Patterns Summer 2018

Patterns

SUMMER

2018

The Magazine of St. Martin’s Episcopal School

Farewells, new beginnings

INSIDE ERB Testing the St. Martin’s Way • Construction Update SMES Students in Panamá • Pre-K: The Small Stuff Alumni News • Spring Sports Wrap-Up

St. Martin’s has grown into a thriving independent school,

Early Childhood Learning Center

serving children in preschool through 8th grade, thanks to the gifts and vision of many families who believe in the school’s ability to transform young lives through quality education.

The school celebrates its past and prepares to create opportunities for new growth as it launches the Together We Rise campaign. The campaign has already generated an unprecedented amount in gifts and pledges from the St. Martin’s Board of Trustees, and the leadership

EC Tinker Lab

will turn to the greater school community in the coming months to invite philanthropic support of Together We Rise.

Together

ES Outdoor STEAM Lab

The $5.5 million campaign will help St. Martin’s accomplish the following:

build.

invent.

play.

Replace the destroyed home of the Early Childhood program with a transformative space that will double the size of the original building and create additional classrooms, a multi-purpose space, and a STEAM village.

Expand the Elementary School STEAM lab to take better advantage of adjacent outdoor space.

Replace the turf that is used daily by more than half of the school’s students, and address other renovations needed within Warrior Hall.

The Campaign for St. Martin’s Episcopal School

Patterns EDITOR Kristi Gaffney CONTRIBUTORS Dr. Luis Ottley Kristi Gaffney Sarah Taylor Elizabeth Beckwith Lauren Frutiger Dr. Mary McPherson Christine McAleer Mother Stefanie Taylor Keona Jones, Athletics Intern Benjamin Nordstrom, 8th grade Jazmin Perkins, 8th grade Photography: Kristi Gaffney Sarah Taylor Adam Linke Paul Ward Collins Cooper Carusi Architects Design: Kathy Florence ADMINISTRATION Dr. Luis Ottley Head of School Cindy Alexander Principal, Early Childhood Dr. Mary McPherson Principal, Elementary School Tony Shaffer Principal, Middle School John Cunningham Chief Financial Officer Kristi Gaffney Director of Marketing Tina Haas Director of Advancement Blythe Marsau Director of Enrollment Management and Tuition Assistance The Rev. Stefanie Taylor Chaplain Deacon Amy Dills-Moore Associate Church Rector Patterns is published biannually by St. Martin’s Episcopal School. Please direct any letters, comments or news items to: St. Martin’s Episcopal School 3110-A Ashford Dunwoody Rd. Atlanta, GA 30319 (404) 237-4260 Attn: Kristi Gaffney www.stmartinschool.org kgaffney@stmartinschool.org Mission Statement : St. Martin’s Episcopal School is dedicated to providing a quality education of the whole person in a loving, Christian atmosphere, which fosters lifelong learning.

contents

SUMMER

2018

this issue

2 4 20 21 28 32 37 38 41 42 44 46 48 49 Follow us!

LETTER

From the Head of School SEEN & HEARD

News and happenings in the school community VOICES

Elizabeth Beckwith, Early Childhood Science Teacher C E L E B R AT I N G T H E C L A S S O F 2018

Honors, ceremonies, special events to celebrate our graduates RUNNING THE NUMBERS ON THE ERB

Standardized testing at St. Martin's VISIONS OF JAPAN

SMES teachers embark on international learning opportunity VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

Jennifer and Roger House I T ' S G O O D TO S W E AT T H E S M A L L S T U FF

St. Martin's Pre-K program PANAMÁ E XCHANG E , PART II

It's SMES students' turn to visit Panamá SOLES TO SOULS

School-wide project to bring shoes to residents of Haiti CO N S T R U C T I O N U P DAT E

Early Childhood wing breaks ground, rebuilding underway SPORTS WRAP-UP

Winter and spring teams complete seasons P O R T R A I T O F A G R A D UAT E

Sarah Johnson, Class of 2008 CLASS NOTES

Alumni News @NewsatSMES

@smesatl

smesatl

from the head of school Dear SMES Families, It is hard to believe that the school year is over – happy summer! In addition to the wonderful experiences your children had in the classroom this past year, much happened outside of the classroom too.

Dr. Luis A. Ottley

We lost Claiborne Hall to a fire, a wind storm left us without power, a few snow storms forced school closures up and down the state and we endured a water main break leaving us without water or plumbing. And through it all, you trusted the teachers and staff. Through it all, my family and I felt blessed to have been called to be here.

Through it all, your children were supported and challenged to meet their potential.

But more importantly, through it all, your children were loved, teachers felt loved, and this community was filled with love. That’s not something to take for granted.

I am reminded of the words of Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of the American Episcopal Church, who gave the sermon at the royal wedding in England this past May. He said, “Love is the only way, and there is power in love.”

It is that love that allows us to lay the foundation and ready our students for their next step. I am here to tell you they are ready... ready for what’s next.

As we look back at the school year and the milestones our students met to move forward, we can all feel proud that we lived up to our mission of providing a quality education of the whole person in a loving Christian environment. We graduated preschoolers to elementary school and elementary students to middle school and saw 63 middle schoolers accept diplomas as they look toward their next chapter.

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ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

“There’s a certain sense in which when you are loved, and you know it, when someone cares for you, and you know it, when you love and you show it — it actually feels right.

There is something right about it. And there’s a reason for it.

The reason has to do with the source. We were made by a power of love, and our lives were meant — and are meant — to be lived in that love.”

Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of the American Episcopal Church

This year, I had the pleasure of meeting with more than 200 St. Martin’s families; which is a personal record for me at a new school. These meetings allowed me the opportunity to engage with so many of you to understand what brought you to St. Martin’s and to learn more about what you — the community — want me to consider pursuing moving forward. As you might imagine, several recurring themes are emerging from these meetings.

The third most popular topic was a compliment to the community you’ve all created here at St. Martin’s. So many families (new and veterans) have been impressed and inspired by the loving, learning community that exists at SMES. Hats off to all that came before me! I look forward to continuing to foster the St. Martin’s experience where the transition from children to young adults is a time to savor and celebrate wholeheartedly!

One thought I heard over and over again was the desire to continue to strengthen our relationship with St. Martin in the Fields Church. Over the coming year, I look forward to being an active participant on the search committee for a new rector and to convening a committee of church and school representatives whose focus will be to look for intentional ways to work together toward common goals.

So thank you for entrusting us with your most prized gift last school year. It was a wonderful journey. Enjoy your summer and we look forward to kicking off a great new school year in August.

Wishing you love, light and blessings always,

Another important idea that came up in our conversations was a desire to better meet the needs of a broader range of students. I had discussions about students who need to be challenged more in the classroom as well as those who may need additional support within the context of an already rigorous academic program. Over the coming school year, we will explore our current practices and consider the viability of additional programming to support both of these goals.

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seen & heard spring semester

Spring

BEES Students and staff quietly clapped as competitors navigated challenging questions in the annual middle school geography bee. In the end, 7th-grader Simon Guterman (top row, left) clenched first place, and 8th-grader Will Tuggle (r) took second. Simon later went on to compete in the state-level competition and made it to the eighth round!

This year’s annual St. Martin’s middle school spelling bee was a nail-biter. Sixth-, 7th-, and 8thgrade representatives competed for more than an hour, and it all came down to the winning word “tonsure.” Sixth-grader Avalana Brock (l) placed first, and 6th-grader Ellora Yadav (r) placed second.

MS

Honor Society Induction

Congratulations to the 7th- and 8th-grade students inducted into the St. Martin’s Honor Society (SMHS) this spring. Families and fellow classmates attended the ceremony to watch the inductees receive their pins and recite the SMHS pledge. SMHS members demonstrate outstanding accomplishments in academics, leadership and contributions to the community. Inductees included: first row (l-r) Matthew Gillin, Jack O’Donnell; second row (l-r) Max Miller, Tanner Grady, Nicholas Lennon, Jules Schmidt, Lilly Grace Short, Caroline Koziol, Abby Williams and Emma Schwind; third row (l-r): Drew Chastain, Ian Castenfelt, Devin Fisher, Hadley Broughton, Reese Butler, Stella Jane Eskew, Maddie Crofton and Gracie Crofton; fourth row (l-r): Bryant Lisenby, Daniel Simontacchi, Matthew Aronowitz, Austin Scott, Jack Schmitt, Liza Love and Parker Vedell. Inductees not pictured are Simon Guterman and Ansley Massanelli.

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ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

The SOLVE Jr. Club helped transport the donations to the health center and met with the center’s founder, local pediatrician Dr. Bill Warren.

SERVICE PROJECT

For the 22nd year in a row, the annual “Kids Helping Kids” service learning project partnered with the Good Samaritan Health Center in downtown Atlanta. Students, faculty and staff donated books, first-aid kits, hygiene kits and infant care items.

seen&heard

Kids Helping Kids

Georgia Jr. Thespian Conference

St. Martin’s drama students had a show-stopping day at the Georgia Jr. Thespian Conference. The team scored five “Superiors” in individual events: two in group acting, one in group musical theater, one in duet musical theater, and one in sound design. The team also received scores of “Excellent” in group musical and duet acting. In the closing conference showcase, three out of the seven pieces were St. Martin’s, and SMES students performed for an audience of 800, representing 30 schools. Participants included: first row (l-r): Antonio Shaffer, Simon Guterman, Alex Hall, Ciara Wilmath, Ellen Claxton and Reese Hudson; second row (l-r): Patrick Hannon, Luly Ahmed, Erielle Harris, Liza Love, Abby Hughes and Nicholas Lennon; and third row (l-r): Connor McCarthy, Austin Scott and Skyla Harris. Not pictured are Charlie Duerr, Win Scott, Cordelia Tranfield and Ansley Graves.

Bravo!

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seen & heard spring semester

STEAM Saturday

Mixing Learning with Service: 5th Grade Cookie Company

STEAM Saturday, March 3

start

10 am - 12 noon

Warrior Hall Entry Level

Room 211 R Room 214

Check In

Cup Challenge Room 207

Room 210 2

ge to EC Brid

EC Science S Conductive Dough

Magic Noodles

Ipads & Tech

Young/Claiborne Hall Entry Level Room 217

Pinch and Mix Coloring

Room 216 Wooden Ramps

Alumna Room

Atomic Slime e

Room 223

Magnetic Racers

Room 223

Commons Area Rockets

Do wn

irs sta Music & Movement

n to ment ow Move &

Mu D sic

Warrior Hall Gymnasium Level

Wind Bags

Fun Art

Young Hall Gym Level

STEAM Saturday was a brain-busting morning where prospective students between the ages of three and eight explored STEAM-based (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) activities alongside SMES teachers and MS student ambassadors. Learning stations included digital art, atomic slime, shooting rockets and more.

The annual Cookie Company project offers 5th-graders the opportunity to learn the basics of building a small business while giving back to Georgia’s marine life. Each company group created a product (a unique cookie) and was required to remain within budget for production and advertisement. All proceeds from the school-wide sale were delivered to the UGA Marine Institute on Skidaway Island as part of the 5th-grade spring field trip.

Francophonie Drawing Contest

The Francophonie Drawing Contest celebrates the French language and the richness of francophonie cultures from around the world.

Elementary school students chose from a list of French words and created a drawing around that word and its meaning. Congratulations SMES award winners: first row (l-r): Hudson Billings, Campbell Greene, William Anderson, Callie Morrison, Peyton Hanaway and Dylan Blackmon; second row (l-r): Emily O’Mara, Lauren Hoath, Sebastian Restrepo-Cantillo (placed in the top five), Quin Brown, Ellen Milsaps and Katy Scott; and third row (l-r): Madame Brown, Luke Williams, Lillian Thomas, Caroline Short and Riley Aronowitz.

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ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

World Cultures Day

World Cultures Day at St. Martin’s brought the cultures of six continents to life for students through educational presentations, activities and food. Many SMES community members volunteered to speak about their countries of origin and the traditions they practice. Throughout the day, students enjoyed Irish dancing, Rangoli art from the Indian subcontinent, African and South American coloring activities, American hip-hop dancing and Australian games.

Wildlife Wonders

Visits EC

ChaMATHon +

Mathleague + State!

Congratulations to the the SMES ES Mathletes who solved their way to top-ten placements at the ChaMATHon and Math League competitions! At ChaMATHon, 3rd-grader Charlotte Terry placed fourth individually. At the Math League competition, 6th-grader Sophia Pappadakis placed fifth individually. Sophia along with fellow students Drew Park (5th), Aarav Kokane (6th) and Henry Hamilton (6th) went on to compete at the state competition and Sophia placed 12th, one spot away from making nationals. Great job!

= x % ∞ + ≤ — On Groundhog Day, the Early Childhood division was visited by a groundhog and other animals from the North Georgia Zoo’s Wildlife Wonders. Students learned about— and were invited to gently pet— a bunny, snake, armadillo and Virginia opossum.

At ChaMATHon, one 5th-grade team placed third in Division 1, and three of the four team members placed in the top-ten individually.

Congratulations Drew Park (2nd individually), Kathryn Johnson (6th individually), Amanda Houston, and Sapna Goel (9th individually).

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seen & heard spring semester The St. Martin’s Middle School chorus participated in a sound design workshop at Universal Studios in Orlando. With the help of a professional team, students recorded the music, voices and sound effects for a scene in “Despicable Me.” The chorus trip also included an outreach component where students performed at Give Kids The World, a nonprofit resort that provides cost-free vacations to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.

Band

y e n s i D Visits

ES Th e SM tr a ve l e d d MS ba n o’s d n a l r rl d to to O n e y W o s h op s i D t l or k Wa music w a t te n d a e n j oy th e o a n d a l s u r i n g th e D ! s p a rk n ts p, s tu de o h s wor k c i ed mus p r a c ti c a u ty a n d e f r om “B t” a n d th e n s a e ri n g th e B e d i t du m r o e p e rf h e n t of t a segm m ovi e .

The SMES 5th-grade chorus performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” for an Atlanta Hawks basketball game in January.

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ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

MUSIC:

Making, Sharing

seen&heard

Principal for the Day

Head of School Dr. Luis Ottley met with the SMES community to present the school’s markers of success, mission and values and strategic priorities in the spring. More than 150 people attended two spring presentations. A question and answer session was offered at both sessions.

State of the

School address

As part of the PTO Winter Social’s silent auction, one student from each division became “Principal for the Day” in late March. Each “principal” was able to choose activities for his or her division such as lunch selection, no-homework passes and the ever-popular non-uniform day. They were also treated to some special “perks” throughout the day with their actual division principals. St. Martin’s principals were Grace Kim (EC), Sophia Higginbotham (ES) and Bryant Lisenby (MS). Over the course of the day, Grace held a baby kangaroo, Sophia had a dance party and Bryant Lisenby and some buddies went to lunch in a limo with Mr. Shaffer.

Basketball Hoopla

Each year, St. Martin’s holds a Basketball Hoopla in which staff and students face off in a game of hoops. The staff held a healthy lead for most of the game, but the students came back with a couple of big plays at the end of the fourth quarter. Ultimately, the staff clenched the victory by a few points, but it was a well-fought game by both teams. In memory of former 2nd-grade Assistant Teacher Thaddeus Tousana, players and fans wore t-shirts that read “Tousana” on the back.

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seen & heard spring semester

Outings “No one has ever Ottley

By Benjamin Nordstrom 8th grade

with

SMES SOLVE CLUB

In my opinion, the quote, “No one has ever become poor by giving” by Anne Frank exemplifies what the St. Martin’s SOLVE Club stands for: finding joy through giving back to others.

When I joined SOLVE Club, it was actually accidental. In 6th grade, we were encouraged to participate in at least one club. Since a lot of people were joining POP (Power Over Prejudice) Club, (now RELATE Club), I thought it would be a good idea to join that club since a bunch of my friends were doing it. When I filled out the form to sign up for the club, little to my knowledge it was the form to sign up for SOLVE Club. When I realized I was in the club, I was hesitant at first, but then I decided to stay and I don’t regret my decision.

SOLVE stands for Serving Others Through Leadership, Volunteerism, and Education. That is what our club is all about: serving others. Reading to 1st graders at a local, low income elementary school, making blankets for the homeless, and donating supplies to the Dekalb County Animal Shelter are just a few of the things we do.

We usually meet on Wednesday mornings, and the board members have a few more meetings than the rest of the club.

Outings with Ottley, part of the Winter Social silent auction, debuted this year, and 16 lucky students accompanied Head of School Luis Ottley on a fun excursion. The boys played video games against Dr. Ottley in a game truck, and the girls and Dr. Ottley were treated to mani-pedis! Thank you to the following St. Martin’s families that made this fun inaugural event possible: Holly and Colby Craig, Carrie and Jeff Ackel, Jennifer and Roger House, Emily and Brad Milsaps, Paige and Kevin Feagin, Barbara and Todd Mackintosh and Courtney and Clint Fletcher.

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ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

seen&heard

become poor by giving.” - Anne Frank Board members also get to run the club, in a way. The sponsors, Mrs. Davis, Ms. Leifermann, and Ms. Pitoscia let the board members make the decisions and run the full club meetings.

There is also a club in elementary school called SOLVE Jr. The younger club, SOLVE Jr., directly feeds into the middle school SOLVE Club, and they do things similar to us, but in middle school, you really get an opportunity to be a leader.

There were many activities we did as a club throughout the past three years. One of the first things we did at the beginning of the school year was donate supplies and write cards for the DeKalb County Animal Shelter staff. Each person in the club brought in one item for the shelter, and then we wrote thank you notes to the staff at the shelter, thanking them for all that they do for the animals. We then had the donations blessed in chapel at the special St. Francis Day service.

Another activity we did was writing Halloween cards for all the middle school students, and also writing Valentine’s day cards for military members. We taped all the Halloween cards we wrote to all the lockers in the middle school with candy, and an inspirational message to “pay it forward.” For the military members, we made Valentines for them, and filled envelopes with candy and other goodies, and thanked them for their service to our country.

At Christmastime, we made blankets for underprivileged and homeless people. We made the blankets by taking two big pieces of fabric and cutting notches in them with scissors. We

then lined up the two fabrics and tied knots with the fringe that we made, making one big blanket with a design on each side.

We had never done anything like that in the past, and I thought it was a really cool idea that the board came up with, and it was something really different, and that is what I liked about it.

With no doubt, my favorite thing we have done so far was reading to the little kids at Woodward Elementary. Woodward Elementary is an elementary school fairly close to St. Martin’s, but most of their students are from low income Hispanic families, and for most, their first language is Spanish, English being their second. We read to them twice first semester, once to kindergarteners, then to 1st graders. The first time we went, only the board members went to read and everyone on the board brought a book to donate to them after we read it. The second time we went, the whole club went and we all read “Duck For President” and donated one copy to every classroom. We went two more times in the second semester. I loved going to Woodward Elementary because I could see who we were impacting directly; we could see the smiles on the kids’ faces right when we walked in the classroom, right when the “big kids” walked in, and that was really empowering to me, and that is why I enjoyed that experience so much.

SOLVE Club has been an awesome experience for me, it has impacted me on a personal level, and I hope to see how it impacts people like me in years to come.

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Spring Open House

seen & heard spring semester

Google Augmented Reality visits SMES!

SMES faculty, staff and student volunteers welcomed prospective families to campus for the 2018 Open House in late January. Visitors heard from Head of School Dr. Luis Ottley, SMES students and alumni.

Prospective families toured the campus with help from student ambassadors and learned about arts, athletics, after-school and academic programs. Parents also met and spoke with teachers, while their children participated in STEAM-based classroom activities.

St. Martin’s was chosen as a tour stop for Google Augmented Reality Expeditions pioneer program. This new technology can superimpose a digital image, like a strand of DNA, on top of the student’s view of the real world. During the day, students, faculty and even parents explored topics including the world of ancient Rome, a coral reef habitat and organic chemistry.

Down on the Farm in EC:

Can we hear a Yee-haw?

For the annual Beginners and Pre-K Music program, students went “Down on the Farm” and performed farm-themed songs and dances while wearing their favorite farm clothes. Each class was featured in a farm-animal movement activity, and the numerous songs helped to reinforce colors, counting skills and emerging reading skills like rhyming, beginning consonant sounds and new vocabulary.

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ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

seen&heard Skidaway Island •• Skidaway Island •• S Skidawa Skidaway ay Islan Island nd

For their first overnight field trip, St. Martin’s 5th graders traveled to the UGA Marine Institute on Skidaway Island to learn about marine animals and plants up close. Students collected their own samples to test in the lab, picked up crabs and other animals in a touch tank, dissected squid and particpated in other outdoor excursions and classroom activities.

St. Martin’s parents, staff and students crowded into the halls of the Middle School building for the third-annual STEAM Night this spring. For weeks, 4th- and 5th-grade students worked to prepare projects integrating science, technology, engineering, art and math to present to the St. Martin’s community.

The project is designed to be a learning exercise centered on student creativity and relational learning, as opposed to rote memorization. Visitors enjoyed learning about solar ovens, balloon blimps, the human heart and much more.

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seen & heard spring semester

The Middle School spring musical, “Alice in Wonderland Jr.”, took to the St. Martin’s stage in late April. The story came to life through skilled and practiced acting, dancing and singing, in accompaniment with intricate costumes and a detailed set and light show. Tap dancing returned for the second year in a row in a large dance number. Students, parent volunteers and staff dedicated hours of hard work to bring this musical to life. Congratulations to all involved.

Science Olympiad places 19th at State

14

Summer 2018

The St. Martin’s Science Olympiad team put their minds to the task for this year’s competitions! The team earned seven medals at the DeKalb County regional level competition and went on to compete against 63 other schools at the state level where the team tied for 19th place overall and earned seven individual top-20 placements.

Regional Medals: Disease Detectives - Avi Agrawal (1st place); Water Rockets - McCall Smith (1st place); Paper Rockets - Ryan Hewitt (1st place); Deep Blue Sea - Finn Botham (2nd place); Water Rockets - Tanner Vassian (2nd place); Data CrunchersKathryn Johnson and Lillian Thomas (2nd place); and The 24 Game - Drew Park (2nd place).

State Top-20 Placements: Water Rockets- Tanner Vassian and McCall Smith (4th place); Mystery Architecture - Addie Alford and Will Lindsay (6th); The 24 Game - Drew Park and Kathryn Johnson (7th); and Paper Rockets - Lillian Thomas and Mason Hubbard (9th). Other The Science Olympiad competitions test scientific skill, teamwork and critical state notables were Data Crunchers - 14th thinking, all within the challenge of time limits. Congratulations to these place, Disease Detectives - 19th place, and Rock Hound - 20th place. dedicated scientists and their sponsors Mrs. McKenna and Mrs. Moussouri.

ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

Beginners Ĕē

Luck

ęčĊ đĎēĐĘ

By Jazmin Perkins, 8th grade originally began the sport of golf to bond with my dad, who had bought lessons for me at the Northcrest Driving Range. Surprisingly, I had the ability to hit the ball, but lacked the rest of the techniques. Spring rolled around and so did golf season at St. Martin’s, so I thought I’d give it a try.

At tryouts, the students ranged from sixth, seventh to eighth graders. The overwhelming amount of sixth graders made me nervous. The constant thought, ‘Are they better than me?’ accompanied every waking moment. Anxiety was the only word to describe it. After tryouts, I nonchalantly waited several days only to find out I made the team along with Lydia Davis, who also happened to be new, and Paris Adams who was the only girl on the team last year. Now there were three!

At my first match, tension wrung through my body, and unconsciously my hands were shaking with nervousness. I inhaled a deep, ragged breath and exhaled steadily.

My arms slowly rose, and I swung with

great speed. The sun beat down on me, but the quick wind from the swing cooled me. The ball flew and the lovely sound of a good hit resonated to my ears. I smiled.

The boys were welcoming and kind and it helped that I was already on friendly relations with the two other girls. Paris had been playing golf for four years and helped Lydia and me out quite often, giving us tips, and informing us of our mistakes. Being on the golf team has given me a different opinion about the sport. Most would assume it’s boring since the only physical activity is walking the course and swinging.

I played in my first golf tournament on April 4. It was a scramble event at Cross Creek Golf Course, which was a Par-3 and extremely fun.

I’m grateful for being able to join and play matches with my teammates. I believe I’m gradually improving and I’m thankful to Mr. Conrad for giving me the opportunity and experience I need to advance to the next level.

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Middle School

Field Trips

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ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

seen&heard

Eighth-graders spent a week at the Grand Canyon and other local sites hiking, rafting, and reflecting on their years as St. Martin’s. This capstone trip is a culminating event for each year’s graduating class.

SMES 7th-graders traveled to Washington D.C. where they toured famous memorials, museums and other historic sites.

Sixth-graders trekked to North Carolina to hike in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and see the historic sites of Gatlinburg.

In Memoriam

Thaddeus Tousana Thaddeus Tousana, former 2nd-grade assistant teacher, passed away earlier this year.

During his four years at St. Martin’s, Thaddeus was an influential teacher, coach, mentor and friend to many in the community. At this year’s annual Basketball Hoopla event, students and staff wore t-shirts that read “Tousana” to honor him during the day’s activities.

Igleheart Award Winners The Patricia Ray Igleheart Memorial Fund was established by the Igleheart family to honor Tricia’s legacy at St. Martin’s. The endowment funds a professional development award to a selected faculty or staff member who embodies all that Tricia was: A kind, loving person and a mentor to others who saw the beauty in everyday life and who recognized the importance of a deep spiritual practice. This year’s faculty award recipient is EC Reading and Computer teacher Kathy Koporec.

the world around them and a friend to all. This year’s student award winner is rising 7th-grader Grayson Leiter.

To donate to the Patricia Ray Igleheart Memorial Fund please visit the Donate Now button on the homepage of the St. Martin’s website, or contact Tina Haas, Director of Advancement, at thaas@ stmartinschool.org.

In addition, a Student Character Award was also established with the goal to honor a deserving student who is curious about Photo: Pictured (l-r): Amy Leiter, Matt Leiter, faculty award recipient Kathy Koporec, student award recipient Grayson Leiter and Brid Igleheart.

FA C U LT Y N E W S Introducing New St. Martin’s Director of Diversity and Inclusion Dr. Tiffany Russell St. Martin’s welcomes Dr. Tiffany Russell to the administrative team as its Director of Diversity and Inclusion. Dr. Russell received her B.A. and M.A. degrees from Temple University and earned Dr. Tiffany Russell her doctor of philosophy from Georgia State University. She brings more than 15 years of diversity and inclusion experience in public and private sector positions including work at an independent school. Her experience and vision will guide St. Martin’s to create, facilitate and promote a schoolwide program of diversity, inclusion, and equity for students, faculty and staff.

••• Select members of the St. Martin’s Multicultural Education Committee attended the 30th People of Color Conference (PoCC) in Anaheim, Ca. to learn about equity and justice in teaching and learning. The conference included general sessions with keynotes, dozens of practitioner-led workshops, extensive affinity group work and dialogue sessions meant to equip educators at every level, from teachers to trustees, with knowledge to enhance the interracial, interethnic, and intercultural climate at their schools.

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FA C U LT Y N E W S

April Lee Rutland

Mark McDaniel

Nathalie Brown (center)

Mark McDaniel was voted 2017-18 D1 MAAC Athletic Director of the Year by his peers. Mark has served as St. Martin’s athletic director for six years, and oversees a robust program of more than 21 teams across nine different sports. In addition to his athletic director duties, he coordinates MAAC tennis and golf, helps organize cross country meets and coaches a variety of teams at St. Martin’s.

Early childhood and elementary school French teacher Nathalie Brown was elected president of the Georgia chapter of the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF) for the 2018-19 and 2019-20 school years. Among other things, AATF helps teachers and students of French by implementing national classroom standards, and connecting teachers with resources and technologies that make a difference in the classroom.

Laura Seifter with daughter Libby Anne

Liza Suarez Elementary and middle school Spanish teacher Liza Suarez presented to fellow teachers at the Southern Conference on Language Teaching (SCOLT) about the use of technology to increase student engagement in the world culture’s classroom.

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Summer 2018

Brian, Whitney and Molly Ludvigsen

ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

Third grade teacher Laura Seifter and husband Bobby welcomed baby Libby Anne Seifter on Dec. 16, 2017. She was 7lbs., and 19 inches.

Religion teacher Whitney Ludvigsen and husband Brian welcomed baby Molly Sarah Ludvigsen on Jan. 28, 2018.

She was 7.5 lbs., and 21 inches long.

Kindergarten assistant teacher Carter Rutland and husband Drew welcomed baby April Lee Rutland on March 6, 2018.

She was 7 lbs., and 20 inches.

Long-term religion substitute and former school chaplain Edith Woodling welcomed granddaughter Ruth McGuire Strange on April Edith Woodling with 7, 2018. Ruth is granddaughter Ruth also the niece of Kindergarten assistant teacher Michael Albanese.

Fourth-grade teacher Lucy Coverstone and husband Michael

Caroline Emery Coverstone

welcomed baby Caroline Emery Coverstone on April 26, 2018.

She weighed 6 lbs., 3 oz., and was 19.5 in. long.

ES and MS art teacher Libby Tyler, her husband Kenny, and son Miles welcomed baby Millie Catherine Tyler on May 8, 2018. She was 7 lbs., 8 oz and 19 Millie Catherine Tyler in. long.

farewells participating in the growth and change of this special place we call St. Martin’s Episcopal School.” In her retirement, Carol will enjoy travel and time with her grandchildren.

Diane Oliver

Mimi Deupree, Mary Daigle, Carol Roberts, Charlotte O’Keefe, and Shirley Carroll

Six faculty and staff members retired at the end of the ‘17-’18 school year, five of whom served for 21-29 years at St. Martin’s! Best wishes to each as they begin their next life journey.

Middle school French teacher, Shirley Carroll, is retiring after 24 years of teaching at St. Martin’s. “During my tenure here, I have taught every age group, from Beginners to the 8th grade,” she said. “I have loved so much about St. Martin’s— the opportunity to teach French and grow as a professional, the energetic and enthusiastic students, the caring and supportive families, and my colleagues who have become my friends.” In her retirement, Shirley will spend time doing what she loves: reading, traveling, cooking, taking long walks, and spending time with family and friends.

Early Childhood music and movement teacher Mimi Deupree is retiring after spending 28 of her 35 teaching years at St. Martin’s. “In my time at St. Martin’s, my roles have included EC and ES physical education and music teacher, camp director for 10 years, MS musical choreographer, Explorers bookkeeper, and coach of SMES’ first softball team,” notes Deupree. “Through it all, SMES has supported me and my family, and has been a meaningful and memorable part of my life.” Mimi will enjoy more time with her granddaughter, traveling, and volunteer opportunities in her retirement.

Fifth-grade language arts teacher, Charlotte O’Keefe, is retiring after 26 years of teaching at St. Martin’s. “I believe that God meant for me to be a teacher, and that He put me in the right place to do so!” she reflects. “The joy of my career has been in my experience with kids. I am so grateful for all of my friends and colleagues who have helped me in countless ways, it has been a blessing and honor to work here.” In her retirement, Charlotte will enjoy morning walks with her husband, trips to National Parks and sleeping in past 5:30 a.m.!

Long-time teacher Carol Roberts is retiring after 28 years with St. Martin’s. Over the years, she has served as both a 1st-grade lead teacher, and 2nd-grade assistant.

“St. Martin’s is my heart and being,” says Roberts. “I have had the privilege of sending my own children here, developing lifelong friendships with colleagues, and

St. Martin’s finance associate Diane Oliver is retiring after 21 years working at St. Martin’s. “In leaving St. Martin’s, I am taking the love, caring and kindness that has grown during my time here, and I hope for it to continue to grow on my new journey,” she says. Diane fondly remembers administrative retreats, and the laughs she shared with her colleagues. “Peace to each of you, I will miss you!” Diane will enjoy good books, sleep, short trips and her grandchildren in her retirement.

Math resource teacher Mary Daigle is retiring after six years at St. Martin’s.

Mary began as a 4th-grade lead teacher, and then joined the Student Support Services team as the math resource teacher.

EC Administrative Assistant Kathryn Hechenbleikner is stepping down after 22 years supporting the Early Childhood program. She will join the Explorers staff in a new role for the 2018-19 school year.

Fourth-grade lead teacher Lucy Coverstone, 3rd-grade lead teacher Laura Seifter, and receptionist Michele Sanders will be staying home to spend more time with their families.

Guidance Counselor Elizabeth Barton is moving with her family to North Carolina, Explorers EC teacher Jessica Bradberry is moving with her husband to Minnesota, and religion teacher Catherine Breed will be working parttime at a church close to her home to spend more time with family.

In addition, we bid farewell to Luanne Johnson, Stephanie Barlow, Keller Battey and Taylor Eastwood who will be pursuing new ventures.

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voices

ELIZABETH BECKWITH, EARLY CHILDHOOD SCIENCE TEACHER

Imagine a place where children hear the calming sounds of trickling water, chirping crickets and croaking frogs. They see tropical plants, gems and crystals and watch a school of fish. Turtles, lizards and snakes bask on rocks. A place where they are free to explore and make discoveries and mistakes—and messes—are encouraged.

This has been a real place at St. Martin’s. Our Early Childhood science lab and outdoor classroom is also a Natural Wildlife Habitat. It is a place where our youngest students have formed deep connections to the natural world. Though the lab was lost in last summer’s fire, we have recreated a temporary experience and look forward to rebuilding our lab as part of the reconstruction of the Early Childhood Learning Center.

Just over 11 years ago, I was a zookeeper standing kneedeep in a pool for Moti the Bengal tiger when I received a call from St. Martin’s EC principal Cindy Alexander offering the opportunity to teach in a science lab built for young children.

As a zookeeper at both the Birmingham and Atlanta zoos, I had gained extensive experience coordinating shows and camps with the education animals and learning the husbandry of many animals including snakes, lizards, lions, tigers and sea lions. And I had always loved science. When I was a kid, my bedroom was filled with aquariums and nature artifacts.

I loved exploring for worms and rocks and was fortunate to have parents who encouraged my curiosity and permitted pet newts and frogs. As I stood in Moti’s pool, I thought, how could I pass up an opportunity to share my love for science with children on a daily basis?

Since that time, I’ve been that teacher. I have worked hard to build a program that allows young children to investigate tubs of crickets and beetle larvae and explore aquatic touch tanks to discover the beauty and magic of the earth’s ecosystems. Our program encourages students of all ages to touch the animal friends and experience first-hand the wonder of nature by observing how the animals interact in their habitats. They naturally learn through play, and their hands stay busy as we experiment with chemistry by mixing liquids and colors to create slime, gels and polymers. STEAM challenges are presented to help students think creatively and build the foundation of the scientific method through exciting handson experiments, asking questions and testing their theories.

Our beloved lab burned on the morning of July 4, 2017, but the resolve of our school community to rebuild something even better has kept our program as vibrant as ever. I am forever grateful to the firefighters who rescued all of our 15 animal friends and vividly remember one firefighter, who was at least 6 feet, 5 inches tall, ever so delicately carrying the Chilean Rose-Haired Tarantula’s habitat to me. We’ve missed our awardwinning Outdoor Classroom where we could run through thousands of fallen leaves, dig in the “Dino-Dig” for fossils, earthworms and roly-polies and maintain the gardening beds.

Stay tuned for a bigger, better lab, a dedicated tinker space for real-world problem solving and a redesigned and expanded area for plants, animals, touch tanks and much more.

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ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

Class of

e th g n i t a r b e l e C 2018

By Kristi Gaffney Director of Marketing

raduation is the capstone event celebrating the culmination of a complete St. Martin’s education.

This year, the 63 members of the St. Martin’s class of 2018 marked the 25th graduating class of SMES 8th graders to receive diplomas. The graduates gathered at the Cathedral of St. Philip on May 24 ready to accept this milestone and prepared to take on the challenges of their future endeavors in high school and beyond.

The month leading up to graduation was filled with events and trips to honor the class. They enjoyed a week-long trip to the Grand Canyon, where they experienced one of the seven wonders of the world and created memories to last a lifetime. The group also bonded through their capstone STEAM project, where they worked in teams to design and build boxcars, and celebrated both the successes and learning opportunities the semester-long project offered. Final exams, special luncheons, chapel services and non-uniform days filled their last weeks of school leading up to the big event.

As they journeyed together for the last time as a class into the Cathedral to receive their diplomas, it was a proud moment for students, families and the SMES faculty and staff who have nurtured and taught them along the way. Dr. Ottley opened the ceremony with a welcome and heartfelt message of thanks to SMES families and students for making his first year as Head of School memorable and successful.

The service was filled with prayers, reflections and sage advice for the graduates.

The commencement address from Student Council President Alex Norris took the students on a journey of growing up at St. Martin’s as she recounted memories and PATTERNS

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lessons learned as a student from Pre-K through 8th grade. “Over our time here, whether it has been one year or ten years, we have all learned how to grow up,” she said. “We are more open and more empathetic. Gandhi said, ‘You can’t shake hands with a clenched fist.’

We have learned not to be cowardly by taking responsibility for our actions.

Life is made up of mistakes, but if you admit your faults, then you can grow from them.”

The Right Rev. Robert C. Wright, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, served as this year’s keynote speaker at commencement and presented a message of love and encouragement.

He gave the graduates advice to use the gifts of their education to think with their heads to make brave decisions, to lead with their hearts by being kind and open to others and to "do" with their hands to create a better future.

Honors Assembly The last assembly of the school year was the annual Honors Assembly, where Elementary and Middle School students were recognized for service, leadership and academic excellence.

The assembly kicked off with the annual 8th grade “clap out.” This tradition allowed the 8th graders to proceed through campus, led by Dr. Ottley, who ceremoniously rang the official St. Martin’s bell. Meanwhile, the underclassmen lined the hallways to cheer them on as they passed by on the way to the gym for the assembly.

The morning was filled with many student recognitions, such as students of the week, Duke TIP, honor roll and Head of School list honorees, along with elementary and middle school academic awards. Eighth-graders Katie Holmes and Addie Newberry presented the Class of 2018 gift to the school — funding for execution of a large wall lettering with the phrase “Add more love to the world” to be displayed on campus. Additionally, the class of 2018 endowed a Capstone Project Spirit Award to recognize the student who most embodies the spirit of the boxcar project each year.

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ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

Oglethorpe Award The top awards at the assembly each year are given to both a student and a teacher. The Oglethorpe Award is given to an 8th-grade student who is a good citizen of the school and community, and exhibits intelligence, compassion, enthusiasm, responsibility and common sense. Faculty members nominate students and a committee determines the winner. This year’s award recipient was Allie Campbell.

Allie was recognized on the Headmaster’s List for five of her six middle-school semesters and is a member of the SMES Honor Society.

She has been an active member of the drama community at SMES and served as Drama Club president, competed in a

variety of drama competitions and had roles in the spring musicals each year.

She has also been involved with Warrior TV, Student Council and RELATE Club and was an active member of the student vestry. Allie also serves the community through Buckhead Church and Bright Futures.

Reeder Excellence in Teaching Award This year’s top teacher award recipient was 6th-grade English teacher Kanette Fenstermacher. The Reeder Excellence in Teaching Award is an annual award that recognizes a teacher who is characterized by positive contributions to the school. This teacher is committed to students first of all and exhibits qualities such as a positive attitude, loyalty, dedication, flexibility and good

relationships with students, parents, administrators and other teachers. In addition to the honor, the recipient receives a generous stipend from the Reeder Foundation. The Reeder Award is peer nominated, and previous award winners choose the recipient.

Ms. Fenstermacher is a five-year veteran at SMES and has taught 6thgrade English for the past four years.

In addition to her dedication in the classroom, she is co-sponsor of Student Council and the Mosaic (literary club) and is the facilitator of the middle school Youth Passing League team, which won the end of season tournament this spring. Ms. Fenstermacher has been a member of the St. Martin’s community as a parent for many years. She served on the PTO in a variety of roles including co-president. “Receiving the 2018 Reeder Excellence in Teaching Award is an honor,” she said. “I have the pleasure of working with so many intelligent, kind and dedicated colleagues, all of whom deserve this award.”

Best of luck to the Class of 2018!

“St. Martin’s has taught us to follow our impulses, to create meaningful relationships, that mentoring is rewarding, how to grow up and how to transition.”

—noted by Student Council President Alex Norris in her graduation address PATTERNS

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And

By Sarah Taylor Communications Coordinator

It was an exciting May morning

Good luck to our SMES graduates as they move on to their respective high schools.

Atlanta International School Baylor School, Chattanooga, TN Dunwoody High School The Galloway School Greater Atlanta Christian School Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School Marist School Mount Vernon Presbyterian School North Atlanta High School

Pace Academy Riverwood High School Sotogrande International School, Spain St. Pius X School Wesleyan School Western Reserve Academy, Hudson, OH Woodward Academy

In Memory of Carter Davis The boxcar project was created and named for Carter Davis, son of St. Martin’s 8th-grade English teacher Michele Davis, who passed away in August of 2016. Carter was a rising senior at a Cherokee County High School and had planned to build a boxcar for his senior project. The St. Martin’s 8th-grade teaching team adopted the idea to live into the school’s commitment to STEAM and honor Carter.

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ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

as St. Martin’s Episcopal School’s 2018 graduating class competed in the inaugural 8th-grade boxcar race. This STEAM-based event was the culmination of a semester-long project which teams of four honed their skills in science, technology, engineering, art and math to build a working boxcar to race against their peers.

The 8th-grade capstone project debuted this year and highlighted the STEAMfocused curriculum taught at St. Martin’s in a fun and interactive manner.

...they’re off!

Inaugural 8th-Grade Capstone Project picks Up STEAM! LAP 1: Design, Then Design Again In the first stage of the project, students used geometry, physics and ratios to design and draw a to-scale blueprint of their boxcar.

Throughout the building and testing process, students revisited and modified their designs to maximize their boxcar’s agility, speed and acceleration.

LAP 2: Tech-Nol-O-Gy For the technology component of the project, each team created a website to showcase the team’s explanation of theme, NPR-styled “This I Believe” essays, a Spanish or French translation of one or more of the webpages and photos of the design, build and race.

LAP 5: The Big Race On race day, St. Martin’s students from each division, parents, faculty, staff and a few local TV stations crowded around the racetrack as 8th-grade teams lined up to put their cars to the test! During the race, some boxcars lost wheels, others barreled into the hay lining the track and a lucky few crossed the finish line.

After three rounds of competition, the Lady Pirates came out on top as the fastest team, followed closely by Pirates of the Episcopalians and Sledgang.

LAP 4: The A in STEAM

LAP 3: Measure Twice, Cut Once!

With the help of parent volunteers, faculty advisers and power tools, the 8th-graders transformed concepts into functioning machines. Teams used mostly recycled materials (e.g., bicycle wheels, wagon beds and wood from the set of the middle school play) to construct their designs. Students followed the Red Bull Soapbox Derby rules, which dictate the boxcar must accommodate two riders and two pushers and include one axle, four wheels and a steering mechanism.

Each team’s chosen theme came to life in the artistic elements of the project. The boxcar decorations, team costumes and choreographed dances performed at the start of the race were all components of each team’s theme. St. Martin’s 5th-grade students and their teachers helped judge the boxcars on race day for best theme.

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Snapchat 57.8% > Instagram 42.2%

We say

We’ll take

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Summer 2018

Beach 84.6 > Mountains 15.4%

Gifs 74.6% > Emojis/Bitmojis 25.4%

Dream career Interior designer — Helen Page • Video game developer — Will McLaren • Computer scientist — Ross Ackaway • Cinematographer — Win Scott • Doctor — Helen Wamey • Physical therapist — Jack Fry • Computer engineer — Abby Hughes • Infectious disease specialist — Jazmin Perkins • Lawyer with my Dad — Liam Cash • Baseball player — Ryan Hoad • Doctor or surgeon — Mia Pistone • Broadway — Ciara Wilmath • Comedian — Patton Jaynes • Mechanical engineer — Hayes Pope • Pilot — Alex Norris

How I’d change the world Invent something — Joseph McGhee • By being a role model — Will Tuggle • One person at a time — Win Scott • Cure cancer — Addie Newberry • End racism — Grace Caroline Linam • End poverty — Sophia Halkos • Make people kinder — Sophie Steck • Make world safer — Katie Holmes • Go on mission trips — Sophia Stratford • Become part of a conservation community — Quinn O’Connor • Provide free education — Ethan Hayek • World peace — Grant Gaffney

My superpower & Kryptonite Mind reading — Noelle Broughton (Super Noelle) • Flying — Abby Hughes (Amazing Abbs) • Super strength — William Fenstermacher (Kryptonite: lemons) • Control all weather — Jazmin Perkins (Skadi, Loki) • Move things with my mind — Lura Underwood (Lovable Lura; Kryptonite: Emotions) • Flying — Sophie Steck (Super Sophie) • Flying — Ellen Claxton (Super Ellen) • Invisibility — Kendall Buchanan (Super Kendall; Kryptonite: Chocolate) • Super strength — Edward Hires (Strong Guy; Kryptonite: Kiwi) • Flying — Sophia Stratford (Super Soph; Kryptonite: Fireworks) • Invisibility — Ella Cannon (InvisaGirl; Kryptonite: Snakes) • Teleportation — Sam Alexander (Kryptonite: Light) • Speed in everything... learning, thinking, running — Patrick Hannon (The Illusion; Kryptonite: Slime) • Time travel — Luly Ahmed (Supergirl: Kryptonite: Light)

My advice for ES/EC students Don’t gossip about your friends — Rachel Trotter • Don’t sweat the small stuff — Caroline Hatcher • Don’t be afraid to be yourself or to change — Lydia Davis • Don’t be afraid, it’s so much fun — Noelle Broughton • Time management — Ryan Pennington • Don’t be IDNH RU WDON DERXW RWKHUV EHKLQG WKHLU EDFNV ³ &RUGHOLD 7UDQÀHOG 5XQ WKURXJK WKH ÀQLVK line at full speed — Michael Lynch • Have a strong relationship with your teachers — Dilyn Penn • Tuck in your shirt — Edward Hires • Make sure to bring a snack — Ethan Hayek • Do your homework — Charlie Seelke • Never miss assignments — Patrick Hannon • Have fun — Kate Mitchell

ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

SURVEY:

&KLFN ÀO $ 70.3% ! :DIà H +RXVH 29.7%

Inside 74.6% > Outside 25.4%

Stranger Things 75.4% ! 5LYHUGDOH 24.6% Ed Sheeran 55.2% ! 7D\ORU 6ZLIW 44.8%

Travel goals Thailand — Skylar Murphy • Hawaii — Helen Page • Australia — Ansley Graves • Japan — Ian Castenfelt • Ireland — Joanna Graham • Anywhere with a beach — Annie Quinn • France — Claire Gannon • Australia — Paris Adams • Somewhere tropical — Ryan Hoad • Bora Bora — Ellen Claxton • Iceland — Parsa Pedram • Hawaii — Ryan Struckman • New Zealand and Australia — Luly Ahmed

Favorite St. Martin’s tradition Grandparents’ Day — Ben Hamer • 8th-graders eating outside on Fridays — Will McLaren • Halloween parade — Ansley Graves • The 5th-grade buddies walk across the green — Addie Newberry • School Dance — Helen Wamey • Field Day — Ian Castenfelt • Father-Daughter Dance — Joanna Graham • Sports assembly — Michael Lynch • The Clap Out — Katie Holmes • Ice cream on Fridays — Dilyn Penn • Festival Day — Parsa Pedram • Cookies and Carols — Kate Mitchell

Favorite memory as a student at St. Martin’s Mystery readers and Fun Fridays — Joseph McGhee • The 50-year anniversary photo — Grayson Seib • 7th-grade Camp Winshape — Rachel Trotter • Having an exchange student — Caroline Hatcher • Winning the Geography Bee in 6th and 7th grades — Will Tuggle • Cookie Company — Daniel Turner • Winning the science award — Ryan Pennington • Square dancing at the fall trip — Annie Quinn • My friends — Liam Cash • 50th-year photo — Walker Berryman • Going “into spaceâ€? in Mrs. Vandenboss’ kindergarten class — Mia Pistone • The Middle School musical in 6th grade — Allie Campbell • 7th-grade trip — Benjamin Nordstrom • The musical — Ciara Wilmath • 2017 Headmaster for a Day — Ella Cannon • The band trip — Quinn O’Connor • Universal band trip — Erik McKeithen • 6th grade baseball — Grant Gaffney • 8th-grade faculty hoopla basketball game — Drew Chastain • Receiving the MAAC All Star award for boys’ soccer — Charlie Seelke

Favorite activity outside smes Swimming — Skylar Murphy • Boy Scouts — Grayson Seib • Baseball — Ben Hamer • Tennis — Jack Fry • Football — William Fenstermacher • Soccer — Claire Gannon • Tennis — Warren Neel • Cheerleading — Sophia Halkos • Volleyball — Lura Underwood • Football — Walker Berryman • Sleepover camp — Allie Campbell • Swimming — Benjamin Nordstrom • Ice Hockey — Ryan Struckman • Ultimate Frisbee — Patton Jaynes • Baseball — Erik McKeithen • Soccer — Sam Alexander • Guitar — Hayes Pope • Basketball — Alex Norris

Looking forward to high school

8th GRADE GRADUATES

Driving — Ross Ackaway • The variety of classes — Lydia Davis • More freedom — Daniel Turner • High school sports — Grace Caroline Linam • Bigger grade and a new place — &RUGHOLD 7UDQÀHOG ‡ 7DNLQJ URERWLFV ³ :DUUHQ 1HHO ‡ $ IUHVK VWDUW ZKLOH VWLOO KDYLQJ OHVVRQV — Paris Adams • New people, more people — Kendall Buchanan • Meeting lots of people and being able to expand my mind —Drew Chastain

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RUNNING THE NUMBERS

on the

ERB Standardized testing is a snapshot of your child’s progress, so parents should take a holistic view of their child, which includes how well they perform in the classroom and not just on a standardized test. ERB recommends three years of scores to be able to accurately assess a child’s performance and progress in an area.

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By Dr. Mary McPherson Elementary School Principal Every April as the weather warms and the flowers bloom, the completion of another school year is top of mind. But there is one more springtime tradition to complete befrore spring fever sets in — ERB testing. Each spring, St. Martin’s suspends its regular instruction for a week in order to assess 3rd- through 8th-grade students in the most objective way possible: standardized testing.

Living in Atlanta, many local residents have a negative perception of the words “standardized testing” based on the wellpublicized cheating scandal associated with Atlanta Public Schools that happened a number of years ago. The ripple effect of this unfortunate event continues today as questions sometimes arise referencing “the scandal.” St. Martin’s parents are curious about whether SMES faculty members “teach to the test” and also how the school uses the data.

In fact, for St. Martin’s, it’s an important annual benchmark, but with limits. We do not believe in “high stakes testing” — testing that places inappropriate stress on students and faculty and ties results directly to teacher pay, student matriculation and other factors. But as a school grounded in providing quality education, there is quantitative and qualitative value in the information gleaned from administering a standardized tool that has been developed for high-achieving populations. As an independent school, St. Martin’s chooses to administer the Educational Records Bureau (ERB) Comprehensive Testing Program (CPT) which is an instrument developed primarily for students in independent schools (and a few public schools) not only in the the United States but around the world.

Why the ERB CTP? The Educational Records Bureau, a notfor-profit organization, was founded in 1927 by Dr. Charles K. Taylor to provide high-quality admission and curriculum assessment tools to independent and public schools so those schools could make well-informed decisions about

curriculum and instruction. Today, the organization currently serves more than 2,000 public and private member schools around the world. ERB has developed several tools which serve specific purposes. The CTP focuses on a school’s curriculum.

The CTP is a rigorous assessment (not a test of basic skills) for high-achieving students in the following areas: • Verbal Reasoning (3rd-8th) • Auditory Comprehension (3rd grade only) • Vocabulary (4th-8th) • Reading Comprehension(3rd-8th) • Writing Mechanics (3rd-8th) • Writing Concepts and Skills (3rd8th) • Quantitative Reasoning (3rd-8th) • Math (3rd-8th) There are two types of tests built into the CTP: reasoning and achievement.

The reasoning tests (verbal and quantitative) assesses a child’s ability.

These tests are more closely aligned with questions or objectives assessed on the SAT (think analogies). Achievement tests are assessing what the students have been taught and are able to apply.

The achievement tests are the ones that provide valuable feedback about instruction and curriculum.

Notice that 3rd grade is the first grade level listed for the individual testing areas. Though the ERB CTP has a 1stand 2nd- grade test, St. Martin’s feels that administering below 3rd grade is not developmentally appropriate and introduces stressors to young children that are not in line with the mission of the school. St. Martin’s uses measures within those grade levels to assess reading and math progress that are based on age and grade-level norms.

St. Martin’s and Standardized Testing St. Martin’s does not “teach to the test.”

For a standardized test to be a valid instrument and for the data to be of use to the school, faculty do not coach students on what to expect on the test.

We do provide a sample test so students are familiar with the format, but teachers do not share with them the objectives or questions to expect. In fact, teachers do not know questions that are asked on the test and have only a high-level understanding of the objectives for each

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THREE YEAR ERB CTP IV ANALYSIS (3RD-8TH) 2015-2017

subtest. Specifics are intentionally not shared with administrators or teachers as this helps to remove any possibility of tampering with student scores so that the school receives data that is as accurate as possible. Without test integrity, the school would not have a relevant understanding of areas of strength or areas of growth within its curriculum.

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SMES MEAN

INDEPENDENT MEAN

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INDEPENDENT MEAN

SMES MEAN

INDEPENDENT MEAN

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INDEPENDENT MEAN

340

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WRITING CONCEPTS AND SKILLS

WRITING MECHANICS

READING COMPREHENSION

VOCABULARY

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As of 2017, the administration of the test takes place online and is spread out over a four-day period with two subtests given each morning with Friday scheduled as a make-up day for students who were out sick. Students in 3rd and 4th grade use iPads while students in 5th through 8th use their Chromebooks for test administration. Homeroom/ advisory teachers administer the tests with the exception of students who have psychoeducational testing on file with the school that stipulates a

ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

student should receive extended time on standardized tests. These students still use a device for the test but are placed in a separate location with a faculty or staff member who oversees their testing sessions to ensure they receive the appropriate amount of time as recommended.

At the conclusion of the test administration, scores are analyzed

by ERB and the school receives communication when the data is available for viewing. St. Martin’s mails a copy of test scores to parents and offers to meet in person to discuss the scores and answer questions.

Often times, the data does not prove to be self-explanatory so an in-person discussion helps provide clarity of the scores to help parents understand areas of strength and areas of focus going forward.

Standardized Testing: A brief history Standardized testing is a well-known tool that has received a tremendous amount of attention in the last 20 years, but it is not a new tool used in the landscape of education. In fact, standardized testing dates as far back as the Han Dynasty in China, when it was used to identify people with appropriate skills for positions within the state bureaucracy.

The United States began widespread use of standardized testing when the College Entrance Examination Board implemented a testing instrument that created a standardized admissions tool for northeastern and elite universities in the late 1800s/ early 1900s. The first standardized tests were comprised of essays and were not intended for widespread testing.

In 1926 the College Board launched the first Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) that was used to determine a student’s intelligence, problem-solving skills and critical thinking ability. Within 30 years of the SAT entering the standardized testing arena, the American College Testing (ACT) test was launched wih a design focused on four core areas which introduced a multiple choice format assessing English, math, reading and

The real work of data analysis takes place over the summer when the elementary and middle school division principals look for trends over several years and between grade levels, identify students who may have struggled in specific areas and create reports that are shared with the teachers. In October, a division presentation is made where faculty members (grade level and co-curricular) discuss the data and how they can support any areas of growth.

A strong school is one where every faculty member and parent feels fully informed and empowered to help students succeed.

St. Martin’s works hard to ensure this collaboration takes place to make the most out of ERB results.

science. These are both well-known tools that are still the primary objective assessments used for entrance into American colleges and universities.

As with many education initiatives, they originate in higher education and trickle down to high school and, in most cases, lower schools. Such is the case with standardized testing when in 1965, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act mandated the use of standardized tests in public schools to help provide information to federal and state agencies about student progress that was based on standard objectives and competencies.

In 2001, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act took the next step in the use of standardized testing and linked test scores to accountability for public school systems that was directly tied to funding for resources and support staff but allowed individual states to set their own standards. In 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act replaced NCLB with a few provisions being adjusted from the earlier act, but the focus continues to be on accountability for school systems, schools and educators.

ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A THIRD GRADER?

VERBAL REAS

ONING (3rd Gr

ade)

Jamal and Aliso n have made up their own la nguage. In this language, tiff m eans “they are, ” bon lam means “we are,” and bo n sen means “we will.” How wou ld you say “they w ill” in Jamal and Alison’s langua ge?

(A) Tiff sen (B) Tiff bon (C) Bo n bon (D) Bon WRITING CONC tiff EPTS AND SKILL S (3rd Grade) Choose the op ening sentence that goes best paragrah. with the details in the When they arriv e there, the fem the warm lagoon ales give birth s. They journey in back in summer of the Arctic. to the cold wat ers (A) Gray whales push water out of their mouth (B) Gray whales s. feed by swimm in g on their sides.

(C) Some whale s live in the Nor th Atlantic.

(D) Gray whale s travel in the w inter to warm w MATH (3rd Gr eather. ade) Which of these could be the he ight of a stop si gn?

(A) 2 meters (B) 6 meters (C ) 80 0 centimeters (D) 1,000 centim eters

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Visions of Japan

By Christine McAleer, MS English Teacher

Time Sensitive: Unbelievable Opportunity email came across the desk of our middle school principal from the Consulate General of Japan. Four slots were available for SMES faculty members to join Riverwood High School and Ridgeview Middle School on a fully-funded trip to Japan through the Kakehashi Project, Japan’s Friendship Ties program.

The word ‘kakehashi’ means bridge, and the program promotes global understanding and trust.

Fifth-grade teacher Whitney Brooks, MS science teacher Brandon Collins, SMES Director of Academic Technology Kinshasa Msola and I were the lucky staff members chosen to go.

Our mission: Exploring Japan, researching the Kakehashi Project, developing curricular ties and global thinking opportunities and assessing the feasibility of St. Martin’s Middle School students participating in the program in the future.

My memories, like the pages of my journal and the photos and bits of

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short video, do not create a fullyformed narrative, so the best I can do is to describe some of my individual recollections. Maybe because I am an English teacher, I categorize these memories using the definition of the noun: persons, places, things and ideas.

PEOPLE Tomo was our guide and interpreter.

A slim, bespectacled, soft-spoken young man always clad in a navy blue suit, Tomo led us through Tokyo and Otawara with a grace and patience I’ve rarely witnessed. Smiling gently, he answered our questions, gave us tips for behavior in Japan, taught us about its history, people and culture and kept our schedule precise. Our comfort and safety were his main concerns. How else to explain the magical offering of a fork I received with each meal following that first dinner in Tokyo?

PLACES Oh, the places we went! On that first chilly, rainy day in Tokyo, we visited The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation— known as the Miraikan— filled with people, experiments and robots, and then to Asakusa to visit the Buddhist temple,

ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

Sensoji. My memories are red, gold and black. I recall curved roofs, a giant lantern, cherry blossoms just beginning to burst, a crowded but festive outdoor market at dusk in the rain and the healing smoke of an incense pot. From there we went to the Fukagawa Edo Museum, a dark-wood replica of mid19th-century Tokyo before it was Tokyo.

The following day began with a lecture on Japan’s foreign policy at the foreign ministry. Then at Toyama High School, we replaced our shoes with slippers and slid and clomped self-consciously through the spotless windowed hallways and up and down the cool marbled steps to classrooms surprisingly devoid of technology, yet obviously filled with learning. That afternoon, we traveled by bus through farmland with snowcapped mountain peaks in the distance to Otawara City in Tochigi Prefecture where we stayed at Hotel Kagetsu perched on the banks of a shallow, clear, swiftly moving river. How beautiful it was to wake up to the sun shining on the water and to the sound of the river’s current through the open window.

The next morning our bus passed through rice farms, pear orchards and

a few small towns to reach the Nikko Toshogu Shrine in the forest at the foothills of those snow-capped peaks.

It’s a 400-year-old Shinto shrine of white and gold filled with carvings and paintings of tigers, dragons, monkeys and cats. The shogun buried there watches over Japan. Back at Otawara City Hall, city officials greeted us warmly and gave us a presentation about their city and the surrounding area.

When the question and answer period ended, it was time for the children to meet their host families.

We dropped in on two groups of students during their homestay.We saw a traditional Japanese home and met a welcoming family. Four American boys made paper, cut bamboo and ate the sweetest fresh strawberries in the world. We observed some of the girls, dressed in elegant kimonos, as they judged a photography contest at the community center.

THINGS At every departure, the people waved to us. Every purchase is wrapped with care and style; each meal is artwork. Colorful vending machines dispensing hot and cold beverages dot the streets of every

town. Unaccompanied children walk around Tokyo in safety. The bullet trains rocket past the platform. Canals crisscross Tokyo, the never-ending city called Venice of the East. Sleeping cats, roaring dragons, all kinds of lucky creatures populate the shrines and temples.

Everything is spotlessly clean.

IDEAS Ideas fill my head: In the aftermath of the tsunami and nuclear disaster, Japan has installed solar panels. The foreign ministry official emphasizes the United States’ responsibility toward Japan since World War II. Tomo explains Japanese spirituality which springs from Animism mixed with Shinto, Buddhism, and Christianity. Will robots and tourism save this aging society? I wish Americans were as polite as the Japanese.

I’ll always remember the melancholy beauty of the Tokyo streets in the rain, the kindness of those we encountered, cherry blossoms in full bloom on our last day, the host families singing “Hometown” to say goodbye. More, I look forward to exploring further how to best find means of intergrating this opportunity into our SMES program.

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The 16th annual St. Martin’s Golf Tournament was held on a chilly spring day at Cherokee Country Club to raise money for the St. Martin’s Endowment Fund. The day began with a putting contest, followed by a shotgun start for the 26 teams of golfers as they hit the links. On the fourth hole, golfers could pay to have a middle school golf team member drive for them. At the end of the day, participants enjoyed a dinner, raffle and ceremony to celebrate the tournament winners. The event raised more than $52,000 for the Endowment Fund.

A special thank you to the golf committee, volulnteers, players and sponsors for a very successful tournament!

golf

Tourney

A Par-Tee FORE! SMES

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First Place Team – Capital Investment Advisors: Thomas Moore, Bryan Rea, Mike Reiner, Tim Gartland Second Place Team — Riveron Consulting: Nathan Childers, John King, Geoff Tirone, Chad Porter Third Place Team— The Peters Company: Andy Peters, Will Acree, Steve Callaham, Josh Salkin Putting Contest Winner: Josh Salkin (The Peters Company) Closest to the Pin: Brian Rea 13’ 1” Longest Drive: Eric Leister

ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

A message from our 2017-18 PTO co-presidents ach year the PTO strives to enrich the St. Martin’s community by organizing events to create fellowship with SMES families and faculty, raise money to donate to the school and plan events and gift opportunities specifically to show our appreciation for our fabulous teachers and staff.

We are proud to report another successful year and want to express our gratitude to everyone who donated their time, talents and financial resources to support the PTO. A special thanks goes to our PTO executive board who met weekly to ensure all events were communicated, run efficiently, and every penny was tracked. A huge applause to all of our PTO chairs who organized and planned our 40 plus programs and events, and especially Emily Milsaps and Jennifer O’Leary to Kelly Greene, who successfully chaired the second Winter Social. Lastly, our thanks to the Board of Trustees and school staff for their continued support of the PTO. We could not have done it without you all!

Golf Committee Mike Park, Chair Patrick Fleming Chuck Lisowski Brad Buie Scott Mathis Matthew DiVenere Jared Lisenby

The 2017-18 school year gave the PTO the opportunity to welcome a new Head of School, Dr. Luis Ottley. Helping him become oriented with the PTO and the SMES community while also learning from his wealth of experience was a tremendous privilege. Through his leadership, we believe the school, PTO and Board of Trustees will continue to work closely together to create even more positive impacts on our school going forward.

The PTO made a conscious effort this year to reduce demands on volunteers and improve the efficiency and enjoyment of each event. We are pleased to provide a detailed account of our fundraising efforts and how our donation to the school will be allocated in the annual report provided by the school this fall. We do want to highlight that the Winter Social raised more than $100,000! Those funds, in addition to money raised from our other PTO events, will be donated to help rebuild the Early Childhood building and continue the PTO’s support of the school.

Rob Eskew Eric Leister Chuck MacPhee Santiago Tagtachian

We are grateful for the support of each of you and the opportunity to lead the PTO this year. Our successors, Tricia Anderson and Katie Challen, and their seven-member executive board will welcome and appreciate the same support as they strive to make the 2018-2019 school year even better.

Tim Gartland

Sincerely,

Emily Milsaps and Jennifer O’Leary PATTERNS

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events | Spring ‘18

PTO PTO PTO PTO 36

Winter 2018

Starstruck - Celebrity VIParty The SMES PTO rolled out the red carpet for 250 “celebrities” in attendance at the PTO Winter Social: “Starstruck—Celebrity VIParty.” At this memorable event, “celebrity” guests dressed in amazing costumes took to the dance floor in the school gym to enjoy a night with friends and to show their support for St. Martin’s.

Congratulations to individual costume winner Michael Glenn who brought style to the stage as Prince, and to group/couple winners Carye and Jeff Riley who wowed the crowd with their Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton costumes. The biggest winners of the night were Natalie and James Moore, who won the $5,000 off tuition raffle for the 2018-2019 school year. The event raised more than $100,000 and the PTO will donate the earnings to support the capital campaign to fund the Early Childhood building.

Father-Daughter Dance

a

The St. Martin’s gym was transformed using twinkling lights, masquerade-themed decorations and balloons for the annual Father-Daughter Dance. Beautifully dressed girls and their dads or special guests wore mysterious masks while they danced the night away. In line with SMES tradition, each girl received a special charm and the 8th-grade girls were presented with personalized necklaces. There was barely a dry eye in the house while the 8th-grade girls enjoyed last dance with their dads at SMES.

PTO Spring Flowers In the midst of a particularly dreary weather spell, the St. Martin’s PTO brought spring to life inside the school! For this annual spring flowers tradition, PTO parents shower the SMES faculty and staff with beautiful spring flowers in vases adorned with colorful ribbons.

ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

volunteers

Spotlighting Jennifer and Roger House Jennifer and Roger House have been a part of the St. Martin’s family since their daughter Stella started Pre-K. Jennifer has volunteered for PTO events including Fall Festival, Book Fair, Winter Social, Holiday Decorating, Father-Daughter Dance and Field Day. Classroom activities have included Room Rep, Mystery Reader, Fun Friday and parties. She served on the Parents Council this year and will be co-chairing the Fall Book Fair and Spirit Events for the 2018-19 school year.

Roger is currently a member of the SMES Board of Trustees, chairs the Together We Rise capital campaign and serves on the Strategic Planning and St. Martin’s Fund committees. He has also volunteered for the Shoe Drive and Field Day.

As current SM ES families, it is the responsibi lity of all of us to l and feel oo sch s thi for on ssi pa a t take We have funded with this not jus ing be ts jec pro the t tha strongly advantage of , but vital to ile wh rth wo t jus t no are campa ign what those opportunit y to use the school’s fut ure. It’s an before us have ly the SM ES ral to ips sh on ati rel d an my ski lls put into place, t the projec ts ou ab ed cit ex t ge to ity commun but to keep te du ring this and their abilit y to contr ibu build ing and s of e. tim g excitin improving for fut ure classe ll. students and families as we rtin’s important Ma St. for ing ais dr fun W hy is special to your to your family?

W hat makes St. Martin’s family? school. It takes e place. We are St. Martin’s is an amazing St. Martin’s is tru ly a uniqu ff, sta the all e vid getting an amazing funds beyond tuition to pro confident our daughter is ce pla the it ke ma spirit ua lly and facilities and programs to education — academical ly, of e tim a in is ES out the whole child, we all love. Right now, SM emotionally. It rea lly is ab t tha ts jec pro l na tio , she’ll be prepared need for some transfor ma and when she leaves SM ES el. lev r he hig n eve d beyond have in wi ll take our school to an for whatever high school an to r yea a great ry eve t ou gh ou en as a 1st grader, she has Ev r. he for We all donate money thr re sto st happy and if we’re hone being a SM ES student, is in de pri of se various charitable causes, sen probably do more. happy when we pick with ourselves, we can all when we drop her off and It’s important her up. That’s priceless. the d lea to us to many like-minded, charge to focus As parents, we have met so wi ll be life-long o our entire school generous and fun people wh l to our family; it cia community’s friends. SM ES isn’t just spe s ort eff le charitab is a family. n ow r for ou school right now. air the hy did you volunteer to ch mpaign? ca l ita Together We Rise cap

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It’s Good to

Sweat the Small Stuff in Pre-K

By Lauren Frutiger, Pre-K Teacher

You may not know this, but four- and five-yearolds are messy.

They absolutely need to report something extremely important every four-and-a-half minutes. They hug frequently, when they are both sick and well.

They are little tape recorders and have no qualms about repeating what was said the day before. Their creativity is boundless and even household items like tin foil and cornstarch are, by all accounts, the most amazing things ever. Upon entering a PreKindergarten classroom, most people are amazed at how extraordinarily loud it is. The volume is impressive and to the average person perhaps a bit overwhelming.

This is exactly what learning sounds like for a Pre-K student at St. Martin’s.

Imagine 15 little minds and bodies fully experiencing the world around them. The typical four- or five-yearold is building, knocking down, singing, counting, yelling and even tasting the world around them all the time. The tasting aspect is why most early childhood teachers have the immune systems of super heroes.

Every fall, these amazing little humans march into St. Martin’s classrooms, usually with a bookbag as big as they are, with huge eyes surveying the new place that will become their home away from home. Sometimes there are tears or frantic dashes to the door for one last hug from mom or dad. Some of them need to be held, just for a bit. Others bound right in and immediately jump into the new environment with no fear. Either way, after a few days, most of them have grown comfortable and their little personalities have begun to emerge. That’s when the fun begins.

A typical Pre-K child is gregarious and incredibly honest. He or she says really wonderful and inappropriate things at times— not having the social filter that develops with age. They are very concerned about classmates, teachers and the world around them.

A stubbed toe or bumped head never goes unnoticed and simply has to be reported. Social situations are still tricky. And, inevitably, there are arguments and misunderstandings between friends. The sound and the fury of a four-year-old who doesn’t get his or her way is spectacular—and not in a good way. But like a brief thunderstorm, these tantrums don’t last and it’s not unusual to see the still tear-stained face laughing hysterically the next moment.

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ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

geared to keeping their bodies moving as they focus on phonemic awareness. The program teaches a physical movement or signal that corresponds with each letter of the alphabet. Studies have shown that adding movement to literacy activities helps cement new information in a young child’s mind.

And it goes without saying that a typical four- or five-year-old child absolutely must move. The day begins with a morning meeting including a short devotion and an overview of the day ahead— this lasts no longer than seven or eight minutes. Then, they are off and running. Small groups gather to review fine motor skills using tweezers, stickers, rubber bands, hole punches and clothes pins—anything that requires a child to twist and pull or exert force with their fingers.

Early childhood teachers realize that children don’t just naturally know how to share or how to communicate appropriately with their peers. These are learned behaviors. Each and every day in Pre-K there are numerous opportunities to work on these skills that are the foundation of social development.

The argument over a toy immediately transforms into a life lesson on how to react when we don’t get what we want.

Furrowed brows and gentle sighs are signs that important work is being done.

A little bit of a struggle is a good thing for a child. When a child struggles with an activity and then succeeds, something very important happens—they have ownership of their success. Certainly it is easier for parents and teachers to open the snack or zip the coat, but it’s amazing

to watch a child try to do something only to master the task on their own.

Particularly momentous moments happen sometimes. An entire class can participate in learning when a boy tries desperately to zip his coat on his own and the class cheers wildly upon hearing the most wonderful sound as the zipper suddenly slides into place. It’s that peer support that helps the boy master the task of zipping, and he becomes more confident in other areas as well. It’s all of these little things that help move their development to the next level of kindergarten readiness.

My personal view...

When I began my teaching career, I already knew that I adored small children. In college, I taught four- and five-year-olds’ creative movement classes. Their exuberance and curiosity were so uplifting and contagious that I knew this was what I wanted to do with my life. When I began my teaching career many years ago, St. Martin’s— though smaller then—was still filled with classroom teachers that challenged

The moment a child realizes that they actually have to wait their turn to speak is usually earth-shattering, “You mean, I can’t just talk when I want to talk?”

Through patience and repetition—lots and lots of repetition—these life skills start to take hold. But certainly, there are days that the children just seem to be annoyed with everything. At this age, the skinned knee is catastrophic and the bumped head requires an ice pack— immediately. There is no room in these intense little beings for measured, calm responses. When mom or dad forgets to pack snack, the world is ending. When mom packs the most amazing snack the world has ever seen, the joy is palpable.

Every day in Pre-K at St. Martin’s is extremely busy. Emerging life and social skills and laying the foundation for emergent readers is only part of a day’s work. The Zoophonics curriculum is PATTERNS

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and nurtured students. I have been lucky enough to teach Beginners and Pre-Kindergarten at SMES and these tiny little people are truly the pride and joy of St. Martin’s. They scamper down the hall in more of a cluster than a line, attracting the attention and adoration of everyone who passes.

When they transition to Pre-K, the question I hear most often from parents is, “What should we be working on?”

This question comes from a wonderful place, the desire for their child to be best that he or she can be. Whether or not their child is writing his or her first and last name or coloring perfectly doesn’t even come into play when I answer.

Certainly there are benchmarks that we, as teachers, observe. But usually my answer is something very simple. Cook with your child. Take a deep breath when most of the ingredients end up on

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your counter. Play games with your child and let them lose. Have a day free from technology and screens. Go outside with your child and lie in the grass—observe the clouds, look for insects. These are incredibly important life lessons. The moments your child will remember are not that they were the first in their class to read, but those fleeting moments when they had your undivided attention.

When the fire ripped through our beloved EC wing last summer, I remember sitting and poring over photographs of me in my classroom with my students. I felt such complete and utter loss when I considered every scrap and note from parents and children that I had squirreled away over 15 years of teaching was just gone. Inexplicably, I had taken one important treasure home that summer— a beautiful collage of the sun that my class had created for me

ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

when I was about to give birth to my son.

I had never taken it home over summer break. But for some reason, I grabbed it on my way out the door and stashed it in the trunk of my car.

The caption on the painting says, “Good morning, sunshine.” This message—so simple, yet so profound after experiencing such a tremendous loss, fully encapsulates why I love what I do and why I am so excited to begin this new chapter for St. Martin’s Early Childhood in our new space.

Terrible things happen, but the sun rises each morning and life goes on. My students show me this on a daily basis.

They are resilient and strong. They are smart and funny. They make me a better teacher and a better person.

Intercambio a PanamáSegunda Parte (Panamá Exchange - Part Two) s a follow up to last fall’s inagural inbound student exhange program at St. Martin’s, nine SMES students are spending two weeks with families from The Episcopal School of Panamá (TESP) located in Panama City, Panamá this June.

This exciting adventure will allow SMES students to experience cultural immersion while staying with their Panamanian host families. Students will also attend school and after-school activities (the Panamanian school year runs from Jan.- Sept.), volunteer at an orphanage and take field trips to surrounding areas including the Panamá Canal, the city’s historic zone and an Embera village.

Also during their stay, students will take Spanish classes to enhance their language immersion. This trip is the outbound component of the program and follows last fall’s inbound Exchange Program where St. Martin’s hosted five students from TESP. Three of the St. Martin’s host sisters, recent graduates Annie Quinn, Alex Norris, and Caroline Hatcher, are in the group traveling to Panamá as part of the outbound exchange.

The St. Martin’s Panamá exchange students include front row (l-r): rising 8th-graders Cele Camp, Carson Lott, Stella Jane Eskew, and Tanner Grady; second row (l-r): rising 9th-graders Caroline Hatcher, Annie Quinn, Alex Norris, Ryan Hoad, and rising 8th-grader Jack Schmitt. Not pictured, the chaperones include four SMES faculty and staff members: Head of School Luis Ottley, Chaplain Stefanie Taylor, Middle School Administrative Assistant Marianne Auson, Middle School Principal Tony Shaffer; and SMES alumni Olivia Haas (SMES class of 2010).

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Delivering

Soles to Souls in Haiti

By: Mother Stefanie Taylor

As part of a new, school-wide service initiative, St. Martin’s families collected 300 pairs of brand new shoes to benefit a school in Nan Mango, Haiti.

St. Martin’s parent and Board of Trustees Chair, Richard Jaynes, personally delivered the shoes to the children in the village.

Read on to learn how this project directly affected this Haitian community.

La Gonave Haiti Partners is a mutual mission of the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti and various U.S. churches with ten local communities. It began 30 years ago and has evolved into a thriving , multifaceted partnership that has helped local communities by building a school for children, teaching people how to plant food and providing nutrition. Each village contains a church and primary school that serve as community centers for the surrounding rural area.

About ten years ago, two St. Martin’s parents, Richard Jaynes and Jewell Sanders, visited Haiti to see how they could help. Upon arrival in Nan Mango, it was clear that malnourishment was a problem. More, they learned that worms

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inside the childrens’ bodies leeching nutrients from them were a key factor.

Why did the children have worms?

Because they didn’t have shoes. While walking on rocks and sticks, they would get cuts on their feet and then walk through dirty streets, giving the worms the chance to enter their bodies.

The Catch 22: a nutrition program won’t help if the kids have worms, and a de-worming program won’t help unless the kids have shoes. Essentially, if kids in Haiti don’t have shoes, they could end up becoming severely malnourished and some even die.

Richard and Jewell made their first trip three years ago and delivered 300 pairs of shoes. As those shoes are now worn out or outgrown, it was decided to involve the school in the quest to provide more shoes. As the Nan Mango school is a K-8th grade school with students of similar age, SMES was a perfect match.

The goal: To collect one pair of shoes from each SMES family and equip the kids in Haiti with shoes to combat their problem.

The SMES drive collected about 300 pairs of shoes and Richard personally delivered them to the children in Haiti.

ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

Each child stood in line for a sign-in process to receive their shoes since each pair is so precious to them.

St. Martin’s is a place that thrives on relationships. Service is about exchange.

Service is about offering gifts in exchange for another’s gifts. Service is bridging communities and taking on the suffering of one group in exchange for theirs. St. Martin’s plans to continue to get to know the school in Haiti and find ways to develop the relationship with the goal of enriching both communities.

Already, St. Martin’s students are learning how and why this project took place. They helped collect and organize the shoes and are editing video footage from Richard’s trip for a Warrior TV story. With more knowledge comes more understanding, and the more that’s shared with Haiti, the more they learn about St. Martin’s.

The relationship between the two schools will continue to evolve, one step at a time.

Grandparents’ Day

St. Martin’s Maart r in’s w welcomed ellcomed d mo m more re than thaan 130 0 grandparents g andpar gr are ents to ca campus amp mpus ffor orr the annual annual M Middle iddle Sc id School cho ool Grandparents’ Grand nd dparentts’’ Day. Visitors Visittor o s and th ttheir eir grandc grandchildren d hi hild ld dre en enjoye enjoyed yed d br b breakfast eakf kfas ast and sp special pec e ial mu musi musical s call p pe performances rforma maances including inc nclu lu uding ssongs on ngs fro from om th the he mi m middle ddle e sschool c ool mu ch musi musical, s cal, "Al "Alice Alic icce in Wond Wonderland der erla l nd Jr. Jr." r."" Gr G Grandparents andp parren e ts also alsso enjo enjoyed oyed ye e open opening ning in n remarks remaarkks from mH Head ead off SSchool chool Dr Dr.r. Luis O Ottley, tttley, y ab blessing le essing g le led ed byy 8th 8th-graders h-g graderss A Allie llie Cam Campbell mpb p ell an and nd JJack ack Fryy and an aaddress Fr ddress b byy St. Martin’s Mart Ma rttin’s Fund d grand gr grandparent dpar aren e t co-chair co-ccha hair D Doug oug g Jo JJohnson. h so hn on.

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Early Childhood construction underway

By Kristi Gaffney Director of Marketing

pring is traditionally a time of renewal, and the St. Martin’s campus experienced just that with the muchanticipated construction groundbreaking of the new Early Childhood learning center. With the original building leveled and ready to go, the official ceremony took place in late April. Since then, an abundance of construction activity has been going on as Phase I takes shape.

Mounds of dirt have been excavated to create the foundation for the lower level, and many hands have worked

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to ready the space for pipes and other foundational materials.

of-the-art science lab and the bulk of the division’s administrative space.

The summer months will bring more activity to the job site. The first- level concrete will be poured and the structural steel "frame out" will be erected. In addition, metal studs will be installed to create the exterior walls.

When school starts in mid-August, the building will look much more like a building!

The new building will offer a 21stcentury learning space designed specifically to serve the needs of Early Childhood students. This transformative new space will add a level below the first floor to more than double the size of the original Claiborne Hall within the same building footprint. An engaging new entrance will welcome children and their families to St. Martin’s, and students and faculty will enjoy eight new classrooms; a multi-purpose space to be used for lunch, meetings, performances and other activities; and a STEAM village including an expanded science lab,

The project was necessitated in response to a devastating arson fire set last July 4.

The fire destroyed almost 9,000 square feet of the Early Childhood wing of St. Martin’s, including classrooms, a state-

ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

tinker space, art room and an outdoor classroom and natural play area.

In addition to the Early Childhood project, the Elementary STEAM lab will undergo an outdoor expansion, and the turf on the green space connecting Warrior Hall to the Middle School

EC Lower Lobby

building will be replaced. The turf is a high-traffic area used for recess and many other daily activities and serves all three divisions of the school.

The building project will be primarily funded by a capital campaign that will supplement insurance and school

resources to replace the loss with a facility that’s better suited for the school’s current and future needs. The Together We Rise campaign has already generated an unprecedented amount in gifts and pledges from the St. Martin’s Board of Trustees. Stay tuned for an official campaign launch this fall!

ES Outdoor STEAM Lab

EC Science Lab (lobby view) PATTERNS

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AWARDS Girls A Basketball

Golf

ALL MAAC CONFERENCE AWARD Alex Norris

ALL MAAC CONFERENCE AWARD Paris Adams Ross Ackaway

WARRIOR AWARD Ella Cannon MOST IMPROVED Cele Camp Claire Gannon

WARRIOR AWARD Drew Chastain MOST IMPROVED Sam Alexander

Boys A Basketball

Baseball

ALL MAAC CONFERENCE AWARD William Fenstermacher

WARRIOR AWARD Daniel Simontacchi DEFENSIVE MVP Daniel Turner Erik McKeithen

WARRIOR AWARD Patton Jaynes MOST IMPROVED Drew Chastain Walker Berryman

OFFENSIVE MVP Edward Hires

Girls B Basketball WARRIOR AWARD Emma Simon

ALL MAAC CONFERENCE AWARD Edward Hires

MOST IMPROVED Carly Kritzer Charlotte Lord

WARRIOR AWARD Austin Easterly Ryan Lisowski

HUSTLE AWARD Sophia Henry

MOST IMPROVED Patton Jaynes

Boys B Basketball

Girls Soccer

WARRIOR AWARD Matthew Aronowitz Bryant Lisenby

ALL MAAC CONFERENCE AWARD Reese Black

HUSTLE AWARD Quinn O’Conner

WARRIOR AWARD Sophie Steck Grace Caroline Linam Mia Pistone

Girls C Basketball

YPL

WARRIOR AWARD Elizabeth McCall

Tennis

MOST IMPROVED Skyla Harris Erielle Harris

ALL MAAC CONFERENCE AWARD J.D. Ford Anna Miles Taylor

HUSTLE AWARD Tally Walsh

Sports Wrap-Up

By Keona Jones, Athletics Intern

WINTER The A-Girls basketball team had a terrific season and finished with an impressive 7-3 record. Coach Walker’s B-Girls showed tremendous dedication as a team, putting up 2,000 collective shots during Christmas break. The team ended the season with a 19-18 win against Ridgeview. The C-Girls finished their season having tons of fun. Everyone made improvements and learned fundamentals that are sure to carry them to the next stage.

The A-Boys team turned in a stellar effort all season to make it to the playoffs. Their level of play and progression as a team were great to watch throughout the season. The SMES B-Boys team had a great run this year, finishing 6-3. The team was great on offense and jelled as a team on and off the court. The C-Boys team went on a sixgame win streak after losing the first game of the season to end with a 6-1 record overall. Due to their hard work and dedication, Coach Haddow’s team became the first C team to play in the B team tournament.

WARRIOR AWARD Jack Fry Caroline Koziol

Boys C Basketball WARRIOR AWARD JD Ford Wyatt Alford MOST IMPROVED Nathan Altiery HUSTLE AWARD Chase Stewart

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ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

SPRING

The girls’ soccer team played well all season. Their disciplined play led to big wins and a 5-1 record to end the season. The team made it to the finals to face a familiar tough opponent in Atlanta International School.

Despite the loss, the team and coaching staff are proud of their season.

The baseball team fought hard all season, pulling in several wins and earning a spot in the Division B playoffs.

To round out the year, the spring season was one to remember.

The golf and tennis teams were on fire, bringing MAAC championship trophies back home!

SMES tennis got off to a hot start during regular season play and rolled into the MAAC Championship with only one loss against six wins during the season. The girls’ team came out striking in the match against AIS, steamrolling to a hardfought championship win. The boys’ team fought hard in the semi-finals but Galloway pulled away and eventually advanced to become the champions.

Going into the season, the golf team was considered stiff competition and dominated the MAAC from the beginning. The team carried only one loss into the Scramble Championship. At Steel Canyon, St. Martin’s shot a seven-under to win the MAAC championship. What a way to punctuate a stellar season!

In the first round of the post season, SMES took on Dunwoody-Blue. The team fought hard, even seeing a 4-3 lead before Dunwoody put together a game-winning stretch to advance. The Warriors remained positive all season and are proud of their accomplishments.

The Youth Passing League team had a great season and everyone on the team was productive, leading to significant wins against tough teams in the league. Defensively, the players worked hard and used that perseverance to lead them to solid offensive performances. The A Team went on to win the end-of-theyear tournament.

Way to go, Warriors

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PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE Sarah Johnson, SMES Class of 2008 ^ĂƌĂŚ :ŽŚŶƐŽŶ ũƵƐƚ ĐŽŵƉůĞƚĞĚ ŚĞƌ ƐĞĐŽŶĚ ;ĂŶĚ ĮŶĂůͿ LJĞĂƌ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŶĂƟŽŶĂů dĞĂĐŚ ĨŽƌ ŵĞƌŝĐĂ ƉƌŽŐƌĂŵ͘ ^ŚĞ ŚĂƐ ǁŽƌŬĞĚ ĂƐ Ă ϰƚŚͲ ŐƌĂĚĞ ƚĞĂĐŚĞƌ Ăƚ ^ĂůůLJĞ ͘ DĂƚŚŝƐ ůĞŵĞŶƚĂƌLJ ^ĐŚŽŽů͕ Ă dŝƚůĞ y ƐĐŚŽŽů ŝŶ :ĂĐŬƐŽŶǀŝůůĞ͕ &ůĂ͕͘ ǁŚĞƌĞ ƐŚĞ ƚĂƵŐŚƚ ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ƌĞĂĚŝŶŐ͘ ͞/ ŚĂĚ ƚŚĞ ƉƌŝǀŝůĞŐĞ ŽĨ ǁŽƌŬŝŶŐ ǁŝƚŚ ƐŽŵĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ ĂŵĂnjŝŶŐ ƐƚƵĚĞŶƚƐ͕͟ ƐĂŝĚ ^ĂƌĂŚ͘ ͞dŚĞLJ ŚĂǀĞ ƵŶůŝŵŝƚĞĚ ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ĂŶĚ ĞǀĞƌLJ ĚĂLJ ŝŶǀŽůǀĞƐ ŵŽƟǀĂƟŶŐ ƚŚĞŵ ƚŽ ďĞ ƚŚĞ ďĞƐƚ ƚŚĂƚ ƚŚĞLJ ĐĂŶ ďĞ͘͟ ^ĂƌĂŚ͛Ɛ ŚŽďďŝĞƐ ŝŶĐůƵĚĞ ŐŽŝŶŐ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ďĞĂĐŚ ĂŶĚ ƐƉĞŶĚŝŶŐ ƟŵĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĨƌŝĞŶĚƐ ĂŶĚ ĨĂŵŝůLJ͘ ͞/ ĂůƐŽ ůŽǀĞ ĞĂƟŶŐ ĐŚŝƉƐ ĂŶĚ ƋƵĞƐŽ ǁŝƚŚ ŵLJ ƐŝƐƚĞƌ͘͟

St. Pius X College University of Georgia Bachelor of Arts in Internal Affairs; Minor in Human Development and Global Studies

High School Degree

Something special you learned at SMES:

The most important thing I learned at SMES was to step out of my

comfort zone. Being able to get involved and take on leadership roles during my elementary and middle school years is something that has carried me forward in my education and professional life.

Favorite SMES tradition: Festival

Person I’d most like to meet

Day

Dream Job: Marine

Biologist

Favorite celebrity: Steve

Irwin

Alexander Hamilton. I really wish I could have helped write the Constitution.

Most influential SMES teacher

My 4th-grade teacher, Ms. England. Now that I am a 4th-grade teacher, I

think about her almost every day. “What would Mrs. England do?” “Did I do this in Mrs. England’s class?” etc. I still remember that she used to read a chapter book out loud to us during the school day and I absolutely loved this time. So, I started reading a chapter book to my 4th graders this year and they also love it. We are currently reading “Holes” and they never stop begging me to read to them. Ms. England was the first teacher who taught me how to truly love reading.

Favorite place to visit

Paris

Favorite book

Favorite way to give back? Small

East of Eden, by John Steinbeck

acts of kindness go a long way every day and I think that being kind is the

most underrated version of giving back. One of my favorite quotes says, “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” -Desmond Tutu.

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class notes 1996 Caitlin Goodrich Jones and husband Wes welcomed twins on March 15 — daughter Stella Pierce and son Porter Evens. The family lives in Atlanta's Reynoldstown neighborhood. Caitlin is director of communications for Pace Academy.

2008 Courtney Wesa graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a degree in architectural sciences and is currently working as an architectural associate for Flad Architects in Atlanta.

2010 William Boor recently graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in risk management insurance and was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon, FSU Ultimate Frisbee, the Real Estate Society and Gamma Iota Sigma. He currently works at Lighthouse Insurance in Orlando.

William Boor

Caitlin Goodrich Jones with husband Wes and infant twins

2012

Brendan Phillips graduated magna cum laude from Georgia Tech in less than four years with a degree in industrial engineering.

In the summer of 2017, he interned with Goldman Sachs and currently works at Bridgewater Associates in Westport, Conn. Brendan lives in New York City with his brother, Jordan Phillips, SMES Class of 2004.

Brittany Walsh is a rising junior at Elon University. She spent the spring semester of her sophomore year studying abroad in Seville, Spain. She began to develop her love for Spanish with her “amazing teachers at SMES” and was so happy to be immersed in the language she loves.

2013 John Morrison

Brendan Phillips

John Morrison graduated from the University of Alabama in 2017 with a 4.0 GPA. He completed his undergraduate work in three years with degrees in finance and economics. He was also a long snapper and then a student coaching assistant for the Alabama football team, for which he earned a National Championship ring. John will begin Harvard Law School in the fall and is interested in appellate litigation.

Will Ver Meulen is a rising sophomore at Samford University, where he is studying English and law and made the dean’s list.

Ryan Connor currently works as a tour manager for upand-coming local artists Atlas Greene, 3lo, JordanxBell, and Davis Woods. This summer he is interning for seven weeks in Haiti with Praying Pelican Missions. Each week, he will lead high school trips to various locations in Haiti, including Port-au-Prince and Les Cayes.

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class notes

Jack McGinnis graduated from Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School in 2017, and is taking a gap year to pursue stage acting and writing before he attends Bard College in the fall. He recently played the messenger and a member of the watch in Georgia State University’s production of “Much Ado About Nothing.”

they will be entered into the national competition.

She was also selected as a 2017-18 Isdell Global Leader (IGLs), charged with months of research, travel and conversations in an effort to understand conservation issues at home and abroad.

They brought the IGLs' findings back to Pace and will lead their classmates in improving conservation at school and in their personal lives.

Elizabeth Anne Goines signed with Georgia Southern University to play tennis in the fall.

She graduated from Riverwood International Charter School.

Catherine Ballard graduated from Bishop England High School and will attend the University of South Carolina in the fall.

Diane DeLany graduated from St. Pius X Catholic High School and will attend the University of Georgia in the fall.

Elizabeth Anne Goines

Watson Coker graduated from Marist School, where he was a MOSAIC board member and attended the Student Diversity Leadership Conference. In the fall, he will attend the Honors College of the University of Alabama.

Kimberly Amacher graduated from Dunwoody High School, where she was Interact Club secretary, participated in student government and successfully completed her school’s Marketing Pathway and Finance Academy. She will attend Florida State University in the fall.

Gavin Guest graduated from Pace Academy, where he was varsity football captain, lettered in varsity football for four years and was part of a state championship football team. He also earned three varsity baseball letters, participated in honor council and was a school ambassador.

He will attend Auburn University in the fall.

Jack McGinnis played a messenger in GSU’s production of “Much Ado About Nothing.”

2014 Weldon Kolkner graduated from St. Pius X Catholic High School and signed with the University of Georgia to play soccer in the fall.

Pace Academy senior Molly Richardson was selected as a Gold Key winner in photography for the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. She and Abby Ray (SMES ‘15) will have work displayed in Savannah and

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Lily Bennett graduated from Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, where she participated in cross country, track, National Honor Society and the national honor societies for social studies and Spanish. She will attend the University of Georgia in the fall.

ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

Paige Demba graduated from Pace Academy, where she performed lead and feature roles in multiple school theatre productions, was awarded the Pace Academy Arts Lifetime Achievement Award and was a featured soloist, vice president, secretary and librarian for the school chorus.

Paige was also the president of the International Thespian Society, and a National Honor Society member and participated in Pace Knightingales and Troubadours Choral Ensembles. She will pursue a BFA in acting at Ball University beginning in the fall.

Paige Demba

class notes Luke Hale graduated from Marist School, where he was National Honor Society vice president, Spanish Honor Society secretary, a Math Honor Society member and high jumper for the varsity track team. He will attend Clemson University in the fall.

Callie Maloney graduated from Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School and will attend Sewanee: The University of the South in the fall.

Melina Haralabakis graduated from Wesleyan School where she participated in cross country, golf and varsity cheerleading. She will attend Oglethorpe University in the fall.

Kaitlyn Hoad graduated from Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, where she made the head of school list for three years and played varsity tennis for two years. She will attend the University of Georgia in the fall.

Knox Pittman graduated from Marist School, where he participated in cross country, track, Model UN and the national and French honor societies. Knox received the Zell Miller Scholarship and a cross country and track athletic scholarship to attend Georgia Tech in the fall.

Bailey Lusk graduated from Mount Vernon Presbyterian School, where she played varsity soccer for

four years, made the honor roll, and competed in the seond round of state with her volleyball team. She will attend Georgia Southern University in the fall.

Jack Inhouse graduated from Mount Vernon Presbyterian School, where he made honor roll for two years. He will attend Auburn University in the fall.

Canon Lynch graduated from Pace Academy, where she was an Isdell Center for Global Leadership Science Scholar and Scholastic Silver Key award winner. She is the founder of Miracle Knights and raised $5,000 for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Canon will attend Tulane University in the fall.

Coleman Murphy graduated from Chamblee High School and will attend the College of Charleston in the fall.

Jacob Reading graduated from the Greater Atlanta Christian School, where he received the Presidential Service Award, was a National Honor Society member and participated in cross country

and track. He will attend Oklahoma State University in the fall.

Ansley Reese graduated from St. Pius X Catholic High School, where she was the yearbook senior editor, honor council member, Lion Pride leader and varsity football photographer. In her senior year, she received the Halle Scott Award at the Dunwoody Chapter of the National Charity League’s annual senior recognition Emily Schmitt event. In the fall, she will attend Samford University.

Sydney Muse graduated from Pace Academy and will attend Auburn University in the fall.

Maggie Sjostrom graduated from Marist School, where she made the dean’s list all four years, received the Georgia Certificate of Merit, participated in varsity cross country and varsity swimming and was awarded Academic All American Swimmer. She will attend Boston College in the fall.

Sarah Van Duser graduated from St. Pius X Catholic High School, where she participated in varsity softball and Lion Leaders. She will attend Samford University in the fall.

2015 Emily Schmitt is a rising senior at Pace Academy, where she is a school ambassador and participates in theatre and yearbook. She also earned her Girl Scouts Gold Award, received the Mimi Ann Deas Award and is an arts laureate.

Miller Reid is a rising senior at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, where he has made Head of School list every semester and was inducted into the National Honor Society for science and history. Over spring break, he traveled to Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Austria with HIES. Miller was cast as Harry in the HIES’ spring play, “Agatha Rex.”

Miller Reid (R) as Harry in "Agatha Rex." PATTERNS

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class notes

They brought the IGLs' findings back to Pace and will lead their classmates in improving conservation at school and in their personal lives.

Matthew Larkin is a rising senior at Marist School, where he made honor roll, completed AP art and plays on the golf team.

Arden Adams as Raja and Jordan Ricketts as Genie Sarah Beth Stovall is a rising senior at Mount Vernon Presbyterian School, where she competes on the track and field team.

Britton Buchanan is a rising senior at St. Pius X Catholic High School, where she is a basketball cheerleader and is on the cross country team.

Kaki Hailey is a rising senior at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, where she was named captain of the cross country team and participates in track and field. She is also a YMCA camp counselor.

Cecelia Blasingame is a rising senior at The Westminster Schools and is a varsity cheerleader, admissions ambassador, GERLS Club leader and Bible study leader. She made the honor roll and plays varsity lacrosse. This summer she is traveling to seven European countries as part of her AP European history class.

Lindsey Smith is a rising senior at The Galloway School, where she she competes on the cross country and track and field teams.

Chandler Sharp is a rising senior at Marist school and plays varsity soccer.

Challen Morgan is a rising senior at the The Lovett School and lettered in golf for the third year in a row.

Ben Voorhies is a rising senior at St. Pius X Catholic High School, where he participates in band and recently completed AP U.S. history.

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Abby Ray, a junior at Pace Academy, was selected as a Gold Key winner in photography for the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. She and Molly Richardson (SMES ‘14) will have work displayed in Savannah, and will be entered into the national competition. She was also selected as a 2017-18 Isdell Global Leader, charged with months of research, travel and conversations in an effort to understand conservation issues at home and abroad.

ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

Connor Hubbard is a rising senior at Mt. Vernon Presbyterian School. In his junior year, he completed AP chemistry and AP U.S. history, made honor roll and joined the business club.

Francesca Herrera, a rising senior at Marist School, was a semifinalist for the Governor’s Honor Program and made the dean’s list.

She also participates in the Marist Dance Company, Marist Singers and Trio and Atlanta Young Singers.

Ryan Harvey is a rising senior at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School where he lettered in diving and soccer.

Lewis Jaynes, a rising senior at Marist School, is a student mentor, and participates in football, school broadcasting and the Spanish Club.

Bailey Means is a rising senior at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, where she made the First Team All-State for golf and plays basketball.

Grey Kenna is a rising senior at St. Pius X Catholic High School, where she has made the honor roll for three years.

Her interests include yoga and photography. Visit her website at grey-kenna.com.

Caswell King, a rising senior at Marist School, participates in drama, debate and is a peer and retreat leader.

Gracie Ackaway is a rising senior at Dunwoody High School, where she made the honor roll, plays soccer and runs for the cross country team.

Shea Fleming is a rising senior at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School. She plays soccer, runs cross country, and was inducted into the honor societies for English, history and science.

Eliza Griffin is a rising senior at Marist School and has made honor roll every term.

She is the digital news editor for her school newspaper, “Blue and Gold,” and is a staff writer and part of Vox Investigates (VI) for Vox ATL, an online teen publishing resource. This year, Eliza wrote a piece about human sex trafficking, which appeared in VI and was distributed to many schools across Atlanta.

Lauren Young is a rising senior at Marist School and competes on the varsity girls track and field team. She is in the French Honor Society and on the Junior Leadership Team. This summer, Lauren is taking pre-college courses at Emory.

Grayson Harralson is a rising senior at The Westminster Schools where is his captain of the varsity swim team. He is also an assistant swim coach at the Brittany Club.

class notes Sara Hall is a rising junior at St. Pius X Catholic High School, where she made the honor roll and participates in cross country, track and field and Spanish Club.

Megan Moffett is a rising junior at Marist School, where she participates in debate and is a JV basketball cheerleader.

Gracie Stovall Gracie Stovall is a rising senior at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, where she is a pole vaulter, sprinter and hurdler on the varsity track and field team. She is also lead singer in the band “No Can Do,” and performed at the Fox Theater for her prom.

2016 Laura Claxton is a rising junior at St. Pius X Catholic High School, where she is a cheerleader for the football and basketball teams, plays lacrosse and made the dean’s list.

Henry Bieze is a rising junior at Marist School and made the dean’s list. He also participates in debate and wrestling.

Davis Futrell is a rising junior at Pace Academy, where he has two football letters and was named special teams player of the week. He also plays JV basketball, and will be teaching English in Brazil over the summer with an Isdell Center for Global Leadership trip coordinated through Pace.

Arden Adams played Raja, and Jordan Ricketts played Genie in the Mt. Vernon Presbyterian School’s rendition of Aladdin. The performance included multiple languages and featured students from the lower, middle and upper schools. Arden also received the freshman Thespian Award at the Mount Vernon Fine Arts Banquet.

Abby Gillin is a rising junior at St. Pius X Catholic High School, where she made the dean’s list and honor roll, and participates in French Club and Music Ministry. In the future, Abby hopes to study astronomy and space.

Emma Halaburt is a rising junior at The Galloway School, where she plays volleyball, is an admissions ambassador, and traveled to France on a school trip. She also plays volleyball for a club team and is a library intern.

Isabel McNamara is a rising junior at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, where she plays soccer and made the dean’s list.

Twins Shannon Murphy and Taryn Murphy are rising juniors at Marist School, where they made honor roll and are cheerleaders for the varsity basketball team and JV football team.

Ali Rab, a rising junior at Woodward Academy, sings in the chorus and made the honor roll.

Taylor Rand was recently granted a wish from Makea-Wish America to attend and walk the red carpet at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles. She was also a Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s representative for Cape Day, and shared her personal story on the “Bert Show” to help raise money during the Making Miracles Radiothon.

Sophia Verska, a rising junior at Marist School, participates in speech and debate and was the first speaker at the Carrollton Debate.

Ruthie Roberts is a rising junior at Mount Vernon Presbyterian School, and received the presidential service award for 100 service hours in one year. She also plays volleyball, manages the lacrosse team and made both honor roll and the headmaster’s list.

Sydney Royal is a rising junior at Pope High School where she plays volleyball and participates in creative writing camps. This summer, she is going on a school trip to Panamá.

Tiger Turner is a rising junior at St. Pius X Catholic High School and has made honor roll for three semesters. He also plays football, basketball and competes on the track and field team.

Taylor Rand PATTERNS

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Caroline Belisle is a rising sophomore at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, where she runs cross country and plays soccer.

Celie Guterman is a rising sophomore at Galloway School, where she plays varsity softball and participates in the Youth for Youth Club.

Sutton Nelson is a rising sophomore at St. Pius X Catholic High School, where she participates in cross country, Latin Club, Film Club, Photo Club and dance.

Connor Kritzer is a rising sophomore at Marist School, where he plays football.

May Harvey is a rising sophomore at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, where she is on the dive, soccer and lacrosse teams. She also coaches gymnastics.

Mena Sarradet is a rising sophomore at Marist School, where she made the dean’s list, is on the swim team,and participates in Young Life.

Stafford Barton is a rising sophomore at Pace Academy, where he plays basketball and football.

Casey Barbee Casey Barbee attends Dunwoody High School, where he actively participates in Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFJROTC). He has received academic, community service and longevity awards while serving in leadership positions in ROTC. He has also been active in the DHS Marching Band’s mellophone section, and successfully auditioned for the All-State District Honor Band.

2017

Grace Cate is a rising sophomore at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, where she made the dean’s list, plays JV volleyball and is on the varsity dive and swim team.

Sophia Costarides is a rising sophomore at St. Pius X Catholic High School, where she participates in cross country and track.

Annie Covington is a rising sophomore at St. Pius X Catholic High School, where she runs cross country and plays on the varsity soccer team.

Elisa Herrera is a rising sophomore at Marist School, where she made the dean’s list and participates in chorus, the Marist Dance Company and horseback riding.

CJ King is a rising sophomore at Marist School, where she made honor roll first term, plays soccer, and runs cross country.

Charles Kyle is a rising sophomore at St. Pius X Catholic High School, where he plays basketball and golf.

John Mason is a rising sophomore at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, where he plays lacrosse and is in the band.

Bobbie Akin is a rising sophomore at Marist School, where she participates in the Marist Dance Company and attended an acting workshop with the cast from “The Lion King.”

Grace Demba is a rising sophomore at Pace Academy, where she is a mentor to 5thgraders through the Pace Academy Student Support mentoring program. She also participates in lacrosse and chorus.

Ben Azzi is a rising sophomore at the Atlanta International School, where he is taking international baccalaureate classes and plays rugby.

Emily Gillin is a rising sophomore at St. Pius X Catholic High School, where she is part of the drama tech crew.

Caleb Stansberry is a rising sophomore at The Waterford School in Sandy, Utah, where he competes on the racquetball team. He also is in Boy Scout Troop 55 which meets on the Hill Air Force Base.

Lindsey Bryson is a rising sophomore at Marist School, where she made the dean’s list and participates in drama, the school newspaper and the shadow program.

Jack Duerr is a rising sophomore at Mt. Vernon Presbyterian School, where he made honor roll, participates in Boy Scouts and competes on the cross country and golf teams.

Hadley Nelson is a rising sophomore at St. Pius X Catholic High School, where she made the principal’s list, runs cross country and participates in dance, film Club and Latin Club.

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ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

Bridgett McCarthy is a rising sophomore at Marist School, where she participates in cross country and Spanish Club.

Rachel Smith is a rising sophomore at Woodward Academy, where she participates in riflery.

Annabel Sumardi is a rising sophomore at The Westminster Schools, where she made honor roll, competes on the Science Olympiad Team and plays volleyball.

Jack Carson is a rising sophomore at Pace Academy, where he competes on the track team and participates in theatre.

Ryan MacGinnitie is a rising sophomore at Marist School. As a freshman, he participated in High Q, an academic competition between metro-Atlanta high schools that airs on WSB-TV.

SMES Alums: If you have news to share about what you’re up to, we would love to hear from you.

Please email news and photos to St. Martin’s Advancement Coordinator Jamie Fencl at jfencl@stmartinschool.org

Alumni SENIOR DINNER The St. Martin’s Class of 2014 was welcomed back to campus for the annual Senior Dinner to celebrate their graduation from high school.

More than 80 alumni and parents were in attendance. Guests gathered in the atrium to reminisce with each other and St. Martin’s faculty and staff before enjoying an evening of dinner, community and fun.

Guest speaker and SMES class of 2005 alumnus Cameron Schriner spoke about the impact his years as a student at St. Martin’s have had on his achievements as an engineer and in life. Each 2014 alum then had the opportunity to share their fondest SMES memory, current school and college plans with the group.

SMES Class of 2015 Sampling of colleges they will attend this fall: Auburn University Boston College Clemson University College of Charleston Florida State University Georgia Southern University Mercer University Oglethorpe University Oklahoma State University Samford University Sewanee: The University of the South Southern Methodist University University of South Carolina PATTERNS

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‘15

‘16

‘17

Red and Blue ALUMNI

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ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

Dinner 2018

SMES alumni from classes of 2015-2017 were welcomed to campus for the annual Red and Blue Alumni dinner.

Former classmates and SMES teachers reconnected, shared memories and socialized while enjoying dinner. Later in the evening, alumni played bingo for some competitive entertainment.

Plugthese inDates

August

13 Orientation Day –––––––– 15 First Day of School –––––––– 23 Elementary Back-toSchool Night –––––––– 30 Middle School Back-to-School Night

September 3 Labor Day Holiday –––––––– 6 Early Childhood Back-to-School Night –––––––– 28 Parent Teacher Conferences (no school)

October 8 Fall Holiday (SMES Day Camp) –––––––– 20 PTO Fall Festival

2018

November 3 PTO Fun Run –––––––– 4 SMES Admission Open House –––––––– 15 Early Childhood Grandparents’ Day –––––––– 16 Elementary School Grandparents’ Day –––––––– 19-23 Thanksgiving Break

December Dec. 21 (1/2 day)-Jan. 6, 2019 Christmas Break

St. Martin’s Episcopal School 3110-A Ashford Dunwoody Road Atlanta, GA 30319

2018 Oglethorpe Award nominees

Nominated by the faculty, these eight 8th-grade students were nominated for the Oglethorpe Award. This annual award is given to an 8th-grade student who is a good citizen of his/her school, is academically sound and is involved in an extracurricular activity. Congratulations to this year’s nominees! (l-r) Lydia Davis, Award Winner Allie Campbell, Michael Lynch, Benjamin Nordstrom, Katie Holmes, Sophie Steck, Sophia Stratford and Ella Cannon.