>> THROUGH THE DOORS
MATH TEAM WINS STATE: SPA takes title for the fifth time since 2005
NEW REDLEAF SCHOLARS PROGRAM: Created with gift from Andy Redleaf ’75
For the fifth time in 10 years, SPA’s Upper School Math Team was crowned Minnesota state champion. The team qualified for the tournament by taking first place among all smaller schools in the state at the end of the regular season, and then went on to win the State tournament in its division on March 9, 2015, at South Saint Paul High School. The team is coached by Upper School math faculty Dan O’Loughlin (back row) and Bill Boulger (far right); pictured left to right are Max Chen ’16, Eliot Tong ’15, Brian Heilig ’15, Neerja Thakkar ’15, Michelle Heilig ’16, Jeffrey Huang ’19, Sandhya Ramachandran ’15, and Ben Konstan ’18. Chen and Huang also competed in an invitational event for the highest scorers in Minnesota, and Chen tied for sixth place among all individuals during the State tournament.
MIDDLE SCHOOL LEGO LEAGUE: New team makes top-three debut The 2014-15 school year marked the inaugural season of SPA’s First Lego League (FLL) Middle School robotics team. In December 2014, the SPA “Duplo Squad” competed in their first tournament and earned third place out of 16 teams—a very strong result for the team’s very first tournament, according to Middle School math teacher and FLL coach Daniel Sogin. The team includes 8 students in grades 6-8. FLL in Minnesota is part of an international robotics program that includes more than 200,000 students in 63 countries. The program introduces young people to the fun and excitement of science and technology, while challenging the students to think innovatively. Each year, teams collaborate to address a challenge made up of three main elements: the “Robot Game,” the “Project,” and “Core Values,” all of which correspond to a theme chosen for each year’s competition. The team’s third place finish put it just out of qualification for the State tournament, since only the top two teams advance—a result that Coach Sogin calls “quite an accomplishment for a first year team!” 4
SPA
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Spring 2015
A $3 million gift from the family of St. Paul Academy and Summit School alumnus and current parent Andy Redleaf ’75 has created a new scholarship program for students entering in grades 6-9. The Redleaf Scholars Program will support endowed scholarships providing up to 50% tuition assistance to those students until they graduate from the school. The Redleaf Scholarships are a welcome addition to the school’s already generous financial aid program, which distributed $3.2 million to 24% of its 900 students for the 2014-15 school year. Andy Redleaf, who graduated from SPA in 1975 and holds a B.A. and M.A. from Yale University, is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Whitebox Advisors, a Minneapolis hedge fund. He and his wife Lynne, who are current SPA parents, were interested in creating a distinctive scholarship program that would make an SPA education possible for high-achieving students who qualify for up to 50% need-based tuition assistance from the school. The first Redleaf Scholarships will be awarded in the spring of 2015 for students entering in the fall of 2015. To apply, students will complete a special Redleaf Scholarships application in addition to the school’s applications for admission and financial aid. The process is designed to identify students who will contribute to the school’s curriculum, culture, and “accountable classroom” philosophy. “Redleaf Scholars will possess keen minds and an unflagging intellectual curiosity,” says Roberts. “At SPA, Redleaf Scholars will find peers to match their intellectual energy and engage in respectful but passionate discussion— enriching the experience for everyone.”