The Langley School Experience Summer 2016

SUMMER

2016

experience

Portrait of a Graduate Explore the Langley Journey Page 2

In this issue

experience is published twice a year for alumni and friends of The Langley School Head of School Dr. Elinor M. Scully Editor & Designer Sharon Vipperman, Director of Marketing & Communications

Where vital academics meet a deep respect for childhood Preschool through grade 8 in Northern Virginia

1411 Balls Hill Road, McLean, Virginia 22101 (703) 356-1920 www.langleyschool.org

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Head of School’s Message

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Feature Story: Portrait of a Graduate

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Campus Happenings

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Feature Story: Teachers as Learners

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Faculty Notes: Farewell, Coach Gleason

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Philanthropy at Langley

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Alumni Profile: Mikaela Lefrak ‘02

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Class Notes

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The Last Word

Head of School’s Message

Dear Langley friends...

As I reflect upon this past year, we have made significant progress on exciting new initiatives while staying true to our roots and our beloved traditions.

With our strategic plan in full swing, we have completed extensive best-practice and benchmark research and developed our plans for Pillar I (Ensuring Academic Excellence) and Pillar II (Articulating Our Social-Emotional Expertise) that will roll out across the next two years. As part of this work, we had four task forces dedicated to curricular reviews on math, literacy, world languages, and social-emotional learning programs. While we will always improve our programs based on the evolving 21st-century needs, our task force work confirmed that Langley’s students and programs benchmarked at high levels across the board.

You can read about how we maintain teacher quality and a culture of learning in our article on professional development on page 6. We are also energized by the unique opportunities to create a premier social-emotional learning program that builds upon our strong foundation of kindness, respect, citizenship, life skills, moral goodness, and parent support.

Our work on Pillar III (Investing in Sustainability) has a multi-year plan in place. Given the dynamic landscape for independent schools nationwide, this task force has been wrestling with complex issues from affordability and financial aid to enrollment trends, endowment, and the next capital campaign.

eighth-graders and a group from Argentina. Also, after 37 years, we are saying farewell to Jim Gleason, beloved coach and athletic director, as he deservedly enters retirement.

We thank him for the athletic program he has passionately built and the significant impact he has had on multiple generations of students. We welcome T.J. Barnett, who joins us from Riverdale Country School in New York this summer, as Langley’s new athletic director. For more on Jim and T.J., see the article on page 14.

Finally, we wish our 73rd graduating class all the best as they enter high school next fall. I am so proud of our graduates who represent all that it means to live Langley with confidence, character, and self-awareness. You can learn about Langley’s portrait of a graduate and the many accomplishments of our Middle Schoolers on page 2.

With this balance of forward momentum mixed with great pride in our history and foundation, we are well positioned as we approach Langley’s 75th anniversary during the 20172018 school year. We can’t wait to celebrate this important moment in our history with you.

Warm regards,

While these strategic priorities keep us thinking ahead, we are also enjoying and appreciating the vital and invigorating activities occurring on campus each day. A few of the long-time traditions we celebrated this year included our 61st annual Fall Fair, the 18th annual fifth-grade cricket match, and the 10th annual cultural exchange between our

Dr. Elinor Scully Head of School

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FEATURE STORY:

Portrait of a Graduate How Students Discover Themselves Through the Langley Journey It’s graduation day at Langley. Families, friends, teachers, staff members, and alumni fill the gym, transformed for this day into a stunning formal auditorium. Langley eighth-graders – soon to be alumni themselves – feel the anticipation along with the audience.

The crowd quiets as the Langley band strikes up “Pomp and Circumstance.” One by one, the eighth-graders enter and process down the center aisle. Then every graduating student delivers a speech, sharing heartfelt stories of how one memorable aspect of their Langley journey changed their lives. Cheers (and more than a few sniffles) resound. As they receive their diplomas and leave the auditorium, audience members – even their own parents – marvel at the graduates’ poise, eloquence, intelligence, and self-possession.

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How did these compelling young people become this way?

From the first day of preschool through the last day of eighth grade, Langley’s program builds on children’s developmental stages, as well as each child’s individual interests and talents. This careful calibration ensures genuine intellectual and emotional maturity. On graduation day, our students are more than ready for high school and life.

Building confidence – the Langley way Ask any Langley parent, teacher, alum, or student what makes Langley graduates different and you almost always hear the word “confident.” Other schools often describe their students the same way. But at Langley, “confidence” means something quite specific.

“Langley students aren’t boastful,” explains Middle School Head Ryan Jefferson. “They’re straightforward and authentic. Because we’ve encouraged them to take risks, while giving them a strong, supportive safety net, they know who they are and are comfortable with themselves.”

Recent Langley graduate William Seale said it best in the speech he delivered at this year’s graduation: “In Middle School, I was able to act like myself and express who I truly was. I was able to do this because of the supportive Middle School environment that Langley offers.”

Langley’s emphasis on public speaking and performance contributes to this confidence. One such opportunity comes in seventh-grade social studies, when students participate in mock trials. The former chair of Langley’s Board of Trustees, Jamie Baker, has led several classes through a trial at his former court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.

As social studies teacher and Dean of Students Brent Locke explains, “Students practice using evidence to persuade a jury of their peers of their client’s innocence. They learn to speak publicly and confidently and to think critically and quickly in responding to difficult questions.”

Drama teacher Joanna Edie describes how Langley’s drama program fosters skills far beyond acting on stage. “You can’t do a play by yourself,” she smiles. “You need actors, writers, technicians, costume designers – a whole crew. So you can find a position that fits your interests and talents. Students learn that every team member is necessary to tell the story.”

By ensuring wide-ranging opportunities to perform, collaborate, and self-reflect, Langley helps students not only

become themselves, but also express themselves – clearly, authentically, and thoughtfully.

How Langley defines and fosters leadership A similar philosophy informs Langley’s many leadership programs. The school offers visible leadership opportunities, such as officer positions on the Student Council.

But Langley also provides less visible roles, like student ambassadors, advisors to the head of school, and advisory representatives.

“We show students that leadership requires a whole range of skills,” says Mr. Locke. “It means planning, budgeting, and executing, but it also means understanding the people around you and communicating. You have to acknowledge who you are, and who other people are, in order to get things done.”

Langley’s Big Buddies mentoring program, which pairs eighth-graders with kindergartners, has proven especially effective in building this more comprehensive form of leadership. “We mix structured with unstructured activities,” Mr. Locke explains. “Sometimes the students build something together or read together. Other times they play together. For both students, it’s great practice in working with someone who might be very different.” The program builds relationships that can endure long after the Langley years. It is not uncommon for former Big Buddies – even after they enter college – to return to Langley to celebrate graduation with their one-time Little Buddy.

100% Eighth-graders

in formal mentorship roles to younger students

97% 2016 graduates who were accepted into one of their top three choices for high school

By the NUMBERS

87% Middle Schoolers participating on an athletic team

59% Middle Schoolers

performing in Langley’s music and/or drama productions

50 Hours of service

learning in which the typical student participates during the school day across their Middle School years

Over 40%

Graduating eighth-graders in elected leadership roles during Middle School years

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We show students that leadership requires a whole range of skills.

It means planning, budgeting, and executing, but it also means understanding the people around you and communicating.

Langley’s capstone trip draws on and enhances our students’ abilities to communicate, cooperate, and listen.

This fall, the eighth-grade class will travel to New Mexico, where they will engage in an immersive, cross-cultural, and personal journey. Over the course of one week, they will meet students from a Native American school and participate in service projects with them. They will visit and learn about a local pueblo; study the art, history, and geography of the Southwest; and learn mindfulness techniques from different cultures – all through the lens of discovering and reflecting on who they are and how they contribute to the wider world.

Such programs help explain another description of Langley students that we often hear: compassionate. Through extensive collaborative work, and their deeper understanding of leadership and service, our students come to care sincerely about others, and to respect all people for who they are.

How personal growth fuels academic success (and vice versa) At Langley, we don’t foster personal growth just to supplement intellectual growth, but to ensure it. Langley’s inquiry-based curriculum, in which students engage with open-ended questions that cross disciplinary boundaries, reflects and reinforces our mission. For example, eighthgrade teachers of science, language arts, and social studies designed a six-week collaborative unit called “The Untold Story” which inspired students to reflect on the importance of stories, perceptions of “otherness,” and relationships between consent and power.

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The Langley Virtual Science Fair, a much-anticipated annual event, also starts with questions. Each participant chooses a scientific question to answer, then conducts research, formulates a hypothesis, designs and performs the experiment, draws conclusions, and presents the results to a team of science professionals. Students who place in the top 10 percent at the regional science fair head to the Broadcom MASTERS science and engineering competition.

In 2016, one Langley sixth-grader earned second place at the regional fair and was invited to attend the MASTERS competition this summer.

These are just a few examples of how our academic program fuels students’ academic and personal development, not just in Middle School, but throughout their years at Langley.

What does a Langley graduate look like?

Every year, carefully designed challenges energize and stretch our students, as their school community supports and celebrates them every step of the way. That’s how Langley graduates develop such unique poise, confidence, empathy, ambition, and intelligence.

Yet each graduate is very much a distinct individual – not in spite of these shared qualities, but because of them.

They deeply understand and can advocate for themselves through high school, college, and beyond.

“Our graduates are kind. They’re resilient. They have a passion for achievement,” says Mr. Jefferson. “What’s another word I would use to describe them? Happy.”

Class of 2016 Heads to High School Members of the Class of 2016 were accepted to the following high schools. Asterisks indicate the schools our graduates will attend in the fall. At Langley, we help our students identify the high schools that are the best fit for each individual. As they go through the high school placement experience, students embark on an amazing journey of self-discovery which builds self-confidence, distills their preferences, and ultimately prepares them to select the school that’s right for them.

Bishop O’Connell High School The Bullis School Christchurch School* Connolly School of the Holy Child* Edmund Burke School* Emma Willard School (NY) Field School Flint Hill School* Foxcroft School Georgetown Day School George C. Marshall High School – IB Program* Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School* Gonzaga College High School* Holton-Arms School* James Madison High School* Landon School Langley High School*

Madeira School* Maret School McLean High School* Mercersburg Academy* Miss Porter’s School* National Cathedral School Paul VI Catholic High School Phillips Exeter Academy* Potomac School* St. Albans School* St. Andrew’s Episcopal School St. John’s College High School St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School* Sidwell Friends School* Stone Ridge School Sultan’s School (Oman) Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology

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Campus Happenings

Fostering Teamwork & School Spirit Clockwise from top left: We’ve got spirit…yes we do! Students of all ages showed off their creativity and school spirit during Langley’s Spirit Week this spring.

Our winter and spring athletes enjoyed success on the field this season, with girls’ varsity basketball going undefeated to take the regular season and tournament titles.

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Students in grades 1-8 joined together in teams for Field Day, a favorite Langley tradition to cap off the school year.

Langley sprinted to the finish line in the annual CAC track and field meet, finishing first overall for our 11th title in the last 13 years. Forty-five Langley students competed against runners from four other schools in 26 events.

For the 10th consecutive year, Langley welcomed a group of middle school boys from Rosario, Argentina, to campus for a day of cultural exchange activities with our eighth grade and a friendly soccer game against our varsity team.

As part of Langley’s year-long Roots & Shoots service initiatives, Middle School advisory groups worked together to develop service projects benefitting people, animals, and the environment, such as planting a garden to draw native insects to campus.

Fifth-graders took part in the 18th annual tradition of a day-long cricket match, learning the fundamentals of the game along with respect for other cultures.

Langley parents put their thinking caps on during the school’s annual Leopardy Quiz Night. Parents joined together in teams to compete in this fun and lively trivia contest benefitting the school.

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Developing Self-Expression Clockwise from top left: During their performance of “Alice in Wonderland, Jr.,” Langley fifth-graders entertained audience members with a wonderful musical based on the popular 1951 Disney cartoon.

Students and teachers demonstrated their love of reading by coming to school dressed as a beloved character from a favorite book during BookFest on April 13.

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Kindergartners learned about outer space and built their confidence on stage during their musical production of “Blast Off!” this spring.

More than 60 Middle School musicians traveled to New York City to compete in a music competition and enjoy sightseeing in the Big Apple. Langley’s band, chorus, and strings groups earned first- and second-place honors.

Campus Happenings

Langley’s schoolwide art show – “Fostering the Creative Mind Through Arts Integration” – highlighted how the arts are interwoven throughout the curriculum to enhance students’ creativity and individuality.

First- and second-graders highlighted Broadway tunes during their high-energy musical, “The Broadway Beat.”

Langley sold more than 800 tickets to the Middle School spring musical, “Once Upon a Mattress.” Sixty students in grades 6-8 took part in all aspects of this musical production.

Students in grades 3-5 demonstrated their stage presence and musical skill during the Lower School spring concert which featured choral, band, and strings groups.

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Campus Happenings

Celebrating Integrated Learning Clockwise from top left: Innovation and creativity were on display on February 6 as more than 300 students and parents came out to Langley’s first-ever STEAM Fair. Families joined Langley faculty for an exciting morning of STEAM-based challenges, displays, and demonstrations.

Primary School students wrapped up their month-long, integrated spiral unit on children’s author Leo Lionni with a musical presentation and museum display of their work.

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Following their interdisciplinary unit on Australia, first-graders shared their impressive knowledge of the continent during their Down Under Extravaganza performance.

Fourth-graders learned the fundamentals of computer programming during an intensive, week-long STEAM workshop in January. Guided by the engineering design process, students created their own interactive monster with blinking eyes and sound.

During their Colonial America unit, third-graders explored the economic, political, and religious motivations of the Colonists through songs, skits, poems, and videos.

FEATURE STORY:

Teachers as Learners How Professional Development Powers Langley’s Curriculum The classroom hums with excited conversation. Eager learners huddle in small groups, proposing ideas, listening intently, looking up information on their iPads. The instructor moves from group to group, asking questions and offering suggestions, but never providing one “right” answer. Then the groups come together to share promising solutions and propose new questions.

In short, it’s a fairly typical class at Langley – except today, the room is filled not with Langley students, but their teachers.

They’re taking part in one of a series of professional development workshops to create, discuss, and coordinate strategies for Langley’s inquiry-based curriculum. In Langley’s teaching philosophy, open-ended, reflective questions – called “essential questions” – drive deep investigations that

lead to inventive, real-world solutions. As education research has repeatedly shown, pursuing students’ curiosity, wherever it leads, empowers them to own their learning.

This approach generates more authentic, enduring understanding than programs based on rote memorization and pre-determined answers.

And through Langley’s professional development program, our teachers learn the same way our students do.

Committing to teachers’ growth As Phil Petru, Langley’s new assistant head of school, explains, “We practice inquiry-based learning in professional development, so teachers can model it for their students. When teachers pose questions rather than providing answers, students realize teachers don’t have the definitive key. Their

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Langley’s commitment to every student requires an equal commitment to every teacher’s intellectual and personal growth.

teachers are learning right along with them.” Engaging with these enthusiastic fellow-seekers every day, Langley students discover that learning endures for a lifetime.

The professional development program helps fulfill Pillar I of Langley’s strategic plan, Ensuring Academic Excellence.

According to the plan, this means “constantly working to perfect the art of teaching so that students maximize their learning and growth.”

Our faculty is the bedrock of this excellence and Langley is fortunate to have wonderfully skilled teachers. We want to push even further to become the employer of choice for teachers who are committed to preschool through eighth grade education and we want to keep top educators here by building a professional learning community where they are nourished and encouraged to grow.

Langley’s commitment to every student requires an equal commitment to every teacher’s intellectual and personal growth. And Langley’s teachers have wholeheartedly embraced the professional development program because it offers them the flexibility, creativity, and challenge that these exceptional educators crave.

How professional development shapes the curriculum Throughout the past year, faculty members participated in grade-, division-, and school-wide workshops to shape and enhance Langley’s inquiry-based program. A highlight

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of this year’s activities was a visit from Diana Laufenberg, executive director and lead teacher for Inquiry Schools and known for her acclaimed TED talk, “How to Learn? From Mistakes.” Ms. Laufenberg led a day-long workshop at Langley on key inquiry-based learning principles. Sessions included ways to generate the most effective questions, using visual imagery to drive students’ curiosity, and incorporating student voice and choice in assessment. (Read more about the workshop on Langley’s blog at https:// langleyschoolblog.org/category/professional-development/.)

In the past year, many Langley teachers also traveled to national conferences on learning and neuroscience, innovation and creativity in mathematics, and – for world languages teachers – using essential questions to generate conversation in the target language.

“Our teachers have a lot of input in directing their own professional development,” says Mr. Petru. “They also play an important role in shaping our on-campus workshops.”

Langley teachers draw on their learning to create units supporting their students’ interests, learning styles, and readiness levels. For example, following the workshop on visual imagery, the second-grade teachers reshaped the American Symbols unit. Rather than first reading about the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial in a textbook, our second-graders began by viewing a range of American symbols that teachers had placed around the classroom. The teachers encouraged students to wonder why the symbols looked as they did, what they might

represent, and why we use symbols more generally. After developing their own questions and weighing many possible responses, the students couldn’t wait for the class trip to see the monuments in their full glory.

Langley also inspires teachers to harness their own passions to fuel students’ curiosity. For instance, third-grade teacher Hubert Lowder, an experienced nature guide, created a podcast in which he walked through a nearby river and encountered a brown river snake. But rather than simply narrating facts about the snake, he showed and described the local environment and posed questions to help students discover for themselves why the snake looked

and behaved as it did. It’s clear that inquiry-based learning has helped propel Langley teachers and students alike to deeper and more sophisticated understanding.

What “meaningful professional development” means at Langley “Just as we create meaningful learning for students, we ensure meaningful professional development for teachers,” Mr. Petru says. In fact, one cannot exist without the other.

In a blog published in The Washington Post online (August 14, 2015), education researchers Howard Gardner, Clayton Lewis, and Jim Reese affirm this crucial concept for effective professional development: “Make [teachers’] learning relevant and meaningful. We know it is vital for children; it is just as important for teachers.” Whether students are five years old or 50, learning that builds on their own curiosity, interests, and talents leads to significantly greater engagement and growth.

That’s why Langley’s professional development program aims to form and sustain a vibrant community of lifelong learners that extends beyond the classroom. Our dedicated parent donors have played an essential role in building this program, generously sustaining and enhancing our work through the annual fund and auction. It’s all part of the way Langley students, teachers, staff members, parents, and alumni inspire and challenge each other to push further and dig deeper. The chemistry certainly seems to be working.

Further Reading Edutopia’s section on inquiry-based learning offers a wide range of articles, videos, and discussions. http://www.edutopia.org/topic/inquiry-based-learning

Next year’s program delves deeper into the inquiry-based philosophy and strategies. Among the areas of exploration: ways to redesign units; workshops on collaboration, reflection, questioning, and student voice and choice; and further collaborations with Diana Laufenberg.

“We’ve seen such excitement and innovation among teachers and students year after year,” says Mr. Petru. “And there’s much more growth to come. It’s just thrilling to be part of it.”

Jeff Marshall, a professor of science education, explains how inquiry works in K-12 science and math. http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol8/821-marshall.aspx

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FACULTY NOTES:

Farewell, Coach Gleason During the course of his 37-year career at Langley, Athletic Director Jim Gleason has impacted thousands of students, teaching them the value of fitness, teamwork, and good sportsmanship. As he retires this summer after nearly four decades, Coach Gleason leaves behind a lasting legacy – a robust athletic program that gives students the tools to become self-confident leaders both on and off the field.

Under Coach Gleason’s expert leadership, Langley’s team sports program has grown dramatically through the years to include male and female JV and varsity teams in nine different sports which are coached by a number of faculty coaches. The banners lining the wall of the athletic center today are a testament to the success Langley’s teams have enjoyed while staying true to the school’s no-cut policy.

When Coach Gleason first arrived on Langley’s campus in 1979 to interview for a new P.E. position, the school’s athletic program looked very different than it does today.

With a minimal physical education curriculum, no athletic teams, and modest facilities, the school was in need of athletic leadership, and Coach Gleason was the man for the job.

Langley’s physical education program has also benefitted from Coach Gleason’s guidance and direction. As the school’s only P.E. teacher in the early 80s, he taught seven classes a day in the old Field House and on the grass playing field. “Today our physical space and resources are 100 times better,” says Coach Gleason, who was instrumental in designing the school’s two state-of-the-art athletic facilities, the Solomon Athletic Center and the Gleason Turf Field, which allow multiple classes to be taught at once. He also grew the department to include four P.E. teachers and added more sports and skills to the curriculum.

Realizing his students would benefit from team competition, Coach Gleason helped form the Capital Athletic Conference with several other local schools in 1980. In those early years, teams were coed and made up of grades 4-8.

Students played just three sports – soccer, basketball, and softball – all of which he coached. “As the program grew, athletics started to become a central part of the school,” he recalls. “Being on a multi-grade team helped students bond with kids in other grades which created a stronger sense of community and spirit.”

“We’ve had a lot of big changes during my 37 years here,” Coach Gleason says, “but what hasn’t changed is the closeness of this community and the ability of the kids to experience so many different things. We give them opportunities to play sports, be in a play, take part in the band. They can do it all, and not every school makes that possible.”

At left: On May 26, hundreds of past and current students, parents, and faculty gathered for Coach Gleason’s retirement celebration, including Betty Brown, former head of school. Above: Langley’s Student Council presented Coach Gleason with a special award during Field Day this spring.

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“We’ve had a lot of big changes during my 37 years here, but what hasn’t changed is the closeness of this community and the ability of the kids to experience so many different things.

They can do it all.” -Jim Gleason

As for Coach Gleason’s favorite memories throughout his career, they are countless – mentoring faculty coaches, learning about the successes of his former students, having the turf field named in his honor, fist-bumping kids in carpool each morning, and notching big wins on the field. “For me, winning has never gotten old,” he says. “I still get just as excited as I did during that very first season. But what I will miss most are the daily interactions with my students and colleagues.”

With his Langley days behind him, Coach Gleason looks ahead to his new life at his six-acre mountain home outside Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. Now 61 and an avid cyclist, he hopes to spend much of his time training for a national medal in the Senior Olympics. He also plans to continue cycling in 24hour races to raise money for cancer research.

“My dream growing up was to either be a pro athlete or a coach, and thanks to Langley, one of those dreams came true,” says Coach Gleason, noting he’d like to be remembered as someone who truly cared about his students as people, not just as athletes.

“Could I have coached at a higher level? Maybe. But there was always something that kept me at Langley. There’s just something about molding a child during those early years that is really special.”

T.J. Barnett Named New Athletic Director The Langley School welcomes Thomas (T.J.) Barnett as our next athletic director, following the retirement of Jim Gleason. Mr. Barnett comes to Langley from Riverdale Country School in the Bronx, NY, where he was assistant director of athletics for the past three years.

During his nearly 10 years at Riverdale, Mr. Barnett also served as a physical education teacher, history teacher, health teacher, and coach, working with both middle and high school students. An independent school for grades pre-k through 12, Riverdale enrolls more than 1,200 students and supports 60 athletic teams from the middle school to varsity levels.

In addition to extensive experience on the field and in the gym, Mr. Barnett brings an in-depth understanding of the important role athletics play in students’ intellectual and emotional growth. His classroom experience provides him with a unique perspective into the challenges teachers and students face, and his recent work on Riverdale’s capital campaign gives him valuable experience building athletic programs and facilities that reflect the strategic vision of an institution.

“I am honored to be joining the Langley community,” says Mr. Barnett, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Quinnipiac University and a master’s degree in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia University. “The balance Langley offers between academics and athletics mirrors my own philosophy and beliefs on what constitutes a well-rounded education.

I am eager to begin working with the great staff and parents of Langley to build upon the solid foundation laid down by Jim Gleason.”

“We are thrilled to welcome T.J. to Langley this summer,” says Head of School Dr. Elinor Scully. “We had a tremendous pool of highly qualified candidates, but T.J.’s stellar qualifications and unique vision stood out. I am confident he is the right person to continue Jim Gleason’s amazing legacy and take our athletic program to new heights.”

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The Langley School thanks auction co-chairs Meredith Tiano and Sarah Foster (pictured at left with Head of School Elinor Scully) and their dedicated team of committee chairs and volunteers for making “Le Cirque” such a success. The event not only raised funds for the school, but also brought the community together for an evening of fun.

PHILANTHROPY AT LANGLEY:

Langley Celebrates Under the Big Top at Spring Auction On April 30, more than 300 parents, faculty, staff, and friends gathered at the Hyatt Tysons Corner Center for the 2016 auction, “Le Cirque: The Greatest School on Earth.” The ballroom at the Hyatt was transformed into a whimsical, sophisticated circus that brought our community together to enjoy one another’s company and raise funds to ensure that our people and programs remain among the best in the metro area.

The event, which included online, live, and silent components, was a tremendous success. The live auction raised over $200,000, of which almost $120,000 was for faculty professional development from Raise the Paddle. Saturday night’s silent auction brought in close to $68,000, while the online auction which ran earlier in April raised almost $60,000. We couldn’t be more pleased!

To everyone who donated, bid, attended, and otherwise stepped right up for Langley, thank you for making the 2016 auction such a magical night.

Thank You to Our Event Sponsors RINGMASTER SPONSOR Porzio Bromberg & Newman P.C. LION TAMER SPONSOR C.J. Coakley Co., Inc. WINE RING TOSS SPONSOR Olde Towne Pet Resort CHAMPAGNE BAR SPONSORS SAHOURI - Erie Insurance Wells Fargo Private Bank ACROBAT SPONSOR Drs. Fizzah and Tim Gocke, D.D.S. JUGGLER SPONSOR McHale Landscape Design STILT WALKER SPONSOR Luposello & Marzban Orthodontics

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DONOR PROFILE:

Jessica Sands

Parent of Jackson ’16, Ella ’17, and Hart ’21 As any parent knows, siblings often possess widely different talents, strengths, and interests. For Langley mom Jessica Sands, finding a school that supports and nurtures the unique needs of each of her three children had the potential to be a challenge. At Langley, however, the Sands children (and two of their cousins) have thrived in an environment that features support and challenge, as well as close bonds with their teachers. Jessica observes that, thanks to the dedication and customized attention from their teachers, her children have developed a love of learning that ranges from becoming a confident public speaker to appreciating the joys of writing to examining the drama of history.

Thank you to Jessica Sands, along with many other Langley families, whose generosity of spirit directly enhances the lives of our students, faculty, and staff each day. Every gift – no matter the size – has the power to transform the Langley experience. Please consider joining Jessica and making Langley one of your philanthropic priorities. Visit www.langleyschool.org or call (703) 848-2785 to make a gift or get involved.

“My children’s teachers often play a role in the conversation at our dinner table as we talk about the day’s events,” she noted.

As son Jackson prepares to begin high school in the fall, Jessica reflects on his experience at Langley and the way it will shape his future: “With the support and encouragement from his teachers, Jackson has developed a sense of self-confidence and poise that will undoubtedly serve him well as he begins the next chapter of his educational journey.”

The Sands family looks forward to many more milestones in the coming years at Langley. In an effort to recognize and express her gratitude for all her children have achieved to date, Jessica is proud to affirm her support of Langley’s teachers through philanthropy. She states, “It is my hope that my gift, and the support from other grateful parents, will allow Langley to attract and retain teachers who are the ‘best of the best’ to nurture and guide our children into their teenage years.”

“The Langley faculty understands exactly what children need to find themselves and reach their potential.”

-Jessica Sands

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Pictured above and at right: Langley’s Class of 2012 gathered on campus on June 1 for their four-year reunion. Students enjoyed catching up with each other and several faculty members before they head off to college in the fall.

ALUMNI NEWS:

Off to College Congratulations to Langley’s Class of 2012 on their high school graduation this spring! Members of the class will attend a variety of colleges and universities, including (but not limited to) the following: Boston University Brandeis University Brown University Carnegie Mellon University Colgate University College of William & Mary Davidson College Drexel University Embry-Riddle University George Washington University James Madison University Northeastern University Penn State University Purdue University Randolph-Macon College

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Towson University Tulane University University of California-Davis University of Delaware University of Miami University of Michigan University of Pennsylvania University of Pittsburgh University of Richmond University of Southern California University of Wisconsin-Madison Vassar College Wake Forest University West Virginia University

ALUMNI PROFILE:

Mikaela Lefrak ’02 As an audio producer and multimedia reporter, Mikaela Lefrak ’02 loves the challenge of finding new ways to share information in an increasingly digital world. Currently the associate editor at the New Republic – a progressive magazine based in Washington, DC – she is leading the 102-year-old publication’s efforts to use podcasting and social media as a way to broaden its audience.

When she interviewed for a job at the New Republic about 15 months ago, Mikaela pitched the idea of creating podcasts to enhance the magazine’s in-depth analysis of the issues in an audio format. Her innovative ideas impressed the editors and she soon found herself producing several new podcasts, including the now-popular “Primary Concerns,” a weekly 40-minute show on politics.

“As one of the only people at the New Republic with an audio background, I have a lot of free rein in developing the podcasts. It can be challenging to work on a new medium in a traditional print shop, but I like the experimental nature of what I do,” says Mikaela, who also writes for the magazine’s print and online editions. “The future of magazines is dependent on reaching the audience at many different levels, whether it’s through social media, podcasts, the Web, or traditional print.”

Mikaela’s path into the journalism world took several twists and turns. A graduate of Middlebury College with a major in English and minors in African studies and Spanish, she planned to work at a nonprofit. But a stint with AmeriCorps followed by a fundraising job at an education policy organization left her wanting something different from her career.

So Mikaela made a list of things about which she was passionate, and public radio rose to the top of that list. She enrolled at Boston University, where she earned a master’s degree in broadcast journalism, learned the technical aspects of editing and production, interned with a daily public radio show, and worked as a teaching assistant for former New York Times media columnist David Carr.

Although she chose the broadcast journalism track, Mikaela has loved to write since her elementary days at Langley.

While studying in Bolivia for a semester during college, she wrote and illustrated a bilingual children’s book called The

“It was at Langley where my teachers first told me I was a good writer. It’s a magical experience for a child to have someone tell you they recognize your talent.”

Biggest Laugh in the World, which looks at the difficult lives of elderly Bolivian citizens living in public homes through the eyes of a child. While not sold in the U.S., the book is available through the Kids’ Books Bolivia website.

“It was at Langley where my teachers first told me I was a good writer,” says Mikaela, who was a Langley “lifer” from preschool to eighth grade. “It’s a magical experience for a child to have someone tell you they value your ideas and recognize your talent.” In addition to building her writing skills in English classes with Mrs. Pascal and on the literary magazine with Mrs. Harris, Mikaela also developed confidence and a willingness to try new things.

She still remembers trying to start a softball team when the school didn’t have one. “Coach Jim Gleason said I could form a team if my friend and I could find enough girls who were interested – and we did!” she recalls. “Looking back, it was really cool that Langley empowered us to come up with new ideas and see them through.” Mikaela also remembers Mr. McKinley’s final eighth-grade drama assignment: “He had us get up in front of the class to perform a monologue, a dance, and a song! It was terrifying, but a valuable experience that gave me confidence to face other tough situations.”

“I feel very lucky to have attended a school where I could try so many activities like band, sports, and drama – all in an extremely safe and supportive environment with wonderful teachers and lifelong friends,” she says, noting that one of her kindergarten classmates remains her best friend today.

What’s next for Mikaela? “I see myself staying on the broadcast side of journalism, producing podcasts and hopefully one day working at National Public Radio on a daily news show. That’s my dream.”

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ALUMNI NEWS:

From Student to Parent Many of our alumni have fond memories of their Langley days – the friendships they made, the teachers they had, the plays, the sports, the class trips, and the impact the school had on their formative years. But for a group of alumni, Langley had such a positive influence on their lives that they chose to give their own children that same experience. Years after they completed their own Langley education, these alumni have returned to our campus in a new role – as parents. The following alumni had children enrolled at Langley during the 2015-2016 school year.

Erik Briceno ’89 Children: Banks (KG) and Bay (grade 2)

Elizabeth Crocker ’89 Children: Chase (KG) and Emmaline (JK) Greenberg

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SUMMER 2016

Michael Coakley ’82 Children: Evelyn (grade 5), Lauren (grade 7), and Neil ’15

Peggy (Reizes) Evans ’85

Kenny Hutman ’81

Children: Mark (grade 5) and Megan (KG)

Child: Teddy (grade 7) Not pictured: Phillip Norton ’83

Preston Miller ’92

Andrew Kaplan ’87

Paul Martorana ’86

Children: Cole (grade 2) and Lane (KG)

Children: Franco (grade 2) and Lua (grade 4)

Children: Harper (preschool), Reese (JK), and Wyatt (preschool next fall)

Michelle (Malek) du Pont Olson ’82 Luis Neto ’87 Children: Andrew (grade 5), Evan (grade 7), and Hannah ’15

Children: Channing (JK next fall), Olivia ’12, and Scarlett (grade 4)

Brian Pence ’91

Ashleigh (Rabbitt) Sekoski ’90

Child: Wyatt (grade 3)

Children: Evan (JK) and Theodore (preschool)

Sandra (Neto) Panizo ’90 Children: Chloe (grade 1), Natalie (grade 3), and Nathan (JK)

Laura (Magruder) Trent ’88 Children: Anna (grade 2), Gavin (grade 7), and Jacob ’15

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Class Notes Submit your notes and photos at langleyschool.org/community/alumni or e-mail svipperman@langleyschool.org.

1980

Cindi Leive is editor-in-chief of Glamour magazine, a position she has held since 2001. Under her stewardship, the magazine has received a record number of National Magazine Awards, including Magazine of the Year. A behind-thescenes tour of Glamour’s offices and lunch with Cindi was a popular auction item during the school’s 2016 spring auction.

2004

Colin Barbalace graduated from Florida Institute of Technology in 2013 with a B.S. in construction management. He is currently working as a field engineer/crew supervisor with the energy division of Kiewit Corporation on the Dominion Cove Point project in Lusby, MD. Colin married his Flint Hill high school sweetheart, Alexis Abbey, on September 6, 2015.

2007

Ryan Barbalace graduated from Wake Forest University in May 2015 with a B.A. in physics and minors in psychology and entrepreneurship. He now works as a business analyst/ product manager with Motorola Solutions in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

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SUMMER 2016

2008

Claire McDonald graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Richmond with majors in art history and Italian. She was awarded the Phillip Frederick, Jr. Memorial Award in Art which is awarded to a student in studio art or art history on the basis of character, ability, and academic excellence. Claire’s thesis was also awarded the best paper written in 2016 in the School of Arts and Sciences. As the first University of Richmond student accepted into the prestigious Courtauld Institute in London, she will begin studies for her master’s degree in the history of art there in October.

2009

Akira Brown, who attends Northeastern University, was recently chosen as the 2016-2017 president of the Northeastern Black Student Association. She is double-majoring in psychology and business.

Tiffany Seal just finished her junior year as a journalism major at Auburn University and made the Dean’s List for the third time. She will be interning this summer on Cape Cod as the beat writer for the Bourne Braves, a collegiate baseball team.

2010

Connecting with Our Past

Ilina Mitra, who completed her sophomore year at Wellesley College, plans to graduate with a major in economics and a minor in mathematics. She will spend her junior year at the London School of Economics. As co-campaigns coordinator of the Wellesley College Democrats, Ilina has supported Democratic races statewide in various capacities.

This spring, Head of School Elinor Scully enjoyed a visit with former Langley fifth-grade teacher Helene Layman, who lives in Fairfax, VA, and is 99 years old! A beloved teacher at Langley from 1966 to 1981, Mrs. Layman still fondly recalls her teaching days and the many students whose lives she touched.

2011

Kira Becker, who attended Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology, finished her freshman year at Amherst College. She is pre-med and plans to major in neuroscience.

Mary Geren just completed her first year at the University of Virginia after graduating from The Fort Worth Country Day School in Texas.

2012

Cailin Frankland will be interning with Dr. David Eagleman’s neurolaw group at Baylor College of Medicine this summer and will study neuroscience at Brown University.

James McLeish graduated from St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, where he served as Model UN president and varsity soccer team captain his senior year. He plans to study architecture at the University of Southern California.

Zach Seal graduated from Georgetown Preparatory School this spring. After playing baseball this summer on a collegiate team, he will attend Wake Forest University in the fall on a baseball scholarship.

2013

Allie Clarke, Marina Carlucci, Veronica Merril, and Emily Wallach (pictured below) – all rising high school seniors – will be attending the 2016 American Legion Auxiliary Girls State this summer at Longwood University. The girls will spend an intensive week of study, working together as self-governing citizens, as they learn how to participate in the functioning of their state’s government in preparation for their future roles as responsible adult citizens.

Hudson Merrick finished his junior year at Flint Hill School where he was a delegate at the Model UN with Johns Hopkins University in February.

Veronica Merril won first place in the American Fine Arts Festival concerto violin competition last year, and was invited to perform in the winners’ recital at Carnegie Hall in October 2015. She has also been invited to perform in a summer music program in Kostroma, Russia, where she will take master classes at the Bolshoi and perform with a full orchestra. Veronica completed her junior year at National Cathedral School where she is class vice president and co-founder and co-president of the “Close Encounters” coed A Cappella group. In addition, she performs in the NCS plays, musicals, chorale, orchestra, madrigal singers, and dance team. This spring, Veronica received the National Society of Arts and Letters Arts Award for Music, which was presented to her at The Kennedy Center.

In Memoriam Dr. Ben Fritz – who served as an instrumental music teacher and assistant band director at Langley from 19982010 – passed away in February. His son, Harrison, graduated from Langley in 2010.

Former Langley fourth-grade teacher Joanie Lofgren passed away in March in New Jersey where she resided.

Joanie retired from Langley in 2003.

Roberta Tomczyk, Langley’s long-time second-grade teacher who retired in 2001, passed away in June.

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The Last Word

by Erin Summers, French Teacher

Last fall, several of Langley’s world languages teachers and I had the opportunity to attend the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Annual Convention and World Languages Expo in San Diego, CA. The timing of this conference coincided perfectly with the beginning of a year-long curriculum review process for Langley’s World Languages Department. With more than 6,000 attendees and 700 sessions offered during the threeday event, this conference was the perfect venue for us to learn about current trends in world languages instruction and programs offered in schools across the country.

The highlight of the conference were two sessions led by Laura Terrill, a national consultant with more than 20 years of classroom experience, who is a highly regarded expert on best practices in world languages instruction, curriculum, and assessment. Even before she began her first session on “Engaging Learners in the Interpretive Mode,” I had the feeling that her presentation would be insightful since the 200-person room was filled to capacity and there was standing room only in the back.

As Laura spoke, my colleagues and I feverishly took notes about performance-based assessments, differentiated techniques to use with authentic materials at all proficiency levels, and the creation of thematic units of study. Her belief that we, as world languages teachers, needed to rethink our resources and practices in order to maximize our time with our students resonated deeply with the direction in which we wanted to move as a World Languages Department at The Langley School.

We returned from the convention not only energized by World languages teachers Tianhui Xu and these ideas, but Erin Summers at the ACTFL convention. also armed with a clear focus for the curriculum review process we had just begun. With the enthusiastic backing of the administration, we were fortunate to have Laura come to campus and work with the entire department for two days this past spring. During our time together, Laura led us through the exciting process of developing our program, focusing specifically on the creation of thematic units of study. These units are guided by an essential question that students will explore through authentic resources, such as video, audio, and written texts. Learners will strengthen their language skills in Spanish in the Primary and Lower Schools and their level of Spanish, French, or Chinese in the Middle School, as they use the language in a variety of communicative tasks designed for each proficiency level.

Since meeting with Laura, my colleagues and I have spent many hours this spring designing new units of study with overarching themes that will interest and engage our students. We will continue this work over the summer in order to put in place the first phase of our curriculum redesign during the 2016-2017 school year. It is an exciting process and we look forward to implementing our new ideas in the fall!

Read more about Langley’s world languages program on our blog at www.langleyschoolblog.org.

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SUMMER 2016

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The Langley School is comprised of students, teachers, parents, and staff who believe that a diverse school community promotes learning and growth, preparing students for responsible and compassionate citizenship in the global community. We administer all programs and policies without discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, or any other category to the extent protected by applicable laws.

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We Live Langley!

Entries filled with creativity and spirit poured in for the school’s first-ever “I Live Langley” photo contest.

Congratulations to our winners who were chosen in the following five categories (pictured clockwise from top left):

• Compassion & Service • Around Town • With Your Pets & Other Community Members

• Adventure & Ambition • Joyful Holiday Traditions