Through the Doors
SPA Math Team is state champion Courtesy Minnesota High School Math League
SPA bids farewell to retiring faculty In June 2013, SPA said goodbye to four long-time teachers will retired at the end of the 2012-13 school year. Fifth-grade teacher Tom Lundholm joined the SPA faculty in 1969. During his time at SPA, Lundholm taught grades 4, 5, and 6, and coached both Lower and Upper School students in football, basketball, and softball. Known as “Lundy” to SPA students, he joined the SPA faculty after earning his B.A. from Amherst College. A creative teacher with a flair for humor and wordplay, Lundy is also known for his love of photography; there are few SPA events that do not involve Lundy with his camera. He hopes to continue working part-time and plans to continue taking photos at SPA for some sporting events. Kindergarten teacher Jayne Nelson joined the SPA faculty in 1996. A passionate reader, she is known for motivating her students to love reading and books. She started the Halloween tradition of engaging senior students to carve pumpkins with kindergarteners. She joined the SPA faculty after earning a B.A. in sociology from Colorado College. She plans to travel to England, Scotland and Ireland and take road trips to Colorado, North Carolina, and Maine, spend time with her grandchildren, and play golf with her husband. Kindergarten teacher Jane Zeddies ’61 joined the SPA faculty in 1981, but was not a newcomer to the school: she attended the Summit School as an Upper School student. She holds a B.S. in art education and an M.A. in art education and humanities from the University of Minnesota, as well as a degree in early childhood education. She plans to spend time with her grandchildren, who are 4 and 3; join high school classmates from Summit and SPA for lunch and weekly walks; and work in her garden. Sixth-grade math and science teacher George Hower began substitute teaching in the Lower School during the 1998-99 academic year, joining the faculty the following year. During his time at SPA, he also taught grades 4 and 5, served as a sponsor of the Middle School student council, and coached Middle School volleyball. He is known for sharing his love of earth science, life science, and physical science with his students. He joined the SPA faculty after earning a B.S. in elementary education from Huntington University; he also completed master’s coursework in elementary education and early childhood education at Ball State University and Southwest Texas State University. He plans to do some remodeling work on his house; revisit old haunts in Colorado, where he and his wife used to live; and volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. 2
SPA | Spring | Summer 2013
Left to right: Eliot Tong, Math team coach Bill Boulger, Neerja Thakkar, Vittorio Orlandi, Jeremy Tong, Sandhya Ramachandran, Lucy Li, Henry Swanson, and Sam Wood.
For the sixth time in the last decade, SPA’s math team captured the Minnesota State High School Mathematics League’s state title. The team earned the title by placing first in its tier at this year’s State Tournament, held March 11, 2013. The team was led by Henry Swanson ’13 and Sam Wood ’13, both of whom participated in the invitational event for the highest-scoring students in the state during the regular season. The strong team also included Jeremy Tong ’13, Lucy Li ’14, Vittorio Orlandi ’14, Eliot Tong ’15, Sandhya Ramachandran ’15, and Neerja Thakkar ’15. The State tournament consisted of four different individual events and a team event. Each of the eight students on the team competed in two of the four different events, including trigonometry, geometry, and algebra. The individual scores of the eight students were added together with the score on the team event to obtain the final team score for the tournament. According to Upper School mathematics teacher and team coach Bill Boulger, the team competition was the decisive event throughout the team’s season. “This team had confidence in their ability to outscore other teams because of their ability to work cooperatively and effectively on the team event,” Boulger says.
Looking for more news? Join us on Facebook for all the latest athletics, academic, arts, and alumni/ae news!