The Langley School Experience Magazine - Winter 2023

experience

At the Crossroads How Langley’s Newest Building Is Impacting Teaching and Learning

is published twice a year for alumni, families, and friends of The Langley School

Head of School

Michele Claeys

Editor & Designer

Sharon Vipperman, Director of Publications

Director of Strategic Marketing & Communications

Brittany Westbrook

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

Head of School’s Message

Feature Story: At the Crossroads

Campus Happenings

Happy 80th Birthday, Langley!

Langley Raises the Paddle for Teacher Excellence & Summer Grant Experiences

Where Do Langley Fund Dollars Go?

Class Notes

Alumni Profile: Emily Bratti ’16

Care Packages Brighten the Day for Alumni

The Last Word: Dreams Really Do Come True

Head of School’s Message

Dear Langley friends...

Who doesn’t love to celebrate? Here at Langley, we’ve spent a good part of the fall celebrating both the school’s 80th birthday and the opening of our wonderful new Crossroads Building. Our theme for the year, “80 Years of Living Langley: Celebrating Our Story,” guides us as we continue to reflect on the many stories that make up our collective history and inspire us to pursue our dreams for the future.

As you’ll see in the timeline beginning on page 10, Langley has come a long way from the small nursery school that opened in 1942 with just 19 children. While much has changed from those early days, what hasn’t changed is our commitment to nurturing the curiosity and joy of learning in every child. I imagine our founders, Persis Lane and Judith Glaser, would be proud to know that we are continuing their legacy of child-centered teaching and learning. It is thanks to them – and the many dedicated and visionary administrators, teachers, and parents who followed – that we have such a strong foundation on which to build for the future.

Speaking of celebrating, it was with great excitement that we opened the Crossroads Building in September. Our students and teachers are thrilled with this new space that encourages collaboration, builds community, and enhances the learning experience for all. After watching the building take shape during construction, it’s been so much fun to see it come alive as teachers make the spaces their own and students fill the hallways with laughter and joy. Be sure to take a look inside the building and hear from several teachers about its impact on page 2. Thank you to everyone who played a role in making the Crossroads Building a reality. It truly has transformed our campus, and I can’t wait to discover the many ways it will continue to enhance the Langley experience.

The opening of our newest facility also marks the completion of the campus master plan that was first developed in 2003 by a bold-thinking group of administrators, trustees,

and parents. This plan served as our roadmap over the last 20 years and has shaped Langley’s campus into the wonderful place it is today. Amazingly, our trustee emeritus, Joel Kanter, has played a key role in both developing and implementing this plan during his multiple decades of service to the school. You can read his thoughts on what it’s like to finally see the plan’s completion on page 21.

And so, after opening the final building in our existing master plan and achieving the goals from our most recent strategic plan, Langley finds itself at a “crossroads” and ready for the next exciting challenge. With input from all facets of the Langley community, we are in the midst of developing a new strategic plan which we will launch at the end of this school year. As we look to Langley’s next 80 years and plan for the programs and facilities we will need to continue improving and growing, I’m confident we will make our founders proud.

Warmly, Michele Claeys Head of School

Head of School Michele Claeys celebrates Langley’s 80th birthday with our mascot, Lightning.

At the Crossroads

How Langley’s Newest Building Is Impacting Teaching & Learning

In September 2022, Langley officially opened the magnificent new Crossroads Building, which is now home to our Primary School and fifth-grade programs, our 16,000volume library, an innovation lab, a multipurpose space, and our after-school program, Club E.D.

As the final component of Langley’s campus master plan, the 40,000-square-foot building serves the entire community and has already become a gathering spot and focal point of the campus, hosting assemblies, receptions, guest authors, the Book Fair, and daily classes. Students and teachers across divisions fill its colorful, light-filled rooms and hallways with joyful learning and a collaborative spirit.

“Our goal was to thoughtfully design a building that would support student learning and promote an inviting campus community, and it’s clear we achieved that goal!” says Head of School Michele Claeys. “This beautiful building is truly ‘at the crossroads’ of our campus and is already having a tremendous impact on our teaching and learning in the few short months since it opened.”

“The Crossroads Building has been truly transformational for our Primary School division,” says Head of Primary School Anna Shiroma. “Students and teachers are engaging in our curriculum in even more intentional ways as we use the large spaces that were specifically designed for young children. Our inquiry essential practices come alive in a building that allows for movement, exploration, and student expression.”

“It’s incredibly meaningful to have a physical manifestation of the leadership that has long characterized the fifth-grade capstone year of Lower School,” adds Head of

Lower School/Assistant Head for Programs Sarah Beck. “Having their own space in the heart of the campus has given our fifth-graders a sense of just how important they are as leaders of the Lower School, preparing to start their Middle School journey.”

The grassy courtyard in front of the Crossroads Building –which was created following the demolition of the former library and Arts and Science buildings – has completely transformed the entire campus into a more open and welcoming environment. The addition of this new facility also allowed Langley to repurpose the old Primary School space into Pirro Studios, which includes three art classrooms and a fabrication lab, to enhance our STEAM programs.

“I

“The

-Elizabeth,

-Ben and Brayden, Grade 5

“My favorite thing is all of the open space. Nothing feels crowded and everything has its own place. All of the windows and natural light also add to the feeling inside.”

-Hannah, Grade 8

"The space is so modern and clean and much easier to move around in. The windows are nice because they let so much sunshine in!"

-Lily, Grade 5

love being able to watch the birds (eat from our classroom birdfeeder) outside our big window!”

Jr. Kindergarten

library gives us a chance to do activities like puzzles and have the space to hang out with our friends.”

“I love the big windows and all the whiteboard space. The lockers are amazing because they have outlets that can charge our computers during the day!”

-Niall, Grade 5

“All of the windows make the interior of the building feel bright and more cheerful and also help me feel more awake and engaged in the mornings.”

-Audrey, Grade 7

“(When I’m doing my electrician class job turning on and off the lights) I can turn the lights to different brightness settings: high, medium, and low!”

-Sophia, Jr. Kindergarten

“I like reading a special book on the screen in the library.”

-Arnav, Preschool

Inside the Crossroads Building: 1) Outdoor courtyard in front of Crossroads with Middle School pictured to the right; 2) Library; 3) Innovation Lab; 4) Interior hallway; 5) Fifth-grade lockers; 6) Preschool classroom

In Their Own Words: Teachers Reflect on the Crossroads Impact

Laura Dixon, Technology & Innovation Teacher

As a future occupant of the new Crossroads Building, I played an early role in the design process for the entire building as I worked with the architects and designers to create a facility that is not just about form and function, but also about fostering a sense of belonging. The classroom layouts, staircases, doors, tall ceilings, hallways, bathrooms, small breakout spaces, and large gathering spaces throughout the building all have our various learners in mind.

Barbara Collier, Grade 5 Teacher

After 26 years of teaching fifth grade in classrooms of various sizes and configurations (including those lovely “portables” you see adjacent to public schools), I can honestly say the new fifth-grade classrooms on the second floor of the Crossroads Building are truly a dream come true for me and give my students a wonderful environment in which to learn.

Any teacher will tell you that square footage is critical to the success of any teaching space. When you have 18 or more students who need to work in small groups, you want to provide enough space. In our new fifthgrade classrooms, we have abundant space for the students to spread out, allowing them to work together effectively without being on top of each other. And the floor-to-ceiling windows that cover one complete wall and look out over our athletic field really open up the classrooms and provide tons of natural light.

As for all of the resources, materials, and supplies that come with teachers and students, the designers of these classrooms took that into careful consideration. Never have I ever been able to store supplies in a way that was so organized and so easy to access, translating to more efficient use of time in the classroom with my students. We have storage galore. The hallways, which include lockers large enough to store the fifth-graders’ backpacks, coats, and computers, are incredible. And guess what? The lockers have outlets in them so the students can charge their computers during the day.

I want to extend a huge thank you to everyone in the Langley community who helped make this incredible learning space possible.

The entire Crossroads Building – including my new home in the second-floor Innovation Lab – makes each student and faculty member feel comfortable as we learn and teach. Every detail of the 745-square-foot Innovation Lab was carefully considered to create the perfect learning environment for my design, engineering, and technology students in grades 5-8 to explore and innovate.

All of the furniture is mobile, so the configuration can be changed depending on the lesson and needs of the students. The lighting controls can be set to various levels which I especially appreciate when we use the projector. The spacious 4.5’ x 5’ tables are perfect for large projects and give my students plenty of room to spread out their materials. The tables are tall, provide lots of storage for student work and supplies, and have convenient hooks for backpacks and bags. The stools are amazingly comfortable with three sitting options – and are already being touted by students and adults alike as “the best classroom seats on campus.” Numerous outlets, three charging stations, and ample wall space for project use are wonderful additions.

The intentional design choices and elements of the Innovation Lab, and throughout the whole Crossroads Building, truly make a positive impact on the student experience at Langley and certainly enhance my experience as a teacher.

Annie Lyon, Librarian

When visitors ask me what I love most about the new library, I have my spiel ready: of course it’s the natural light and having room for our 16,000-plus volumes. I especially appreciate the projectors that allow the librarians to add media to our lessons. The proximity to the Innovation Lab for collaboration can’t be beat.

Even more, it brings the community together. The sofas by the young adult books beg to be plopped down on.

The Reading Room allows my kindergartners and me to circle up on mats and discuss the differences between fiction and nonfiction. The tables invite student research sessions, host impromptu faculty meetings, or hold a 1,000-piece puzzle that beckons to passersby to put down just one piece…or maybe three. (Okay, five.) The modular shelves can be rolled away in minutes to host a visiting author or the Book Fair.

Those are the easy parts to talk about; it’s much harder to express why the deeper sense of community is meaningful. After three years of makeshift libraries in multiple buildings, classroom checkouts, and trucking books across campus –I’m not complaining; I was in great shape – welcoming our students in a gorgeous new building is a testament to how much Langley values literacy, the importance of a large, fully-stocked library, and the school’s understanding of how books bring people together. Rare is the day when teachers don’t pop in to grab a book or Middle Schoolers don’t skip lunch recess for a chance to read. Libraries serve as sanctuaries and community centers; appropriately, this one is at the center of Langley’s campus.

I never have time to say all of that, and I’d get tongue-tied trying. So when someone asks what I love about the new library, I just smile and say, “How much time do you have?”

Ellen Kiely, Junior Kindergarten Teacher

The opportunity to be one of the inaugural classes in the new Crossroads Building has been a true gift to our teachers, students, and families. The large, light-filled classroom space, the proximity of our talented specialist teachers just down the hall, and the easy access to the outdoors to observe and enjoy nature daily has created a complete learning environment for my JK students.

The thoughtful design of the new building – and the fact that all of our Primary School students and teachers are under the same roof for the first time during my tenure at Langley – fosters greater collaboration and a stronger sense of community for everyone. The convenient meeting rooms allow me to partner more easily with colleagues and families. Our students get to know their Primary School peers in other grades, frequently see the friendly faces of former and future teachers in the hallways, and better understand how they fit into our extended Primary School family (and the school as a whole) as they grow and explore together in the same building.

After two and a half years of separating students into small cohorts and teaching in isolation due to the pandemic, our desire to exist in community and enjoy daily contact with each other is stronger than ever. The addition of the Crossroads Building, and the meaningful opportunities for connection it provides, couldn’t have come at a better time for our community.

Campus Happenings

Exploring & Growing Through Inquiry

1. During their “All About Me” unit, junior kindergarten students explored how melanin affects skin tone, learned how our community is similar and wonderfully different, and created their own self-portraits.

2. Eighth-graders took part in a week-long geo-political simulation called the World Peace Game, giving them the opportunity to explore the connectedness of the global community through the lens of economic, social, and environmental crises and the imminent threat of war.

3. During STEAM class, first-grade students learned to sequence and debug with blockly code as they programmed Dash robots to send messages to each other using colors.

4. As part of their unit about growth mindset, third-graders learned about the parts of the brain and how they affect thoughts, feelings, and actions. As a culminating activity, students constructed “brain hats” to be able to visualize where the different sections of their brains are located.

Learning Through Off-Campus Experiences

5. Kindergartners took their first field trip of the year to Butler’s Orchard where they picked pumpkins, explored various farm games, fed goats and sheep, and enjoyed a “spooky forest” hayride, the hayloft, and the corn pit.

6. Middle Schoolers kicked off the year with a series of grade-level trips. The sixth grade partnered with Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound School for a two-day program that focused on teamwork and perseverance through mental and physical challenges on an outdoor challenge course.

7. The fourth grade visited the Maryland Science Center this fall, where they explored interactive exhibits and participated in a DNA discovery lab to learn the basics of how the genetic code of animals and people translates into traits.

8. Fifth-graders spent two days at Camp Highroad near Middleburg, VA, in October for their first Langley overnight trip. Through a variety of team-building activities, the class learned to work together to solve problems, overcome challenges, and develop resilience and leadership skills.

Cultivating Creativity & Self-Expression

is part of a partnership with the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, to create a collaborative art installation of student work (from kindergarten, grade 4, and grade 8) that will be on display in the museum this spring.

4. Second-graders showcased their study of geography, culture, and heritage during a performance featuring songs celebrating the differences and similarities of the many cultures in our world.

1. Nearly 40 Middle Schoolers joined the cast, crew, or pit band for Langley’s fall production of the comedic Roald Dahl tale, “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” November 18-19.

2. Our talented musicians in grades 6-8 presented a variety of festive tunes during the Middle School Winter Concert in December, featuring chorus, band, and string ensembles.

3. Kindergartners created a map of the Potomac River using paint made with soil from our campus. The project

Campus Happenings

Building Community & Spirit

7. On November 22, Langley hosted our first in-person Grandparents & Special Friends Day since 2019. More than 400 grandparents and friends came to campus for a wonderful morning of student performances and time in the classrooms.

8. More than 1,000 Langley community members came together for the school’s annual Fall Fair on October 15. The much-anticipated event included new rides, games, inflatables, a beer garden, food trucks, and more!

5. Student athletes enjoyed a successful fall season, with four of Langley’s teams finishing as Capital Athletic Conference champions, including the varsity boys’ soccer team which defended their CAC title and finished the season undefeated in league play for the second straight year.

6. The Langley Book Fair returned in-person in November in the new library space inside the Crossroads Building. Students, teachers, and families enjoyed browsing and purchasing books for all interests and ages.

Happy 80th Birthday, Langley!

On September 22, we celebrated Langley’s 80th birthday – a significant milestone that encourages us to look back on the school’s tremendous growth over the past eight decades, as well as look ahead to the exciting future that awaits.

When founding parents Persis Lane and Judith Glaser opened The McLean Playschool in 1942 – one of the nation’s first nursery schools educating children ages 3 through 6 – they would never have imagined that their small cooperative school would evolve into The Langley School of today.

To honor Langley’s remarkable story of joyful teaching and learning over the past eight decades, our theme this year is “80 Years of Living Langley:

Celebrating Our Story.” Through a variety of classroom activities, special events, and parent and alumni gatherings, we are exploring our collective and individual stories.

During Founders’ Weekend, September 22-24, Langley celebrated our 80th anniversary with an all-school spirit day; a Birthday Party on the Green featuring lawn games, birthday cake, and music; a leadership dinner; and a gathering of past parents and faculty to assemble care packages for alumni (see page 20 for details).

We hope you enjoy the timeline below which highlights some of the significant moments throughout Langley’s rich, 80-year history.

Living Langley years of 80 Celebrating Our Story

1942-2022

1942

Langley opened its doors on September 22, 1942, in the basement of the Franklin Sherman School in downtown McLean. The school was called the McLean Playschool and enrolled 19 children ages 3-6.

1945

The school’s first constitution was written. Bylaws were adopted, the school was incorporated under the laws of Virginia, it became a nonprofit cooperative association composed of member parents, and its legal name became Langley School, Incorporated.

1948

Langley

relocated to the Laughlin House, a large Victorian home in the center of McLean at the current site of McLean Hardware.

Pictured: Students, faculty, and staff celebrate Langley’s 80th birthday during an all-school spirit day and enjoy birthday cake, fun, and games during Langley’s Birthday Party on the Green. At right, Supervisor John Foust, a former Langley parent, presents Head of School Michele Claeys with a special proclamation from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in honor of Langley’s 80th anniversary.

1951

The school had five teachers and hired its first full-time director, Barbara Waterman. All members were required to contribute 20 hours per year to the Building and Grounds Committee or forfeit one dollar per hour missed.

1954

1954

Langley purchased a five-acre tract of land on Balls Hill Road to build its own facility which opened in 1955 and contained five classrooms for nursery through grade 3, a library, a teachers’ room, and two offices.

Langley held its first Spring Fair (the precursor to today’s Fall Fair). Nearly 3,000 tickets were sold, netting a profit of $2,300 for a fund to construct a new building.

1958

Forty-seven new families came to Langley, bringing enrollment to 140 children.

1964

Langley began offering bus service on Dolley Madison Boulevard which had been recently paved as a four-lane highway. That same year saw the retirement of Director Barbara Waterman and the hiring of her replacement, Lucy Frank Daoust.

1966

Langley began the planning and construction of a four-stage master plan that would add four new buildings. Phase I would create a preschool building, phases II and III included an arts and science building and library, and phase IV included an auditorium/gymnasium.

80 years of Living Langley: 1942-2022

1967

After conducting careful studies to determine the impact of expanding the school, the decision was made to add fourth, fifth, and sixth grades over a three-year period from 1965 to 1967.

1972

During the early 1970s, there were long waiting lists for almost every grade which led to talk of further expansion. In 1971, Langley added its first seventh-grade class, followed by a new eighth-grade class in 1972.

1970

In the 1970-1971 school year, Langley purchased the nearby Hall property which consisted of a small farmhouse and some land. This acquisition significantly enlarged Langley’s total land area to include the administration building, the property manager’s office, the bus loading area, and the parking lot. Affectionately named “The Roost,” the Hall farmhouse became home to Langley’s administrative offices and it still serves that purpose today.

1981

Betty Brown was appointed director after serving as a teacher and administrator at the school since 1967. Langley received its first accreditation and became a member of the Virginia Association of Independent Schools.

1983

By 1983, Langley completed its gradual double-sectioning plan, ensuring each grade from nursery through eighth had two classes. Enrollment grew to 447 by 1984.

1976

The school’s new field house was completed which led to the idea of instituting competitive sports at Langley.

2006

The school rolled out a new mission statement and the tagline “every child, every day.”

2001

The Langley leopard was chosen as the school mascot.

2003

Langley developed a Community Contract which reinforced the school’s core values of respect, kindness, honesty, trustworthiness, and citizenship, and helped create a safe learning environment.

2009

Langley installed a new turf athletic field named in honor of long-time Athletic Director Jim Gleason.

2010

2008

Langley opened the Jeffrey J. Sherman Arts Center, featuring an auditorium with retractable seating, music rooms, and a spacious, light-filled lobby area for students in grades 3-8 to enjoy lunch daily.

Langley expanded the junior kindergarten program in 2010, nearly doubling the instructional time students received, and lengthened the preschool day in 2013. The school also rolled out an extended day program for our youngest students to offer a full-day option.

2011

To provide eighth-graders with leadership opportunities and a more global perspective of the world, Langley began taking the class on an annual, week-long capstone trip. In addition, the Music Department introduced strings as a music option for Middle Schoolers, and this enormously popular program has since expanded to include the Lower School.

1986

Between 19861988, an advisor/ advisee system was set up to support and facilitate the social development of students in the upper grades and advisory groups began the longtime tradition of serving breakfast to the homeless at S.O.M.E.

1997

Langley opened the Betty Brown Lower School building. This 26,700-square-foot facility featured numerous classrooms, a multipurpose assembly room, and a science lab.

1992

1999

Although parental involvement had been a central part of the school’s philosophy since its founding, an official parent association –PALS – was not founded until 1999 when two Langley moms decided to create a more structured, inclusive organization that would coordinate all of Langley’s volunteer opportunities.

In conjunction with the school’s 50th anniversary, Langley opened a new $1.2 million learning center and library which boasted 2.5 times the capacity of the former library. The building was named in honor of Pat Bush, the school’s long-time librarian.

2001

2000

Doris Cottam assumed the role of head of school in 2000 following Betty Brown’s retirement in 1999.

2013

Dr. Elinor Scully became head of school following Doris Cottam’s retirement after 13 years in the role.

2014

Langley opened the Doris Earl Cottam Middle School building, a state-of-the-art facility for grades 6-8 that includes a rooftop classroom and innovative science labs.

2015

The school launched a new strategic plan focusing on three key pillars: ensuring academic excellence, articulating social-emotional expertise, and investing in sustainability.

2020

Langley successfully navigated the COVID-19 pandemic beginning in spring 2020 by pivoting to a distance learning model that maintained community connections and high-quality learning. Thanks to our layered mitigation strategies and the cooperation of the entire school community, Langley was able to keep our campus open for in-person learning throughout the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years.

2021

The school built the Solomon Athletic Center, a 23,350-square-foot facility featuring two gyms, a weight room, a cardiovascular room, locker rooms, and meeting rooms.

With the departure of Head of School Elinor Scully after an eight-year tenure, Langley welcomed Michele Claeys as the new head of school.

2022

Langley celebrated the school’s 80th birthday and opened the Crossroads Building which houses Primary School and fifth-grade classrooms, the library, and a multipurpose space.

Langley Raises the Paddle for Teacher Excellence

Langley’s annual auction not only brings the community together for a fabulous party; it also raises valuable funds for our most valued resource –our teachers. The event’s proceeds support teacher excellence by creating a pool of restricted funds to provide our faculty with the training, resources, and professional development opportunities they need in order to be at their best each day in the classroom.

A hallmark of the live auction is Raise the Paddle, which offers an exciting opportunity for everyone to show their support for our dedicated and talented faculty. The more than $159,000 raised during last year’s Raise the Paddle has benefited faculty and staff in countless ways – whether through resources, conferences, workshops, or summer grants – and helped the school retain these top educators. Read about two of our teachers’ impactful summer grant experiences on this page.

Highlights from the 2022-2023 Academic Year

Faculty and staff members have benefited from a variety of professional development opportunities this year to strengthen their teaching and practice, including the following conferences and workshops:

• Making Modern America: Business and Politics in the 20th Century

• Brainspring Pre-K Literacy Workshop

• Association of Technology Leaders in Independent Schools Leadership Institute

• Responsive Classroom Institute

• American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages World Languages Expo

• Motor Skill Learning Academy

• Rebalancing Balanced Literacy Institute

• Playing with Sounds, Letters, and Words in the Pre-K Classroom

• Elicitation Strategies for Speech Sound Disorders

• Using Decodable Texts to Support Early Readers

• Supporting Grammar and Academic Language

• Understanding Diverse Learning Profiles

• Learning and The Brain: Strategies for Challenging Disruptive Behaviors, Autism, ADHD, and Executive Functioning

We look forward to celebrating the school and our talented team of educators on Saturday, May 13, 2023, at Langley’s 80th Anniversary Gala. Your support for the continued growth of our faculty leads to positive impacts for all Langley students!

My Memorable Visit to Colombia

By Glenda De Hoyos, Spanish Teacher & Recipient of the Global Education Grant and PALS Summer Grant

Traveling to Colombia this past summer was a dream come true both on a personal level and as a Spanish teacher. On a personal level, traveling is one of my passions because it offers an amazing opportunity to learn and connect with people from other cultures with different perspectives, traditions, and beliefs.

As a Spanish teacher and an English language learner, I’ve made a lifelong commitment to accompany my students on their language-learning journey. Modeling ongoing curiosity and embracing the sometimes uncomfortable excitement of making mistakes along the way has allowed me to create meaningful experiences for students, leading to a stronger connection with them. In Colombia, I was able to take a class at the Instituto Caro y Cuervo for teachers of Spanish as a second language. This was an incredible experience, not only for the content I was able to learn and the connections I made with other educators, but also for the reminder of what it means to be a student.

Another reason why I wanted to travel to Colombia was to be able to share authentic experiences and resources in my Langley classes. For many years, I’ve been learning about this incredible country as I create the second-grade Spanish curriculum. In this grade, students take an imaginary trip to Colombia where

SUMMER GRANT:

they learn the target language by getting to know about the country’s food, music, and sports, among other important things. I am sharing my experience by incorporating pictures, videos, and resources with my classes, and can already see how much impact it has on my students’ learning journey.

One of the most spectacular experiences that I had was visiting the Serranía de la Macarena National Park, which has one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the country. The famous “Caño Cristales” can be found in this protected area. This river is commonly called “The River of Five Colors” because of its stunning colors created by Macarenia clavigera plants that are on the riverbed.

I can’t express how thankful I am for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. It not only was uplifting and enriching for me, but also will continue to have a positive impact on my students’ language-learning journey.

SUMMER GRANT:

An Unforgettable Experience in Brazil

By Karina Bond, Physical Education Teacher & Recipient of the Thompson Family Grant

Oi! Que experiência. Being able to volunteer with children at a community center in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, learn about their culture, and learn Portuguese was an unforgettable experience that had a lasting impact.

I observed firsthand the little things we as North Americans take for granted as I spent time with children at the community center located in a “favela,” a slum or shantytown, outside the city. Over my two-week stay, I wasn’t able to volunteer as much as I had hoped due to factors outside my control. Classes at the community center were often canceled due to a lack of participants, staff, or equipment; I couldn’t help with nighttime classes due to safety concerns; and I wasn’t able to run classes by myself because of the language barrier.

When I was able to volunteer, I supported the instructor and worked one-on-one with the children, especially the girls. Since all of the sports instructors were male (except for those teaching aerobics or dance), seeing a female instructor was a different experience for everyone. I helped with a skateboarding class – a favorite activity that brought so much joy to the kids – as well as a few basketball classes in which I tried to broaden the children’s view of the sport as an option other than soccer, the dominant sport in South America.

I learned a lot about myself and what I could do to provide a positive experience to a community that has very little. On one of the days our classes were canceled, I shared fun activities we do at Langley such as knee tag, hula hut, and rock paper scissors tag that the director was excited to try at the camps during the summer. Being able to partner with the international community, learn from them, and have them learn from me gave me the opportunity to grow in my teaching and coaching skills where cooperation, communication, and perseverance are so important.

I returned with an expanded worldview, a better understanding of why it’s important to get outside your comfort zone, gratitude for the resources we have at Langley, and an appreciation for Langley’s commitment to supporting its teachers with experiences outside the classroom. I was reminded how important it is to remember where you come from and to be grateful for what you have, because not everyone has those same privileges.

Glenda De Hoyos at “The River of Five Colors” during her summer grant trip to Colombia.

Karina Bond works with children at a community center in Brazil.

Where Do Langley Fund Dollars Go? A Day in the Life at Langley

The Langley Fund provides critical resources to ensure the Langley experience is accessible and equitable for the entire school community. We could tell you how The Langley Fund’s financial support of the operating budget provides for investments in curriculum, tuition assistance, technology, facilities, and signature programs, but this example shows exactly where the dollars go.

7:30 a.m. Langley’s campus is fairly quiet, but many faculty and staff are handing off their infants and toddlers to the entrusted staff of The Leopard Cubs, a daycare/early learning center that benefits Langley employees.

8:15 a.m. The PALS Hospitality/Appreciation Committee is busy setting up a delicious spread of coffee, fruit, and donuts at a pop-up faculty and staff breakfast to help get the day off to a great start for our teachers and staff.

9:10 a.m. The melodic sounds of the Langley band drift down the hallway of the Sherman Arts Center. Every student in grades 4-5 (and those who continue in the music program in grades 6-8) is provided with a band or string instrument at no extra cost.

10:30 a.m. Three second-grade students have a smallgroup breakout lesson with a reading specialist. Langley has a team of specialists in each division to target and engage the learning needs of students.

11:45 a.m. Head of School Michele Claeys gathers with the Student Council over lunch to hear about their experiences attending the LEAD Conference with other middle school student leaders.

1:50 p.m. The seventh-grade technology class zips up their protective cases for their Chromebooks. No one is going to spill paint on them in the Advanced Art elective!

2:50 p.m. A learning specialist wraps up her executive functioning mini-lesson in a fifth-grade class. Langley saw the need for students to begin learning organizational skills in fifth grade to better prepare them for Middle School.

3:30 p.m. The varsity girls’ basketball game begins against a Capital Athletic Conference rival. The new scoreboard in the Solomon Athletic Center is showing a close game!

4:15 p.m. Practice continues for the upcoming Middle School musical as students on the tech crew learn to use the recently upgraded soundboard.

Help Us Secure an Anniversary Matching Gift!

Alumni families understand the value of a Langley education and have a special appreciation for the strong foundation their children received here. To inspire the Langley community, a group of alumni parents has created an anniversary matching gift that the school will receive once we have 80 percent participation from current families.

In addition to The Langley Fund’s annual support for instruments, athletic equipment, classroom technology,

tuition assistance, and community events, this year we will also purchase new theater equipment and chairs for the Sherman Café. These investments enhance the experience for all of our Langley students. We thank these alumni families for their continued support, and we thank you for helping us meet this anniversary challenge!

Give now at langleyschool.org/support-langley!

Class Notes

Connect with former classmates and families by updating your news and contact information at www.langleyschool.org/alumni-family-portal.

1996

Andrea Dvorak retired from racing road bikes full-time a few years ago, and has now shifted focus to help promote and facilitate the bike experience for others – both as a coach and as National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) Virginia League director. The goal is to make mountain biking a mainstream middle school and high school sport. She also recently completed a 600-mile, nine-day mountain bike journey on the Colorado Trail.

1997

Grant Martin is in his 13th year in the education field. He currently teaches English to eighth-graders in the Richmond, VA, area. He credits Henry Cole, former Langley science teacher, for inspiring him to teach. “Mr. Cole used humor, creativity, and a bottomless knowledge and passion for his content to inspire us. I try to do the same in my class every day,” he writes.

2008

McKenzie Klein and fellow Langley alumnus Dillon Gorsen ’08 are engaged and planning an October 2023 wedding. The couple lives in Charlottesville, VA, where McKenzie is a resident physician at the University of Virginia and Dillon is a software engineering manager at Amazon Web Services. The two first met at Langley in preschool, but lost touch before reconnecting during the pandemic.

Nikita Parulkar is pursuing her doctorate degree in clinical psychology at Hofstra University in New York.

2013

Ryan Khosravi graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania in May 2021 and is now working with an investment bank in New York City. He makes time for pick-up soccer and enjoys meeting up with old Langley friends.

2015

Jonathan Merril is a senior at the University of Chicago and a member of the men’s track and field team. He also takes part in the Army ROTC program and was featured in a ROTC video in June after completing the land navigation course at Fort Knox, KY, in record time.

Kyle Morin plans to graduate from Vanderbilt University this spring, and will then move to Chicago to start a career as a consultant.

2016

Camran Khosravi is a junior at Davidson College in North Carolina studying economics and data science. He works at Nasdaq part-time and enjoys club soccer.

2018

Rustin Khosravi is a freshman at Harvard University studying economics and government.

Golden Dreams: Emily Bratti ’16

When Emily Bratti ’16 put on her first pair of skates as a 5-year-old at a friend’s birthday party, little did she know the experience would ignite a passion for ice skating that would take her to the elite international ranks of ice dancing. Now age 20 and ready to begin her third season of international competition, Emily and her ice dance partner, Ian Somerville, are well on their way to fulfilling their Olympic dreams.

Although she began as a freestyle (individual) skater in her early years, Emily soon discovered that she preferred the footwork and more technical aspects of ice dancing. She began dancing with a partner and, by age 15, she was participating in novice-level competitions. “Skating with a partner was a challenge for me at first because I was always so focused on doing my own thing,” she says, noting that she had several partners before connecting with her current partner, Ian, in 2021. “But I came to realize the huge benefit of training with someone who shares your dedication and has the same goals you do.”

“The confidence, independence, and time management skills I learned at Langley are key skills that I use every day as a competitive skater.”

She believes the key to success in the sport is finding the right partner. And joining with Ian – whom she considers her best friend – seems to be the crucial ingredient to her rapid rise. The pair moved to Michigan in the summer of 2021 to train with coach Greg Zuerlein and legendary ice dance Olympic medalists Charlie White and Tanith Belbin White.

Emily and Ian achieved almost instant success, winning their very first competition together during the 2021-2022 season and qualifying for international competitions as part of Team USA. Competing against Olympian teams, they scored well at competitions in Austria and Croatia before placing fifth at the U.S. Nationals in January 2022 – a result that earned them the second alternate spot for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. “We thought it would

take a few years for us to become competitive, but our results last season made us feel we could be taken seriously as part of Team USA,” says Emily, who is also a part-time student at the University of Michigan where she’s studying physics and astrophysics.

During the 2022-2023 season – which ran from August to January – the pair celebrated their first international win in Austria, placed fourth in Italy, and were selected to compete at their first higher-level Grand Prix competition, Skate Canada, in October where they finished sixth and recorded a personal-best score. “Canada was the first place where we experienced a huge crowd watching us skate,” says Emily, adding that she loved the energy of the fans. “I think that’s the achievement I’m most proud of so far because we skated our best despite the stress we felt going in.” They wrapped up their second season in January with a fifth-place finish at the U.S. Nationals out of 15 teams that qualified.

These impressive accomplishments don’t come without a cost, however. Emily and Ian train eight hours a day, five days a week at the Michigan Ice Dance Academy yearround. Depending on their competition schedule, they can spend more than four hours per day on the ice, supplemented with several hours of strength training in the gym and ballet. And with this much training comes the likelihood of injuries. Emily has suffered several concussions, tendonitis in her knee, multiple injuries requiring stitches, and a facial bone fracture and significant damage to her teeth after a bad fall.

“Probably the mental side is the most challenging part of the sport and everyone, including me, gets very nervous before a competition,” she notes. Despite the physical and mental challenges, Emily says there’s nothing like the feeling

Emily in action with her ice dance partner, Ian. Photo by Al Simpson.

of gliding across the ice with her partner and nailing a turn or a twizzle. “Skating offers me a wonderful creative outlet to express myself and connect with the audience,” she adds. “I love mastering the technical aspects of a program and traveling the world to compete with the best and share my passion for skating.”

Like all skaters on Team USA, Emily’s ultimate goal is, of course, the Olympic Games. But she and Ian also hope to bring more attention to ice dancing and to be remembered for their technical prowess, with or without an Olympic medal. Although retirement is hopefully a long way off, and she hasn’t had time to focus on her plans after skating, Emily may choose to one day pursue her love of science and space or possibly coach the next generation of ice dancers.

So what was life like for this rising star during the seven years she spent at Langley from second through eighth grades? When she wasn’t honing her skills on ice, Emily enjoyed playing the flute in the band and excelling on the track during track and field meets. “I think I’ve always loved performing for an audience in one way or another!” she laughs.

She highlights the eighth-grade capstone trip to Costa Rica as one of the most unique bonding experiences of her entire life and remembers it as the first time she used her Langley Spanish skills in the real world. She credits Mrs. Gustin with teaching her not only how to write, but also how to fully apply herself. And she dubs Mr. McKinney as one of her favorite teachers of all time –and the person who cultivated her love of science.

“I think Langley really did a great job of shaping its students into hard-working, respectful, and all-around good people,” says Emily, who still stays in touch with a number of her Langley classmates. “I missed a lot of school because of my skating, and the teachers were always so supportive and so accommodating. The confidence, independence, and time management skills I learned at Langley are key skills that I use every day as a competitive skater.”

So will we see Emily on Olympic ice at the 2026 Winter Games in Italy? With a little luck and a lot of hard work, this Langley grad will give the biggest performance of her life.

IN MEMORIAM:

Remembering Lucy Daoust

Lucy Frank Daoust, who served as Langley’s director from 1964-1978, passed away in October 2022 at age 96. During her 14-year tenure at Langley, she led the school through a period of unparalleled growth while focusing on academic excellence and the personalized attention for which Langley was known. She doubled the school’s enrollment from 180 to 360, expanded its nursery through grade 3 program to include grades 4-8, and built three new buildings on campus. Watch for a more in-depth remembrance of Ms. Daoust in the summer 2023 issue of the Experience.

Henry Cole Returns to Langley

Henry Cole, former Langley science teacher and award-winning author/illustrator, returned to campus on December 7. During several assemblies with Primary and Lower School students, he shared how he began illustrating and his process of creating and editing – all with his trademark humor and wit! Nearly 30 Langley alumni and past parents and faculty also enjoyed catching up with Mr. Cole during a special reception for him after school.

Head of School Michele Claeys, former Head of School Betty Brown, and Mr. Cole connect at the after-school reception.

PAST FACULTY NEWS:

Care Packages Brighten the Day for Alumni

Who doesn’t love a surprise in the mail? As part of Langley’s 80th birthday celebration in September, the school sent more than 100 care packages filled with tasty goodies and Langley swag to our alumni in high school or those away from home in college, graduate school, or the military. Approximately 30 alumni parents and teachers gathered in the school’s new library in the Crossroads Building to assemble these special packages for our alumni. We hope they brightened the day for our recent grads!

Stay Connected!

We love our alumni to stay connected to the school… and each other! Want to plan a reunion, return to campus for a visit, or share your experiences with our students? We’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas!

Contact Peggy Evans, director of annual giving and alumni relations, at alumni@ langleyschool.org

Class of 2019:

Mark your calendars for an on-campus reunion on Wednesday, May 24 at 4:00 p.m. Alumni and their parents are invited to celebrate their high school graduation and connect with friends and teachers. More details will be sent from the Alumni Office this spring.

What’s Your Favorite Langley Memory?

While collecting their addresses for our care packages, we asked alumni to share their favorite memories from their Langley days. Here are just a few of their responses.

Luke BENNETT ’14: There was nothing like playing football during recess with Mr. Jefferson on the turf field!

Sally STOUFFER ’15: The eighth-grade Assateague trip!

Flynn MILLER ’22: Winning the undefeated varsity soccer season and CAC championship.

Mary Catherine COAKLEY ’18: The magic of Mrs. Young and Mrs. K's preschool class is something I will never forget.

Keira RICKETTS ’22: Designing and creating a Pokemon costume for Mr. Tenney in fifth grade.

Akari BROWN ’17: When our class was the first to go to New Mexico. It was fun and memorable.

Kristin JOOSTEMA ’12: Working with Coach Gleason to manage many of Langley’s sports teams.

Levi TAYLOR ’22: The Christmas tree lighting in preschool. I was the youngest student and got to light the tree in front of the whole school.

Ellie COOK ’15: Tech Week with Mrs. Gustin!

Ella SANDS ’17: Field Day was my favorite. I was on team USA and always had so much fun.

Dimitri OWEN ’18: The many bonding opportunities I had with my class, especially our trip to New Mexico, theatrical performances, and the Fall Fair!

Katie LEISENRING ’17: Having a little buddy as an eighth-grader. I created a bond that lasted beyond graduation!

Alexander WANG ’15: Middle School history class because it sparked my passion for history.

Lily JEBAVY ’18: Playing soccer and enjoying the new Middle School building.

ALUMNI NEWS:

Pictured above from left: Ben Kosich ’21, Julia Lindsey ’14, and Bryan Calhoun ’12 enjoy their care packages.

The Last Word: Dreams Really Do Come True

By Joel Kanter, Past Parent and Trustee Emeritus

As a member of the Langley community for the past 30 years – as a parent of three “lifers,” chair of the Board of Trustees, and now trustee emeritus – I have seen some big changes both in Langley’s programs and its facilities. But the school reached one of its most significant milestones in recent history when it opened the new Crossroads Building this past fall, marking the completion of the campus master plan that the Board first adopted during my term in 2003. When I toured the new building with Head of School Michele Claeys and Board Chair Sara Magner, they asked how it felt to see the master plan I helped create so many years ago actually completed. What follows is the story that surrounds my answer.

When my wife, Ricki, and I first set foot on Langley’s campus in the early 1990s, we were unfamiliar with the world of independent schools and incredibly nervous about our admission interview for our son, Jeremy, who was applying to junior kindergarten. We barely noticed the facilities as we focused on impressing the head of school, Betty Brown, who was involved in the interview process at the time. If we had paid more attention to the buildings and grounds, we would have seen a campus unrecognizable to today’s Langley families.

There were far fewer, and much smaller, buildings that didn’t necessarily reflect the outstanding level of teaching and learning happening inside them. The Field House was basically a metal structure with an aluminum roof that made quite the racket when it rained, and leaked just a tad. And the predecessor to the Betty Brown Lower School building was well on its way to eventually being condemned by Fairfax County.

Starting in the late 1990s, Langley’s leadership began a push to upgrade its facilities to be more in line with other top area independent schools, starting with the construction of its most expensive building to date, the $2 million Betty Brown Lower School, which was thoughtfully designed with appropriate learning spaces and which propelled the school to focus on its financial health in order to pursue this vision. Next came the opening of the Solomon Athletic Center in 2001, and the desire to create a new campus master plan that would provide the additional state-of-the-art facilities needed to fulfill Langley’s mission.

The vision and hard work of too many people to mention here brought the master plan to life in 2003, and it served as a crucial roadmap as Langley built the Jeffrey J. Sherman Arts Center in 2008, the Doris Cottam Middle School in 2014, and finally, the Crossroads Building in 2022. Throughout the process, the school learned valuable financial lessons about maintaining connections with past parent and alumni donors and the importance of a strong endowment.

And so, what are my thoughts on finally completing Langley’s master plan 20 years in the making? Well, first and foremost, I am astounded that the school was able to raise the funds for each building that cost progressively more than the one before. This is thanks to the increasing sophistication of Langley’s fundraising efforts and its ability to connect with dedicated donors whose children had long since graduated.

But the simpler answer to the question is that, honestly, I had no expectation that I would ever see the master plan completed. I thought it would take so much longer to get to this point, and that the school would create a new plan without ever finishing the original one. This achievement is an amazing tribute to the time, effort, and care given to Langley by both its leadership and a very bright and accomplished base of parents. Together, we changed the face of Langley without altering its heart.

Sometimes, as in fairytales, dreams really do come true. I am incredibly thankful we had such talented trustees doing that dreaming back at the “turn of the Century” – and that we continue to have fabulous leaders today who are already dreaming about the next 20 years.

Joel and his wife, Ricki, with their children, Jeremy ’01, Daniel ’04, and Laura ’04.