The Magic of our Model

The Magic of our Model PRESCHOOL THROUGH 8TH GRADE

Middle School students at St. Martin's are free to enjoy the last years of their childhood, running out to play on the "little kid" playground without any worries about a disapproving chorus of upper grades students.

by TONY SHAFFER, MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

As a middle school guy for nearly my whole career, I often share the most common, immediate reaction I get when I tell somebody what I do for a living. Following the statement, "I'm a middle school principal," I get a look of pity and some commiserating, comforting statement along the lines of, "God bless you!" While I'm certainly grateful for the blessing, the sentiment makes no sense to me because I think I have one of the very best gigs in the world. This reaction tells me that most people are thinking back to their junior high experiences, making their response perfectly understandable. Now, my definition of junior high may be strictly my own. Yet, it's based on my time as a 7th and 8th grader, supported by a couple of decades of experience and education around what it means to educate young adolescents and support them during this important transitional period.

The PS-8 Model Atlanta is blessed with many wonderful public and independent school options, so what is special about our model? Certainly, our Episcopal identity and our focus on love as a central value are both part of our school's mission. As well as our emphasis on joy, active learning, well-roundedness and all the other qualities that we identify as our wholehearted approach to education. I would argue, though, that part of the magic of the St. Martin's experience is that very PS-8 model that is less common in Atlanta than in other independent school-saturated towns. This model ensures that we put a lot of effort into having a true middle school at SMES. It seems that the defining characteristic of a true middle school is the desire to really know the school's community of learners, understand their needs and potential, and craft a program that will best support them in the critical work of becoming autonomous learners. What that looks like is a frequently messy place where clubs come and go, and teachers adjust pace and approach year over year. Decisions are usually made in a backward design structure starting from the desired end state, considering students' current skills and predispositions, and charting a course that gets us from here to there. It's important to note that this scenario is not set up with preconditions for a specific high school experience for which we must train our students. This is why our successful creation of a true middle school at St. Martin's depends on our values and is also baked into our reality because we end in the 8th grade. When the middle grades are viewed as the high school's "minor leagues" or training grounds, that cannot help but have a narrowing effect on the middle grades program, making it more like a junior high feeder program. Were we a feeder school, we would respond to specific pressures to "feed" a more closely aligned "product" to a particular high school. That is decidedly not what we do at St. Martin's. We cannot possibly embrace the ideal of graduating well-rounded, autonomous, agile thinkers and, at the same time, attempt to get them to narrow their thinking, their goals or their interests to those available in a single program.

Broadening Possibilities The goal of broadening our students' outlook, equipping them with a growth mindset and nurturing divergent thinking means that there are very few small decisions to be made at our school. Starting with our physical space, it's clear that the Middle School building itself reflects our philosophy of education. Built in 2012, the building was specifically designed to accommodate not many more than 210 total students. Brookhaven could undoubtedly have supported a 600-student middle school in 2012 and definitely can now, so why not build that and get in the running for some state football championships, highly specialized art programs and nationally recognized mathematics teams? The answer is that it's not our job to collect, sort and sift talents to push program recognition. A middle school's job is to spark

Photo - 2019

Middle School students at St. Martin's have opportunities often available only to high school students at schools with a junior high. Our students are school ambassadors, exchange students and student government leaders.

students' desire to explore talents that they don't already know they have. The job of a middle school faculty and leadership is to know every student in the building and have a mental Rolodex ready for asking questions like, "Can we expand our service possibilities this year?" or "How many levels of 8th grade Algebra do we need this year?" Giant junior high schools and middle grades schools that feed to a particular high school tout their advantage in allowing students to specialize. I would argue that specialization is not a great goal for the vast majority of young adolescents. At a time in life when a child's brain is undergoing extraordinarily rapid growth, we are blessed to see your children in small groups and to work with them to channel that growth into opening their minds to a broader range of possibilities. High school will present a new, larger Middle School students at St. Martin's can't wait for the "big kids" to canvas for them to work with, and we take on projects or solve problems. They are the "big kids," and by the focus our attention on the palette they time they get to high school, they have had the experience of being the will take with them. We do that work best when we have a smaller number leadership cohort on their campus. of students, not just in the individual classroom but also in the building. In essence, then, while it's the job of a junior high to prepare its students for high school, it's our job to prepare your children for Savoring Childhood a life that includes high school as an important next stage. High Another small decision that turns out not to be so small school is built for specialists, especially in the upper grades. We is creating some unstructured time in the school day. see this in the usually higher student population, opportunities This idea is definitely countercultural in 2020, but at to narrow the focus and deepen understanding in one or a few St. Martin's, our Middle School has a guaranteed break disciplines and expanded opportunities to take on a sport, club, each morning, twice weekly recess times opposite lunch performance or other activity and see how far students can go with and some flex time on Wednesday mornings that allows them. All of this is appropriate, as students' capacity for abstraction for school assemblies, extra help and additional free time continues to develop, and as the approaching mantel of adulthood for students when neither of those is on the menu. propels a greater drive for autonomy, mastery and purpose. Stephen Johnson indirectly emphasizes the importance of unstructured time for young adolescents in his book, "Where Good Ideas Come From." Johnson cites a mountain of evidence suggesting that successful ideas that become widely adopted are never the product of the Jean Piaget, the great Swiss theorist and researcher in cognitive development, produced a theory of stages through which he showed that humans must pass. The idea was that the individual could not advance to the next stage without completing all the developmental work to be done at the current one. lone genius sitting isolated in a quiet study somewhere. When Piaget completed a speaking tour across the U.S., the story Instead, they are the product of thoughtful people goes that a reporter asked him how his ideas had been received. "colliding" with those whose background, experiences Piaget responded that in the U.S., someone invariably asked how to and ideas are very different from their own. The accelerate the process. combination and recombination of existing ideas is At St. Martin's we are here to help your children identify and an incredibly powerful process. I would argue that the develop their gifts to the fullest and exercise a calming influence negotiations that take place daily during Middle School on the desire to speed things up. These last years of childhood are recess times are the mental workout that makes those essential. It's worth taking a breath, seeing who our children are collisions more likely--and more likely to be exciting and right now and celebrating their childhood while they are meant to productive--once your child reaches adulthood. be enjoying it.

UPDATES FROM OUR FACULTY Faculty News

Atty Boyer Brooks DeWit Leighann McPherson Wells Ludvigsen

Kat Conway

CONGRATS!

Assistant Director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid Coordinator Atty Boyer married Andrew Wells at an intimate ceremony on Oct. 11, 2020, in Roswell. The couple will host a family celebration in Italy this summer. Kindergarten teacher Kat Conway is engaged to Nolan Free. The couple will marry in Charleston in the fall of next year.

Hayes McFarland

Fifth-grade teacher Whitney DeWit and husband Adam welcomed baby Brooks Park DeWit on Oct. 5, 2020. He weighed 8 pounds and 4 ounces and was 25.25 inches long. First-grade teacher Laura McFarland and husband Reid welcomed baby Hayes Madden McFarland on Sept. 2, 2020. He was 6 pounds and 13 ounces and 20 inches long. Infant lead teacher

Leighann McPherson

Wilson McShane Katie Moussouri

is engaged to Chris McDowell. The couple will marry in the spring of 2022 in North Georgia. Pre-K teacher Pearson McShane and husband Chris welcomed baby Wilson Page McShane on Oct. 14, 2020. He weighed 7 pounds and 7 ounces and was 21 inches long. Religion teacher Whitney Ludvigsen and husband Brian welcomed baby Wells Christopher Ludvigsen on Oct. 16, 2020. He was 8 pounds and 1 ounce, and 20 inches long.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Kairos Learning Center teacher Katie Moussouri completed Multisensory Math 1, a 30-hour graduate-level course through Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Education Center. She is currently working on her practicum with an advisor from The Key School and will be a certified multisensory math instructor by summer 2021.

Alumni Notes

UPDATES FROM OUR ALUMNI

Mary Sessions, ’97 Marin Gerulski Rutz, '03 Kathryn Boyd Crabtree, ’04 Jackie Florence, ’06

Center: Hank Wyche, ‘01; Right: Gordon Wyche, ‘02

’97

Mary Sessions graduated in 2019 from Columbia University with a master’s degree in independent school leadership. She works as the director of enrollment (7-12) and financial assistance at The Galloway School. This fall, her admissions team hosted a virtual visit for SMES 8th graders considering Galloway. Mary lives in Old Fourth Ward with her husband, Antonio Salazar Cardozo, and their pets.

’01

Hank Wyche works as a private equity investor

Deborah McClean Wilkens, ’03

for the global commodity trading firm, Mercuria Energy Group, in New York City.

’03

Marin Gerulski Rutz and husband Josh welcomed their first child, Jack, in June. They live in the Bay Area in California where Marin works as a producer on the retail marketing team for Apple.

Deborah McClean

Wilkens works as a nurse practitioner in Alpharetta where she lives with her husband Mathis and two daughters, Adeline and Sydney.

Elizabeth Gallo, ’05

Claire Cantrell Wood

works in non-profit communications and marketing in Atlanta.

’04 Kathryn Boyd Crabtree

and her mother Kim Landon Boyd are a top producing residential real estate team with Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty. They won the Atlanta Realtors Association’s “Top Team Volume 2019” among a group of 1400 other top producing agents.

’05

Elizabeth Gallo recently earned a doctorate

Tanner Hendon, ’06

degree in hydrology from Colorado School of Mines where she now works as a postdoctoral researcher.

’06

Jackie Florence married Knox Jolly on Aug. 21, 2020 at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center in Atlanta. Jackie’s sister Jill Florence (‘04) and friends Mary Graddy (‘06) and Haley Barnes Gibson (‘06) were bridesmaids. Jackie and Knox live in Atlanta. Tanner Hendon married Katie Doherty on Aug. 15, 2020 at Lake Chatuge. The couple enjoyed an intimate, family-only ceremony and Tanner’s brothers, Houston (‘08) and McClain

Caroline Roberts, ’06 David Arenz, ’08 Alison Barnett, ’08 and Maddie Barnett, ’10

Lauren Glazer, ’07 Jake DeLany, ’08 Sarah Johnson, ’08

(‘08), served as best men. Katie works as a realtor and Tanner runs Madison Records, a music studio in Chamblee. Tanner also plays bass guitar in his band Like Machines with fellow SMES alum Andrew Evans (‘08). The couple lives in Brookhaven with their dogs Dallas and Volta. Caroline Roberts earned her doctorate in astronomy from Georgia State University. She works as the astronomy laboratory coordinator and Van Allen Observatories manager for the University of Iowa where she supervises graduate teaching assistants, coordinates the use and maintenance of department telescopes in Iowa and Arizona and delivers astronomy outreach events to the public, including many newly-developed virtual events.

’07

Lauren Glazer married Joseph Lytle on Oct 3, 2020 at The Acre Orlando in Orlando, Fla. The couple currently live in New York City, N.Y. Lauren is a publicist for Wolf PR and Joseph is an information systems security officer for 1100 Architect. Lauren has a bachelor’s degree in art history from Queens University of Charlotte and a master’s degree in art business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art.

’08

David Arenz proposed to Robyn Braid when the two were on vacation in Washington state. They plan to marry in the fall of 2021. They live in Charlotte, N.C., where David works for LPL Financial. Alison Barnett (‘08) and her sister Maddie Barnett (‘10) are registered nurses and work together in the neonatal intensive care unit at Northside Hospital in Atlanta. Maddie graduated from Auburn University in 2018 and recently completed her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Kennesaw State University. Jake DeLany is engaged to Carlton Middlekauff. Jake proposed to Carlton in Jacksonville, Fla. where Carlton grew up and where the couple plan to marry in March of 2022. They currently live and work in Atlanta. Sarah Johnson married David Raymer on Sept. 4, 2020 in Atlanta. Sarah’s sister Anna Johnson (‘10) was the maid of honor and Lauren Buss (‘08), Claire Hamner (‘08) and Diane DeLany (‘14) were bridesmaids. Andrew Evans (‘08) was a groomsman, and Jake DeLany (‘08) and Dave DeLany (‘10) were ushers. Sarah and David live in Atlanta.

Dave DeLany, ’10 Andrew Roberts, ’08

Will King, ’08 Sam Nail, '11 Morgan Waikel, ’08

Will King is engaged to Amber Baldwin. He proposed at Reynolda Gardens in Winston Salem, N.C. The couple plan to marry on May 1, 2021 at Graylyn in Winston Salem, N.C. Will and Amber live in Atlanta. Andrew Roberts married Hannah Basta on Aug. 1, 2020 in Augusta, Ga. Andrew works as a clerk for the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. In 2019, he graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law where he served as the articles editor for the Virginia Law Review and was a member of the Supreme Court Litigation Clinic and of the Extramural Moot Court Team. Andrew was a recipient of the KarshDillard Scholarship and was admitted to the Order of the Coif. Morgan Waikel is engaged to Sam McKinstry. Sam proposed during sunset at the Mountain Terrace Fire Garden at the St. Regis Deer Valley in Park City, Utah. Afterwards, their friends surprised them with an engagement party and a celebratory dinner. They plan to marry on June 4, 2022 at Summerour Studio in Atlanta.

’10

Robert Beeland is pursuing a master’s degree in English and comparative literature at Columbia University. He will graduate this year. Emily Britt is a senior financial analyst for Ferrara Candy Company in Chicago Ill. Her team oversees the budget for Keebler, Famous Amos, Girl Scout Cookies, Mother's and Murray's Cookies. Dave DeLany is engaged to Anna DeLoach. The couple plan to marry in 2021 and currently live in Atlanta. Anna Johnson works as a speech language pathologist at a rehab hospital in Richmond, Va. She graduated with a master’s degree in speech language pathology from Louisiana State University last May.

’11

Sam Nail works at NASA as a systems engineer on the Lunar Gateway project in Houston, Texas. The Lunar Gateway is a planned small, solarpowered space station that will orbit the moon and serve as a communication hub, science laboratory, short-term habitation module and holding area for rovers and other robots. It will serve an important role in the mission to put the first woman and next man on the moon and as part of manned travel to Mars. Rebecca Price will graduate this spring from the University of Georgia with a master’s degree in social work. She works at Skyland Trail, a residential mental health treatment center in Atlanta, with plans to practice as a clinical therapist after graduation. She earned her bachelor’s degree in human development and family studies and a minor in international human services from Auburn University. Jon Walsh lives in Colorado where he enjoys skiing and climbing mountains. He recently

Rebecca Price, ’11 Logan Cooper, ’12 Kristen Elliott, '13

John Walsh, ’11 Harrison Ray, ’12 William Roberts, ‘14 carrying the United States Merchant Academy's flag while snorkeling with whale sharks in the Red Sea.

climbed Mt. Elbert, the tallest peak in the Rocky Mountains at 14,440 feet.

’12

Logan Cooper works as a software engineer at the General Motors IT Innovation Center in Roswell, Ga. He recently graduated from Lehigh University (LU) with a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering. While at LU, he worked as a teaching assistant and served in leadership positions in the Black Student Union and African and Caribbean Culture Club. Meghan Clark is pursuing a master’s degree in speech pathology at University of Mississippi. Last May, she graduated magna cum laude from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s degree in speech pathology and audiology. Harrison Ray will graduate from the United States Naval Academy in May. Last June, Harrison was selected for the Bowman Scholarship Program and for the submarine enlisted community. He will attend the Naval Nuclear Power School after graduation. Last summer, Harrison was the commander of plebe weapons training for all incoming freshmen.

’13

Kyle Blasingame is a senior at the University of Alabama and is a member of the finance club. David Cooper will graduate from Mississippi State University this spring with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering. This summer, he plans to take an internship in lower extremity prosthetic development, followed by a fellowship in prosthetic tissue science. He is thankful for Alan Shafir’s 8th-grade science class for starting him on this path. Kristen Elliott will graduate from Florida State University this spring with a bachelor's degree in hospitality and tourism management. After graduation, she plans to backpack around the world. Kristen spent her spring 2020 semester as an exchange student at Griffith University in Gold Coast, Australia.

’14

William Roberts is a junior at the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y. He is a midshipman, second class, and is studying maritime logistics and security. Kathleen Weber, ’14 He will commission as a Strategic Sealift Officer for the United States Naval Reserve. William has completed a tour on the Maritime Administration Ready Reserve Fleet's M/V Cape Decision and sailed for three months as a cadet on a humanitarian trip to deliver grain to Djibouti aboard the bulk carrier M/V Liberty Eagle. Kathleen Weber is a junior at Georgia College and State University. She is a student teacher for a 4thgrade class at Ridge Road Elementary in Washington County, Ga.

’15

Cecelia Blasingame is a sophomore and studies architecture at University of Virginia. She interned at Flamingo Magazine last summer.

Abby Ray, ’15 Win Scott, ’18 and Arden Adams, ’18

Taylor Rand, ’16

Abby Ray is a sophomore at University of Pennsylvania. She is majoring in computational biology and minoring in visual art. Abby is a member of a campus dance group, Strictly Funk, and is studying Japanese. She has a Redbubble Art account where her latest art projects can be made into personalized merchandise.

’16

Taylor Rand is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in creative and entertainment industries with a minor in music business at Belmont University. She is the president of her residence hall.

’17

Arden Adams is a senior at The Mount Vernon School. She is cast as Prospero in the school’s presentation of “The Tempest” and is president of the Drama Club. Arden participates in the International Thespian Society, Vernon Vocals, and the Innovation Diploma Program. She spent last summer at the Atlanta Shakespeare Summer Intensive for Teens and the King Center Leadership Institute. Lindsey Bryson is a senior at Marist School. She participates in theatre and is on the International Equestrian Association team.

Lindsey Bryson, ’17 and Elizabeth Herrara, ’17 Laura Claxton, '17, Sydney Kidd, '17 and Maddie Cast, '17

Laura Claxton ('17), Sydney Kidd ('17) and Maddie Cast ('17) are seniors at St. Pius X Catholic High School and are cheerleaders for the football team.

’18

Lydia Davis is a junior at Riverwood International Charter School. She plays varsity golf, is in the National French Honor Society, has made the Principal’s List every semester and is taking four honors courses in her first year in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. Jack Fry is a junior at Marist School. He serves as a peer leader and retreat leader, plays tennis, is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and volunteers with Habitat for Humanity. Grant Gaffney is a junior at Marist School. He is on the cross country and track teams, a member of the Investment Club and is a peer leader. Lura Underwood is a junior at St. Pius X Catholic High School. She starts for the varsity volleyball team and was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association Phenom list and Player of the Match three times. Lura is thankful to her 6thgrade volleyball coach at St. Martin’s, Ellen Kufel, for starting her on this path. Ciara Wilmath is a junior at Greater Atlanta Christian School. She participates in tennis, Spanish Club and drama and is the founder of her school’s first Green Club. Ciara was recently nominated at one of Atlanta’s 20 under 20.

Allie Campbell, ’18 and Lydia Davis, ’18 Ciara Wilmath, ’18 Ben Brown ’16, Jack Schmitt, ’19

Ian Gaffney, ’20 & Grant Gaffney, ’18

’19

Griffin Clare is a sophomore at St. Pius X Catholic High School. He plays basketball and lacrosse. Jack Schmitt is a sophomore at Pace Academy and active in the drama department. Over the summer, he earned his Eagle Scout award as a member of Troupe 379 from St. Martin's. Ben Brown (‘16) also received his Eagle Scout award at the ceremony. Simon Guterman is a sophomore at The Galloway School. He plays golf and participates in technical theatre.

Griffin Clare, ’19 Simon Guterman, ’19

’20

Jane Fry is a freshman at Marist School. She is on the volleyball and tennis teams. Ian Gaffney is a freshman at Marist School. He is a member of the cross country team and earned a varsity letter this fall as a freshman. He is also a member of the Investment Club.

IN MEMORIAM

Amy Joy Janvier

(‘08) was a secondyear master’s student working toward her doctorate in the department of entomology at the University of Georgia.

IN MEMORIAM

Andrew Stovall (‘12) graduated from The Mount Vernon School and was a senior at Georgia Southern University.

Voices

STORIES FROM FACULTY & STAFF MORRIES WALKER

Children Learn What They Live

ach day when I arrive at my office at SMES, E I am greeted by my favorite poem displayed distinctly on my wall next to our school’s mission statement. “Children Learn What They Live” by Dorothy Lew Nolte is a powerful but simple guide to teaching young children to be kind, caring, loving and respectful. This year marks my 20th at St. Martin’s and my 28th in education. This perspective allows me to reflect on the evolution of education over the years. I have had the pleasure of working with students in Pre-K, Kindergarten and 5th grade, and have served as a special education teacher for children with emotional behavior disorders. Each experience has molded me into the educator I have become today. Hopefully, I will continue to grow and expand my vision in my current role as Director of Explorers and Early Childhood Dean of Students. Looking back, I knew during my interview with Cindy Alexander that St. Martin’s was the place I needed to be. I started as the first male Pre-K and Kindergarten teacher at SMES, in addition to working in the best aftercare program in Atlanta under the leadership of Keisha Noel. Today, my role as Director of Explorers and Early Childhood Dean of Students brings with it a new set of rewards and challenges that I embrace with wonder and excitement. At the end of the SMES academic day, my staff and I have the pleasure of caring for and assisting toddlers through 8th graders until their parents arrive to pick them up from Explorers. Our aftercare program offers working parents peace of mind, knowing their children are well cared for, offered assistance with homework, provided a nutritious snack and allowed to enjoy recess with their friends. In addition to providing aftercare, in a typical school year, we also offer all SMES students more than 18 fun and stimulating enrichment classes ranging from science to karate and more. I truly enjoy and am honored to serve as Director of Explorers and Early Childhood Dean of Students. Each day I have the opportunity to positively and wholeheartedly shape the lives of our students, helping them grow, learn and become their best selves. This anonymous quote both inspires me and sums up my experience working at St. Martins: “A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of clothes I wore, but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.”

Morries Walker is the Director of Explorers and Early Childhood Dean of Students

BEGINNER FALL SCAVENGER HUNT KINDERGARTEN FRENCH TODDLER SCIENCE

A UNIQUE YEAR

4TH GRADE MATH BUDDIES 8TH GRADE HONOR PLEDGE SIGNING

FIRST DAY OF 3RD GRADE

5TH GRADE AIRPLANE STEAM PROJECT 7TH GRADE ART

WRITING IN 2ND GRADE HALLOWEEN MATH IN 1ST GRADE 6TH GRADE PE

Proceeds benefit St. Martin’s Endowment Fund SAVE THE DATE

Monday, March 29, 2021 Dunwoody Country Club Early Bird Registration Ends March 5, 2021

Since 2002, the St. Martin's Golf Tournament has raised more than $550,000 for the school's Endowment Fund. Like all independent schools, St. Martin's relies on the Endowment Fund for future generations. In addition, the investment income from this fund enables the school to provide tuition assistance to deserving students and support teacher professional development. Invite your friends and register today to support the school and enjoy a round of golf with fellow parents, faculty and staff at this year's COVID-19-friendly event. Questions? Please contact Kathryn Johnson at kjohnson@stmartinschool.org or 404-228-0734.

To register visit stmartinschool.org/support

SAVE THE DATE! REGISTRATION OPENS FEBRUARY 1, 2021

Session 1: June 7 - July 2 | Session 2: July 12 - July 30 Camp will follow CDC recommendations for COVID-19 safety protocols. Learn more at stmartinschool.org/campus_life/summer Online brochure coming soon