by Jonah Carter '19, created eye grabbing and visually captivating scenes. The lighting was crucial to setting the mood on the stage and distinguishing important moments. “Peter and the Starcatcher� depicts a sense of childlike wonder through a known yet unknown story that brings all the characters one knows to life, but in a way one might never expect.

PHOTOS: 1. Julie Newman '20 and Campbell Weiss '19 2. Fred Gehlhoff '20, Bette Vajda '19, and Andrew Seale '21 3. Maren Knutson '22, Campbell Weiss '19, and Mary Margaret Lehmkuhler '19 4. Jack de Vallance '21, Sam Tampubolon '22, Jenn Lansing '21, Nat Johnson '21, and Anna Giardina '21 5. Mary Margaret Lehmkuhler '19 and Nick Griepentrog '20

www.sssas.org | 39

Franny Alston

Third Grade Teacher

Beth Argentieri

Upper School Math Teacher

Shannon Barber

Lower School Nurse

Thomas Bunnell

Middle School Art Teacher

SOME of their FAVORITE things

Lizzie Callahan '03

Director of Auxiliary Programs

Maura Carr

Middle School P.E. Teacher

Syracuse Orange Basketball (Emma Lunder)

Middle School English Teacher

University of Texas Longhorns (Nicole Morrell)

Austin Fodrie

Washington Capitals (Sarah Olderman)

Technical Support Specialist

Larissa Giacomán

“Slaughterhouse Five” by Kurt Vonnegut (Beth Argentieri)

Sebastian Gluzman

“Cleopatra” Stacy Schiff (Thomas Bunnell)

Lower School Security

Sharon Johnson

OUR NEW SAINTS SHARE

Kindergarten Assistant

Ava Jones

Director of Alumni & Reunion Giving

Chelsea Land '06

Upper School English Teacher

Thomas Lee

Middle School Security

Emma Lunder

Second Grade Teacher

Elizabeth McConnel

Lower School Learning Resource Teacher

Linda McGuire

Upper School Dean of Students

Nicole Morrell

RECOMMENDED READS

Lower School Spanish Teacher

Tim Honig

Baltimore Ravens (Alexandra Emala)

Washington Redskins (Ava Jones & Thomas Lee)

Isabel Figueroa '06

Payroll Specialist & General Accounting

New York Rangers (Maura Carr)

New York Yankees (Tim Honig)

Alexandra Emala

Christina Graham

DC United (Thomas Bunnell)

Montreal Canadians (Christina Graham)

Third Grade Teacher

Upper School Spanish Teacher

Red Sox (Franny Alston)

“Girl on a Train” by Paula Hawkins (Alexandra Emala) “Our Kids,” by Robert Putnam (Isabel Figueroa ) The Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling (Austin Fodrie) “Dreamers” by Yuyi Morales (Larissa Giacomán)

Arsenal FC (Henry Rouse) San Antonio Spurs (Wade Summa) Chelsea FC (Mollie Tolman) Chicago Bears (Vashon Winton)

OUR TEAMS

“Bunnies Are a Lot Like You and Me” by Christina Graham (Christina Graham) “Beloved” by Toni Morrison (Sharon Johnson) “Two Turns from Zero” by Stacey Griffith (Emma Lunder) “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer (Sarah Olderman) “Infinite Jest” by David Foster Wallace (Henry Rouse) “The Pact” by Jennifer Sturman (Alexis Solomon) “IT” by Stephen King (Wade Summa) “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee (Mollie Tolman) “The Wild Trees” by Richard Preston (April Walker) “The Catcher In the Rye” by JD Salinger (Andrew Weller) “Love in the Ruins” by Walker Percy (Kevin York-Simmons)

Director of Annual Giving

Kiteboarding (Beth Argeniteri)

Sarah Olderman

Traveling the world (Linda McGuire)

Junior Kindergarten Teacher

Henry Rouse

Hiking in the mountains (Sarah Olderman)

Middle School English Teacher

Running Marathons (Wade Summa)

Ana Singer

Cycling, hiking, & sports (Kevin York-Simmons)

Second Grade Teacher

Alexis Solomon

First Grade Teaching Assistant

Wade Summa

Upper School Math Teacher

Mollie Tolman

Fifth Grade Teacher

“Boom Beach” (Shannon Barber) “Oregon Trail” (Lizzie Callahan ) “MLB 2011” (Tim Honig)

April Walker

“Myst” (Sharon Johnson)

Middle School Science Teacher

“Minecraft” (Chelsea Land )

Andrew Weller

“Call of Duty: World at War” (Thomas Lee)

Dean of Enrollment & Strategic Marketing

Vashon Winton

Assistant Athletic Equipment Director

Kevin York-Simmons

Upper School History Teacher

40 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

Any Madden game (Vashon Winton)

VIDEO GAMES

GETTING OUT

“Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” (Beth Argentieri) “Catastrophe” (Thomas Bunnell)

“Enema of the State” by Blink 182 (Franny Alston)

“Game of Thrones” (Lizzie Callahan )

“Wish” by the Cure (Shannon Barber)

“Friday Night Lights” (Maura Carr)

“Revolver” by The Beatles (Thomas Bunnell)

“NCIS” (Austin Fodrie)

“Sublime” by Sublime (Lizzie Callahan)

“La casa de papel” (Larissa Giacomán)

“Vivir mi Vida: by Marc Anthony (Larissa Giacomán)

“Historia de un Clan” (Sebastian Gluzman)

Beethoven's 7th Symphony (Sharon Johnson)

LOVED LISTEN

H BEST BINGE WATC

“Black Mirror” (Shannon Barber)

“Justified” (Tim Honig) “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (Sharon Johnson) “Ozark” (Elizabeth McConnel) “The Killing” (Linda McGuire) “Grace & Frankie” (Nicole Morrell) “Grey's Anatomy” (Ana Singer) “New Girl” (Mollie Tolman) “The Wire” (Vashon Winton) “The Walking Dead” (Kevin York-Simmons)

“Thriller” by Michael Jackson (Ava Jones) “Dizzy Up the Girl” by Goo Goo Dolls (Wade Summa) “The Civil Wars” by Barton Hollow (Mollie Tolman) “Trouble” by Ray LaMontagne (Elizabeth McConnel) Zac Brown Band (Sarah Olderman) “Weezer” (The Blue Album) (April Walker) “Piano Man” by Billy Joel (Andrew Weller) “Watership Down” by Richard Adams (Chelsea Land ) “Stuff You Should Know” Podcast (Wade Summa)

“The Sandlot”(Franny Alston) “Lawrence of Arabia” (Thomas Bunnell) “Gladiator” (Lizzie Callahan) “Inside Job” (Isabel Figueroa)

Auguste Rodin (Maura Carr)

“The Lion King” (Austin Fodrie)

Michelangelo (Isabel Figueroa)

”Coco” (Larissa Giacomán)

Pablo Picasso (Larissa Giacomán)

“Crimes and Misdemeanors” (Sebastian Gluzman)

Peter Tomlinson (Christina Graham)

“Full Metal Jacket” (Tim Honig)

Johannes Vermeer (Elizabeth McConnel)

“The Notebook” (Ava Jones)

Childe Hassam (Nicole Morrell) Claude Monet (Ana Singer) Thomas Kinkade (Alexis Solomon) Tiziano Vecelli (Andrew Weller) Fernando Llort (Kevin York-Simmons) Ai Weiwei & Jeff Koons (Sebastian Gluzman) Dorthea Lange and Pete Souza (Linda McGuire)

FAVORITE FLICKS

INSPIRING ARTISTS

“Mamma Mia” (Alexandra Emala) Piet Mondrian (Thomas Bunnell)

“Little Miss Sunshine” (Chelsea Land) “Lord of the Rings” (Thomas Lee) “When Harry Met Sally” (Emma Lunder) “E.T. ” (Elizabeth McConnel) “Casablanca” (Sarah Olderman) “The Princess Bride” (Henry Rouse) “Finding Nemo” (Ana Singer) “Get Out” (Alexis Solomon) “Silence of the Lambs” (Andrew Weller) “Home Alone” (Vashon Winton) “Usual Suspects” (Christina Graham)

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SAINTS IN ACTION

There's a FIRST Time for Everything Upper School Science Teacher Tim Dodds shares his experience at the FIRST Global Challenge in Mexico City, supported by an APT Holden Summer Grant.

The world in which we exist—the world we prepare our students for by way of our school's mission—is as fraught with uncertainty as it is filled with opportunity. The latter, if utilized to the fullest extent, can eliminate the crippling power of the former. FIRST Global is an organization that fully understands, embraces, and embodies this truism. Its mission runs lateral to ours in the most meaningful ways.

Like St. Stephen's and St. Agnes, this community of scientists recognizes that the world is ever “complex and changing.” They also wish to inspire a “passion for learning,” and they recognize that diversity in cultures, histories, and ideas, has the ultimate and uncompromising ability to enrich our collective world. Their unconditional inclusion is matched by their impact on me, and I can say this with confidence—given that I know nothing about robots—yet was invited to work with them in Mexico City this summer. However, the story to follow first requires some backtracking.

FIRST stands “For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.” It was founded in 1989 under the premise of “encouraging students to pursue education and careers in STEM-related fields, inspiring them to become leaders and innovators, and enhancing their 21st century work-life skills.” No quote could better encapsulate my own personal goals as a 42 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

science teacher at SSSAS, and it speaks deeply and directly to my own experience—one that I've been fortunate and blessed enough to have shared on two of our three beautiful campuses.

My colleagues, like Upper School Technology Education Teacher Tom Johnson who led the U.S. national team in 2017, are intimately involved with this organization and enthusiastically living its mission in their current work with our students. Though I personally became involved with FIRST Global rather serendipitously, we share the view that it's invigorated me to my core as a scientist and as someone who seeks goodness as well as knowledge. The man who gave me this opportunity also believed this and in my ability to project it to a wider audience.

Joe Sestak is a former Rear Admiral in the Navy and a former U.S. Congressman. His list of accomplishments long, he'd be quick to note that his greatest, despite all his success, is his daughter, a brilliant and most bright light named Alex, who also happened to be a former student of mine at SSSAS. As fate would have it, Joe happened to represent my hometown in Pennsylvania, and I'd actually met him during my own high school career when I was given the honor of our district's award as its Congressional scholar athlete.

Though they'd left our community shortly after I taught his daughter, and though it was nearly four years after their departure, Joe happened to remember my Back to School Night presentation and asked me to get involved in his pet project, the FIRST Global Challenge. Though I didn't know it at the time, it ultimately became a perfect example for how a simple human connection, and a willingness to try something new, can open doors and lead to personal growth. It's become an experience that's refreshed my perspective on the power of science, my compass as an educator, and the impact both can have on our students' lives.

What became this elaborate international robotics competition began as a simple idea, and an indefatigably determined grassroots effort of a select few working from the constricted yet cozy confines of a small office on Commerce Street in downtown Alexandria. Despite my neophytic robotics experience and our humble beginnings, I was included on this short list because of Joe's advocacy, and was involved in the preliminary design of the competition and ultimately its production. I met with engineers, professors, researchers, climatologists, financiers, technicians, politicians, and anyone in between as it organically grew. Again, through the power of simple, authentic, and candid conversations with people from around the globe, and a common

2018 FIRST GLOBAL CHALLENGE IN MEXICO CITY STATISTICS

186 Countries represented during the season.

2500+ Youth impacted around the globe.

800+ Volunteers served in the GSC or worked at the event.

75 Teams

had no prior robotics experience.

60% of Teams

were founded, organized, or brought into being by women.

100+ Media Organizations

featured FIRST Global teams internationally.

REPRESENTATION

100% North America

100% South America

vision for creating positive change in our world through science, this inaugural event was held at DAR Constitution Hall in 2017, and proudly featured teams from over 170 of the world's countries.

Since that time, it's grown in both size and scope as well as in pomp and circumstance, and this past summer brought the event, now in its second year, to Mexico City. Though it featured performances from the Intel Drone Light Show, Cirque du Soleil, and The Black Eyed Peas, the show was stolen by the students and their stories. Whether it was the world-famous all-girls team from Afghanistan, the team of Syrian refugees living in Lebanon, or the group representing the U.S. from right up the road in Montgomery County, what was so remarkable about this experience was that it was a shared one despite their unique and disparate histories.

Like me, many of these students had little to no robotics experience. Much unlike the SSSAS environment, many teams were assembled in areas with little to no infrastructure or support.

Some came from war-torn regions, where violence and the wake it leaves behind, possess no bounds. Others lacked life's most basic needs and the consistent supply systems responsible for providing them. Some struggled through the convoluted VISA process and the political turmoil currently engrossing the world's main stage.

Others traveled hundreds of miles from home for the simple chance to have weekly practices with teammates. The opportunity for them was enough. Whether they came from developing nations, or came to develop ideas, these kids competed on the international stage, overcame institutional obstacles, and showed the world the power of human resolve, and the ability for

98% Asia

94% Africe

science and technology to make something of it.

I want, and desperately strive, to create that same desire and determination in my classroom. I want my students to fully understand the power of science, and what they can truly do with it—not to just better or more thoughtfully exist in a complex and changing world as a passive part of it, but to instead be the source and voice of that change, both in their own lives, and in the causes of the commons.

In more immediate and concrete aspirations for the coming year, I'm excited to be teaming up with fellow science teachers Nina Tyree and Michel Romano as we introduce our new mini-unit highlighting women in STEM and future careers in physics. Considering 60 percent of the teams in the FIRST Global Challenge were founded, organized, or led by women, it only makes sense for our kids to see and to seize opportunity in our own, relative way. The privilege of interviewing a host of incredibly captivating changemakers like Anousheh Ansari, the first Iranian in space, doesn't hurt as evidence, while also leaving me spellbound. I met students from all walks of life, as well as the scientists they so adamantly strive to emulate, and keeping those relationships is crucial. I'm both proud and honored to have been a part of this work, and as it continues to gain traction and a groundswell of support, I intend to illustrate to my students, through my own example and the relationships stemming from this event, that one doesn't need to be an expert to grow, to create solutions, and to connect with others.

91% Europe

64% Oceania

THE THEME: ENERGY IMPACT The challenge reflects how science and engineering, in an environment of cooperation, communication, and teamwork, can achieve transcendent actions and solve many of the great challenges humanity faces.

THE GAME: Six countries competed on two alliances (three countries per team), and they were required to accrue as many points as possible while making various energy choices (solar, wind, fossil fuels, etc.). The unique part of this game—success was dependent on each team's ability to cooperate and communicate with the two other countries on their team, while competing against the other alliance. In addition, a “coopertition” bonus was be awarded to all six countries if the energy grid was sustained and all the required components/objectives of the game were met. These elements of cooperation and competition are synthesized during the short and active three-minute game.

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SAINTS IN ACTION

More Summer Grant Snap Shots “It was great traveling with my colleague, Fay Slattery, to Colombia. It was particularly special for me, as I was going back to a country in which I served as a Peace Corp volunteer seven years ago. While there, I was able to reconnect with my host family and learn more about their experiences as Afro-Latinos in Cartagena, a port city on Columbia's Caribbean coast. What we learned from our conversations with them, and from visiting Cartagena's museums, was very eye-opening. We believe that our Modern and Classical Languages Department and our students will benefit from the information we were able to bring back with us.”

JAYSON GILBERT, UPPER SCHOOL SPANISH TEACHER FAY SLATTERY, UPPER SCHOOL SPANISH TEACHER AND MODERN AND CLASSICAL LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT CHAIR Exploration of the racial and ethnic diversity in Colombia, with a focus on the AfroColombian community

“I have yet to find the words to adequately describe how it felt to be accepted into a family of mountain gorillas for a peaceful hour on a Rwandan mountainside. 'Breathtaking,' 'amazing,' 'life-changing,' and 'gratifying,' simply do not do it justice. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to fulfill my dream of observing these gentle giants and other endangered primates in their natural habitats. It was also an incredible opportunity to speak with park rangers and scientists at the Dian Fossey Karisoke Research Center and learn more about their important work in the field. I am enjoying every chance I have to share my experience with my students, the next generation of scientists. I hope our conversations will help prepare them to be stewards of the world as they learn about other cultures and ecosystems, and better understand the human impact on fragile ecosystems worldwide.”

KELLEY GORMAN, MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHER Ecological and Cultural Tour of Rwanda and Uganda “For two years I have read the book, “In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse” by Joseph Marshall III, to my students to engage them in the history of the Lakota tribe and the injustices forced on them by the U.S. government. In this powerful story, a Lakota grandfather takes his grandson to the important places where Crazy Horse was born, lived, and died, to teach him about his culture. I was so captivated by this book that I wanted to follow their journey.

With my 14-year-old son in tow, we traveled to the Black Hills of South Dakota, the sandhills of Nebraska, the Shining Mountains (Bighorn Mountains) of Wyoming, and to the site of the Battle of the Greasy Grass (Battle of Little Bighorn) in Montana. While Crazy Horse was known as a great warrior, it was his call for peace for his people that was most compelling and enduring. I am thankful for the grant that allowed me this incredible experience and the opportunity to bring the journey into the classroom.”

ERIN LEE, FOURTH GRADE TEACHER Exploration of Lakota culture in South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana

Julie Riedy @mrsriedy: Our first @CommonSenseEd Digital Citizenship lesson brought collaboration, perspectives, and passion into our @SSSASsaints Advisory Program.

44 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

St. Stephen's St. Agnes @SSSASsaints: Two words: FUN FRIDAY!! Upper School students ended the first week of school with this lively tradition. #thesaintsife

Quincey has a B.A. in the humanities from the University of California at Berkeley and an M.A. in English with an emphasis on teaching writing from Georgetown University. Her educational experience extends beyond the schools where she has served. She attended the Leadership: Evolving Vision program at Harvard Graduate School Education, served on the board of the Washington School for Arts and Academics, served on the Middle School Advisory Committee at Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys, and has presented at NAIS and VAIS conferences.

Quincey Grieve Appointed Middle School Director St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School is pleased to announce the appointment of Quincey Grieve as our next Middle School director. Quincey, an outstanding and experienced educator, has been serving this year as our interim director. She has more than 25 years of experience in education, including five years at the Middle School as an associate director, English teacher, and English Department coordinator. She has taught at the Potomac School, Washington Latin Public Charter School, the Marlborough School (Calif.), Georgetown University, and the Buckley School (Calif.). Quincey's educational leadership experience includes serving as head of the middle school at The Field School (Washington, D.C.) and Sacramento Country Day School (Calif.).

St. Stephen's St. Agnes @SSSASsaints: Sneak peek of @LSmathSSSAS inside our mobile math bus that Upper School students will use when they visit local schools soon!

senior at the University of Chicago; Jack, a freshman at the University of Michigan; and Meg, a senior in high school. In her free time, Quincey enjoys running, swimming, walking her Chocolate Labrador, Ellie, and cheering on her children from soccer sidelines.

We are thrilled to imagine the future of our Middle School under Quincey's leadership!

In addition to her outstanding and extensive experience in independent schools, Quincey brings an appreciation and deep understanding of our school's mission and Episcopal identity. With her sense of humor, warm demeanor, and strategic vision, she is a trusted and valued member of the community.

Quincey is excited to continue her work at SSSAS. “What I love most about this place is the amazing partnership between students, families, teachers, and administration,” she said. “We're all in this work together, navigating the Middle School years with humor and grace and dedication to developing students of character, integrity, and with intellectual passion. One never knows what's coming next in Middle School, but we can always be sure it will be filled with energy and creativity! I am deeply honored to lead the Middle School into its future, in partnership with our extraordinary students, their families, and their teachers.”

Quincey and her husband, Tim, a journalist, live in Washington, D.C., and they have three children: Pete, a

Strategic Plan Update Great things are happening at SSSAS related to the school's work on the 2016 Strategic Plan.

In the New Year the school will share information about the new daily academic schedule which we will begin using in the 2019-2020 school year, as well as updates on the progress of the school's campus master plan will be sent to the community. We are excited about the direction in which the school is heading, and the opportunities these two important things will provide SSSAS. Go Saints!

Shannon Fusina @MsFusinaChem: How much fat is in some common snack foods?? completing a fat extraction lab today in #foodchem to determine the amounts and compare to the nutrition labels www.sssas.org | 45

SAINTS IN ACTION

joy and laughter to a room of young children and showed them how they could use their imaginations to create their own toys.

“Throughout the semester, I watched my students grow as a community while making something for someone they would never meet,” Mackie said. “The children did better than merely think outside the box. They took apart the box and created something incredibly wonderful with it—not only for themselves but for others.”

Middle School Award:

Teachers Alicia Blowers and Mackie Berro Recognized for Innovation in Education Lower School Science Teacher Mackie Berro and Middle School Librarian Alicia Blowers were two of three teachers in Virginia recognized as winners of the 2018 Virginia Association of Independent Schools (VAIS) Innovation in Education Award for their division at the VAIS Leading Learning Conference in Richmond. The award recognizes teachers who build connection, cohesion, and community in their schools.

Lower School Award: Mackie received the Lower School award for an innovative idea involving our fifth graders. She decided to replace our physics-themed science fair with a “Toy Factory Exposition,” which required students to use design-thinking, problem-solving, and engineering skills to create original toys. The students loved the idea and asked if they could also donate them after the event. They were waste-conscious and earth friendly

St. Stephen's St. Agnes @SSSASsaints: It was a beautiful morning for the Lower School outdoor chapel honoring St. Francis of Assisi, where students brought their stuffed animals and class pets to be blessed.

46 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

in their constructions, using recycled materials and found objects. Piece by piece, their creations took form as their imaginations took flight. “This toy project transformed my science lab in a way I could not have imagined,” Mackie said. “The children's industry exceeded my expectations; they demonstrated determination and resilience as they worked in small groups and partnerships.”

The Exposition was a joyous Lower School celebration of a semester of work and discovery. Daniel Gym was transformed into a toy showcase, where the students demonstrated their original toys and games to all the students, faculty, and parents who attended.

After the exposition, our Director of Service Learning, Mary Via, collected the toys and with the help of her class delivered them to the Child and Family Network Preschool. There, the Upper School service-learning students brought

Alicia received the Middle School award for the creation of our 2018 Saints Mission Day last April, when the entire Saints community gathered for a special day centered around one aspect of the school's mission, our commitment to service. The vision was simple: Saints from all three campuses would spend the day getting to know each other by participating in games and activities, creating a communal art installation, and sharing a meal.

Students heard from Karim Abouelnaga, an activist, a change agent, a connector, an entrepreneur, and a writer. Karim is the founder and CEO of Practice Makes Perfect, a benefit corporation he founded when he was just 18 years old.

Following Karim's address, students and teachers worked in mixed-age groups to explore more of what it means to be of service to others as members of a school community, as neighbors in the city of Alexandria, and as global citizens in the world. As a culminating activity, each member of our community made a prayer flag to represent our hopes and dreams for our community and for the whole human family. The prayer 1,300 resulting flags are a visual representation of our commitment to service and to community.

St. Stephen's St. Agnes @SSSASsaints: Did you know the Upper School offers more than 50 clubs? Baking, Investing, Chesapeake Bay Watershed, Robotics, Literary Magazine, Saints for Soldiers, Debate…the list goes on. #TheresAClubForThat

Connecting with Characters to Cultivate Community This fall kindergarten students had the chance to get to know their favorite book characters in a whole new way! As part of a literacy reading unit designed by Julie Esanu, our Lower School library and literacy coordinator, students developed text-to-self connections with favorite characters such as Pete the Cat, the Very Hungry Caterpillar, and Fly Guy. “As the students befriend book characters, they begin to develop and deepen their understanding, expand perspectives, foster empathy, and cultivate community,” said Julie. “They make connections with characters through their names, physical attributes, feelings and emotions, actions, statements, and likes and dislikes.”

A highlight of the unit was working with their fifth grade buddies to design and create costumes to bring these characters to life, just in time for them to wear in the annual Halloween Parade.

St. Stephen's St. Agnes @SSSASsaints: Thrilled to have award-winning children's author @barbrosenstock on our Lower School campus today! #SaintsRead #thesaintslife

Bringing the Fifth and Sixth Grades Together through Service Making the jump from the Lower School to the Middle School as easy as possible is a priority in our community. Since 2016 all the fifth and sixth grade students have gathered at the Middle School to participate in a service project that gives back to our local community and strengthens the bonds between our campuses.

Each year the students have fun designing and creating more than 150 placemats together, for distribution to area seniors served by Meals on Wheels.

At this years gathering, Tanya Edwards, the local coordinator for Meals on Wheels, spoke to the students about their contributions to the community.

“For dozens of seniors, their Meals on Wheels delivery is the only interaction with another person all day. We take that responsibility seriously and try to forge connections. This project helps to show them that they are an important and unforgotten part of our community. Your work is going to be a reminder of that, and I know how much it will mean when we deliver them.”

For the fifth graders, this opportunity to meet the sixth grade teachers and become familiar with the Middle School helps to ease any anxieties they might feel about next fall. It's also a positive experience for the sixth graders, who take responsibility for making their fellow Saints feel welcome and comfortable. Their ability to take the lead—a role not typically played by the youngest students at the Middle School—was clearly evident in the success of the event.

“This was a lot of fun and I was looking forward to it for a while,” said fifth grader Madelyn Byrne. “My brother did it last year. I liked being at the Middle School and hearing the speaker from Meals on Wheels. I'm glad I got to do this. It just made me feel good and I hope the placemats make them smile.”

St. Stephen's St. Agnes @SSSASsaints: News that makes you smile! Our sixth graders hid rocks on the Lower School campus this afternoon to spread kindness. We are proud participants of The Kindness Rocks Project! www.sssas.org | 47

SAINTS IN ACTION

Team Iron Giants: Kemal Ozdemirli '21, Jake Felsenthal '22, Derek Johnson '20, Aman Mathur '21, Tyler Southworth '21, and Adrienne Lai '21

Upper School conference facilitators Jennifer Varghese '19, Kendall Davis '19, TJ Moss '21, and Mary Margaret Lehmkuhler '19

Robotics Teams Bring Home Four Awards

Middle School Hosts Student

The Upper School robotics teams—Thunderstone and Iron Giants— did well competing with nearly 50 area teams in the Northern Virginia Qualifier for FIRST® Tech Challenge in Orange, Va. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a not-for-profit, volunteer-driven organization founded in 1989.

Diversity Conference

The November day was packed with competitions, interviews, judging, scouting reports, helping other teams, collaboration, and fixing their robots! During the competition, teams were judged based upon the efficiency, creativity, functionality, and performance of their robot design, strategy of play, thoroughness of their engineering notebook, and an interview. Team Iron Giants won the 1st place Think Award (given to the team that best reflects the journey the team took as they experienced the engineering design process during the build season), while Team Thunderstone was part of the winning alliance and received the 2nd place Think Award and the 2nd place Innovate Award (given to the team with the most innovative and creative robot design solution to any to any specific components in the game).

Our Lower School teams, Super Saints and Galaxy Saints, did a wonderful job at the FIRST LEGO® League Falls Church Regional robotics competition. The Super Saints won the Division 1 Core Value Award, which recognizes the team that is able to accomplish more together than they could as individuals through shared goals, strong communication, effective problem solving and excellent time management. The Lower School teams are coached by Sharon Johnson, kindergarten assistant teacher, and Brendan Riebe, third grade teacher.

Jonathan Lamkay @Jonathan Lamkay: 5th gr @SSSASsaints play math games to practice converting improper fractions into mixed numbers

48 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

St. Stephen's and St. Agnes welcomed more than 200 students from 18 schools to our fifth annual Middle School Diversity Conference on November 9. It was a day of inspiration, empowerment, bonding, and fun, focused on helping them learn to be leaders in their schools and communities.

The conference, “Just B U: Beautifully Unique,” provided students with the opportunity to participate in interactive activities, engage in thoughtful conversations, and challenge themselves to examine who they are, why it is important, and the impact they can have on the world by just being who they are: beautifully unique. The student sessions were led by SSSAS Upper School students who are leaders in the school's diversity efforts.

The 2018 special guest speaker was Vishavjit Singh, a cartoonist and creator of Sikhtoons.com, who uses his work to counter stereotypes, labels, and cultural narratives around what it means to be American, while encouraging students to be themselves on their own terms.

Sam Chan @ChanBioChem: Our Upper School and Lower School students coming together to make cards to give thanks to our security people for protecting and watching over us! #saintslearn

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Celebrating Our Veterans St. Stephen's and St. Agnes held a Veterans Day celebration on November 12, to pay tribute to the servicemen and servicewomen in the Saints community.

We were honored to have SSSAS parent, retired Army Major General Barrye L. Price, as our guest speaker. Students and faculty in grades sixth through twelfth attended and participated in the service. United States Naval Academy midshipmen Lindsey Ellison '18 and Jacob Foster '18 returned for this meaningful event.

St. Stephen's St. Agnes @SSSASsaints: We feel it's important for our community to see that all of our Visual Arts faculty are also accomplished practicing artists, which directly impacts the quality of instruction that our students receive.

Boy Scout Troop 1515 and Girl Scout Troop 2342 opened the ceremony with the posting of the colors, followed by the Upper School Jazz Band's performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The Rev. Sean Cavanaugh gave the opening prayer and blessed letters written to soldiers written by our students. The Middle School Symphonic Band performed “My Country, 'Tis of Thee,” and the Upper School Choir gave a heart-rending performance of “Blades of Grass and Pure White Stone.” At the end of the program,

Sergeant First Class Matthew Byrne blew “Taps” and the service closed with a moment of silence.

ABOVE PHOTOS: 1. Some of our guest veterans being recognized during the service.

2. Speaker Major General Barrye L. Price 3. Posting the Colors 4. Sergeant First Class Matthew Byrne 5. Head of School Kirsten Adams, Jacob Foster '18, Lindsey Ellison '18 6. The Rev. Sean Cavanaugh blessing letters written by our students to veterans.

St. Stephen's St. Agnes @SSSASsaints: Sweet treats for a great cause! Fourth grade held their annual bake sale today, where all profits will benefit the @ childrenshealth. #SaintsServe

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SAINTS ATHLETICS

Caitlin Bucceri '21

GIRLS SOCCER Final Record: 9-3-2 Final ISL Standing: Tied for 1st (ISL A Division) ISL A Division Regular Season Co-Champion ISL A Division Tournament Champions

Caroline Lipton '21

All-ISL A Division: Caitlin Bucceri '21 Caroline Lipton '21 Allison Vuono '19

Head Coach Josh McCave

BOYS SOCCER Final Record: 7-11 Final VISAA State Ranking: 9th Advanced to the IAC SemiFinals beating Bullis in the opening round and qualified for the VISAA state playoffs VISAA All-State First Team: Tyler Smith '19 All-IAC: Kyle Burbage '21 Tyler Smith '19

Kyle Burbage '21

50 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

Tyler Smith '19

Emma Bradley '19 Peyton Hensley '21

TENNIS Final Record: 8-9 Final ISL Standing: 3rd place (ISL A Division) Advanced to the ISL A Division Tournament Finals

Assistant Coaches Laura Bays and Louise Fauth

All-ISL A Division: Peyton Hensley '21

Head Coach Jon Japha

VOLLEYBALL Final Record: 9-8 Final ISL Standing: Tied for 2nd (ISL A Division) Advanced to the ISL A Division Tournament SemiFinals All-ISL A Division: Chumani Chambrlain '21

Kendall Davis '19 Chumani Chamberlain '21

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SAINTS ATHLETICS

FIELD HOCKEY Final Record: 15-7 Final ISL Standing: 1st place ISL Regular Season Champions and advanced to the VISAA State Tournament as the 5th seed VISAA All-State First Team: Mikaela Discenza '19

Mikaela Discenza '19

VISAA All-State Second Team: Christina Cavallo '19

Christina Cavallo '19

All-ISL: Mikaela Discenza '19 Caroline Burnett '19 Christina Cavallo '19 Caroline Burnett '19

FOOTBALL Final Record: 5-5 Final VISAA State Ranking: 5th

Lamumba Howard '20

Defeated Bishop Ireton on Homecoming All-IAC First Team: Malik Baker '21 All-IAC Second Team: Lamumba Howard '20 Sam Trainer '19 Andrew Tyeryar '19

Malik Baker '21

Sam Trainer '19 52 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

Timo Kirby '19

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY IAC Championship Meet Finish: 6th place VISAA State Championship Meet Finish: 16th place Nathan Bezuneh '21 moved on to the top 20 all-time record board.

William Reid '19

Noah Cummings '22

Campbell Cooper '21

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY ISL Championship Meet Finish: 7th place

Head Coach Shawn Cotter

VISAA State Championship Meet Results: Morgan Lewis '22 finished 15th at the VISAA state meet earning her All- state honors

Girl's Athletics Director Stephanie Koroma

Morgan Lewis '22 and Charlotte Carr '21 moved on to the top 20 all-time record board. Nyia Cummings '20 and Katie Whalen '21 moved up several spots.

VISAA All-State and All-ISL: Morgan Lewis '22

Morgan Lewis '22

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SAINTS ATHLETICS

SEMINARY HILL CUP Saints Win the 11th Annual Seminary Hill Cup The girls JV and varsity teams brought home the Seminary Hill Cup on Saturday, October 20. Founded in 2008, the competition is an annual match-up between crosstown rivals St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School and Episcopal High School.

The festivities began on Friday, October 19, as varsity captains visited the Lower School campus for a pep rally. Captains from each team introduced themselves, brought the Cup for Lower School students to see and admire, and led a trivia game about the history of the Cup and girls sports at SSSAS. Fun cheers were chanted and students waved brightly colored signed showing their Saints spirit. The day concluded with a dinner

54 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

celebration for all Upper School girl athletes to join in fellowship and listen to inspiring words from Gussie Johns '14.

Throughout its 11-year history, competition for the Seminary Hill Cup has always been remarkably close. So close in fact, that after ten years and 99 possible competitions, the Saints and the Maroon were tied with exactly 49.5 points a piece heading into Saturday's competition. This year was no different, with wins being tallied for both SSSAS and EHS throughout the day. After all the games were done, the Saints were victorious with a 4.53.5 win to secure the 2018 Seminary Hill Cup Championship!

Great competition and sportsmanship combined with incredible fan support made this year's SHC one to remember.

SLEEPY THOMPSON Saints Take the 63rd Sleepy Thompson Boys Basketball Tournament The boys varsity basketball team has been to the finals of the Sleepy Thompson Boys Basketball Tournament for three years in a row. For the second year straight, it came down a bittersweet Saints vs Episcopal High School (EHS) final. This year, the Saints took the tournament by storm and brought the championship cup home.

The Saints opened with a convincing 81-61 win over T.C. Williams to advance to the semi-finals. Next up for the Saints was a rematch from last year's first round game with Benedictine College Preparatory. The Saints scored early and

never looked back as they went on to win 93-40. Finally, it came down to the Saints red and white vs. EHS maroon and black. This year with a heavy-duty defense that matches a strong, unselfish offense, the Saints defeated EHS 89-58 to capture the tournament trophy. The last time the Saints were victorious in the Sleepy Thompson tournament was in 2005, when Assistant Coach AndrĂŠ Hunter '06 was on the team.

The Saints were rewarded for their efforts: Coach Mike Jones received the Fred Templeton Coach's Award, Charles Thompson '19 received the Richard P. Babyak Most Valuable Player Award, and Xavier Lipscomb '20 received the Patrick McCarthy Outstanding Defensive Player Award. The AllTournament Team included Charles Thompson, Christian DePollar '19, and Xavier Lipscomb.

www.sssas.org | 55

FROM THE ARCHIVES

MUD MEN

St. Stephen's 1963 Varsity Soccer Team

BY STEVE WILLIAMS '63

While watching the World Cup soccer championship games taking place in Russia this summer, I couldn't help but think of how different the game has become in the past 50 years since I played, or rather warmed the bench for ”The Big Red” as a klutzy senior.

In the Episcopal tradition of our school we were taught to be good sportsmen, no matter what. This was the moral foundation upon which all play rested, analogous to the honor system in class. Coaches like Sleepy Thompson watched all the school teams closely to be sure we didn't

56 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

violate the unwritten code of fair play. On the soccer field the idea of deliberately tripping an opponent, grabbing him by the jersey, or shoving him aside to get the ball may have been momentarily appealing, but we never stooped to the low level of play that I witnessed frequently during the World Cup games, which looked more like kickboxing matches than soccer ones. The referees were kept busy handing out yellow caution cards like party favors, and I know that they still missed a foul or two, thanks to the unforgiving eye of the television camera.

The referee, dressed in a crisp black uniform and looking very svelte, would assemble us all in a line and perform the ritual pre-

game instruction of the players. This included barking out curt sentences in a Westphalian accent warning us never to charge the goalie or to kick above waist-high. Then we would all kneel down in a row so that he could inspect the cleats of our shoes.

I don't recall any of my teammates ever being expelled from a game for repeated or deliberate fouls. We did have our share of penalties for being off-sides or making substitutions without notifying the referee -really just oversights without malice aforethought. I never witnessed any fist fights or in-your-face shouting contests between players and the ref, either. Granted, our careers or millions of dollars didn't ride on whether we won or lost that day.

And where was the mud? No World Cup matches were played in mud. The Russian soccer fields looked like greens on a PGA golf course. Mud of the deep, heavy kind to which we were so accustomed on the field at school reappeared insidiously every late autumn. The field soon looked as if it had been freshly plowed. Mud had the amazing physical effect of locking an airborne ball in the spot in which it landed, usually with a loud “splat.” It wouldn't roll an inch one way or the other, no matter how much momentum was behind it. Just attacking the ball and trying to free it for a yard or so required more stamina than dribbling it the entire length of the field when covered with grass. The mud clung unrelentingly to our shoes, shin guards, and socks. This raised the weight of our legs considerably – it felt like running in wet cement. Certain areas often had puddles, and when two players were fighting for the ball the more liquid portions of the mud would fly up, pelting our faces and hair. More than once a match was stopped abruptly because a player had lost a contact lens.

This demanded a perfunctory and usually fruitless search by the entire team, staring down into the mud. After the game much of the mud got tracked back into the locker room, despite attempts to free it by banging our shoes against the brick wall outside. Inside it would slowly dry and gather under and inside the lockers, along with the bundles of fermenting, sweat-laden clothing awaiting its annual laundering.

Home games attracted little interest as compared to varsity football. Soccer was not the popular sport that it is today. We never had any cheerleaders from St. Agnes show up, nor did we ever get more than a handful of spectators on the rickety bleachers. They preferred the warmth and comfort of the gym to watch basketball. Away games meant climbing aboard a school bus to be chauffeured to St. Alban's or Landon across the Potomac, where the fields never seemed to be as muddy as ours. When we pulled up we would descend from the bus and run onto the field with a rousing yell to raise morale and, we hoped, to intimidate our adversaries. After the coin toss the referee would whistle the start of the game. The first string looked great in their clean red and white jerseys, at least starting out. Those of us with lesser athletic ability cheered them on from the bench, knowing that any chance of getting into the game depended on the strength of the opposing team.

In other words, if they weren't very good we'd be sure to get in.

That was rarely the case.

Sleepy Thompson gave the soccer team some secondhand, bright red canvas capes he found at a yard sale, with “Submarine Raiders” written on the back. These helped to keep us reasonably comfortable while we waited to get into the game – or not. I always wondered what team the capes came from; certainly one that never achieved national prominence.

Our coach, Charlie Joseph, was rumored to have been a soccer player on at least a semi-professional level. During practices his talent in handling the ball was obvious to everybody. He

had a serious demeanor, treating all of us equally and avoiding sarcastic remarks. At times we put his patience to the test with our ineptitude, but he never yelled at anybody, regardless of our failings, and preferred just the occasional wince.

The memory of one incident is still vividly clear to me. I was playing right halfback in a game against Sidwell Friends. Mr. Joseph had sent me into the game toward the end, giving me one last chance to prove my worth, which I had managed to conceal for most of the season. I had been on the field for less than a minute when the ball was passed toward me and I found myself in the clear, with no opponent waiting to attack. Sensing an opportunity for glory and realizing subconsciously that this chance for redemption might happen only once in a lifetime, I raised my foot with confidence to stop the ball and gain control. All eyes were upon me. Even the passing traffic on Wisconsin Avenue seemed to pause in anticipation. Alas, there was a fatal disconnect between brain and foot, like looking into the wrong end of a telescope; the ball streaked past me and quickly shot out of bounds, leaving me with my foot suspended in the air like a Pilates disciple. I still cringe when I realize that the coach was watching this maneuver intently, as was everybody else. Being the soul of diplomacy that he was, he never mentioned it. I remember skulking back to the bus at the end of the game and avoiding my teammates for a few days afterwards.

The lessons of sportsmanship, teamwork, and playing one's position learned in the mud on St. Stephen's Road remain inculcated in me to this day and transcend the playing field to find applicability to life in general. I could do without the recollection of embarrassing mistakes but take comfort in the knowledge that others may have done worse. And at least I learned from them.

Contributions

to the School Archives

St. Stephen's and St. Agnes welcomes alumni contributions to the Archives, including your special memories. Your memories are a treasured part of our history! In addition, there are school publications and artifacts we need to complete our collections. If you have something you would like to contribute, please contact our Archivist, Rachel Payne, at rpayne@sssas.org.

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ALUMNI CONNECTIONS

58 | St. Stephen's Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

~ Montez Anderson '93

REUNION 2018

“Life gives us brief moments with one another, but sometimes in those brief moments we get memories that last a lifetime! This is what makes reunions so special.�

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ALUMNI CONNECTIONS

“Our 50th Reunion exceeded my expectations. After all the years and all that's happened in our lives, the real joy of seeing one another was clear at our class party—the years melted away and long ago friendships just exploded back into our lives.” ~ Barbara Butler Leonard '68

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“I had an absolutely fantastic time reconnecting with my SSSAS classmates and teachers! Even though five years have passed since graduation, it felt like it was yesterday. From degrees and new jobs to national championships and founded companies, I couldn't be more proud of what we've accomplished. It was a great day to be a Saint and football winning 34-6 was the cherry on top!� ~ Alexis Sargent '13 www.sssas.org | 61

ALUMNI CONNECTIONS

Alumni Reception at the Torpedo Factory Art Center

“It is a true joy to see my classmates, many of whom traveled across the country and an ocean or two to see friends, teachers, coaches, chaplains, and campuses. These relationships are truly deep and unlike any other!

Reunion is a gift and blessing, a special gathering where hilarious stories are shared and memories of a very formative time in our lives are kindled.

Everybody looked awesome too!”

~ Lesley Werner Krauland '83

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“The Reunion was a great opportunity to reconnect with old friends and celebrate all of the important milestones we have achieved as a class over the last 15 years. It was wonderful to hear about the lasting impact that SSSAS has had on all of us since graduating.” ~ Adam Justus '03

A stunning and costly reminder to read the fine print!

On the eve of the tax law changes this year, many individuals were advised to quickly set up a donoradvised fund for the purpose of tax benefits and their future charitable priorities. A donor-advised fund is a charitable giving vehicle administered by a public charity created to manage charitable donations on behalf of organizations, families, or individuals. It allows donors to make a charitable contribution, receive an immediate tax deduction, and then recommend grants from the fund over time.

When setting up a donor-advised fund, it is important to note that if a beneficiary is not designated, the fund will benefit the financial institution, not your heirs or another charity. Some financial institutions are not always clear on this point.

“SSSAS advised me about naming a beneficiary,” says Margie Fifer Davenport '63. “I called the financial institution handling my fund and asked, 'What happens with this account if I were to pass away?

Would it go to my estate?' I learned that if I did not name a beneficiary, the amount in my fund would go to the financial institution. I asked why no one told me when I set up the account and was informed it was in the written materials I had received. I usually read the fine print but I was in a hurry, and I find I am less inclined to read agreements on the Internet. (I won't be making that mistake again!) I hope this helps remind others to be sure beneficiaries are set up on accounts so that hard-earned money goes where you want it to! (Like to SSSAS!)”

To learn about naming St. Stephen's and St. Agnes as a beneficiary, or to discuss the general benefits of donoradvised funds, call Jennie Wills, Director of Development, at 703-212-2719 or jwills@sssas.org. www.sssas.org | 63

ALUMNI CONNECTIONS

GIVING BACK In October the student Alumni Association ambassadors sponsored a networking lunch for the Class of 2019. Nine SSSAS alumni participated in the event, rotating through round tables to talk about their college experience and career paths, discuss ideas for upcoming senior projects, and answer a wide variety of questions. There were no single empty seats, as seniors poured through the doors to take advantage of the opportunity. Here the alumni guests share what inspires them to give back.

YOUNG ALUMNI LEADERSHIP PROGRAM This year the Advancement Office invited the senior class to apply for an exciting new opportunity, the Young Alumni Leadership Program (YALP). Members of YALP are student ambassadors for the Alumni Association who help form connections between their class and the Alumni Association during their senior year, in preparation for maintaining those connections as alumni after graduation. The program instills the value of giving back to the school and prepares the students to take on future roles as class agents, class correspondents, members of the Young Alumni Council, and other alumni volunteer roles.

2018-2019 MEMBERS Emma Bradley Alex Burtnett Christina Cavallo Mackenzie Cogar Annabeth Howton Timo Kirby Lucy Kromer

Mike Miller Kennon Moon Grace O'Connell Bailee Register Mark Repetti Allison Vuono

64 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

What inspires you to stay connected and give back to SSSAS?

Chetan Chandra '03

When I was wandering through my teen years, I had no “direction” that I wanted to go in. I hope that by sharing my experience, it will resonate with someone's compass and will help them, at least, feel like they know where their life is headed.

Salman Cheema '01

I have such fond memories of my time at SSSAS that I love being able to go back and see that no matter how much things change, the soul of the place stays the same.

Associate Patent Attorney at Oblon

Global Immigration Attorney at Erickson Immigration Group

Dennis Cordell '93 CEO at Coaches, Inc.

Christian Ferry '93 Founding Partner at The Trailblazer Group LLC

Robbie Hyatt '10 Account Manager at Google

Taylor Kiland '85 Writer

Michael Lewan '05 Director of Government Relations at The Recording Academy

The Saints community has always been special to me.

Many of my best friends to this day are people I met at SSSAS. The school inspired me to believe in myself, and I hope that I can now do my part to help others.

Building a more robust alumni network is a priority of the school leadership, and I want to be part of connecting that network to each other and to the current students. The Saints being molded today by our alma mater are every bit as impressive as we thought we were when we were 18.

My work ethic, values, and beliefs are firmly rooted in the experiences I had and the lessons learned through triumphs, and yes, failures at SSSAS. I stay connected and give back to the community in hopes that others may one day feel the same.

My very best and closest friends are still my St. Agnes girlfriends. I'm so grateful for them.

SSSAS fostered such a strong sense of community that it has always seemed natural and right to stay connected as best as I can and give back whenever possible.

Ian McLeod '09

SSSAS gave me the tools and foundation to succeed in building my company and making an impact in the world.

I want current students to know that same feeling of support, and to understand that as alumni, our connection to the school is lifelong.

Milen Zerabruk '01

I received a top-notch education from SSSAS that set the stage for the rest of my academic and professional career.

I'm grateful to the talented and dedicated teachers who made my experience so worthwhile and rewarding. Staying connected is one way to give back.

Founder & Lead Composer at Cleod9 Music

Senior Consultant at Capgemini Government Solutions

Did your SSSAS education influence the path you took after graduation? If so, in what way?

Is there one piece of advice you would give our seniors about their upcoming college years?

If you had one wish that would come true for our world today, what would it be?

Mrs. Nina Tyree and Dr. Roberta Klein made my chosen path much easier. It was the way Mrs. Tyree taught us physics that etched the knowledge into our minds. Dr. Klein helped me find my “writer's voice.” Being able to write clearly and quickly is a tremendous advantage in any career.

When trying to figure out what path you want to follow, don't stress about choosing the “perfect” path! No matter what you think you want do, you won't know until you do it. Focus more on trying different paths until you find one that you like!

I would wish for a thousand wishes. Seriously, I am not sure a person exists who has enough knowledge or wisdom to make a wish without unintended consequences - let alone, that person be me. I guess I should wish for a better answer!

I had such great English and history teachers throughout my years at SSSAS, including Mr. Bob Weiman, Mrs. Nancy Schick, Dr. Judy Brent, Ms. Martha Jarvis... I could not help but be influenced to really enjoy reading, writing, and learning about the law. It definitely shaped me into becoming an attorney.

Keep an open mind! You never know what path you'll wind up on, so use those years to try out a variety of classes and, most importantly, meet as many people as you can. You never know when they'll come back into your life some way or another down the line.

I guess if I could wish for anything it would be for everyone to live by the “golden rule!”

Mr. Hugh Himwich's Latin class and Mr. Fred Atwood's biology class were two of my favorites, because their true passion for their careers stood out. They were doing what they felt they were meant to do. I've tried to emulate them with the same approach to my career.

It's okay to not know what you want to do with the rest of your life while you're in college. Enjoy the experience.

My one wish would be for our country to return to talking about tearing down walls and creating opportunities for people, rather than building them to keep them out.

There are too many to list them all, but I'm forever grateful to the English Department, especially Mrs. Bonita Quinn and Dr. Judy Brent, for their emphasis on writing that has been so important in my career. It is great to see my daughter, a current eighth grader, receiving the same kind of focused attention on writing today.

Don't decide today what you want to do for the rest of your life. There are not many times in life when you will have the freedom and opportunity to explore and learn as broadly as college.

Probably not a popular one with current students, but how about putting our smartphones down and living in the real world more than the one we see and create in social media.

Latin is no joke. Mr. Ian Hochberg made it clear that maybe, a language meant for legal opinions and those rare trivia questions, wasn't for me. Spanish 101 was the obvious freshman year choice after graduation.

Estudiantes de Latin, buena suerte.

Find your passion. Double down on it. Don't let others keep you from it.

Furthering the societal use cases of machine learning and AI to better the world we live in today and for tomorrow.

Mrs. Carol Raney taught us the importance and influence of the classics. Her husband and son both served in the Navy, so she was very encouraging when I told her I was considering going into the Navy. She made my decision seem very normal at a time when it wasn't very common for a young woman—especially a girls' school graduate.

It really doesn't matter where you go to school or what your major is. Focus on getting the best internships you can. They will help you get a good job after college. Internships build skills, while college builds knowledge. Employers are looking for both from college graduates.

I would love to see more political civility and a tidal wave of political moderates in this country!

Mr. Bud Garikes turned something that sounded boring, AP Government, into something interesting. He showed that lawmaking and the political process could be a compelling career.

Don't have tunnel visioned on one set path. Let your life evolve through different choices and new experiences.

World Champion Washington Nationals. That and safer roads with no congestion and fewer accidents.

Coach Jon Kunz. He's been my guy since I first stepped foot on the Upper School campus. His interest and compassion is always genuine and he never hesitates to help with any request. Thanks for your friendship and wisdom, Coach!

Wherever you go, engage with your community.

College is much more than classes and grades.

Join a leadership group, sign up for your college radio station, introduce yourself to a stranger, play intramural sports, etc. Build your network and pack your schedule with commitments.

Unity. Not just for our country, but for people all around the world. I hope to see a little more empathy, thoughtfulness, and compassion from our world leaders in the years to come.

Dr. Judy Brent (English) and Mr. Donald Henretty (history) challenged us to think, write critically, and develop wellreasoned arguments for our positions. SSSAS gave me an appreciation for research, analysis, and critical thinking, skills I've leaned on throughout my career.

I would tell them that they are well prepared to take on the academic challenges that college presents. You have the tools to make the best of college.

My wish for the world is that everyone treat each other with more kindness, respect, and understanding.

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MILESTONES

Carlos Gomez and Louise Rains '99

Sarah Ortman '09 and James Sams

Adam Justus '03 and Jessica Murray

Liz Peratt and Joe Lindsay '12

Daniel Dziuban '07 and Kathryn Ruark

Amy Langenstein and Ben Hurtuk

Laura Brond and Matthew Dziuban '09

Jayme Gough and Brendan Riebe

WEDDINGS Faculty & Staff

Alumni Phin Cooper '89 and Kelly Harvilla July 24, 2018

Daniel Dziuban '07 and Kathryn Ruark August 18, 2018

Louise Rains '99 and Carlos Gomez October 6, 2018

Whitney Haney '07 and Ryan O'Brien September 16, 2018

Adam Justus '03 and Jessica Murray October 6, 2018

Matthew Dziuban '09 and Laura Brond October 27, 2018

Tony Jenifer '04 and Michelle Lee September 15, 2018

Sarah Ortman '09 and James Sams September 22, 2018

Abby Humphrey '05 and Charlie Coit June 16, 2018

Joe Lindsay '12 (Lower School fifth grade teacher) and Liz Peratt June 30, 2018

66 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

Mollie Clement (Lower School fifth grade teacher) and Brandon Tolman July 14, 2018 Amy Langenstein (Middle School math teacher) and Ben Hurtuk June 23, 2018 Brendan Riebe (Lower School third grade teacher) and Jayme Gough August 18, 2018

MILESTONES

Lucas Samuel Knowles

John Weston Dwinell

NEW ADDITIONS Alumni

Hughes Thomas Towns

Ian Craig Blackburn

Harrison Martin Kotkowski

Harrison Merrick Sherman

Shaw Samuel Land Bryant

Thomas Brewster Henry

Mikaela Marie Gresham

Barrett Paul Wood

Charlotte Anna Farlow

Hana Summer Byrnes

Henry David Dziuban

Elizabeth Astrid Johnson

Aida Longo Knowles '90 (former faculty) and Sam, a son, Lucas Samuel Knowles, September 18, 2018

Sarah Walsh Kotkowski '01 and Everett, a son, Harrison Martin Kotkowski, September 15, 2018

Eric Gresham '07 and Car, a daughter, Mikaela Marie Gresham, October 16, 2018

Elizabeth Bellino '94 and Peter Towns, a son, Hughes Thomas Towns, August 30, 2018

Alison Taylor Henry '02 (Alumni Association Board member) and Jared, a son, Thomas Brewster Henry, September 22, 2018

Jackie Duvall Farlow '10 and Bobby Farlow '07, a daughter, Charlotte Anna Farlow, August 20, 2018

Mary Stewart Malone '03 and Brian Schneider, twin daughters, Beatrice and Eleanor Schneider, May 2, 2018

Faculty and Staff

Craig Blackburn '97 and Eana Chung, a son, Ian Craig Blackburn, May 22, 2018 Cameron Land Bryant '01 and Devin, a son, Shaw Samuel Land Bryant, July 27, 2018 Julie Obermiller Byrnes '01 and Creighton, Hana Summer Byrnes, June 18, 2018 Tre Dwinell '01 and Lauren, a son, John Weston Dwinell, May 10, 2018 Jed Dyson '01 and Caroline, a daughter, Emily Ada Dyson, May 4, 2018

Brian Wood '03 and Emily, a son, Barrett Paul Wood, May 14, 2018 Michael Dziuban '04 and Allison Hutchings, a son, Henry David Dziuban, August 3, 2018 Joe Sherman '04 and Kaitlin, a son, Harrison Merrick Sherman, February 15, 2018

Carl Johnson (strength & conditioning coach) and Katie, a daughter, Elizabeth Astrid Johnson, August 31, 2018 Katie Gregorian (Lower School first grade assistant teacher) and Andre, a daughter, Everly Katrine Gregorian, June 28, 2018

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IN MEMORIAM

Alumni John McCain '54

brother of Jean McCain Morgan '52, father of Doug '77, Andy '80, and Sidney McCain '85 August 25, 2018

(former Alumni Association Board member) and Amy Croker Cordier '95, great grandmother of Riley Croker '29 July 31, 2018

Ruth Ann Phillips

David Cubeta

Samuel Wesley Teague, Jr.

Ilona Gants '58

February 19, 2010

father of Jeff '06 and Robert Cubeta '08 August 1, 2018

Sharon Chapman Graham '65

Paul Laxalt

July 20, 2018

Brian Donnelly '68 September 1, 2017

Lynn C. Richards '73 Stephen Holman '80

brother of Nicholas '78, James '81, and Robert Holman '82 August 18, 2018

Family, Faculty, and Staff Elizabeth Catron

(former Middle School English teacher) January 13, 2016

Murray Newman

father of Lee '71, Nancy '73, Martin '76, and Judith Newman '79 August 3, 2017

Richard Gregory Callistro

husband of Alice Schmidt Callistro '59 June 9, 2018

Frederic Corbin Leiner

father of Fred '75 and John Leiner '81 July 24, 2018

grandfather of Adam '96, Tori '10, and Tessa Laxalt '13 August 6, 2018

Edward Jenifer

father of Tony '04 and CJ Jenifer '08 August 7, 2018

Jack H. White, Jr.

father of Ian '06 and Winston White '10 August 9, 2018

Carl Craighead Fritsche, Sr.

grandfather of John '13 and Robert Fritsche '15 August 11, 2018

Leslie Maitland

(former Lower School kindergarten teacher) mother of Jesse Maitland '03 August 20, 2018

Mary Margaret McFarland Owens mother of Kelly Owens Garcia '86 September 2, 2018

Eric Swedlund

father of Kate '23 and Ava Swedlund '26 September 5, 2018

Deborah Fox

father of Richard '87 and Barbara Whitney '91 July 25, 2018

mother of Sean Cavanaugh (head chaplain), grandmother of Harris '17 and Claire Cavanaugh '20 September 6, 2018

Richard D. Welch, Jr.

William Casselman

Richard Whitney, Jr.

father of Rich Welch '82 July 25, 2018

Tyrone Moss, Sr.

father of TJ Moss '21 July 26, 2018

Juanita Walters

grandmother of Tommy Croker '97

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father of Katie Casselman Wagner '86 and Lee Casselman Whelan '89 September 10, 2018

Joya J. Jordan

mother of Langford '79 and Charlie Jordan '82 September 13, 2018

grandmother of Chip '10, Michele '12, Timmy '14, and Erin Phillips '18 September 20, 2018

grandfather of Sam Teague '11, father-inlaw of Margaret Teague (Lower School first grade assistant teacher) September 29, 2018

Gerda Durham

mother of Barbara '79 and Patty Durham '82 October 11, 2018

F. Meade Bell

father of Hunter Bell '71 and step-father of Pete Dunigan '74 October 16, 2018

William Janney

husband of Margaret Goldstein Janney '72 November 4, 2018

David “Beck” Roehrenbeck

(former Upper School math teacher) father of Anne Ashley Roehrenbeck Croker '97 and David W. Roehrenbeck '00, father-in-law of Tommy Croker '97, grandfather of Riley Croker '29 November 4, 2018

Gloria Hewitt Wills

mother of Olivia Kane (former staff ), mother-in-law of Brian Kane (director of environmental stewardship) and grandmother of Therese '14, Cecilia '16, Virginia '18, and Marie Florence Kane '20 November 8, 2018

Jan Woodman

father of Debbie Woodman Carrico '76, Courtnay Woodman Weitekamp '79, Jessica Woodman Godwin '80, Eve Woodman '84, and Alexandra Woodman Johnson '89 (former staff), father-in-law of Geoff Johnson '89 (director of stewardship & planned giving), husband of Jean Androus Woodman '55, and grandfather of Ben '18 and Nat Johnson '21 November 14, 2018

Leslie Smith Maitland Lower School Kindergarten Teacher from 2001-2015 On August 20, 2018, the St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School community lost cherished former teacher and friend, Leslie Smith Maitland. Leslie retired in 2015, after 14 years of service as a St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School kindergarten teacher and 45 years in the teaching profession. Before formally joining our faculty in 2001, Leslie worked for SSSAS as a substitute reading resource teacher. She brought more than 30 years of education experience with her. She had taught first, fourth, and fifth grades and served as a Title I resource teacher, a reading resource teacher for grades K-6, and as a preschool teacher and director.

Leslie cared deeply about the Saints community, both as a teacher and parent, leaving a lasting impact on countless students and families. Her daughter, Jesse, is a Class of 2003 Saints “lifer.” As a proud parent, Leslie served as a room parent, Lower School library volunteer, co-chair of the Spring Festival Basket Committee, and an APT Middle School representative.

Leslie was a graduate of Radford University in elementary education and received a master's degree from Old Dominion University with a specialty in reading. She was an avid collector of all things related to elementary education, including an extensive library of children's books, as well as antiques and Virginia Tech memorabilia. As residents of Blacksburg, Va., and longtime season ticket holders, Leslie and her husband Jimmy enjoyed attending Hokies' football and basketball games.

She is survived by her husband of 48 years, Jimmy W. Maitland; her daughter, Jessica Maitland '03; her sister and brother-in-law, Laura Smith Germain and Chris Germain; and numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and greatnephews.

David Charles Roehrenbeck St. Stephen's Upper School Math Teacher from 1967-1972 On November 4, 2018, St. Stephen's and St. Agnes lost former teacher and Saints father and grandfather, David Charles “Beck” Roehrenbeck. Beck was born on April 18, 1945, in Montclair, N.J. He graduated from Montclair High School in 1963. He attended the University of Virginia, where he enjoyed being a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics and graduated with honors in 1967.

Following his graduation from UVA, Beck moved to the Washington, D.C. area. He taught math at St. Stephen's School for five years, while attending the American University Washington College of Law at night. He loved teaching at St. Stephen's and built strong relationships with his students. After receiving his J.D. from American in 1972, he worked as a staff attorney for the Federal Railroad Administration, before serving as Assistant Commonwealth Attorney in Fairfax County from 1974 to 1978.

Beck went into private practice in 1978 in Fairfax County, where he specialized in divorce and criminal law. He moved his law practice to Alexandria in 2002.

Beck was a passionate and constant student of the law, played piano all his life, was an avid sports fan, and loved his children and his grandchildren fiercely. He is survived by his daughter Anne Ashley Roehrenbeck Croker '97, her husband Tommy Croker '97, and their children, Riley '29, Caldwell, and Price; his son, David Roehrenbeck '00, his wife Cybil, and their children Galt, Hawkes, and Marigold; as well as Anne Ashley and David's mother, Carolyne.

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IN MEMORIAM

Fall Dedications On beautiful days this fall, St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School was honored to dedicate a bench in memory of Libby Williams Barton '64 on Saturday, September 29, 2018 during Alumni Reunion Weekend, and a tree in memory of Bob Webb '79 on Saturday, November 3, 2018. Both dedication ceremonies were attended by classmates, teammates, family, and friends.

THE BARTON BENCH The Barton bench is located alongside the Macan Field at the Lower School and the plaque reads: In Loving Memory of Libby Williams Barton SAS 1964 Dedicated September 29, 2018 by her classmates, family and friends

THE WEBB TREE The Webb tree is located near the Moss Football Field at the Upper School and the plaque reads: To the relentless spirit of the SSS Class of 1979 Tree dedicated to our classmate and friend Bob “The Oak” Webb 2/11/61–9/20/17 “Stick it to em”

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ST. STEPHENS AND ST. AGNES

HALL of FAME

Announcing our 2019 St. Stephen's and St. Agnes Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees SAVE THE DATE Saturday, April 13, 2019

MARSHA WAY, COACH PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHER

ALIX FELLOWS, COACH

CHUCK SHEPHERDSON '61

PATTY ALEXANDER KELLAM '83

DAN TATE '84

DARA BRUNELLI O'HARA '93

ST. STEPHEN'S 1987 BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL TEAM

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