ST. RICHARD’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
WINTER 2019
St. Richard’s Episcopal School’s Annual Publication
From the Head of School Welcome to The Dragon magazine for January 2019. First and foremost, I’m happy to inform you that the Dragon’s lair is about to get bigger and better, and as our latest yard sign proclaims, “The Excitement is Building.“ That excitement, which has been building for three years, now has transformed into real action. Construction of our new building is underway, made possible by our successful Campaign for St. Richard’s. You can read more about the groundbreaking ceremony and plans for the new addition in this publication. Enhanced by the outstanding new facilities, we shall continue to be true to our pillars, our mission and our commitment to providing a rigorous and well-rounded experience for every child at St. Richard’s Episcopal School. Thanks to our remarkable faculty and staff and committed leadership team, and in partnership with all who have left the doors of St. Richard’s but keep us close to their hearts, 2019 is sure to be an exciting time to be a Dragon. Best,
Peter Harding, Head of School 2
The Dragon Editorial Staff: Abby Williams - Editor and Writer Lisa Hendrickson - Editing, Layout
Be Part of Our Future At St. Richard’s Episcopal School this year and last, “The Excitement is Building,” but for my family, our SRES excitement is sustained. My observation and experience are that the same is true for all of you. As president of the SRES Board of Trustees, alumni parent and Trinity parishioner, I would like to thank the families and friends of this remarkable institution for your trust and support. Your devotion to the school to which we entrust the education of our children— both substantively and as members of our immediate and world community—impresses me as unrivaled within the Indianapolis school community. That commitment brings healthy internal discussion, and in the end, we come together in good faith to make decisions that enrich, support and secure the continued vibrancy and distinguishing strengths of SRES.
This publication highlights the many developments advancing the continued excellence and growth of the school. I ask all of us to reflect on St. Richard’s Affirmation of Honor: our collective love for God; acceptance of personal responsibility; dedication to the values of knowledge, honesty, integrity and service; and openness to the diversity of our community and world. Excitement builds as we live out this Affirmation.
Erick Ponader, Chair, Board of Trustees
Early Childhood students keep watch over the building construction.
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Construction is Underway! There’s a palpable excitement in the halls of St. Richard’s this year. Junior Kindergarten students are keeping track of the different types of trucks and equipment they can see on the playground; shovels marked with the gold letters “Groundbreaking: November 15” are hanging in the Head of School’s office; and articles are being published in neighborhood magazines about the new addition at SRES. Safety fences are in place; “napping” rooms for our youngest students have been relocated to avoid noisy construction; and our existing building occasionally vibrates due to large movements outside. But these changes are welcomed, because of what lies ahead.
Four outstanding new classrooms for our youngest will occupy the ground floor of our building extension. Cutting-edge science and technology suites and a large maker-space will inhabit the second floor. This investment is designed to enhance the highly successful program and engaged community that makes St. Richard’s such a sought-after school in the Indianapolis educational landscape. Completion is scheduled for summer 2019, and we look forward to celebrating this monumental moment in the school’s distinguished history.
Left: While the groundbreaking on Nov. 15 was tricky thanks to an early season snow-and-ice storm, our alternate plan of “moving dirt” in the gymnasium was a success. And the dirt came inside to us! Right: Preliminary renderings of the kindergarten and science classrooms in the new addition.
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In the Classroom Students sharpened their scientific method and process skills while creating and testing five types of slime to determine their best uses (to bounce, hang, blob, etc.). Students worked together to troubleshoot lacking qualities of the slime and modified the makeup of the chemistry accordingly. The reactions of the chemicals and the students were definitely photo-worthy.
Sticky Business... Grade 8 students might be in the thick of applying to high schools, but they also were in the thick of slime during the week leading up to Thanksgiving. Their highly anticipated polymer unit included a series of culminating lab activities related to recent chemistry studies involving carbon chemistry and petrochemicals in relation to the world of plastics. 6
Modeling Continual Improvement The beloved Grade 2 Insect Unit has become a rite of passage at SRES. And while it would be difficult to critique any portion of this comprehensive cross-curricular
unit of study, Ms. Kim Napier and Mrs. Jessica Rhoades found a way to model continual improvement.
The students also focused on various insects in their leveled reading groups, took a field trip to Eagle Creek Park to catch insects with nets and dissected a silkworm’s cocoon.
To the Moon and Back Grade 5 students were in for a cross-curricular treat this year as art teacher Maren Bell, homeroom/ science teacher Nick Stewart and science curriculum coordinator Noelle King led the creation of a unit of study they will present at the Hoosier Association of Science Teachers, Inc. conference in February.
As in the past, every student was assigned an insect and took great pride in becoming the class specialist. After researching and compiling information for a presentation board, constructed during the school day to ensure greater independence, students created a 3-D model and actually wore a scientific model (not to be confused with a simple costume) while they presented in the Fortune Room for parents and fellow students.
After studying the astronomer Galileo, students persevered with partners to create intricate Galilean telescopes. Their in-depth astronomy unit included the examination of high-resolution NASA images of planets and a study of how what the students viewed correlate with the planet’s topography. Students also created drawings of planets and viewed images of what Galileo would have seen in the 1600s. They also graphed the connecting points to show the discovery of the moons around Jupiter. Mr. Stewart and Mrs. King are even pondering the creation of a star and moon viewing party next year.
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Alumni Spotlight: Tyler Baumgardt from SRES is not the only connection his parents have Tyler Baumgardt, Class of 2004, vividly remembers sitwith the school. His mother attends the annual Service ting in a classroom with his St. Richard’s classmates and of Lessons and Carols and visits regularly. building bridges out of toothpicks to determine how much weight they could sustain. Tyler’s early experiAs for St. Richard’s memories, ments with bridges led to an outTyler has plenty, including playstanding list of accomplishments “The softer skills like time ing basketball for Coach Sherrill, as project manager for Nashville management and understanding the Grade 5 tea, participating in based AECOM: Hunt. Along with Lucas Oil Stadium, Tyler also the importance of hard work and the Middle Division Musical, and the softer skills he learned while served in instrumental roles in effort are what made a lasting at the school. the construction of Barclay Arena impression on me and have a real for the New York Mets, Mercedes Tyler visited St. Richard’s last year Benz Stadium in Atlanta and impact on my work today.” to take an early look at the conMagic Arena in Orlando. struction plans for the school’s new building extension, shortly after the decision was While getting ready to launch a 40-story, five-star made that the Indianapolis based AECOM would be hotel project in Nashville, Tyler and his wife, Trisha, are serving as the school’s project managers. It is wonderful simultaneously going through the admission process that Tyler and his family remain in touch with St. Richard’s for their five-year old son Colton. Finding a school like and exciting to see the connection between his time at St. Richard’s is on the top of their list. Tyler, though, St. Richard’s, his career, and the fact that SRES secured is quick to point out that he was not exactly a model his company to oversee the new building. student at St. Richard’s. Putting together models and other hands-on projects, however, gave him joy at a Tyler and his wife, while happily living in Nashville, young age and continues to do so today. dream of eventually relocating and enrolling Colton at SRES. Perhaps Tyler will find Colton’s SRES research He has fond memories of writing the Grade 8 research paper in the attic one day. paper and recently discovered a copy in the attic of his parents’ home in Zionsville. Holding onto Tyler’s work 8
Above: Tyler Baumgardt during construction of Mercedes Benz Stadium. Right: Tyler, Trisha and Colton at the completed stadium.
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Dragon Sightings
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1. 2018 Regalia 2. Summer camp 3. Grades 1 and 8 Buddy and Blazer ceremony 4. Grandparent and Special Friend Day 5. PK apple picking
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6. Placing third in state in We the People competition 7. Grade 7 at Winter Formal 8. Early Childhood pumpkin carving 9. Leadership team meets the Addams Family on Halloween
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Why I Give Back If you talk to enough SRES alumni parents, you become accustomed to a change in tone and almost giddy banter while they reminisce about their child’s time at SRES. Dr. Molly Garau is no exception. Currently a physician for IndyGo after being in private practice for nearly 25 years, Molly is quick to speak about the importance of the relationships she has with her patients. So it’s no surprise that the relationships her family formed at SRES are what she cherishes the most. As parents of Annie (Class of 2008) snd Caroline (Class of 2010), Molly and her husband, Jerry, took a brief hiatus from the halls of SRES when the girls went on to high school, but they always kept abreast of the school’s progress and supported the annual fund. Molly was encouraged by a longtime foundation board member to consider taking an active role. She accepted, and now, in her fourth year on the foundation board, has been coined its “social director.” She enjoys being more intimately involved with the school and hearing from the head of school every month, attending events like Regalia and better understanding the challenges and celebrations of the school. Foundation board aside, Molly and Jerry’s closest friends are those they made while the girls were at SRES. Caroline and Annie also have kept in touch with SRES friends. In fact, this past summer, Annie and her mother were vacationing at the same time, in different 12
Chicago states, with SRES friends. A highlight of their trips was when the SRES moms Facetimed from the beach in South Carolina with their alumni daughters in Chicago.
Molly says that Annie, now in her first year of law school at I.U. Bloomington, and Caroline, a recent graduate of the University of Michigan, “had to work harder at St. Richard’s than high school and undergrad, and it really prepared them for where they are today.” SRES is thankful for the entire Garau family and appreciates Molly’s participation on the foundation board.
South Carolina
Development News
Regal a A Night in Paris
March 9, 2019 | Crane Bay Event Center
Help Us Reach Our Annual Fund Goal
39%
to our Annual Fund goal of $300,000 Donate at http://bit.ly/SRESAF
100%
of our faculty and staff support the Annual Fund
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A matching gift for the Campaign for St. Richard’s was announced at the Groundbreaking Ceremony by alumni parent Dr. Tom Greist and former Head of School David Amstutz. To learn more about the capital campaign, please visit www.thecampaignforstrichards.org.
Every single SRES student benefits from the Annual Fund
The Annual Fund supports: A timeless, challenging academic curriculum A wide variety of clubs and co-curriculars Professional development for faculty and staff School-wide technology enhancements Dynamic and engaging learning tools
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Greetings from Trinity Episcopal Greetings, Dragons! As Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church, I relish having a particularly close relationship with St. Richard’s Episcopal School. I enjoy walking the halls to experience the creativity of students and teachers alike. And I love leading chapel and reminding students of their belovedness in the eyes of God. Trinity founded St. Richard’s in 1960, and likely no one then could imagine the thriving independent institution it has become today. As campus partners, we remain connected by history, property and people. We are bonded, however, by Episcopal values: a balance of deep love for tradition with high regard for critical inquiry, intellectual formation, diversity in all forms and care for the world around us. Knit together by love for the Holy, these are indeed values for a lifetime.
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I look forward to uncovering many opportunities for our great institutions to strengthen those bonds in the years to come. Faithfully,
The Reverend Julia E. Whitworth Rector, Trinity Episcopal Church
Families Thrive at Trinity
Horizons Makes an Impact
In addition to vibrant children’s programming, Trinity offers formation opportunities for the whole family throughout the year.
Horizons continues to do great things to reduce summer learning loss and inspire a love of learning for 150 public school students. Horizons students spent their time this summer at St. Richard’s and Butler University, learning from certified teachers and building confidence in their academic, social and physical abilities.
We provide creative spaces and a supportive environment for children and their parents to grow. With an emphasis on service, education, exploration and music, there are multiple paths to find a place in this welcoming community. Child-oriented worship on Sundays, Family Game Nights, retreats at Waycross Camp and the Trinity Choristers reflect the variety of ways families experience wonder, joy and learning at the corner of 33rd & Meridian.
The impact of Horizons reaches far beyond the summer months. A recently published retrospective study shows the power of Horizons to inspire, build and transform students year after year. Our students and families tell us they love the program so much that we made the decision to offer winter break programming for the first time this year, during the holiday break week of Dec. 31.
Sign up for our weekly e-news and follow us on Facebook. To learn more, visit our website at trinitychurchindy.org.
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