Banyan Magazine - Summer 2016

BANYAN

THE

Summer 2016

FOR FRIENDS, FAMILIES, AND ALUMNI OF THE OUT-OF-DOOR ACADEMY

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The Out-of-Door Academy

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DART STEM CENTER

It is critical for students to learn and engage in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The Dart STEM Center on the Uihlein Campus at The Out-of-Door Academy exposes students to more career possibilities in these dynamic fields.

The inspiration for the STEM Center was alumna Brittany Wenger, ‘14, who earned international acclaim by winning the Google Science Fair for her cancer research while attending Out-of-Door. Brittany was a pioneer in her class and currently attends Duke University. “It was Brittany’s passion in the STEM area that began to shape my thinking on what the Dart STEM Center might be,” said Head of School David V. Mahler.

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The Out-of-Door Academy

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A Message from the Head of School Dear Friends of Out-of-Door, The 2015-16 school year was a year of significant growth and progress for The Out-of-Door Academy. Following another record setting season in our admissions office, we welcomed the largest student body in Out-of-Door’s 91 year history to our Siesta Key and Uihlein campuses in the fall. We achieved our long-term enrollment targets for both the Lower and Middle School divisions. We also enrolled our largest freshman class ever and we will reach our optimum enrollment for the Upper School on opening day of the 2016-17 school year.

Demand for an Out-of-Door education has never been stronger and we will continue our efforts to expand our applicant pool with talented students from families who are committed to living our mission and core values.

Thanks to the inspiring philanthropy of the Out-of-Door family, in August we cut the ribbon on the Dick Vitale Family Student Center and the Dart STEM Center. These state of the art facilities represent a strategic investment in the development of a more rigorous, innovative, and engaging college preparatory curriculum. The new student center provides Out-of-Door students with the experience of a collegiate level academic environment. From a tech center with built-in videoconferencing, to a writing lab staffed throughout the school day, to individual and collaborative work spaces, students have instant access to the resources they need to pursue their academic work. The new STEM Center houses our mathematics and science departments in order to foster communication and integration across these key academic disciplines.

A STEM project lab equipped with 3D printers and state of the art technology enables our students to pursue advanced research projects at their leisure. With the addition of this 20,000 square foot building, we repurposed the Petrik Science wing for use by the Middle School.

Reconfiguring this facility, which features two fully equipped science labs and its own STEM project lab, doubled the academic space available to our students in grades six through eight. These amazing new facilities are inspiring our faculty to reimagine teaching and learning at Out-of-Door, providing our students with incredible new opportunities to experiment, collaborate, create, and problem solve.

In mid-January, we welcomed a team of educators from around the state for our five-year accreditation visit by the Florida Council of Independent Schools. The feedback from the FCIS Team’s final report is affirming and particularly meaningful and relevant to the ongoing pursuit and implementation of our mission. The conclusion of the report reads, “The visiting team commends the school for its exceptionally positive learning environment characterized by mutual respect between faculty and students, carefully maintained facilities, and a demonstrated commitment to the core values. Students at ODA are happy, polite, and proud of their school. Faculty are professional, caring, and willing to provide the extra help necessary for student success. Personalized attention and broad goals for character development are hallmarks of the school.” As a school community, these observations and comments from a team of professional educators affirm both the school culture we have established and the student-centered educational program we have developed at Out-of-Door.

As we exit a period of several years of rapid growth, we are focused on a model of continuous improvement for all aspects of our PreK-12 program and promoting a values centered school community. As a faculty and staff, we will continue to fulfill our commitment to inspire each and every student at Out-of-Door to reach their full potential in a rapidly changing, complex, and increasingly interdependent world.

As we close the books on 2015-16 and prepare for the year ahead, the future could not be brighter for our school. On behalf of the entire Out-of-Door family, thank you for your ongoing commitment and support as together we strive to provide the best possible education for the next generation.

With Gratitude,

David V. Mahler Head of School

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Table of Contents FEATURES Ms. Grace Duffey Says Goodbye. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Mrs. Renee Pitts Celebrates 25 Years. . . . . . . . . 10 Growth & Sustainability. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Innovation with 3D Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Writing Center Partnership. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Senior Profiles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 People of Color Conference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Joanne Mason, Siesta Key Alumna. . . . . . . . . . 104

IN THIS ISSUE Message from the Head of School. . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Letter From the Board Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 School Traditions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Faculty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Academics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Commencement & Graduations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Campus Visitors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Athletics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Philanthropy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Banyan Bash. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Alumni. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

EDITOR’S NOTE The Banyan Magazine is designed for members of The Out-of-Door Academy family – students, faculty, parents, grandparents, and alumni – in an effort to tell the Out-of-Door story and celebrate our successes.

The Banyan Magazine is published by the Advancement Office. We make every effort to ensure the names and information in this publication are correct at press time.

Comments or suggestions can be addressed to: The Banyan Magazine, The Out-of-Door Academy, 444 Reid Street, Sarasota, Florida 34242 or call 941-554-3405.

Head of School: David V. Mahler Siesta Key Campus | Grades PreK-5 | 444 Reid Street | Sarasota, FL 34242 • Uihlein Campus in Lakewood Ranch | Grades 6-12 | 5950 Deer Drive | Sarasota, FL 34240 E-mail: communications@oda.edu | www.oda.edu | Main Phone: 941-349-3223 | Admissions: 941-554-3400

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Letter from the Board Chair Dear Out-of-Door Community, The 2015-2016 school year was yet another remarkable time in the life of The Out-of-Door Academy. There were many impressive accomplishments as we continued to provide a stellar college preparatory education for our students and serve our mission of excellence in academics, arts, and athletics.

We opened our doors in August with a record enrollment of 710 students, 155 of which were new to Out-of-Door. In addition, as we look to the start of the 2016-2017 school year, we have waitlists at most grade levels. We are also very pleased that our retention rate was over 95 percent. This is a direct reflection of the outstanding work of our talented faculty combined with a terrific leadership team.

Our financial position remains very strong. While enjoying our growth in enrollment, we have continued to conduct detailed financial analysis and future projections to ensure that we remain fiscally sound in the years ahead. Our endowment continues to grow, which is essential for a not-for-profit educational institution. Since tuition alone does not cover the expense of a college preparatory education, our two main fundraisers, the Annual Fund and Banyan Bash, are critical to meeting our budget. Thank you for your generosity in both of these areas.

Our campus master plan continues to expand and change. A major renovation for the Petrik Commons began in June. Our Middle School and Upper School students will arrive back in August to a completely new dining experience, including a new food service vendor. Additionally, the Board continued to explore several options for more court and field space to serve our ever-growing athletic program.

The key to achieving our mission, whether it’s construction, adding more faculty, or new technology, is fundraising. The Board has invested a great deal of effort and resources to ensure Out-of-Door continues to provide an unparalleled educational experience for our students. As we continue to explore future needs, I hope that each of you will choose to help us in our efforts to move the school forward.

In closing, we are extremely appreciative for everything you do to help make Out-of-Door the truly special place that it is. The accomplishments of 2015-2016 were outstanding, and I look forward to the upcoming school year. As I step away as Board Chair of our amazing school, I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such an outstanding organization. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I thank each of you for all that you do.

Mitzie Henson 2015-2016 Board of Trustees Chair

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2016-2017 Board of Trustees Jamie Becker Douglas Bradbury Ariane Dart Rhonda Deems Larry Fox Ron Gelbman Mitzie Henson Teena Humphrey Tammy Karp Ann Kittle Donna Koffman Ashley Kozel Julie Luhrsen Ken Pendery Larry Thompson Terri Vitale David White Emeritus Gerd Petrik Reed Savidge Brenda Uihlein Ex-Officio Member David V. Mahler

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What Is the Gavin & Harrison Legacy Society?

In 1924, The Out-of-Door Academy’s founders, Fanneal Harrison and

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Catherine Gavin, sought to establish a uniquely progressive school committed to high academic standards and nourishing the minds, bodies, and spirits of children. More than 90 years later, Out-of-Door remains inspired by their vision.

By joining the Gavin & Harrison Legacy Society, you are honoring our school’s founders and helping sustain their vision for The Out-of-Door Academy today and in the future. The society is composed of donors who include The Out-of-Door Academy in their wills or other estate plans. Their gifts provide essential financial support for all aspects of the academy. Common types of gifts that qualify for membership include:

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Bequests Charitable Gift Annuities Gifts of retirement plan assets after your lifetime Charitable Remainder Trusts

SHAPING THE FUTURE OF THE OUT-OF-DOOR ACADEMY For more information, contact: Amy Towery, CFRE (941) 554-3405 | atowery@oda.edu

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School Traditions

OUT-OF-DOOR BUILT ON TRADITIONS

Traditions at The Out-of-Door Academy are abundant and represent a critical piece of ODA’s history. They help form the structure and foundation of our beloved school and remind us about the school’s elaborate history. Traditions at Out-of-Door range from Convocation to Homecoming to Spirit Day and reinforce our Five Core Values: Excellence, Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, and Service. ODA’s traditions bring together families, supporters, and alumni to reconnect. New traditions emerge and some have retired, but they started with the vision of two remarkable women who founded our OUTstanding academic institution in 1924.

Senior & Kindergarten Buddies

In September 2015, the annual tradition of pairing students in the senior and kindergarten classes at The Out-of-Door Academy took place. The pairing of “buddies” allowed many of the Upper School students who attended the Lower School to return to their roots, while inviting seniors who did not attend the Lower School the chance to visit the historic Siesta Key Campus. The kindergarten buddies also connect with senior role models through this tradition.

The Senior-Kindergarten luncheon and playtime was the first introduction the Buddies had to connect with one another.

Throughout the year, the Buddies enjoyed countless school activities together, including Convocation, Spirit Day, a breakfast on the Uihlein Campus in Lakewood Ranch, and more.

Convocation

Convocation, an annual tradition at Out-of-Door, was held during Homecoming weekend in October 2015 at the Uihlein Campus in Lakewood Ranch. Convocation is about the school

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community lifting up the senior class and acknowledging them as school leaders.

“There are few events where the entire school comes together, with Convocation being one of them,” said L’Tanya Evans, academic dean of the Upper School. “The purpose of Convocation is to bridge the students at the Siesta Key Campus with students on the Uihlein Campus,” she said. “The Senior-Kindergarten luncheon helps the Buddies meet one another prior to Convocation when the kindergarten class escorts the seniors out [to the assembly].” After the entire student body and faculty were seated, the Kindergarten Class of 2028 entered hand-in-hand with their senior buddies from the Class of 2016, posing briefly for a photo.

Each grade level, faculty, and head of school provided a gift to the senior class as an appreciation and a thank you for their leadership and for setting an example of the core values during the school year. The original song, “Seniors Rock” was presented by the kindergarten buddies. Pre-kindergarten, along with first and second grade, performed the song, “Count on Me” while third, fourth, and fifth grades sang, “Look to the Rainbow.” Middle School students presented, “The Gift of Life” and pledged $700 in the name of the Class of 2016 to Dig Deep, a nonprofit organization that provides clean drinking water in impoverished areas. The ninth grade class presented the seniors with the Class of 2016 Senior Garden. Tenth Grade presented them with Sweet Things. Eleventh Grade presented a video, Meet the Class of 2016. The faculty gift was the book, “The Crossroads of Should and Must: Find and Follow Your Passion,” by Elle Luna, which has a universal message that we each get to choose the path between should and must. Mr. David Mahler, head of school, presented the senior class with a very

unique gift this year. Deeming this senior class as being exceptionally unique, he bestowed an unprecedented gift, a Hall Pass, for the Class of 2016 to establish their own tradition. Prior to the head of school’s gift, the Class of 2016 presented Mr. Mahler, the Honor Scroll with signatures of each student in the Upper School who pledged to uphold and respect Out-of-Door’s Honor Code and the school’s Five Core Values.

included two living statues. More than 220 Upper School students and guests attended in elegant cocktail dresses and suits and danced all night to the mixed tunes of DJ Will Harwell, ‘17.

The annual Homecoming weekend was a great opportunity for the entire Out-of-Door community to come together and show school spirit.

After Convocation, ODA seniors and their kindergarten buddies rang the bell and took photos. Convocation is always a special day that Out-of-Door students will remember and cherish.

On February 19, 2016, lower school students at The Out-of-Door Academy welcomed their grandparents and special friends to the annual Grandfriends’ Day celebration. This event was an opportunity for students to invite a special person to visit Out-of-Door’s Siesta Key Campus. Grandfriends enjoyed an all-school musical performance before transitioning to one of four interactive stations that included a planting activity, assembly of dry soup, an interview and survey, and unique photo booth pictures to capture the special memories. After the completion of activities, students escorted their Grandfriends to their respective classrooms to show what they have learned and studied over the school year at Out-of-Door.

Grandfriends’ Day

Homecoming

The annual all-school Homecoming events were held at the Uihlein Campus on October 16, 2015. The events began with the Middle and Upper School Pep Rally in the afternoon, followed by the Homecoming Family Picnic that featured inflatable bounce houses, a giant slide, face painting, the Thor Store, and dessert by TCBY. The alumni tent had plenty of activity. Leigh Hamner, a member of the inaugural graduating Class of ‘99, Siesta Key alumnus Stephen Ayers, a member of ODA’s inaugural football team in 1960, and Danielle Girardin, Class of ‘97 were special guests.

Adorned in navy and white, waving pennants and using Thunder megaphones, families, faculty and staff, and alumni cheered on the varsity football team at Thunder Stadium. This year’s Honorary Football Captain, Zach Fox, ‘23, and his sister, Sami Fox, ‘26, Honorary Cheer Captain for the evening were both in their football and cheer attire. Paul Terminello, ‘05, was recognized as a member of the 2003-04 District Championship Basketball Team and a 2015 all-state Honorable Mention. M’Balia Bangoura, ‘16, the 2014-15 Girls Singles Tennis State Champion, was recognized as the United Dairy Farmers Player of the Year, and Sierra VanSuch, ‘16, was honored for being selected as a National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist. There was plenty of fun and the home football team provided much to cheer about at the game.

Out-of-Door families participated in our annual Thunder Athletic Club Golf tournament Saturday afternoon, while students prepared for Saturday evening’s Homecoming Dance, “Thor Takes Mount Olympus.” The dance was held in the Blackbox Theater, which was transformed into a Greek Temple and

Spirit Day

The annual Spirit Day tradition lives on at The Out-of-Door Academy. On April 1, 2016, Out-of-Door students began the day with a service project focused on donating food for children in our local community. The White Team donated peanut butter while the Blue Team donated jelly to All Faiths Food Bank’s Campaign Against Summer Hunger. The entire school community donated over 20,400 ounces of food. The Blue team received 20 Spirit Points for donating the most, which put their team in first place prior to the start of the games.

The friendly competition began with the White Team narrowly outpacing the Blue Team in the eighth grade obstacle course.

Students were then placed in their respective groups of PreK-Grades 2, Grades 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12 and began competing against one another. The culmination of the day ended with the senior obstacle course. Smiles, laughter, and incredible teamwork were seen all over the Uihlein Campus in Lakewood Ranch. While the White team was victorious in the end, Out-of-Door’s Five Core Values of Excellence, Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, and Service were evident in all activities.

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Faculty

AFTER EDUCATING ODA STUDENTS FOR 27 YEARS,

MS. GRACE DUFFEY SAYS GOODBYE After 27 years of teaching pre-kindergarten students at The Out-of-Door Academy, Ms. Grace Duffey announced her retirement to colleagues with a photo of her wearing a shirt bearing the message, “Retiring 6-8-16.” She decided to spend more time with family, including her four beautiful grandchildren.

Ms. Duffey graduated with a degree in English from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. Her parents encouraged her to get a degree that could be used in public service. She was introduced to the education field after taking an Introduction to Education course while in college. “The class was so much fun and I enjoyed the professor’s stories,” she said.

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Ms. Duffey accepted a position at Out-of-Door after she and the previous head of school met at a dinner party in Siesta Key. Since she lived on the Key, working at ODA was convenient. The campus was vastly different when Ms. Duffey began teaching there. The pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and first grade classes were located in a small three-bedroom house, converted from the headmaster’s home. That building was eventually demolished and replaced with the current facility.

As a member of the faculty, and one who molded students at an early age, Ms. Duffey believed that character education was missing from the curriculum. Then-current head of lower school Laura Murphy sent her and three other teachers to Carrollwood Day School to attend a character education seminar. As Ms. Duffey explained. “Character education is the plate you put things on.”

Faculty spent the summer working on the new program and created character traits for each month. “So much of kindergarten and pre-kindergarten is character education,” she said. Adding this to the existing curriculum was the most rewarding gift for Ms. Duffey. She was extremely proud to bring this program to the school. Even after teaching for 27 years, Out-of-Door students continue to build character traits abiding by the school’s Five Core Values: Excellence, Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, and Service.

Over the years, Ms. Duffey has taught hundreds of ODA students who entered pre-kindergarten, and she has watched many of them graduate. Jackie Olson and Bam Han, two of her former PreK students in the Class of 2016, were the last two she watched graduate as an ODA faculty. Ms. Duffey enjoyed her time teaching, interacting with the children, and collaborating with her colleagues and ODA parents.

Mrs. Renee Pitts and Ms. Grace Duffey

Ms. Duffey will focus on those hobbies and interests she didn’t always have time for before retirement. “I love nothing better when traveling than to go to a good art museum; I find great solace in that,” she said. Her favorite places to travel are to New York and California. That’s where her adult children and four grandchildren reside. However, before settling down, she and her family will travel to Tuscany, Italy for a family vacation.

If she had to do it over again, she would, of course, be a teacher. Ms. Duffey shares some advice with her student’s parents, “Enjoy them (your children) all the time, it goes by so fast.”

Congratulations Ms. Duffey on your retirement! You will be missed!

Mrs. Renee Pitts and Ms. Grace Duffey with Pre-Kindergarten Assistant Teachers

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Faculty

MRS. RENEE PITTS

CELEBRATING 25 YEARS AT OUT-OF-DOOR Third grade teacher, Mrs. Renee Pitts, tenderly looks back on her 25 years teaching at The Out-of-Door Academy. Mrs. Pitts received a degree in Elementary Education, Learning Disabilities from the University of Illinois in Chicago. “I always wanted to be a teacher,” she said. “I played school all the time with my dolls and later with my younger brother and sister,” she added.

After relocating to Sarasota, she began working part-time at a small local pre-school where her children also attended. Most students leaving the pre-school would seek admission to Out-of-Door, and it was a parent who wanted Mrs. Pitts to continue teaching her daughter and introduced the idea of a move to Out-of-Door.

Upon accepting the job, Mrs. Pitts taught pre-kindergarten with Mrs. Grace Duffey and two teaching assistants, Ms. Maria Kelly and Mrs. Sue Cole. “We were an awesome team creating letter projects, costume attire, and a fun creative curriculum for the Prek students,” she recalled. “We dressed as baseball players for B week, dancing raisins, Men in Black, and German ladies,” she fondly added. The team was always singing and went on numerous field trips, including a trip to our hometown radio station. While there, Mrs. Pitts remembers one of the children turning off the broadcasting switch. She also recalls visiting Northern Trust Bank where someone set off the silent alarm, and a hiking trip in which everyone was stung because someone accidentally stepped on a beehive.

When Mrs. Cole left to start a family, Mrs. Pitts was moved to the third grade. She thought it would only be for a year and she and

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Mrs. Duffey would switch grades, but years later she remains a fixture teaching third grade. “I have taught with many team partners, but the past years have been with my best partner, Mrs. Janie Runge,” Mrs. Pitts said. She teaches homeroom subjects to her class and social studies and science to both third grade classes.

She has such a presence in the classroom and her love of social studies allows her to teach and create travel in a way that her students remember and enjoy participating.

Reuniting with former students and reminiscing about their time in her classroom is very rewarding. Equally rewarding is preparing young minds for middle school and beyond. One student in particular, Alexandra Lonsdale, a first-year teacher at Out-of-Door this year, was a student in her first pre-kindergarten class at ODA in 1990. She also has a special keepsake, a graduation picture from two former students who left her with an open invitation to visit them at Florida State University. “I still have that picture in my classroom,” she said.

Mrs. Pitts has several interests outside of the classroom, including traveling. Each year she takes a relaxing summer trip to northern Illinois where she spends time in her 1928 cottage that sits high on the Fox River. The cottage is surrounded by other cottages, most of which are owned by her family members, including her mother, cousins, and a few childhood friends. If she were to do it all over again, she would indeed be a teacher. While she enjoys the summers off, she also enjoys going to work and having the opportunity to change the lives of the children she teaches at Out-of-Door.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OUTstanding faculty help create OUTstanding students at The Out-of-Door Academy. Our inspiring and innovative teachers are the most important assets influencing student learning and achievement. At Out-of-Door, we retain extraordinary faculty with an average of 9 1/2 years of service. Faculty at ODA are committed to their students and challenge themselves by continuing with their own education, attending conferences and webinars, and supporting both new and experienced educators. Ongoing professional development keeps Out-of-Door faculty up-to-date on new research on how children learn, emerging technology tools for the classroom, new curriculum resources, and more. The best professional development is ongoing, experiential, collaborative, and connected to educating students.

LOWER SCHOOL

Jessica Dunda •

Jessica Banks • • •

Co-Chair of the Florida Council of Independent Schools Florida Kindergarten Council FCIS/FKS accredited visit to The Weiss School in Palm Beach, Fla., September 2015 FCIS/FKS accredited visit to Coral Springs Christian Academy in Doral Springs, Fla., October 2015

Angela Giorgianni Mejicanos •

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Katie Barona •

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Certified in Orton-Gillingham training, language-based reading instruction that specifically utilizes a multi-sensory, structured, sequential, cumulative, cognitive, and flexible approach towards learning Certified in Lindamood Bell Visualizing and Verbalizing training, a program targeted to develop the sensory-cognitive processes that underline reading and comprehension, while expanding a student’s concept imagery

Sarah Bryan •

Discussion Facilitator for The Four Cs: Communication, Collaboration, Communication, and Critical Thinking. BAIIS Teacher Time-Out session at The Out-of-Door Academy, Sarasota, March 2016

Danièle Daddario • •

Presented “Meaningful, Mindful, and Innovative Service Learning” at the FCIS Conference, Orlando, Fla., November 2015 Presented “Developing Compassionate Responsible and Engaged Citizens” at the FCIS’ 21st Century Learning Academy: Preparing Students to Be Global Citizens Workshop, Corbett Preparatory School of IDS, Tampa, Fla., June 2016

Martha Gulácsy • • •

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Member Cum Laude Society FCIS Accreditation Committee Visit to Village School of Naples, Fla., November 2015 Host and Discussion Facilitator: The Four Cs: Communication, Collaboration, Communication, and Critical Thinking. BAIIS Teacher Time-Out Session, March 2016 The Teachers College Reading and Writing Workshop from Columbia University with Lucy Calkins-Advanced Studies, Summer 2016

Sarah Higham •

Attended “Screening for Dyslexia” conference, an intense graduate-level, 6-day seminar, on how to accurately screen children and teenagers of dyslexia,Va.

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“Michelle Ulrich has been a wonderful kindergarten teacher. She is patient, happy, and cares about her students. My son loves her!”

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- Allison Scibelli, parent of Jackson, ‘28 & Elia, ‘30

Continuing doctorate research in educational leadership at Florida Gulf Coast University, August 2016

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Launching a Reading Workshop: An Authentic Approach to Literacy Instruction The Art of Tinkering – Florida Kindergarten Council Annual Convention The Gesell Institute of Child Development: Early Years, Kindergarten Developmental Observation Workshop Attended master’s course Learning Disabilities/ADHD, Southeastern University Teaching How to Learn: Developing Cognitive Competencies Level 1, through the National Institute of Learning Development

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Faculty “ODA teachers like Michelle Timothy inspired my child not just for a semester, but for a lifetime.”

- Lisa Merritt, parent of Amara, ‘18

Brittany Hiller •

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Intentional and Targeted Teaching: A Framework for Teacher Growth and Leadership Professional Development Training through ASCD, May 2016 Host and Discussion Facilitator: The Four Cs: Communication, Collaboration, Communication, and Critical Thinking. BAIIS Teacher Time-Out Session, March 2016

Jeffrey Horr •

Completed Principles of Coach and Leadership Course, Strength Course, and Facility Planning and Event Management Course for Master’s Degree, Concordia University, Irvine, Cal.

Emily Latta •

Dr. Linda Vasilaki • • •

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Caylyn Wells •

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Host and Discussion Facilitator: The Four Cs: Communication, Collaboration, Communication, and Critical Thinking. BAIIS Teacher Time-Out Session, March 2016

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Completed Graduate Courses: ECD Foundations, Diversity, Human Development and the Young Child; ECD Foundations Early Childhood Education; ECD Math in Early Childhood Education; and Making Sense of Sensory Processing, Arizona State University Presented ODA Early Learning Childhood Parenting Pro Series “For the Love of Play”, February 2016

Dr. Kelly Rose • • • •

Served on FCIS Accreditation Team in Tampa at Montessori House Day School Taught doctoral level class in Brain Based Leadership, at Nova Southeastern University Received FCIS grant for MITT Co-author article in NAIS Independent School Magazine Fall 2015, “Rethinking Learning Potential: How Instruction on Brain Plasticity, Intelligence, and Metacognition Boosts Academic Outcomes”

Jessica Urbans •

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Host and Discussion Facilitator: The Four Cs: Communication, Collaboration, Communication, and Critical Thinking. BAIIS Teacher Time-Out Session, March 2016

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University of South Florida master’s courses: Foundations of Educational Research Consultation and Counseling & Guidance for Gifted Students Responsive Classroom Approach Sampler Certificate of Completion

“Pat Miller has nurtured and enriched our son.

Pat has fostered Sam’s love of music these past four years.”

Serena Robins •

Took a professional development course for educators in conjunction with the Black Violin concert, Van Wezel Presented the Youth-Children’s Concert with the Venice Symphony for over 1,900 students throughout the area Presented music performances and demonstrations, along with four other music educators, for the Public Schools’ Summer Enrichment Programs, Alta Vista Elementary School, July 2016 Completed the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall’s three hours professional development for Artworks for Schooltime Learning Module Series 5, Black Violin – Visual Arts, Language Arts and Theater, December 2015

- Sheryl Gofman & Walt Hajduk, parents of Sam, ‘16 & Max, ‘19

MIDDLE SCHOOL Joanne Barrett •

Completed the five-day professional learning workshop for CS Principles Thriving in Our Digital World: AP. College Board certified course, UTeach Institute at the University of Texas, June 6-10, 2016

Patrick Miller •

Presented “Meaningful, Mindful, and Innovative Service Learning” at the FCIS State Conference, Orlando, Fla., November 2015

“Coach Gass has inspired me in many ways from the football field to the classroom.”

- Harrison Koffman, ‘20

“Mrs. Kathy Dozier has been a true inspiration and has inspired my daughter to love American History and Literature.”

Andy Lemieux •

- Terri Vitale & Chris Sforzo, parents of Sydney, ‘20 & Ryan, ‘22

UPPER SCHOOL

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Stefanie Betz

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Opened the student-run Writing Lab, October 2015 Presented at the IWCA Writing Center Collaborative “Tools at Our Disposal: Using Students to Design Assessment,” Houston, April 2016 Presentation title: Writing Center Advocacy: Creating Positive Reciprocity Between Students. Accepted as a presenter and chair at NCTE National Conference, Atlanta

Gabi Bucci •

Published undergraduate thesis in “Quality Engineering” online. The thesis was titled “A statistical engineering strategy for mixture problems with process variables”

L’Tanya Evans •

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Co-chaired the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) People of Color Conference (POCC), Tampa, Fla. December 2015 Served on the planning committee and was technical director for the “Power of Love” event sponsored by Sarasota Women for Justice, February 2016

Leslie Garasic •

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Completed two University of South Florida graduate courses: Education Research and Technology for School Management Attended the Hybrid Learning Consortium’s 2016 Symposium, Barstow School, Kansas City, Mo. Chaperoned and traveled with nine Upper School students to EF’s Summit on Human Rights at the Hague in the Netherlands, June 2016

Denise Hoff •

• •

Ken Sommers • •

Senior Academic Designer and Content Writer, developed interactive games, and developed lessons for a grade level on the McGraw-Hill Music Studio product released to schools

Board Member and Treasurer, Global Outreach And Love of Soccer (GOALS) Executive Director, Games 4 Good Foundation

Kim Walsh •

Presented “Tanks of Learning” project in marine science at the National Marine Educators Association Conference, Orlando, Fla. June 2016

Dr. Ellen Zitani • •

Two graduate level classes completed, University of Nebraska

Camela Giraud •

•

Led the Upper School Program committee for the FCIS evaluation; attended the ISM in-house workshop for planning how to most effectively make use of block scheduling; Served as co-faculty advisor to Calliope; and served as co-faculty advisor to National Honor Society Presented at National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Conferences, Reno, Nev. and Philadelphia.

Presented at the STEM Conference, Colorado, July 2015 Presented at the FCIS Conference, Orlando, Fla. November 2015 Worked with schools in Georgia and St. Petersburg and Orlando to incorporate two of ODA’s lessons in place Member of and nominated students to the National Youth Leadership forum in medicine and leadership Honorary member of the Future Physicians and Medical Scientists

Chaired the ALSO Prom Grader at the 2016 Advanced Placement European History reading

STAFF Amy Towery • •

Published “A Good Connection,” Advancing Philanthropy, Fall 2015: 58-61 Co-authored chapter in Advancement Services, 3rd edition; published in 2016 by Council for Advancement and Support of Education

“Miss Hiller, an exceptional teacher, has been an encouraging, selfless, compassionate blessing to our son, family and all of ODA! THANK YOU!” - Lynette Claude, parent of Seth, ‘22 & Daniel, ‘24

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Faculty

L’Tanya Evans Head of School Mr. David Mahler, announced the appointment of L’Tanya Evans as the Associate Head of School for Academics for the 2016-2017 school year. Evans’ responsibilities will be to oversee and coordinate the PreK-12 curriculum across all three school divisions, promote faculty professional development and growth opportunities, and assist with the recruitment, orientation, and onboarding of new faculty. Evans is excited to begin this new opportunity as she prepares for her 14th year at ODA. Evans’ role will also examine the PreK-12 experience for all students, not only in academics but also in faculty staffing. This will allow all disciplines to be connected throughout each division. Working with each division head, Evans will be tasked to create a more cohesive curriculum with the foundation beginning in Lower School and built upon as students move from Middle School to the Upper School.

In addition, Evans will assist the school with recruitment, orientation, and onboarding for new faulty to ODA. Assisting with the recruitment of dynamic, diverse talent is something Evans is excited to do. Coming into a new position can be stressful at times.

Individuals are trying to adjust to their new surroundings while learning a new job. Helping to get them oriented will help immensely as new faculty members maneuver between our campuses while learning the names and faces of hundreds of students.

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Camela Giraud Mrs. Camela Giraud, director of collaborative learning and educational outreach accompanied nine ODA students to the Global Student Leaders Summit on Human Rights, a global youth conference focused on the many issues facing a shifting planet, held in The Hague, Netherlands from June 19-29, 2016.

Chaperones observed student presentations featuring solutions in one-minute pitches related to an “Innovation Village,” modeled as a human rights science fair. Themes included religious freedom in Spain, art as human rights in Italy, social conflict in Northern Ireland, and STEM solutions to global issues with ODA students focused on STEM solutions in London and Amsterdam.

During the Summit, Giraud and students toured London’s “Tech City” in the rapidly changing Shoreditch area, visited a pop-up museum telling the story of the refugees in Calais, toured Anne Frank’s house in Amsterdam, and visited a Dutch solution to a housing crisis: man-made islands in an area named Ijburg.

Simultaneous with the trip was Britain’s Brexit vote, a refugee protest outside the International Court of Justice in The Hague, and a campaign led by Palestinian nationals to raise awareness about an Israeli-imprisoned Palestinian. Giraud and ODA students had a great intellectual and meaningful experience.

Yadira Kirschner

David V. Mahler

In April 2016, during Out-of-Door’s Spring Break, Ms. Yadira Kirschner was invited as a guest speaker at the Universidad de Carabobo in Valencia, Venezuela. The purpose of this trip was to share her personal experience as a teacher and student at the “Curriculum Development with a Vision of Competency Model” roundtable with professors of the Graduate College of Administration. The roundtable continued a discussion about the necessity to move the University’s traditional lecture curriculum for graduate students to a model for competency.

This year, Head of School David Mahler completed his term as president of the Florida Council of Independent Schools (FCIS) Board. On June 13, 2016, David Mahler was recognized by the FCIS Board of Trustees for his outstanding leadership as President of the FCIS Board from 2012-16. David was described by various directors as a transformative leader. Under his leadership, FCIS launched its ambitious 2013-18 Strategic Plan. In the past three years, FCIS has accomplished most of its strategic goals, truly living into leading educational excellence. David will continue service to FCIS as immediate past president and continues as a member of the National Association of Independent Schools Commission on Accreditation, assuring the quality of independent school accrediting programs.

During the discussion, Ms. Kirschner answered questions and shared information with local professors about how the expected competency model for students is applied in middle and high school in our programs at The Out-of-Door Academy.

She also shared about the expected professional competencies for students at the graduate level at the University of South Florida, where Ms. Kirschner currently is studying toward a master’s in educational leadership.

Mahler has been a member of the Continuous Improvement Advisory Council (CIAC) of the College of Education at USF Sarasota-Manatee since its inception in 2011. The committee’s members are leaders in education from Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties and include representation from district and building levels, independent/private schools, charter schools, the College of Education faculty, alumni and current students. The Council is responsible for making recommendations for program and unit changes to the College of Education, to evaluate the College’s continuous improvement system and data, and to implement changes as appropriate. “David’s input to the Continuous Improvement Advisory Council has led to improved educator preparation and assessment – his advice is always sound.

He truly is a leader in education. We greatly appreciate him,” said Associate Professor of the School of Education Dr. G. Pat Wilson.

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Faculty INTRODUCING THE NEWEST FACULTY OF THE OUT-OF-DOOR ACADEMY Micheal Babich - Lower School Teaching Assistant Micheal Babich is an assistant teacher in the first grade for the 2016-2017 school year. Micheal was born in New Zealand and grew up in the city of Auckland, earning his bachelor of arts in education at The University of Auckland. Since graduating, Micheal has taught in London, UK, Jeonju, South Korea, Auckland, New Zealand, and Maine. His roles have ranged from PreK to third grade, as well as special education. Along with teaching, Micheal has also been a successful swim coach. He has been a head coach for three successful age group programs in California, Maine, and New Zealand. When Micheal is not teaching or coaching, he enjoys training himself for masters swimming events, singing on a karaoke stage, or spending time on the beach with his family. Micheal has come to Florida with his loving wife, Merin, and his energetic son, Jayton.

Carol Crossman - Lower School Learning Specialist / Teaching Assistant Crossman holds a bachelor of arts in elementary education from Michigan State University, as well as a master’s in reading education from Oakland University. After teaching middle school language arts in Indiana, Crossman moved to Asheville, N.C. where she assisted with second grade at Carolina Day School. Her latest adventure brings her to Florida to live close to family. Crossman loves giving piano lessons, reading novels, and taking walks with her Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Oliver. She’s thrilled to be joining the staff at The Out-of-Door Academy.

Victoria Davis - Upper School English Victoria Davis comes to Out-of-Door from The Community School in Naples, Fla. where she taught English in grades 9-12 for the past six years. Davis also taught at Canterbury School and Alexandria Country Day from 2002-2010. In addition to teaching English, she has served as an academic advisor and helped coach swimming, basketball, and cross-country. Additionally, she has been a member of the Faculty Excellence Committee, and she served as the Poetry Out Loud Coordinator for all grades for the past three years. Davis has a bachelor of arts in English literature and theology from Georgetown University and a master’s in English from Middlebury College. She speaks French and Spanish, and enjoys swimming, jogging, writing, and theatre.

Cynthia “CiCi” Fougere - Middle School Physical Education Fougere is an experienced lead teacher and former director of physical education whose work has focused on providing students with opportunities to grow in a stimulating, challenging, and healthy learning environment. She graduated from Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston with a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering with a focus on biomedical engineering. An experienced gymnast and coach, Fougere transitioned from the business world to teaching middle and lower school physical education, and she never looked back. She is Crossfit certified and she has trained prospective teachers on topics related to physical education and fitness. An advocate of providing opportunities for students to engage in physical education and athletics, Fougere was instrumental in the founding of the MAC, a 12-school athletic conference for Montessori middle schools.

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Brittany Gieseke - Lower School Teaching Assistant Gieseke holds a bachelor of science in elementary education with an English as a second language (ESL) endorsement from the University of Central Florida. She has a range of experience as both a classroom lead teacher and ESL reading resource teacher. For the past seven years, she taught second, third, and fifth grade students in Fairfax County, Va. Outside of the classroom, Gieseke has a vast love for her family, the beach, and traveling. She spent the summer teaching English to third grade students in China. As a Sarasota native, she is excited to return home and join the Out-of-Door community.

Gicorey Keys - Associate Director of College Counseling Gicorey Keys, a native of Sarasota, holds a bachelor of arts in interpersonal communication from the University of Central Florida and a master’s in education in higher education administration from Georgia Southern University. Keys brings five years of admissions experience at Georgia Gwinnett College and an impressive background in student leadership and university success programming through his work at the University of North Georgia. For the past 14 years Keys has remained an active mentor to students graduating from his former high school and is excited to bring that passion and commitment to the students at ODA.

Ryan Kinser - Upper School Instructional Technologist Ryan Kinser holds a bachelor of arts in English/cultural studies from George Mason University and a master’s in secondary education from Grand Canyon University. He will join the Upper School in the role of instructional technologist. Kinser will work to assist and lead teachers and students in exploring deeper thinking, collaboration, and creativity through the use of technology. A “teacherpreneur,” Kinser prides himself on his rich network of professionals who are actively engaged in pushing the boundaries of what is possible in schools. Kinser will teach AP Computer Science Principles, Introduction to Computer Science, and co-teach Global Leadership. In addition, he will support teachers as they continue to develop creative approaches to classroom teaching. His teaching experience includes being nominated as Hillsborough County’s Teacher of the Year and working with Florida Virtual School.

Kinser is a MIT Master Trainer, Google Certified Educator, and a Teacher Advisor for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He writes frequently on the subject of educational technology and has presented in numerous conferences.

Melissa Mayoral - Lower School Teaching Assistant Mayoral holds a bachelor of science in early childhood education from the City University of New York. Prior to joining the Out-of-Door Academy she worked as a first grade teacher for 10 years at Rymfire Elementary in Palm Coast. While at Rymfire Elementary she spearheaded a fundraising program to provide students with field trips, organized a parent technology night as well as helped coordinate ELA and STEAM night. It will be a family affair as her son and daughter will attend Out-of-Door. She is excited to join the ODA family!

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Faculty Jingti Shan - Middle School World Language Department / Mandarin Shan holds a bachelor of arts degree in teaching Chinese as a second language from Liaoning Normal University and a master’s in arts in translation and interpretation (Chinese-English) from the University of Essex. Her teaching experience ranges from the middle school level, where she taught Mandarin Chinese to students from a variety of countries, to the college level, where she taught Mandarin Chinese to both beginning and advanced students in Beijing and Essex. As an interpreter, she has worked for the United Nations, business associations, and government officials in China and the United Kingdom.

Clara Viana - Upper School World Language Department / Spanish Clara Viana joins The Out-of-Door Academy after working as a Spanish teacher and student advisor for more than 12 years at the Langley School in McLean, Va. The Langley School is one of the top independent PreK-8 schools in the Washington D. C. metropolitan area. Viana is originally from Colombia and studied at the Universidad San Buenaventura in Medellin, where she earned a bachelor of science in psychology. She is interested in international travel and excited about contributing to Out-of-Door’s language clubs. She currently resides in the Lakewood Ranch area.

Ethan Weiss - Middle School Counseling & Academic Services Weiss is an experienced clinician whose work has focused on supporting children and families, particularly during the challenging transition between childhood and adolescence. He holds a master’s in social work in mental health specialization from Loyola University of Chicago and a master’s in science in child development from the Erikson Institute of Child Development, and he graduated from Skidmore College with a bachelor of science in theatre. His work includes serving as a child and family therapist with Dr. Emily Sheets and Associates and facilitating groups with the Family Partnership Center. Prior to returning to Sarasota, he provided home-based and outpatient services to individuals and families across a variety of agency settings in Chicago. In addition to his clinical work, Weiss has presented at local and international events on topics such as mindfulness, adolescent self-harm, and the influence of culture in clinical work.

Nicholas Wozniak, III - Upper School Arts For nearly 20 years, Nicholas Wozniak (Nick) has instructed art and photography courses, concentrating on student-centered learning for students of all ages. In addition to teaching photography, art, video, and yearbook at All Saints Academy in Winter Haven, Wozniak has been an adjunct professor of photography at Valencia College in Orlando. He received his bachelor of fine arts in photography at Savannah College of Art and Design and his master’s in art education at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Wozniak is excited about joining The Out-of-Door community and contributing to the development of young artists. His interests include diversity and inclusion, and he looks forward to contributing in these areas as well.

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THANK YOU

and the Schnathmann Family for over a decade of dedicated service to the Out-of-Door community.

Growth and Sustainability

Since the initial groundbreaking in 1995, the Uihlein Campus in Lakewood Ranch has experienced tremendous growth in both facilities and enrollment. To say the campus has changed tremendously over the years would be an understatement.

A testament to the power of visionary philanthropy, the Lakewood Ranch property was gifted to the school by the Uihlein Family and Schroeder-Manatee Ranch (SMR) back when there were more tumbleweed and rattlesnakes than people in the Lakewood Ranch area. According to SMR, today, “Lakewood Ranch is a 5,500 acre, award-winning, master-planned community that includes residential development, corporate business parks, recreation, medical, retail, and schools.” A gift of two additional parcels from the Uihlein Family in June 2007 brought the campus to its current 85 acres.

In its inaugural year, 1996, 157 Upper School students called the Uihlein Campus home. The school year opened with five buildings separated by green space. Today, the campus is home to both the Middle and Upper Schools, and boasts eleven buildings, including the state-of-the-art Dick Vitale Family Student Center and Dart STEM Center, a 22,000, square-foot, facility with both indoor and outdoor learning spaces, which opened in August 2015.

With anticipated record-enrollment on the Uihlein Campus at the start of the 2016-2017 school year at 500 students, the campus continues to grow to meet the all-time high demand for an Out-of-Door education.

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Dedicated to providing students the best possible environment in the classroom, on the stage, and on the athletic fields, the Uihlein Campus continues to be transformed by facility expansions benefiting academics, the arts, and athletics. With the addition of the Visual and Performing Arts Center in 2009 and the Student and STEM Centers in 2016, an emphasis on student creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking continue to be emphasized at Out-of-Door. These facilities reflect our best thinking about new paradigms for teaching and learning in the 21st century.

Out-of-Door Campuses Use Sustainable Resources While the Uihlein Campus facilities have grown since 1995, the Siesta Key Campus has remained the staple of the Out-of-Door community. On the Lower Campus, it’s about continuing to improve the spaces. Over the years, renovations were made to the PreK-K building, 1-2 grade building, Multi-Purpose Room, art room, and Glendy Huene Library/Media Center. In addition, a three-story academic building was constructed to house students in grades 3-5.

This summer, the cafeteria was remodeled and the library has a new “maker space” for students to bring their innovations to life.

On the Uihlein Campus, several projects were completed over the summer, including an upgrade to the Petrik Commons, which included an upgrade to the kitchen area, raised ceilings, and the removal of offices. There were environmental changes too: more natural light and furniture made from recycled materials. The library, college counseling, and Thunder Café were also renovated.

The individual overseeing these renovations on both campuses is Director of Facilities Dan Dennehy, who is responsible for keeping both campuses running smoothly while finding new ways to effectively sustain low energy cost. In 2013, the school began to lower its energy consumption by implementing more efficient use of energy saving programs. “We can see with the Florida Power & Light history usage that ODA has reduced its kilowatt hour cost,” said Dennehy. Every room in every building has motion sensors that save energy. Facilities staff recently converted spotlights in the Blackbox Theater to LED lights and all parking lot light bulbs will eventually be switched to LED lighting as part of the management program.

$25,000 saved in electricity thanks to our Building Management Systems

Solar lighting is used wherever possible including flagpole lights on both campuses. The footbridge going to Thunder Stadium is not only powered by the sun, but it’s also made out of recycled materials. “ODA is always looking for additional options for solar use,” said Dennehy. The goal is for all of our buildings to be energy efficient. ODA challenged Fleischman Garcia Architects to use LEED standards when planning the Dick Vitale Family Student Center and Dart STEM Center, which opened in August 2015.

561,476 water bottles saved thanks to campus Bottle Refilling Stations

Last school year, ODA replaced a majority of its water fountains with a combination unit that also features a bottle refilling station.

Students and faculty were encouraged to use their own water bottles. Each station has a counter that measures how much water is used and displays how many plastic water bottles were saved.

“We know what the needs are, and we see the trends for the future,” said Dennehy. Perhaps one day, we will have electric car charging stations powered by solar energy on campus for battery-powered automobiles. Dennehy continues to think of other ways to keep the energy costs low while running ODA’s facilities. “We’re in Florida and we need to take advantage of solar,” he said.

Dennehy can also quickly change the air temperature in the Student Center and STEM Center using the Building Management System connected to his iPhone while most other campus buildings are connected via computer.

In 2013, the school implemented a recycling program with its waste management provider that provided a single-stream service in which all non-food waste can be collected in the same container and sorted at the local plant. Even the aesthetically pleasing waste containers are made from recycled plastic.

5,533

plastic milk jugs recycled to create a single waste receptacle

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Growth and Sustainability ODA Seeking Options for New Athletic Fields and Fieldhouse With the growth of students on the Uihlein Campus and record numbers of student-athletes playing a sport, Out-of-Door is revisiting the option to build additional athletic fields and/or a field house on campus. The feasibility of adding practice courts or a field house that will fit everyone comfortably inside and decrease the amount of time students spend after hours practicing and playing Thunder sports is the goal. The plan is to relocate the softball field to the new practice field area and in its place, build a 20,000 square-foot, field house to support Thunder Stadium and the sports played there. This will also alleviate the overcrowding and scheduling conflicts of basketball and volleyball practices when games are played at the Petrik Thunderdome. Additional practice fields eliminate students’ travel time and gets them home sooner.

It also allows the playing field more time to recover to perform at its best.

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The Out-of-Door Academy Sincerely Thanks our Corporate Partners BAKER

ORTHODONTICS

Optical

If you are interested in learning more about the corporate partnership program

please visit: www.oda.edu/corporatepartners

or contact Terri Medina at tmedina@oda.edu or 941-554-3403

Academics

INNOVATION WITH

3D TECHNOLOGY

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Academics There are limitless ways in which 3D technology can be utilized.

3D printing has provided a way for innovators to easily fabricate models for designs. 3D printing can stimulate the amount of new inventions, simply because people have access to test thought-provoking ideas, creating tangible models. When the Dart STEM Center became a reality and opened in August 2015, a 3D Print Lab was created for faculty and students to print physical objects from a three-dimensional digital model. Physics teacher Mr. Cory Militzer spearheaded the 3D movement in the Upper School, teaching and assisting students with their academic and extra curriculum projects. Out-of-Door students can now learn new software while creating innovative designs for their class projects and academic competition. Almost every subject can benefit from 3D technology as we have learned from the following projects:

Mass Bar Adapter for Physics During a physics experiment, students were working with carts carrying mass bars that ran down a track with stompers on each end.

The cars only fit three mass bars inside of them and the class experiment called for more mass. When students added additional mass bars on top of one another, they fell off. Andrew Berg, ‘17, thought about creating a wider cart using the 3D printer. Andrew shared his idea with Mr. Militzer and the cart was measured to find the width that would work. Mr. Militzer designed and printed a prototype of the larger holder and after the calculations were correct, 20 were printed for the experiment.“It’s kind of cool to learn about designing things on the 3D printer. We can think of something the class needs, and instead of finding it online or purchasing these items, we can print them on the 3D printer,” Berg said.

Chinese Pagoda

Blood Collection Tool Students in Mr. Newhams’ Honors Biology class learned how to type blood using a blood testing kit. The kits previously included a blood collection tool with four prongs to allow students to prick their finger once and place a drop of blood on each one of the prongs. The company no longer makes the product and at times, students had to prick their fingers several times, which could be painful. To alleviate the issue, John Floersheimer, ‘19 created a four-pronged collection tool, using the 3D printer. “It took about 30 minutes to get the first prototype,” John said. After working on the project, he made a few adjustments to allow a smoother blood collection tool. “It’s a testimony as to how good I’ve become on the 3D printer and it took about a week to get it to production form,” he said. John enjoys tinkering and he credits Mr. Militzer for providing guidance and encouragement.

In the Chinese III class this year, students were asked to create an item that represented China. While most students created Chinese lanterns, Hayden Kennelley, ‘17, and Christopher Eckart, ‘18, wanted a challenge and decided to create a pagoda using the 3D printer in the Dart STEM Center. “Designing (the pagoda) wasn’t that difficult,” said Kennelley. They utilized an architecture program that designs houses and scaled it down to fit inside the 3D printer.

“The hardest part is layering the pieces,” said Chris. “You need special awareness of where things go, how to connect shapes,” he added. A honeycomb-type shape was used to design the inside of the structure, which used less plastic. From initial concept to final design took about four hours, but almost 11 hours to print.

Mandarin teacher, Ms. Yu was extremely proud that Hayden and Chris created something unique. Hayden and Chris are both interested in engineering, but Chris also enjoys computer science.

“It’s great to have the 3D printers here. I’m really glad we got them,” Chris said. Learning design programs and effectively using the 3D printer at Out-of-Door will help them both in the career field of their choice.

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Academics Middle School Curriculum Incorporates 3D Printers This year, the Middle School was fortunate enough to receive amazing new resources in the form of 3D printers. The Out-of-Door Academy’s Middle School received a grant from the Ehrhart Family Foundation to develop and implement a 3D curriculum. The curriculum development has allowed for all age groups to learn this transformational technology that is reshaping fields for design, architecture, and engineering. During STEM Week, the new technology was used to simulate a tumor in a human body and provide a hands-on example of how doctors use laser surgery. In addition to the 3D printer, this generous gift from the Ehrhart Foundation also provided a Little Bits set used within the context of a Robotics Unit when the students studied circuitry. They also were put to use by the award winning Middle School Remote Control Car Competition team that represented Out-of-Door in a regional competition. Finally, students were able to use them in art and design projects for a cross-disciplinary STEM project. 3D has been used to create models including Egyptian treasures like the Pyramids and Sphinx, animal cells, and the solar system. Life science students completed their first 3D printing assignment when they sketched and created creatures using CAD software on iPads and predicted the traits of their creature’s offspring. We have used them within the context of our classes and curriculum and additionally, we have been able to provide interested students with opportunities to create models for contests, competitions, and experiences outside of the traditional classroom.

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What can be printed is limited only by the size and capabilities of the printers, as the machine cannot print anything larger than the platform it holds. A typical Lego brick can take up to twenty minutes to print. The most exciting part is that there is no limit to imagining the possibilities. Bringing a 3D printer into the classroom is exciting and engaging. Students are fascinated to watch it print.

3D printing has provided the Middle School with the capability of creating models that students can handle and examine. Consider the extra dimension brought to the classroom when you have a picture of the great pyramid projected at the front while a model that opens and reveals the chambers inside are examined Students can take their designs and print them as they pursue their passions. While many people are familiar with stories of inexpensive prosthetic devices being created for people and pets with 3D printers we are becoming aware of the many other possibilities of this new technology holds for today and in the future. Clearly students are beginning to think about new possibilities. While working to find creative ways to incorporate these new skills into the Middle School curriculum, it is gratifying to know the teachers have access and are modeling learning right alongside students as we create new learning opportunities together.

Academics

VIRTUAL REALITY

SHOWCASES THE SIESTA KEY CAMPUS Fourth grade students at Out-of-Door’s Lower School created a way to showcase the historical Siesta Key Campus, through virtual reality, with the help of Dr. Kelly Rose and Mrs. Glynis Miller.

Dr. Rose and Mrs. Miller came up with the concept after realizing how children can connect with others through social media. Virtual reality is a great way for a grandmother to stay in touch with her grandchildren, but it can also assist people who may be hospitalized or homebound as virtual reality provides a way for all people to engage in the outside world without leaving their surroundings.

Virtual reality is comparable to how a teacher takes her students to another terrain by reading a book. Students not only make the connection, but they also remember the story. The goal of the virtual reality project was to create a series of photos taken on the Siesta Key Campus to share with others. Students were encouraged to take four to five shots, putting their best self forward to show Out-of-Door’s core value of excellence representing the school.

Subjects in the photos were to look neat and clean, and students were reminded not to post anyone’s face without permission.

Campus and student safety is always of the utmost importantance.

Questions regarding the student’s work such as “Why would you use this?,” “When would you use this?,” or “How safe is it to use?” were asked after each session.

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This was a great project to share with potential or new ODA students, who may not reside in the area. They are able to see the beautiful and open campus using virtual reality. “How neat to show the ODA campus, on Google Streetview, to a student who will join us next school year,” said Mrs. Miller.

Students are extremely proud of ODA and they want to show their school to others. When Mrs. Miller asked the class what areas of the campus the students would like to showcase, they decided to photograph the buildings, classrooms, and objects outside including the historic cabin. Students could not shift their body while taking photographs as a slight turn might cause the photos not to properly fuse together. They also recognized that the weather made a difference, their subjects had to be completely still when filming, and taking photos of stairs and railings were highly difficult, but the students challenged themselves over and over to get precise photos of the campus.

To view Out-of-Door’s Siesta Key Campus photos uploaded by ODA students, go to Google Streetview on your phone, tablet, or computer and search for The Out-of-Door Academy - Lower School - Siesta Key Campus (MITT ODA). View the 360-degree photos using a mouse, a finger, or virtual reality viewmaster. These delightful views emphasize the beautiful and open Siesta Key Campus. Perhaps in the near future, Lower School students will partner with Upper School students to expand the virtual reality project. “We had fun with this project and so did the kids,” said Dr. Kelly Rose.

View a 360-degree tour of our campus when you download Google Streetview on your phone, tablet, or computer and search for Out-of-Door Academy - Lower School - Siesta Key Campus (MITT ODA).

Google Streetview is compatible with Virtual Reality Devices so you can tour Out-of-Door from the comfort of your home!

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Academics

WRITING CENTER PARTNERSHIP COLLABORATION WITH NEW COLLEGE OF FLORIDA The Out-of-Door Academy and New College of Florida (NCF) began a Writing Center partnership during the 2014-2015 school year. The partnership was initiated by Out-of-Door’s English teacher, Mrs. Stefanie Betz, when she attended the International Writing Centers Association Conference and was introduced to Dr. Jennifer Wells, the Director of Writing at New College of Florida.

Prior to coming to NCF, Dr. Wells established and directed a high school writing and reading center at a private high school in California and she was the Director of Florida State University’s Reading Writing Centers and Digital Studio. When approached, Dr. Wells was excited about the potential partnership with Out-of-Door’s Writing Lab and the unique opportunities it might produce.

The Partnership created a way for NCF students, working on degrees focused on high school writing centers and tutoring, to gain valuable experience with a collaborative internship at Out-of-Door while training their own Writing Resource Center Student Writing Assistants (SWA) at NCF. In its second year since the partnership began, Out-of-Door’s Writing Lab now operates on the first floor of the Dick Vitale Family Student Center & Dart STEM Center.

The benefits of the partnership for Out-of-Door and its students include collaborating with a reputable liberal arts college to foster growth and learning on both campuses; watching the culture of writing grow as the presence of analytical writing and critical thinking on campus increases; and finally improving Out-of-Door

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students are writing through the peer-to-peer tutor that NCF’s Writing Resource Center SWAs provide.

In 2015, two NCF students, Lea Nowak and Chelsea Torregrosa assisted Mrs. Betz in the Writing Lab and in the English classroom.

Nowak is in her second year at New College and is a junior studying international and political studies. She is interested in pursing a master’s degree in education and would like to teach. Last semester, she helped teach mini-lessons with Mrs. Betz, trained SWAs at Out-of-Door, and had the opportunity to observe and teach Honors Literature. During the second semester, with input from Mrs. Betz, Nowak created lesson plans for sophomores preparing to enroll in AP Language. She knows the importance of critical thinking in English courses and wanted to bring excitement to students about a topic without overwhelming them. The literature class worked on several research projects including one in which the goal was to teach students to use more complex words when structuring sentences. “All kids are different with different interests,” said Nowak. “Some students don’t want to talk about their writing but it’s important to figure out how to engage them,” she added. She learned so much from working with Out-of-Door students. Her confidence in teaching ODA students has grown tremendously from last year. She remembered being nervous but now feels more comfortable with students because she is more engaged. At the completion of her internship at ODA, Nowak wrote a paper on her teaching philosophies.

The second NCF student Chelsea Torregrosa, interning for the first time at Out-of-Door, knew she wanted to attend New College after completing a college project in seventh grade. Torregrosa, majoring in sociology and psychology, and working towards a degree in English, is a SWA at NCF’s Writing Resource Center and an orientation leader at the College.

“Some students don’t want to talk about their writing but, it’s important to figure out how to engage them.”

- Lea Nowak, NCF Student At NCF’s Writing Resource Center, Torregrosa, similar to Nowak, assists New College students with writing assignments, from brainstorming to proofreading. She also trains writing students to become SWAs. Torregrosa, who was trained by Mrs. Betz at NCF, was interested in completing an internship at a high school. She was selected to intern at Out-of-Door and has enjoyed her time on campus. Her role was to train students to be SWAs in ODA’s Writing Lab. Training included assisting students with writing, brainstorming, and strategies for the semester. “I noticed students who were generally a lot more confident in their writing,” Torregrosa said about ODA students. “After a visit to the Writing Lab, we want to ensure that the student’s needs were met,” she said.

Helping to ensure that the student’s writing is cohesive, they set goals and worked through them. Helping students accomplish what they came to do are all part of the job.

Torregrosa has nothing but praise for Out-of-Door. She understands the function of a writing center is essential. “Students may stop caring (about writing) when they are told what to do or they write for their teacher and not for themselves,” she said. The Writing Lab encourages students to support one another to improve their writing techniques. This type of collaboration is invaluable, helping students to grow more comfortable with their writing.

When you visit the Out-of-Door’s Writing Lab, you will notice ODA students hard at work. Students feel relaxed in this environment, which ultimately helps with the transition to the college.

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Academics

THE DELIGHTS OF LEARNING A

WORLD LANGUAGE “Oh Niños,” says Señora Angela Giorgianni-Mejicanos (aka Señora GM) at the start of each class “Oh Señora” is the response she expects when students are ready to begin Spanish class on Out-of-Door’s Siesta Key Campus. In Señora GM’s class, children in pre-kindergarten to fifth grade are highly engaged in their studies.

Pre-kindergarten students attend a 30-minute Spanish class once a week. There, they learn mostly songs and dances to keep them moving and involved. The younger students at Out-of-Door focus on learning basic colors, body parts, and foods in class. “I have a song for everything and I pull in a lot of basic nursery rhymes that the pre-kindergarten students already know,” said Señora GM. All other grade levels on the Siesta Key campus have Spanish class twice a week, for 45-minutes. Themes and familiar stories are used as each grade level becomes comfortable reciting what they previously learned. The younger students begin with ‘circle time’ to discuss how they feel and then transition into daily routines like reciting the date in Spanish. If working on a coloring project, Señora GM expects students to say their colors in Spanish and often asks students to help one another if needed.

“I teach the students at ODA to appreciate the language and know the value it has in the future,” said Señora GM. She uses different versions of bilingual stories including classic tales tied to Mexican, Puerto Rican, or Spanish culture. This helps students become more comfortable as they start to learn the Spanish language. There are some students who are Spanish speakers, so she encourages them to assist her in class. In addition, she may give those students

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additional vocabulary lists to challenge them without making them feel they have more work.

In Señora GM’s Spanish class, each grade level focuses on a different Spanish culture. Kindergarten is taught the culture of Mexico; first grade students embark on a journey to Costa Rica, learning about research in the rain forests and the amazing animals that live there; in second grade, students learn about Guatemala and the Mayan Indians; third grade students study Panama, the Panama Canal, and the Kuna Indians; fourth grade students learn about South America, including Peru and the Incas; and finally the fifth grade classes circle back for a more in-depth overview of Mexico, which includes a research project about the 31 Mexican states. Students gather important facts to create a digital presentation about each one. They also learn about traditional music and Mexican recipes that are created and shared with their classmates. She explains that learning Spanish in her class is similar to building a sandwich. “The younger students learn about the bread, then we add cheese, meat, and vegetables. By the time you enter fifth grade you learn to eat the sandwich,” she said with a laugh.

Periodically, Señora GM invites speakers, who share their native Spanish traditions in her classroom. “Holidays are always fun in my Spanish class,” said Señora GM. “Students help decorate the classroom and they learn about my two favorite holidays, Navidad and Day of the Dead,” she added. During the Cinco de Mayo assembly, Señora GM wanted to provide a special treat for

students and invited Mariachi Tampa, a local mariachi band, to perform. They learned the history behind Cinco de Mayo and students shook their homemade maracas and sang songs.

Señora GM explains to her fifth grade students that all students in sixth grade will take Latin, the language of ancient Rome. Some students are excited to learn a new language. “I tell the students that Spanish is an asset in the Latin class,” Señora GM said. What’s important for students to learn in her Spanish class is that she wants them to have fun and not be afraid of learning a new language. “It’s not impossible to learn Spanish or another language; as a matter of fact, it can be quite fun and open so many doors,” she said.

Clara Viana for Spanish in the Upper School and Ms. Jingti Shan for Mandarin in the Middle School. Our current Mandarin teacher, Ms. Shumin Yu will teach all Upper School Mandarin courses. Latin will remain under the Classical Languages Department and continues to create a strong presence with Mr. Paul LeBras teaching Upper School courses. Mrs. Yadira Kirschner will teach Middle School Spanish courses along with three Upper School Spanish teachers, Ms. Viana, Ms. Rozanes, and Ms. Dooley. Additional Spanish courses including Honors and Advanced Placement will be offered.

Latin has an Advanced Placement course and Mandarin boasts a Level V and Honors courses. “Our students are pretty advanced in the Mandarin Level V course,” said Fafalios.

When Lower School students matriculate to the sixth grade, they enroll in the Latin exploratory course finding new adventures in the ancient history, cultural and historical events, and literature of Rome. Several years ago, the Latin program was a small program, but it’s now thriving as the second language learned at Out-of-Door sandwiched between Spanish and Mandarin. “In World Language classes, students and teachers work together on this educational and fun experience together,” said Mrs. Nicole Fafalios, World Language Department Chair.

It’s expected that new middle school students will be nervous as they begin class at the Uihlein Campus. Having each sixth grade student study Latin provides a starting point at the same place with no prior experience needed. “More students may choose to take Spanish than Latin and Mandarin once they are promoted to seventh grade,” said Fafalios. “Spanish is much more prevalent in the United States and elsewhere in the world, but we have a very strong Latin program and a great up-and-coming Mandarin program at ODA. It really depends on the interest of the student,” she added.

Ms. Anya Grady, who is entering her second year at ODA, teaches the exploratory Latin course. The language team can help to identify the language students might be interested in. “Our students enjoy learning Latin from Ms. Grady. She keeps them engaged because of the many fun projects she teaches,” said Fafalios. ODA teachers do not influence students to take a particular language, it’s a family decision to choose, but the teachers and advisors are there to help.

“We want our students to feel comfortable asking teachers questions about the language program and our teachers are comfortable assisting them, she said.

The World Language program has gained a lot of attention from ODA students. Due to its popularity, the Modern Languages Department, has been created, which includes Spanish and Mandarin. Two new faculty members joined the department: Ms.

Students in the language courses are proud to learn at ODA. Several students won achievement awards and medals in the National Spanish Exam this past year. “As we create more trips with students, it obviously will help with the language they are learning. Traveling in groups helps build confidence in our students,” Fafalios said.

The more we challenge students with a second language, the more they accomplish. ODA teachers create new ways to get students out of their comfort zone learning languages, including Skyping with students in other countries and planning more trips like the one last year to Italy or the upcoming trip to Peru in 2017. Ms. Yu is in the process of coordinating a future trip to China.

There are exciting new projects as well in the World Language Department. Ms. Yu will partner with the University of South Florida to visit Ybor City where students will experience the richness of the culture there. The World Language Competition Club continues to grow and will focus on adding more members.

Many current and past ODA students continue their love of language by taking immersion trips and studying abroad, and several ODA students have majored or minored in a language.

The Upper School is also working to establish a Spanish National Honor Society Chapter.

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Academics

OUT-OF-DOOR STUDENTS EXCEL IN

ACADEMIC COMPETITIONS Students at The Out-of-Door Academy are taught to compete in the classroom. They are asked to challenge themselves by taking Advanced Placement and Honor courses, they assist one another in the classroom, and they collaborate to succeed. Competition is healthy, helping students who share the same interests and goals learn and grow academically. Competition helps students become comfortable with pressure and helps students dig deeper to bring out the academic abilities their teachers know they have. Students at The Out-of-Door Academy participated and excelled in various academic competitions during the 2015-2016 school year including language, geography, writing, and science.

Geography Bee The National Geography Bee is a nationwide contest for students in middle schools across the United States designed to test the students’ knowledge of geography. Middle School students participated in grade level contests and the winners from each grade level competed in the all-around school competition. Taylor Shaklik, ‘21, the overall school winner, qualified to compete in the state level competition of the National Geographic Bee by placing first in the local competition at The Out-of-Door Academy.

Florida Science Olympiad Out-of-Door organized a team to participate in the regional competition of the Florida Science Olympiad. The Science Olympiad is a competition for elementary, middle, and high school students. Teams are comprised of up to 15 students led by one teacher, and compete in 23 different events including physics,

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chemistry, earth and space science, biology, and engineering.

Out-of-Door is particularly excited about this program because, unlike some science competitions, Science Olympiad events have students cooperatively “DOING” science during the competition rather than just reporting about an individual science project. On January 23, 2016 at the regional competition, hosted by Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Fla., Out-of-Door students participated in events involving Anatomy, Forensics, Cell Biology, and Geologic Mapping. Yunsong Liu, ‘19, and John Floersheimer, ‘19, took first place in the Electric Vehicle competition. Chris Poole, ‘16, and Jacquelyn Olson, ‘16, came in second place in the computer-programming event, ‘Game On,’ while Chris Poole also placed third in the Bridge Building event.

Florida Junior Classical League Latin Competition On February 20, 2016, 24 students from Out-of-Door joined hundreds of students from the region at the Florida Junior Classical League (FJCL) Latin Competition hosted by Plant City High School in Plant City, Fla. The FJCL is a student-run organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the study of Latin, Greek, and classical civilization. Middle and high school students throughout the state of Florida competed in the academic organization in several events including academic, athletic, artistic, and oral contests. Out-of-Door students competed against students in Region 7, which included independent and public schools from 12 Florida counties stretching from Hernando to Hendry.

Students who placed in competition were: Amy Decker, ‘16, Allison Drzewucki, ‘18, Michael Dyer, ‘21, Christopher Eckart, ‘18, Maram Faqqouseh, ‘20, Mary Ashley Fulton, ‘19, Shelby Fulton, ‘21, Mackenzie Grace, ‘18, Edward Hamburger, ‘20, Ashley Hamill, ‘21, William Harwell, ‘16, Mira Khazanchi, ‘20, Zijiao Liu, ‘18, Vivienne Miller, ‘18, Erick Pena, ‘16, Ashley Sciame, ‘20, and Reece Whatmore, ‘21.

Florida Statewide Chinese Competition The 2016 Florida Statewide Chinese Competition (FSCC) was held in February 2016 at the Gulliver Preparatory School in Miami, Florida. FSCC is an annual event organized by the Florida Chinese Teachers Association (FCTA) and co-hosted with a school in the state of Florida. The competition was set-up in a “Jeopardy” style format, which asked students about topics including: Ancient History, Land, Festivals, Architecture, Food, News, and Culture.

There was a main round that included Daily Doubles (double points) and the Final Jeopardy round. Out-of-Door students who participated this year included Grace Mannion, ‘21, Nina Dinh, ‘20, Christian Ramos, ‘US, Amara Merritt, ‘18, Maxwell Hajduk, ‘19, Andrea Schiro, ‘19, Christopher Eckart, ‘18, Samuel Hajduk, ‘16, and Rachel Silverman, ‘18, along with Mandarin teacher, Ms. Shumin Yu.

language, as well as network with more than 1,000 students and faculty from 54 high schools around Florida. Out-of-Door students not only enjoyed the competition, but they also participated in additional planned activities including a lecture from Dr. Julie Langford, a University of South Florida classics professor, who presented, “Turnus, Ethnicity, and Gender in the Aeneid.”

In addition to chaperoning students, Ms. Grady and Ms. Fafalios judged several categories in the creative competition. “While walking through and looking at all the student artwork, it was incredible,” said Ms. Fafalios. “You wouldn’t believe some of the projects that were created by these talented students.” Chris Eckart and Mutaz Faqqouseh will take on more leadership roles to promote the JCL and the Regional and State Latin Competitions to ODA Latin students next school year.

ODA students presented and placed in several competitions: Maram Faqqouseh, placed fourth, PMAQ (Phrases, Mottos, Abbreviations, Quotations), Level 1 in the Academic category and placed second with Charts, grades 5-9 in the Creative category. She also created a chart that explained the myth of Athena and Arachne, which included original artwork; Mira Khazanchi placed third in Customs, Level 1 in the Academic category and in the Creative category.

She also placed third in Models, grades 5-9, and created a stunning handmade model of a Roman bath; Christopher Eckart placed eighth in the Academic category in Advanced Derivatives and tenth place in Advanced Vocabulary; Mutaz Faqqouseh placed seventh in the Academic category in Derivatives, Level 2; and Amy Decker placed eighth in the Academic category in Advanced Greek Literature.

Florida Elementary Science Olympiad

Classical Culture and Latin Competition The Out-of-Door Academy sent a contingent of students and faculty including Ms. Nicole Fafalios, Ms. Anya Grady, Amy Decker, ‘16, Christopher Eckart, ‘18, Maram Faqqouseh, ‘20, Mutaz Faqqouseh, ‘19, and Mira Khazanchi, ‘20, to the State Latin Forum of the Florida Junior Classical League (FJCL) Latin Competition in April 2016 in Orlando, Fla. These students also represented Out-of-Door at the regional level. At the state level, students continued to learn and share information about classical culture and

Thirty Lower School students represented The Out-of-Door Academy at the Florida Elementary Science Olympiad in May in Orlando, Fla. Students competed against 56 other teams in the largest elementary competition hosted in the state of Florida and now one of the largest competitions in the nation. As part of the competition, each student was tasked with competing in three out of the 13 scheduled events based in physics, chemistry, earth space science, biology, and engineering. They engaged in hands-on, interactive, inquiry-based activities that were lab-based, research-based, or pre-built. The goal of the Science Olympiad is to improve the quality of science education through competition.

Fourth grade students, Joseph Clarke, ‘24 and Jacob Kaplan, ‘24 lead the way placing in three separate categories including third place and a medal in Rock Hound, 18th in Mystery Packaging and 12th in Who Wants to be a Biologist. Fifth grade students Matt

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Academics DePalma, ‘23, and David Shuel, ‘23, placed eighth in Mystery Packaging; Ian Crews, ‘23, and Johnny Robinson , ‘23, placed 10th in A is for Anatomy; Pedro Briceño, ‘23, and Owen Eakle, ‘23, placed 11th in Who Wants to be a Biologist; and Cameron Lugannani, ‘23, and Max Fischer, ‘23, placed 14th in Mystery Packaging. “There was tough competition this year, but our students learned a lot and they worked so hard to compete in their respective groups,” said Coach and Lower School STEM instructor Ms. Jessica Urbans. “We were excited for what we accomplished and our students are already discussing how they can create better outcomes in next year’s competition.”

presentations. Students are divided into four categories: students who have only learned Spanish exclusively in the classroom, students with limited outside experience at home or in a Spanish-speaking environment, students with extensive outside experience at home or in a Spanish-speaking environment, and students reared and educated in a Spanish-speaking environment.

The rating scales are as follows: Sobresaliente (highest honor achievement), Superior (second place), Excelente (third place) and Bueno (fourth place).

More than 600 students representing 50 Florida schools participated in the competition held in March 2016 in Orlando. Accompanied by ODA Spanish teachers Ms. Margarita Dooley, Ms. Yadira Kirschner and Ms. Daniela Rozanes, seven Out-of-Door students, Adelaide Mahler, ‘19, Joshua Fernandez, ‘19, Mackenzie Grace, ‘18, Kevin Deems, ‘17, Anne Keen, ‘17, and Helena Beltrao, ‘17, competed in four categories: impromptu speaking, declamation (poetry), cultural entertainment, and regional dress.

Remote Control (RC) Car Competition On March 5, 2016 in Sarasota, Fla., The Out-of-Door Academy sent three teams to compete at the Suncoast Science Center’s Inaugural Remote Control Custom Car Open (RC Car).

The Upper School team consisted of John Floersheimer, ‘19, and Yunsong Liu, ‘19, while William Lahners, ‘21, and Adam Hansen, ’21, and Logan Leyva, ‘21, and Enzo Dinh, ‘22, represented the Middle School in competition. The goal of the RC Car competition was to test participants on their ability to make adjustments to a provided radio controlled car in order to improve its speed, drivability, and general attractiveness. Students competed in one or all three competition types: drag race, lap race, and design.

While each team made modifications that helped their RC Car to improve its dynamics, the Middle School Team of Leyva and Dinh took the checkered flag and the first place trophy for the Middle School Lap Race competition.

Florida State Spanish Conference The Florida State Spanish Conference (FSSC) is an academic competition for high school students across the state of Florida. The competition provides students an opportunity to compete amongst themselves in the fields of impromptu, declamation, and dramatic

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Anne Keen participated in the regional dress competition and wore a colorful Spanish flamenco dress from the Andalucía region.

Helena Beltrao participated in the singing contest with a song representing Spain. In the Impromptu category, students spoke extemporaneously in Spanish for 2-3 minutes on a random topic.

Adelaide Mahler (Level 2), Joshua Fernandez (Level 3), Mackenzie Grace (Level 4), Helena Beltrao (Level 4), Kevin Deems (Level 4), and Anne Keen (Level 5), received a Sobresaliente rating in the event. Five students participated in the Declamation category, in which students recited a poem in Spanish with feeling, gestures and expression. Adelaide Mahler (Level 2), Mackenzie Grace (Level 4), and Helena Beltrao (Level 4) received a Sobresaliente rating in the event while Joshua Fernandez (Level 3) and Kevin Deems (Level 4) each received a Superior rating.

Scholastic Art and Writing Awards More than 300,000 submissions were received this year for the Scholastic Art & Writing Award and five remarkable young women from The Out-of-Door Academy were recognized for nine Regional Awards. Hailey Schlotthauer, ‘17, was awarded Silver Keys for “I Don’t Write About Boys I-X” and “Inheritance;” Nora Altajar, ‘18, was awarded a Gold Key for “Je Ne Sais Quoi” and received Honorable Mentions for “Stubborn Horns” and “Aphrodite (In Time);” Melanie Saltz, ‘18, was awarded a Silver Key for “Hakotel Hama’aravi” and Honorable Mention for “Lorelei;” Simone Timol, ‘18, was awarded a Silver Key for “Dearest Sister;” and Mary Fulton, ‘19, received Honorable Mention for “Mind Palace.”

“I personally feel that writing is the simplest way to experience empathy,” said Saltz. “Writing helps people explore the complexities of other minds and other stories. When I write, I aim to evoke feeling in the reader,” she added. While writing helps Saltz feel empathy for others, Timol says, “I love writing not only because it is cathartic, but also because it gives me a medium in which I can explore the boundaries of what I am capable of imagining, while drawing upon my experiences to create.” These young ladies are the epitome of what the ODA student represents. In addition to taking courses that stimulate the mind, and writing during the school year, many of them are interested in learning advanced writing techniques and participated in writing programs over the summer.

Anthology of Poetry The Anthology of Poetry (AoP) is a forum recognizing writing excellence in students from kindergarten through grade twelve.

AoP selects and publishes the finest poems submitted by student writers and provide teachers with an objective forum for their students’ creations. Every year, AoP publishes professional anthologies of students’ poems, in soft and hard cover formats.

Our authors are selected for their writing expertise.

Congratulations to the Out-of-Door students who have been selected for the upcoming edition of the Anthology of Poetry

by Young Americans.

Anthology of Poetry Featured Poets Grade 4 Keira Baldwin Edward Bentley Andrew Brewer Benjamin Brewer Sara Chinnici Rachel Constant Ariel Conway William Farbman Grace Frazier Kathryn Fulton Claire Giraud Martin Gomien Ryan Goss Claire Hansen Charlie Hugill Ava Krug Lexi LaGasse Elizabeth Pennington-Leaney Tanner Luria Giulia Lyons Bryce Houghteling Nolan Naese Trey Naese James Ramage Sam Schoenfeld John Studdiford Zachary Szabo Caroline Yancey

Grade 5 Felipe Baffico Balharry Peter Briggs William Becker Natalie Carrion Sebastian Ebenbichler-Casanova Lyndsey Dart James Gelvin Giovanni Giuliani Ada Giraldo Sara Green Patrick ‘Chase’ Hamill Haley Houghteling Carly Holst-Knudsen Ari Knego Claire Maag Luca Marino Rehan Majeed Arya Muppavarapu Sydney Opstal Caitlin Pacer Luke Pfahler Reece Phillips Dante Ross Maria Shaw David Shuel Hannah Wahl

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Academics

MIDDLE SCHOOL MINIMESTER ANNUAL TRIP COMBINES LEARNING AND FUN At the beginning of every school year, middle school students eagerly await their three-day minimester trip. Each grade level attends an activity created only for them, but every eighth grade student cannot wait for their out-of-state trip to Washington, D.C. However, Minimester activities are not only about fun, but also allows students to learn and collaborate during a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Sixth Grade The sixth grade visited Cape Canaveral, Sea World, and Busch Gardens over the course of their three days. Throughout the trip, students had fun connecting what they learned in school to the wider world, connecting the dots between rote knowledge and everything else. For many, this was their first trip away from home. Teachers observed the difference in their behavior as students began to internalize the responsibility and freedom they had. While on the bus tour at Cape Canaveral, students were fascinated, listening to videos and pointing out the buildings to one another as they passed. Teachers noticed how wonderful it was watching some of the sixth grade students break out of their shells.

Watching students experience things like touching stingrays or sharks for the first time was absolutely delightful. When touching sharkskin, one student said, “It’s like jelly, but spiky!”

Seventh Grade Seventh grade students took a trip to Sea Camp. The core objective of the seventh grade science curriculum encompasses life sciences. As part of the overall theme, students studied Marine Biology, which included marine life (plants and animals), the ecosystems surrounding marine life, and the human effects on the marine ecosystem. Prior to going to Sea Camp on Big Pine Key, students spent time investigating the different types of invertebrates and vertebrates of the world, and the interactions between them.

They had the opportunity to dissect worms and sharks and also had a lively discussion about the ecosystems, particularly paying attention to coral reefs and mangroves. The last portion students studied, prior to going to Sea Camp, was climate change and the human impact on those ecosystems.

Sea Camp provided a hands-on experience for students to be a part of the ecosystem. While there, students snorkeled in the coral reefs and got a first-hand experience looking at the ecosystem here in Florida. Students participated in various lab experiences to enhance their knowledge of marine life and human interactions. For example, students tested live Cassiopeia Jellyfish for stress levels based on water pollution. They swam with small sharks to observe their behaviors, and literally tore into algae to explore small marine life in a micro-ecosystem.

Not only did Sea Camp provide students with an integral part of marine science it also provided a wonderful team building and personal growth experience for students.

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Eighth Grade While sixth grade students were traveling through Florida and seventh grade students were learning about the ecosystem during minimester, eighth grade students ventured to Washington, D.C., and trudged though the cold and rainy weather to see the fantastic sights in the nation’s Capitol. During the trip, students visited the Holocaust Memorial Museum, Jefferson Memorial, Iwo Jima Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, Capitol Hill, Lincoln Memorial, Korean Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the Washington Monument.

Students had the opportunity to watch the Baltimore Orioles baseball team take on the New York Yankees. The sheer joy of this trip was seeing first-hand everything students studied in eighth grade American History, including the exact spot where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood to give his eloquent “I Have a Dream� speech.

Students also collected an etching of a name on the Vietnam Wall and even walked through a simulated rice paddy at the Korean Memorial. Experiences the students will never forget.

Mimimester is designed to afford middle school students the opportunity to fully learn and engage in their academic studies in a less formal setting. The three days also introduce a different dynamic to the teacher-student relationship as they learned in an environment outside of the classroom.

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Academics

THE 4 Cs IN ACADEMICS

CRITICAL THINKING, COMMUNICATION, CREATIVITY, & COLLABORATION “Enrichment Clusters provided students an opportunity to stretch their creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration skills. Fourth and fifth graders explored STEM challenges, Gaming Strategies, Unsolved Mysteries, Environmental Awareness, Graphic Novel Songs, and Book Club Debates during these highly-engaging, hands-on courses.” - Tanna Horner, Head of Lower School Out-of-Door’s innovative curriculum incorporates the essential skills of critical thinking, communication, creativity, and collaboration, otherwise known as the 4 Cs. The Enrichment Clusters are a great example of that curriculum in action.

Fourth and fifth grade students had the opportunity to work collaboratively and chose from six offerings of highly engaging and authentic learning experiences each session. They were organized into multi-age groups with their peers who shared common interests. Students invested time in their passions choosing one of these exciting electives to explore. The structure of the Enrichment Clusters program was based off a Gifted Education Model by Joseph Renzulli and planned in accordance with Psychologist and Professor at Harvard University Graduate School of Education Howard Gardner’s belief that there are multiple intelligences to which we should teach.

Each week students were provided a new challenge to complete with a limited amount of time and materials. They were encouraged to be creative, collaborate with one another, think critically and communicate, while having fun competing against their classmates. The Cluster started with a new science concept and then students competed in an engineering design contest with their classmates to see who could create the best solution.

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THIRTY-TWO NEW INDUCTEES

INTO OUT-OF-DOOR’S CHAPTER OF NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY On March 20, 2016, The Out-of-Door Academy inducted 32 new members to the National Honor Society (NHS) Chapter. The review of the National Honor Society Eligibility Criteria and Four Pillars are guidelines each chapter must use to accept new members and to maintain eligibility for current members in the NHS. The four pillars include: • Scholarship: a student must have a cumulative GPA of 85, B, 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or equivalent standard of excellence; • Service: voluntary contributions made by a student at the school or in the community and done without compensation; • Leadership: embracing student leaders who are resourceful, good problem solvers, and contribute to ideas; • Character: showing that students of good character are cooperative, demonstrate high standards of honesty and reliability, show courtesy, concern, and respect for others, while maintaining a clean disciplinary record.

In addition to the national eligibility standards, ODA students are selected primarily by percentage using the class standing related to their GPA. The top 10 percent of sophomores, 30 percent of juniors and 30 percent of seniors are grandfathered at 3.5 GPA. Additionally, Out-of-Door NHS candidates enter the process via an application and interview. NHS Faculty Co-Advisors, Ms. Liz Armor and Mr. Andy Lemieux, along with 24 current NHS members, introduced and inducted the NHS candidates that included a candle ceremony and reciting the NHS Pledge each new member agrees to uphold.

Congratulations to the 2016 National Honor Society Members: Sydney Avery, ‘16, Marisa Bregg, ‘16, Marius Bschorer, ‘18, Cole Chalhub, ‘18, Joseph Coco, ‘16, Alexa DeBartolo, ‘17, Amy Decker, ‘16, Kevin Deems, ‘17, Charlotte Dixon, ‘16; Larissa Eaden, ‘17, Christopher Eckart, ‘18, Isabel Eichenbaum, ‘17, Jonathan Eichenbaum, ‘16, Sophia Gardinier, ‘17, Mackenzie Grace, ‘18, Liberty Grimond, ‘16, Charles Hayes, ‘17, Nam Hoang, ‘16, Serenna Jones, ‘16, Anne Keen, ‘17, Gustave Mahler, ‘18, Bradyn Moore, ‘17, Madeline Naylor, ‘16, Kate Patrice, ‘17, Joseph Runge, ‘17, Chloe Ruppert, ‘17, Alexander Seftas, ‘17, Rachel Silverman, ‘18, Cameron Smalley, ‘17, Qiwen Tan, ‘16, Nicole Vitiello, ‘17, and Jessica Young, ‘17.

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Senior Profiles look out for her teammates both on and off the field. Sierra was an amazing leader at ODA, she was a member of the National Honor Society, the Honor Council and Student Council, holding positions of secretary, vice-president, and most recently president prior to graduating. Other leadership roles were captain for cheer, soccer, and lacrosse and outside of ODA, she was a member of the Emerging Leaders Program and Learners to Leaders.

Sierra Dickerson, ‘16 It was evident from the moment Sierra Dickerson stepped onto Out-of-Door’s Uihlein Campus that she was going to make the most of her time. The Arizona-born, big sister to Dakota knew what she wanted: a high-quality education from a great institution and Out-of-Door would provide just that. Sierra intends on majoring in biology and hopes to become a physician, perhaps a pediatrician, in the future.

With a desire to go into medicine, Sierra ensured she was a top-notch student at ODA. There are traits that physicians have and Sierra already posseses some: confidence, empathy, humility, forthrightness, respectfulness, and thoroughness. “I just think it’s really cool how some things that seem so simple are so intricate,” she said discussing her love of the sciences. She also completed an internship with cardiologist, Dr. Robert Eckart at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in the spring.

“It was clear very quickly that Sierra stood above her classmates. She was a hard worker with a bright mind and most impressively she approached every situation as though it was her responsibility to get the job done.”

- Mike Newhams, Upper School Science Teacher Sierra was a peer tutor during her junior year and she helped middle school students with math and Latin. She received the Faculty Cup in eighth grade, as the student who embodied the mission of ODA, excelling in the arts, academics and athletics, and she was repeatedly on the Honor Roll and Head’s List. As a student-athlete, she competed in cheer, soccer and lacrosse and learned how to

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Vaughn Garcia, ‘16 Vaughn knew the importance of getting a dynamic education at ODA, he took six Advanced Placement and Honor courses at the Upper School, the toughest of which was his favorite, AP European History. Outside the classroom, Vaughn competed in tennis, cross country, and track and field at ODA, where he gained numerous friendships, camaraderie, strength, perseverance, and understanding as how to compete not only on the field but in the classroom too.

Vaughn also was involved in extracurricular programs including film clubs, martial arts, and tennis programs.

Vaughn’s hopes his legacy at ODA is that students and faculty will remember him as someone who always respected the core traits that an ODA student carries for the rest of their lives. He’s excited to join the ranks of college students in the fall and knows how much ODA has provided the tools to which he will utilize in his field of study and beyond.

Vaughn will attend Florida State University in Tallahassee, Fla. and intends on majoring in filmmaking. He’s looking forward to a change of pace and scenery at his new school. His longtime goals are to make movies, make money, and die bold.

questions, and often blurts out the answer because he’s so excited.

He loves, loves, loves doing experiments.”

Octavien ‘Bam’ Han, ‘16 Sixteen-year-old Octavien “Bam” Han was a larger-than-life presence in the chemistry classroom at Out-of-Door, according to his AP Chemistry teacher, Ms. Theresa Beeman. Bam even dubbed himself and his chemistry partner this year ‘The Dream Team of Chemistry.’ He appreciates chemistry, “because of how applicable it is in our daily lives” and because of the tests he conducted in the laboratory.

In addition to his academic course load, Bam took time as a peer tutor to help other ODA students become successful tackling academic courses including calculus and geometry. He was also recognized on the Head’s List several times during high school and was inducted in the National Honor Society. As a member of ODA’s cross-country, soccer, and track and field teams, Bam experienced the immense levels of camaraderie and excitement with fellow student-athletes while also being engaged in extracurricular activities in school, including Relay for Life, Thunder Fun Day, the Chinese competition, Investment club, and the Cardboard Challenge. Bam volunteered, while away from ODA, at Top Soccer, an organization helping young children with physical and mental limitations play and enjoy soccer. And he finds time to play the Ukulele for friends.

In the fall, Bam will take all he has learned at Out-of-Door to one of the nation’s top colleges, Georgia Institute of Technology nestled in the heart of bustling Atlanta, where he intends to major in computer science. He chose Georgia Tech because of the school’s ranking and its community. While he’s not sure what life will bring, he’s excited to find out what the future may hold.

“Bam is excited about chemistry. He took Honors Chemistry last year and couldn’t wait to take AP Chemistry. Bam has a quick mind. He’s intuitive and can see more than one way to solve problems and he loves doing experiments. Bam is a larger-thanlife presence in the chemistry classroom.”

- Theresa Beeman, Science Department Head Bam, who was promoted to the twelfth grade directly from the tenth grade, is smart, charismatic, and he loves helping others. Perhaps that’s the reason he says author, John Green is his role model. Bam has always challenged himself academically and has taken the tougher Advanced Placement and Honors courses while at the Upper School. “I’ve become more efficient completing assignments,” Bam said, referring to how Out-of-Door’s academic curriculum has helped him succeed. “ODA prepared me very well for success since I learned how to effectively manage my time and use the surrounding resources.” Ms. Theresa Beeman said, “Bam loves chemistry. He took honors chemistry last year, loved it, and couldn’t wait to take AP Chemistry this year. He has a quick mind.

He’s intuitive and can see more than one way to solve problems.

He’s excited about chemistry, can’t wait to answer

Owen Han, ‘16 Owen Han is one of eight Lifers at The Out-of-Door Academy who started school in pre-kindergarten on the historic Siesta Key Campus. Born in Milan, Italy, Owen has a special bond with his younger brother Bam. Owen’s favorite class was World History and favorite teachers were Ms. Phyllis Keiser at the Lower School and Mr. Ken Sommers at the Upper School. As a model student, Owen

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Senior Profiles took four Advanced Placement courses and four Honors courses while in high school. He was also inducted as a member of ODA’s National Honor Society Chapter.

Owen participated in lacrosse and soccer for four years and football for two years. He received numerous athletic accolades as a member of the Thunder teams at the 2016 athletic banquet including boy’s varsity soccer MVP, boy’s varsity lacrosse coaches award, most improved on the boy’s varsity football team, and male co-athlete of the year. “Sports helped me gain leadership skills and collaboration with my teammates,” he said. In addition to sports at ODA, Owen volunteered at Top Soccer and Top Shelf Lacrosse, Habitat for Humanity and La Musical. Owen was captain on ODA’s soccer and lacrosse varsity teams during his senior year.

“It has been amazing to see his growth from a middle school lineman into a poised, talented and thoughtful young man. Owen’s humble demeanor belies an inner passion that has manifested itself in many ways. Always positive and beloved by your peers, what an amazing senior year athletically.

Owen’s academic abilities are broad and deep, but the level of rigor has never sapped his sincere enthusiasm.”

- Ken Sommers, Head Varsity Football Coach After spending 14 formidable years at ODA, Owen had his share of fun and tradition and recognizes how special ODA has been to him, especially when he played beneath the Banyan trees on the Siesta Key Campus. His favorite ODA tradition was Spirit Day. His most memorable event at ODA was when the Thunder Boy’s Varsity Lacrosse team beat Cardinal Mooney. The relationships and memories forged throughout the years and the friends and faculty he has come in contact with will always be paramount.

“ODA prepared me for success because of the difficulty and workload I received there,” Owen said, “But it also helped me with real college experiences.” He hopes his legacy is that he was a hard worker who excelled both academically and athletically at Out-of-Door.

Owen has set the bar extremely high during his years at Out-of-Door, this helped him get accepted into his top college choice, the University of Southern California. Owen chose USC because of its location, academics, athletics, and he felt it was the perfect school in which he would fit in and thrive. He’s looking forward to meeting new people at USC while majoring in business.

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Madeline Naylor, ‘16 Madeline’s favorite ODA teachers were Ms. Nicole Fafalios and Mr. Robert Naylor. “And not just because he’s my dad,” she said. “I did actually have him for two years.” She enrolled and completed five Advanced Placement (AP) courses: U.S. History, Latin, European History, Literature, and Music Theory and also completed Honors Literature in her sophomore and junior years before taking AP Literature as a senior. Madeline indicated that AP Latin was one of the toughest classes she took. Through it all, she managed a spot on the Head’s List as a freshman and sophomore. She scored in the Maxima Cum Laude range on the National Latin Exam as a sophomore and she received the Notre Dame Book Award as a junior.

Madeline has enjoyed the many traditions at Out-of-Door, but her favorite tradition was The 100 Days Dinner, where she presented a speech about her dad, something she will never forget. But her most memorable experience was being selected to play Dorothy in “The Wiz” during her junior year. Leaving ODA will be difficult because of the lasting friendships she’s made along the way.

Her advice to rising seniors: “You can’t always be perfect. Believe me, I’ve tried, and it just isn’t going to happen. You can’t dwell on it. You won’t always get the outcome you want, and that’s ok. You have to accept your limits, and it’s not a matter of lowering your standards, it’s a matter of knowing what you can and can’t do.”

Madeline wants her legacy at ODA to be one of hard work and generosity.

Madeline will attend Sewanee: The University of the South. She looked for a small college with a small student population, and a small town environment. “Once I decided that I probably wanted to go in the direction of a language major, I looked for schools that had at least a medium-sized program,” she said. The toughest part of the college search was making a final decision because she loved all the colleges she applied. She’s really excited to be in a place that fits her interests and needs, and to be surrounded by other students who have interests and needs in common. Madeline plans to double major in French and Russian. Her dream is to travel and work in the luxury travel industry and eventually, she would like to move back to Philadelphia. “It’s home,” she said.

effect between different events,” he said. While attending the Upper School, Erick took a combination of four AP and Honor courses.

The toughest course he took was Calculus, but he prevailed with the assistance of Mrs. Juli Garcia, who provided extra help so he could learn the material. Through hard work, he made Honor Roll.

“I was Erick’s junior and senior advisor but also had the privilege of teaching him in Government this year,” said Ms. Timothy, Erick’s favorite teacher. “Erick is very quiet, but he is keenly observant and his brain is always going,” she added, while watching him flourish.

He also excelled on the field as captain of both the Cross-Country and Track and Field teams and gained an abundant amount of experience while creating many life-long friendships. The leadership experience he garnered while participating in sports was bountiful and he found the venue to be very competitive. Outside of ODA, Erick volunteered at Top Soccer, helping children with mental or physical disabilities love and play the game of soccer.

“Erick and I made a strong connection in middle school. I became the sounding board for his thoughts and celebrated when he made his college selection.

As a teacher, it is the best gift to watch a middle school student become the adult anyone would feel proud to know.”

- Joanna Johnson, Middle School Math Teacher

Erick Peña, ‘16 “When you first meet Erick Peña, you might think he is a shy, quiet person,” said Ms. Michele Timothy, his advisor, but the Key West native is very underestimated because of that perception. Before he acts, he keenly observes first. Since freshman year, Erick, who speaks Spanish and studied Chinese and Latin at ODA, has become much more outgoing and really found himself as a person. He acknowledges how ODA prepared him for success by molding him into a person who is ready for a variety of different challenges. “My experience at ODA was great and I could not have received anything like it anywhere else. My teachers truly cared about me and I loved being part of such a close community,” he said.

Erick intends to major in economics and urban Studies with a minor in Chinese at Trinity College in Connecticut. He was attracted to Trinity because it is situated in the Northeast and he felt the faculty there will care for him, just as the faculty at ODA did.

“Trinity fulfills most of what I was seeking as I continue my education,” he said. Erick looks forward to meeting new people with similar interests at Trinity and he’s excited about volunteering at schools in the Hartford area.

The last day when seniors ‘revealed’ their college choice to their peers at assembly was his favorite ODA tradition. His most memorable moments at ODA was spending every day after school in Ms. J’s classroom. “Eric and I made a strong connection early on in middle school,” said Mrs. Johnson.

Erick has set the bar really high ‘considering where he came from’.

He’s extremely happy with where he is today and knows that he is in a good position to accomplish his future goals. Erick poured himself into absorbing all he could in the classroom, History was his favorite subject. “I always love learning anything about history. I think it’s a really exciting subject because you can see the cause and

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Senior Profiles Aidan Dowdy, ‘16, Vaughn Garcia, ‘16, and Gianna DeRamo, ‘16 in third grade.

OUT-OF-DOOR LIFERS: IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Traditions are very special to The Out-of-Door Academy and eight members of the graduating class of 2016: Sydney Avery, Gianna DeRamo, Aidan Dowdy, Vaughn Garcia, Dylan Goes, Bam Han, Owen Han, and Jacquelyn Olson, attended school at ODA starting in pre-kindergarten or kindergarten on the Siesta Key Campus - we refer to these students as “Lifers”. We asked some of them to explain the importance of being an ODA Lifer in their own words.

Who was your first teacher on Siesta Key? Sydney Avery: Mrs. Pitts was not only my first pre-kindergarten teacher but later became my third grade teacher. She was a teacher, babysitter, and is still a caring friend of my family.

What special project do you remember on Siesta Key? Jacquelyn Olson: My favorite projects would include the Iditarod in first grade, Flat Stanley in first grade, a family trip to Canada in sixth grade, and our Australia unit for Grandparents’ Day in second grade.

What was your fondest memory?

Aidan Dowdy: On Siesta Key my fondest memory has to be meeting two longtime friends over a puzzle in kindergarten. On the Uihlein Campus my fondest memory is either getting my first shutout for lacrosse or making the varsity basketball team.

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How do you feel about graduating?

Bam Han: I feel bittersweet about graduating from ODA. I am glad to have graduated but I will miss the school.

What was a meaningful occurrence?

Aidan Dowdy, Dylan Goes, and Bam Han: Seeing the school come together to support each other after Annika’s passing was extremely meaningful to me. The support that the school provided to everyone was absolutely incredible.

Who was your favorite Out-of-Door teacher?

Jacquelyn Olson: Mr. Ken Melber takes the trophy for the Siesta Key Campus teacher as he not only inspired me to develop my love for creative writing and for reading, but he made me want to think critically when it came to any academic subject. On the Uihlein Campus, Mr. Andy Lemieux is my favorite teacher as he is more than just an English teacher, he is a dear friend and a person I can talk to about anything.

What was the difference between attending the Lower School, Middle School, and Upper School?

Sydney Avery: Students come and go each year, which made it unique, but having the lifers throughout my time at ODA made a strong bond with them.

What do you want your Out-of-Door legacy to be?

Aidan Dowdy: I’d hope it would be someone who was well liked within the community and who represented the school well. My goal has been to be remembered by faculty members and students alike and I hope that I’ve achieved this goal. I want to be remembered as someone who reached out and helped people. I hope that the shark costume will live on for years to come as well.

Sydney Avery

Parting words...

Sydney Avery: ODA should make and keep more tradition throughout the years, it’s what makes ODA special.

Aidan Dowdy: This is a special place. You will not find anywhere where teachers care more about you. The faculty, staff, and administration are phenomenal. ODA has helped me grow both as a student and as a person. I would not be where I am today without the guidance that this school has given me. My advice to students that are attending the school currently is to take in every moment at this place. You will miss it. It is such an unbelievably special place.

Gianna DeRamo

“ODA has helped me grow both as a student and as a person. I would not be where I am today without the guidance that this school has given me. My advice is to take in every moment at this place. You will miss it. It is such an unbelievably special place.”

Aidan Dowdy

Vaughn Garcia

- Aidan Dowdy, ‘16

Dylan Goes

Bam Han Jacquelyn Olson Owen Han

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Commencement

CLASS OF 2016

BY THE NUMBERS

The Out-of-Door Academy celebrated the graduation of the Class of 2016 on June 4, 2016 at the Uihlein Campus in Lakewood Ranch. The Commencement Ceremony included student and faculty speeches, musical performances, awards presentations, and the presentation of diplomas. Legacy families and “Lifer” students were also recognized during the event. Special thanks to those who joined us.

Highlights from the Class of 2016 include: • Over $7.3 million in total scholarship dollars awarded • Seventy-nine percent (79%) of the class received unsolicited merit/academic scholarships • Eighty-three percent (83%) of the class matriculating out-of-state • Over $216,000 average four-year scholarship per recipient These very talented graduates are looking forward to starting a new and exciting chapter in their lives. Congratulations and best wishes to the Class of 2016!

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COMMENCEMENT SPEAKERS Evan Murphy, Valedictorian Graduation Speech Excerpt So, I have decided to change it up a little bit, in hopes of relaying a truly inspiring message. I began to search for recurring themes and trends, and I came to a final word to represent the Class of 2016: Confusion. Whether it be our class in eighth grade showing up to the airport terminal moments before departure, forcing poor Mrs. Kathy Dozier to sprint in her famous high heels. Whether it be the fact that Turkey Bowl became Jingle Bowl, which of course got rained out and resulted in a broken ankle for Jon Eichenbaum. Whether it be the fact that we could not find an acceptable date for Grad Bash. The Class of 2016 always seems to flip it around; mess things up; do the opposite. Because of this, I will refrain from talking about how to succeed, instead providing you with certain steps to failure. In the hope that just maybe we may finally get it right.

First, cell phones. You should use them as much as possible. When at the dinner table it is most definitely appropriate to text your BFF. Your parents do not care. When you are in a crowded room, answer you phone and be certain to talk loudly so others can hear. After all, everyone wants to know what your plans are for the night. Post every detail of your life on Twitter because everyone truly does care what you made for dinner.

Second, clothes. They do give off an impression; so don’t iron your clothes. Leave your shirt untucked for a meeting. Ties are for nerds.

Dressing sloppily is the way to success, so throw on a pair of dirty gym shorts and a pair of flips flops and head out to work. If it’s a

common phrase that you should dress to impress, doesn’t it make sense that if you dress more comfortably, you can also impress more comfortably?

Third, the greeting. How many times have you been told, “ Give a firm handshake and look them in the eye”? So wrong, that only shows signs of aggression. It is almost like you are growling at the other person and marking your territory. Please stop doing this now.

That’s for dogs only. Offer you hand but do it weakly. You do not want to threaten the other person…and most definitely, do not look them in the eyes. Instead glance at the ground so they know you are weak and not confident. You should get hired if you do this.

Fourth, just procrastinate. I mean we all work well under pressure.

Nothing will go wrong when we procrastinate, unless of course you’re the Tampa Bay Lightning and you procrastinate winning games, then yeah that’s not good. But for our sake your professor will not mind if you ask for an extension and who cares if you miss your work project deadline, your boss and client will understand that getting a good tan on the beach was much more important.

Fifth, what are to-do lists? This notion is prehistoric. It died with the dinosaurs. We can remember anything you tell us. We don’t need to write it down. If we forget to show up for a meeting, don’t stress, someone else can fill me in. So, parents, you say just put it in your phone, but that takes effort. I have to press five different buttons and then quite honestly, we probably won’t look at that list anyway. And your little paper to-do lists make us LOL. Honestly, do you really

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Commencement have to write everything down? Funniest thing is when you write down things you already accomplished, just so you can cross it off.

Parents in the room know they have all done it.

Sixth, be honest and kind. I know you’re thinking that this doesn’t sound like a way to fail, but it is. Cheating, lying, stealing, and making fun of each other. It works…look at our presidential candidates. Stretching the truth worked for all of us on our college brag sheets, but we don’t want success. We want to fail; so be honest in everything you do.

Finally, don’t listen to all of these people sitting out there. They don’t care about you and their advice is certainly wrong. They don’t have years of experience or more worldly knowledge than you. I mean look at the way they dress. Some actually wear Crocs. Just think about it…those folks do not carry a phone like it is an extra appendage, they iron their clothes and tuck their shirts in, they give firm handshakes and look us in the eyes, they create to-do lists and complete them on time, they are honest and always want to talk to us. That’s just barbaric! They crave time with us. They want to know how our day is going. They act like they care or even worse, they say they LOVE us. This animal is to be avoided at all costs.

Confusion surrounds not only the Class of 2016, but most people in the real world as well. Seniors, we have logic that is flipped around and thoughts that are more tangled than our headphones, but that’s okay because it just means we are all absolute geniuses. So when you leave here today, I want you to step out of that nest, flap your little wings, and fall straight down and SPLAT!, because that is the only way a confused little bird will succeed.

Robert Naylor, “Your Place; Your Identity” Excerpt Faculty Speaker I thought that it might be better for me to state what I have learned from you, rather than the other way around. Well, OK, maybe more like what I have been reminded of by you. First, given the fact that this class is an engaging mix of strong personalities, free spirits, and principled individuals, I have been reminded of the importance of independence and a strong sense of personal conviction. Having the strength of character to stand on personal conviction--alone if necessary--in the face of what is popular or conventional is an essential character trait, especially as you all are poised to live independently next year for perhaps the first time. It is not easy to say “no” and go against the grain, but you have reminded me of the need to do so at critical moments in life.

Second, though there are times that we must go our own way, regardless of the sentiments of the crowd, there are other times when we need to seek out the company of others. You have reminded me of the critical human need for interpersonal relationships, especially in times of tragedy and heartbreak. We all need to remember, as you have reminded me, that we have responsibilities to each other as a community of social beings, and we must look out for and take care of each other. My sense is that the Class of 2016 has developed in the last month a sharpened awareness of this fundamental truth.

Third, I have also been reminded of the need for a good sense of humor. Last year, I was giving a test to my then-juniors in Honors American Literature. Everyone was seated, ready to start, with the exception of one absent student--who just so happened to be my daughter--holding up the proceedings. “Where’s Madeline?” I pointedly asked, and everyone responded with, “Ooooooo.”

Naturally, she chose just that moment to stroll through the door, prompting gales of laughter, which turned immediately to guffaws as Joey roared, “Oh, you’re grounded!” It feels good to remember that moment and 2016 has reminded me to treasure memories involving laughter.

Whatever your struggles as a class through the years, you are here now, poised to receive that cherished and well-earned diploma. You are the Class of 2016, and nothing can or ever will alter that identity.

After today, ODA will no longer be a part of your daily routine, but it will always be your school, your place, a part of you that defines your identity in the same way that your hair or eye color does. It has been the place that you have experienced so much, good and bad: academic learning, inspiring artistic creations, musical and theatrical performances, sports thrills, unforgettable friendships, laughs, frustrations, and disappointments. In other words, so much life.

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Regardless of how you may have felt about it over the years, the fact of the matter is your identity is inextricably bound to this place. It is a part of you just as you will forever be a part of it. You might be surprised by how much this will mean to you over the years. I think you will discover that you will be grateful for the anchor of this place and its role in your identity.

Know, too, that this place of ODA and the people who comprise it will be here indefinitely. We hope and expect that you periodically will return to us and that includes the Siesta Key campus. You perhaps are increasingly aware of how much our identity as educators is tied to yours as people, though perhaps you don’t quite appreciate yet how eagerly we anticipate those visits by alumni. In any case, we’ll be expecting to see you. We look forward to it. Until then, congratulations, thank you, we love you, and Godspeed, Class of 2016.

Class of 2016 Awards Recipient of the National Merit Scholarship Sierra VanSuch

Griffin Award for Excellence in Musical Arts Myra Singh

ACT/SAT Recognition Todd Humphrey, Evan Murphy, and Sierra VanSuch

Griffin Award for Excellence in Visual Arts Sierra VanSuch

Math Aces Award Evan Murphy

Griffin Award for Excellence in Performing Arts Madeline Naylor

Robert P. True Award William Harwell

Massaro Kozak Art Scholarship Serenna Jones

The Dobosz Family Spirit Award William Harwell

Petrik School Service Award Sydney Koffman

Faculty Cup Todd Humphrey

Sportsmanship Award Sierra Dickerson and Todd Humphrey

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Class of 2016

Sydney Avery

Michigan State University

Jordan Bruder

Joseph Coco

Marisa Bregg Rollins College

Miller Condrack

University of Michigan

Florida State University

SUNY Maritime College

Amy Decker

Gianna DeRamo

Sierra Dickerson

Aberystwyth University

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M’Balia Bangoura

University of Nebraska at Lincoln

The Banyan

University of Denver

Boston College

Charlotte Dixon

The University of Alabama

Vaughn Garcia

Florida State University

Samuel Hajduk Occidental College

Aidan Dowdy

Jonathan Eichenbaum

Dylan Goes

Liberty Grimond

Butler University

University of Rhode Island

Octavien Han

Georgia Institute of Technology

Miami University of Ohio

Elon University

Owen Han

University of Southern California

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Class of 2016

William JaneHarwell Doe

University of South Florida

University of South Florida

Joshua JaneJohnson Doe

Serenna Jones Jane Doe

Guilford College

University of South Florida

Sydney Koffman Lafayette College

54

Nam JaneHoang Doe

Florida State University

The Banyan

Marist College

DePauw University

University of South Florida

Rachael Kramer

Florida State University

Todd Humphrey Jane Doe Tufts University

University of South Florida

Alexa Jane Kess Doe

Marymount Manhattan College

University of South Florida

Robert Kramer

The University of Alabama

Benjamin Martin Jane Doe

Evan Murphy Jane Doe

Madeline Naylor Jane Doe

Southern Methodist University

University of South Florida

Tulane University

University of South Florida

Sewanee: The University of the South

Cooper Jane Newlin Doe

Jacquelyn Olson Jane Doe

Erick Jane PeĂąa Doe

College of Charleston

University of South Florida

Parke Phillips Brown University

Vanderbilt University

University of South Florida

Christopher Poole

Carnegie Mellon University

University of South Florida

Trinity College

University of South Florida

Arthur Radigan

Tallahassee Community College

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Class of 2016

Lauren Redington Jane Doe

Miami University of Ohio

University of South Florida

Qiwen Tan Jane Doe Vassar College

University of South Florida

Tyler Wenger Duke University

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Dana Jane Saltz Doe

Myra JaneSingh Doe

Northeastern University

University of South Florida

University of South Florida

Sierra VanSuch Jane Doe

Peyton JaneVaughn Doe

Northeastern University

University of South Florida

University of Miami

University of Miami

University of South Florida

Congratulations to the Class of 2016

100% Accepted

To four-year colleges/universities

79% of Class

Received unsolicited merit/academic scholarshipsÂ

Over $7.3 Million

In total scholarship dollars awarded

83% of Class

Matriculating out-of-state

Over $216,000

Average four-year scholarship per recipient

Members of The Out-of-Door Academy Class of 2016 were admitted to over 300 different colleges and universities throughout the United States.

Visit www.ODA.edu to learn more.

Siesta Key Campus: PreK-Grade 5 | Uihlein Campus at Lakewood Ranch: Grades 6-12 Sarasota, FL | 941-554-3400 | www.ODA.edu

Eighth Grade Graduation

EIGHTH GRADE SPEAKERS Josh Cohen & Thomas Naylor, Student Speakers Eighth Grade Graduation Excerpt

trials, read plenty of good books, ventured to Washington, D.C., and met many new friends.

Today is one of those great occasions where we get to celebrate the young people-their achievements, perseverance, and successes.

Graduates, this is one of the times you can take a break and reflect on all of your achievements throughout middle school. You should also know that your parents are very proud of you today. Your parents have high hopes for you, and they believe in you, and you are making them proud by showing them what you can do. Today is an important day for you and them. Today would also be a good day to hug them and thank them for supporting you, because as much as this is your achievement, this is also the achievement of the people who care about you. That means your mom, dad, sisters and brothers, and other people who care about you. They want you to perform your best and live up to your potential.

You have had some exceptional times this year, and maybe you have had some difficult times as well. But you have made it and you have succeeded. You’re ready for that next step. We ask you as you prepare for this next step to do a few things.

• We ask you to take this chance to dedicate yourself to make the next year even better.

• Remember that you don’t have to follow the crowd.

• Do the right thing even when no one is looking.

• Study hard and remember that you are investing in yourself with every test you take and every book you read.

• And finally, don’t be in too big of a hurry to grow up. These are some great times in your life. Don’t rush past them.

Graduations can seem like a coming of age, or an official way to recognize when a person steps into a new chapter of his or her life.

With every year, you become a little more independent. I bet you remember the first day you were here (at the Uihlein Campus).

Might have been a little exciting and a little intimidating too. I bet when you look at little sixth graders, you think to yourself, ‘Wow! They look so little. I can’t believe I was ever that young.’ Get used to it, you will be thinking that way for the rest of your life. But when you see younger students, you can tell how much you have grown, how much you have learned and matured. Think back at some of the exciting things that happened this year. You went to leadership camp, danced in the 50s, completed the rainbow lab, created mock

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Eighth Grade Graduation Awards The Academic Award Maram Faqqouseh, Mira Khazanchi, and Sydney Sforzo The Service Award Chelsea Lea and Sydney Sforzo The Achievement Award Ashley Sciame The Sportsmanship Award Tomas Giacinti and Ryan Macniven Faculty Cup Maram Faqqouseh The Music Award Kelsey Lugannani The Art Award Elle LaClair

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Fifth Grade Graduation

FIFTH GRADE SPEAKERS Reece Phillips, Class of 2023 Fifth Grade Student Speaker

Jessica Banks, Interim Head of Lower School Fifth Grade Graduation Excerpt

I’m pretty scared of elevators. They move way too fast. Do you ever wish they would go a little slower? Just so we can look around and realize how high up we are? That is how I feel about life. It moves way too fast sometimes. I wish I could just freeze time. Some moments are just too beautiful, and then five seconds later you move on to something new. I feel like everything just goes away and is forgotten. The beautiful memories in life are so short. Even a simple moment like laughing just goes by too fast. That is why I take the stairs.

Einstein had many varied interests and is quoted often for many interesting ideas. He was an intellectual heavyweight in the classroom both as a student and as a professor, but he also enjoyed riding his bike and playing his violin.

It does not matter how hard or fast anything is, what matters is who you are with on the ride. If you have the right friends to help you, anything is possible.

Work hard. Be humble (and kind). Smile. Be courteous and respectful. Get involved and follow the “golden rule.”

One thing I have learned that stays the same no matter what, you take an elevator or the stairs. The one thing both of them have in common is that once you reach the top, the view is amazing. I would like to thank my amazing teachers and friends for helping me become who I am now and making my five years at ODA the best years of my life!

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He said, “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” Persistence, grit and perseverance! This is a trait that has been proven many, many times to being successful – whether in the classroom, the sports field, or anything you attempt.

Fifth Grade Graduation Awards Academic Award Natalie Carrion and Maria Shaw Citizenship Award John Robinson Sportsmanship Award Maria Shaw and David Shuel Spirit of ODA Award Emma Bonacuse and Argaw ‘Ari’ Knego

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NAIS People of Color Conference

“A LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE” FOR OUT-OF-DOOR UPPER SCHOOL STUDENTS

The 2015 Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC), which is part of the National Association of Independent Schools People of Color Conference (PoCC), was held in Tampa, Fla. in December 2015. Five Out-of-Door Upper School students attended: Imani Barnette, ‘18, Austin Brinling, ‘19, Mackenzie Grace, ‘18, Simone Timol, ‘18, and Kiarra Womack, ‘17.

SDLC is a multiracial, multicultural gathering of Upper School student leaders from across the United States. SDLC focuses on self-reflecting, forming allies, and building community.

Participants develop effective cross-cultural communication skills and a better understanding of the nature and development of effective strategies for social justice, practice expression through the arts, and learn networking principles and strategies during the course of the conference. In addition to large group sessions, SDLC ‘family groups’ and ‘affinity groups’ allow for small group, often-intense dialogue and sharing.

Students knew they were in for something special, but no one really understood the power of SDLC until they experienced it for themselves. “At first I didn’t know what to really expect, so I was kind of nervous, but I was really excited at the same time,” said Austin Brinling. “Listening to different people’s stories changed me in a way that is hard to describe. I felt like I could relate to their stories and it felt really good.”

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Part of SDLC is to learn how to effectively communicate as a leader. Students worked on listening to each other as well as communicating their ideas about race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and religion. The atmosphere was intentionally open to diverse conversations and personal storytelling. “Meeting new people was really cool because everywhere you turn, you could introduce yourself to someone and start a conversation,” said Mackenzie Grace.

For many students, SDLC is a place to find a proverbial “home.”

Whether it is in an affinity group or simply bonding over lunch with students from across the country, Out-of-Door students enjoyed the judgment-free atmosphere the conference fostered. Imani Barnette stated, “As soon as I walked in, I felt this feeling of acceptance and I felt like I was at home. I felt like no one was judging me and everyone was open to talk and listen.” Likewise, Simone Timol remarked, “It was amazing to walk into a room filled with so many people and know that no matter what, they would accept you for who you are.”

By the end of the first day, students were already remarking that they wanted to ‘live” at SDLC. Their experience was overwhelmingly positive and unlike anything they had enjoyed in their lives. By participating in group communication exercises and hearing diverse voices from around the country, our students had the opportunity to speak and also be heard by many people. About this, Brinling said, “Sometimes I felt that people didn’t listen to me, but at this conference, I felt heard.”

L’Tanya Evans, Co-chair National People of Color Conference Tampa, Fla. The theme for the People of Color Conference (POCC), Art, Science, Soul and the Equity Imperative was centered on all elements, and ODA community members were front and center.

As co-chair of the conference, academic dean and arts department head, Ms. L’Tanya Evans had the pleasure of working with several teachers and administrators from Bay Area independent schools to plan the conference. The conference opened with a welcome to over 4,300 participants from Independent Schools across the country.

The event chairs artfully considered the very best workshops and speakers and designed every minute of every day to benefit conference attendees, who were from a rich mix of races, cultures, and ethnicities.

Dr. Mae Jemison, the first woman of color in the world to go into space, offered several insights into the field of science. She shared a provocative and empowering lesson in which she offered, “Time is limited but the possibilities are endless.” She also discussed her project, a Pentagon funded project called the 100 Years Starship Initiative, which will make sure that in the next 100 years we have the capability to send humans to the stars.

Later, University of Pennsylvania professor, Dr. Howard Stevenson, author of the book, “Promoting Racial Literacy in Schools,” shared a poignant personal story about his unexpected discussion with his young son who happened upon a news story about the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman confrontation. He offered, “Never waste a crisis!” stressing the teachable moment.

Harvard intellectual, Dr. Mahzarin Banazi, discussed her work, “Hidden Biases of Good People,” highlighting her work and research in unconscious bias. Activist Rosa Clemente spoke about her experience navigating through a world of confusing labels and national liberation struggles within the United States. Prior to the presentation by attorney, storyteller and member of the Blackfeet nation, Gyasi Ross, ODA students Nora Altajar, ‘18, Melanie Saltz, ‘19, and Sofia Delgado, ‘18, performed an original spoken word piece for nearly 3,000 people called “H.O.P.E.” Ross led a broad discussion on race, racism, and white privilege. Finally, Spoken Word poet, Sarah Kay shared her notion of storytelling that had the power to “comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.”

All in all, it was a successful conference that accomplished what it always does: it revived, recalibrated, and refreshed the participants who are committed to promoting the equity and justice imperative in our schools.

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Campus Visitors

CAMPUS VISITORS

SPARK INTEREST WITH STUDENTS On any given day, throughout the school year, you can walk onto the Siesta Key or Uihlein campuses and find a visitor engaged with students, discussing a variety of topics. This year, students were entertained and taught by many local and national artists, speakers, and ODA alumni. Topics ranged from cyber bulling to financial literacy. “We bring in visiting writers to speak to students about how they draw from their experiences and lives to create the poetry or fiction they produce, with the hope that our students will make more connections to literature in their own lives and be inspired to find their voices by developing original works in the genre of their choice,” said Andy Lemieux, Upper School English Teacher.

Sepetys also visited several classes for a more in-depth discussion about the novel and to hear what students had to say about the novel. Mr. Lemieux’s AP Literature and Composition students wrote questions, and led the classroom discussion. Gianna DeRamo, ‘16, said, “It’s a difficult subject, but difficult stories need to be told, too.

Maybe even more so.”

Ruta Sepetys On August 21, 2015, internationally acclaimed author of historical fiction, Ruta Sepetys, visited the Uihlein Campus to share her story with Upper School students. Her novel, “Between Shades of Gray,” was on the summer read list for students with the goal of having a conversation about the book at the beginning of the school year.

Sepetys talked about how the idea of writing the book developed.

During a visit to find photos of her father as a child, she learned of the plight of Lithuanians, who were exiled from their own country and left to die during the war. She completed the first draft of her book but was told by her editor that no one would read it because it was “too dark.” Finally, after 12 edits, she was ready to share this dramatic story with the world.

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Dr. Sameer Hinduja The Out-of-Door Academy welcomed Dr. Sameer Hinduja, founder of the Cyber Bullying Research Center and national expert on adolescent use of technology, including cyber bullying, social networking, and online safety, for a special presentation for students and parents on September 1, 2015. Dr. Hinduja has spent his entire career working with children in youth groups, as a high school mentor, and in community organizations. He is driven by his ability to relate to the struggle of children from his own experience as a youth. “I cared a lot about what was expected of me. I wanted to be liked and needed to be affirmed and validated,” he said. “Children

today have the same desires and feeling but in a different realm.”

Dr. Hinduja gave three age-appropriate presentations to ODA’s Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools. The Lower School presentation, with fourth and fifth grade students, focused on applying the “golden rule” to technology and how being a good friend and standing up for others was vital. The Middle School was focused on cyber bullying and the unfortunate hate and harassment students may encounter on social media and online gaming. The Upper School presentation focused on the online reputation of students. While older students are applying for colleges and preparing to enter the workforce, Dr. Hinduja stressed that colleges and employers are now basing their decisions for applicants on their online footprint and social media presence. With parents giving electronic devices to children at younger ages, Dr. Hinduja urges parents to become more engaged in their children’s use of technology. His goal was not to create an environment of fear mongering but to share in their love of technology and to discuss with their children the positive ways it can be used.

Vasilaki (solo violin), Dave Cobb (string bass), Mary Cobb (violin), and Luisa Ruben (cello) immensely enriched the string orchestra as they played special solo parts written for the Grand Finale entitled “Gather.” Reed met each student at their level and pulled them to new heights of artistic expression. Each student has new songs in their heart and feelings of confidence in their own creative abilities.

Her stories and songs teach both meaning and facts, and build bridges to new understandings of the world in which we live.

Patsy Sanchez Guest speaker Patsy Sanchez, director of diversity and inclusion at the University of South Florida, shared the story of her family’s flight from Cuba in 1980 during the Mariel Boatlift. Born in Cuba to parents who opposed Castro’s regime, Patsy saw her father thrown into political prison, which ultimately led him to flee the country during a six-month period. As a refugee coming to the United States at the age of 13, Patsy spoke no English and had no possessions.

Susan Reed Students on the Siesta Key Campus were treated to master classes and workshops in creative writing, stringed instruments (violin, viola, and cello), folk dance, storytelling, and singing in unison and harmony, as guest artist-composer-author-in-residence, Susan Reed, visited the campus from Boston. The first thing she did when she arrived was to listen as our students, from PreK Suzuki students to the advanced fourth and fifth grade string players, played “Goin’ to Boston” in her honor. She joined them as they improvised hoedown solos, and demonstrated her own style of improvisation on the violin from which they gleaned new ideas.

Reed taught our singers how to harmonize and dance to some of her original songs, and her visit culminated with an all-school assembly during which the Show Choir, Suzuki Violinists, and some of our orchestra members joined her on stage to perform the songs. The students felt very accomplished, successfully learning to play and sing her music in a very short time. Professional musicians Yuri

Patsy was rescued by the Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous in May 1980, and her experience has been covered by the media including television and newspapers, and she has published articles in several national journals. After a 26 year-long search, Patsy found the ‘coastie’ who took care of her for three days onboard the Cutter in the Gulf of Mexico, and in May 2006, she and her ‘hero’ were reunited during his retirement ceremony from the Coast Guard in Hickman, Ky. Patsy has shared her story about perseverance and ‘paying it forward’ during Hispanic Heritage celebrations, diversity conferences at local universities, high schools, and community organizations. In 2011, she was invited to participate in a documentary that captured the unheard voices of 10 Cuban-Americans who shared their experiences before and during their journey to the United States.

Her uplifting story is a celebration of the hope that refugees have when fleeing tyranny and how kindness can set the tone for that hope.

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Campus Visitors ODA Alumna: Rosena Hill Jackson On January 20, 2016, students and faculty at both the Siesta Key and Uihlein Campuses had the opportunity to listen to ODA Alumna and Broadway star, Rosena Hill Jackson perform. “I’ve seen two Broadway plays and she is really good,” said Hannah Wahl, ‘23.

Sharing her love of music and her graceful presence, Rosena spent time inspiring the next generation of young performers and encouraging them to follow their dreams. “Today being back on the Siesta Key Campus, where I sang as a child, brought back so many good memories,” said Hill Jackson.

A native of Sarasota, Hill Jackson attended The Out-of-Door Academy through eighth grade and attended Booker Visual and Performing Arts High School. She attended several prestigious music schools for college. Out-of-Door’s music director, Dr. Linda Vasilaki, realized Rosena’s gift of music when she heard her for the very first time. While attending Out-of-Door, Hill Jackson sang and performed in several concerts, received scholarships to various music schools, camps, and festivals, including the New England Music Camp. As a concert soloist, Hill Jackson, performed at Carnegie Hall with The New York Pops; Teatro di Massimo Symphony Orchestra in Palermo, Sicily; Teatro di Lirico Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in, Sardegna; Florida Sunshine Pops; Sarasota Symphony; and many others.

On Broadway, Hill Jackson was a featured vocalist in “Come Fly Away,” and had numerous roles in shows including “The Color Purple”, Monty Python’s “Spamalot”, “Oklahoma 2002”,

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“Riverdance” on Broadway, and “Ragtime”. “Off-Broadway in the Cotton Club Parade,” with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and Dreamgirls. Hill Jackson also performed as a featured soloist internationally for three seasons with Queen Esther Marrow and the Harlem Gospel Singers & Band. Hill Jackson’s debut CD “If You Believe,” combines jazz, gospel, and show tunes in honor of her late father. She and her husband, Grammy award-winning trombonist, Jason Jackson, lead Jack & Hill Music, a performance of original compositions, arrangements of jazz standards, and the American Songbook. “[Out-of-Door] gave me great experience and practice performing in front of audiences of all sizes,” said Hill Jackson. William Becker, ‘23, noted, “She is a good singer and she made it fun!”

Rifka Glatz Mrs. Rifka Muscovitz Glatz, a Holocaust survivor, bravely shared her story with Out-of-Door’s eighth grade students on February 3, 2016. Mrs. Glatz, along with an older brother were raised in Debrecen, Hungary. In 1939, the war began and her life changed forever. In the early 1940s, Rifka’s family moved to Cluj (Kolozsvar) in Northern Transylvania, an area annexed to Hungary from Romania. Her parents knew that something might happen and each kept a knapsack that contained a pillow, blanket, plate, cup, fork, and spoon in case they were whisked away without warning.

Glatz, her mother, and brother were taken to the Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp where they stayed for two months, while her father was taken to a separate forced labor camp. She learned later that he had been killed after not having the strength to do the work put upon him.

After surviving the concentration camp, Glatz and her family were transported to Switzerland and were extremely grateful to the Swiss government for allowing them to enter the country. She lived in Switzerland for 10 months before her family was given permission to enter Palestine in September 1945. Soon after that, the war ended. Glatz finally immigrated to the United States in 1958.

Arts

LOWER SCHOOL ART SPARKS STUDENTS’ CREATIVITY

Lower School Art teacher Jessica Dunda teaches students how to be leaders in the art classroom by following the “7 Habits of Happy Kids” created by Sean Covey. These habits ensured students understand the rules and routines consistent with functioning in a shared art studio space. “We model critical thinking skills alongside phrases like ‘First Things First,’ ‘Synergize’ and ‘Win-Win,’” said Dunda. Once the classroom was modeled as a positive environment, students were interdependent and art was created in a positive light. ‘Art with the Heart’ is the art classroom motto. At the elementary level, students experimented with as many mediums as possible to ensure they had a large sampling of art experience. Some mediums used included: glass, metal, wood, fabric, pen and ink, ceramic, textiles, and canvas and paint. A major component to this classroom was the open door policy. Ms. Dunda encouraged families to visit the class and share art space with their children.

This openness created another layer of appreciation and support for the arts’ role in the education process.

What do you see in them? Visual art takes on many forms, so Ms. Dunda immediately defused the old mindset of “I can’t draw so I’m not an artist.” Art is everywhere and teaching students to use mindful and kind words about their art is the first step in accepting themselves as artists. Ms. Dunda teaches students, “Practice does not make perfect. Nothing is perfect. Practice makes permanent.”

The perseverance to experiment and practice exploring art, with all the successes and failures, is the spark she needs to see in her art students.

Assisting students to continue their art. Ms. Dunda encourages students to continue working in their sketchbooks when school is out of session. She teaches them how to grid, so at a very basic, mathematical level they can replicate pictures by looking at it one inch at a time. She partnered with Carla’s Pottery Studio, Art Center of Sarasota, and the Ringling College of Art + Design to ensure students know about opportunities outside of school.

Lead students to continue their art. Ms. Dunda prepares all lower school students for the rigorous art courses at the Middle School. In sixth grade, all students are required to take classes in music (band, chorus, or string ensemble), visual art, and video production as part of their coursework, with formal performances and art showings included. Ms. Dunda’s fifth grade students toured Ringling College of Art + Design in April 2016. The tour showed students and their families how close to home this prestigious, private art college is.

The accessibility of the college’s animation, videography, career services center, and abundant school-to-arts-employment statistics are impressive as a post-secondary option.

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Arts

FOR THE LOVE OF MUSIC LOWER SCHOOL MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS Every student who attends The Out-of-Door Academy is exposed to music from the day they arrive on the Siesta Key Campus. Dr. Vasilaki, who taught music for 40 years, 33 years at Out-of-Door, touches the soul of every student, teaching him or her the love of music. Dr. Vasilaki’s goal is to send students off to the Uihlein Campus ready to learn, study music, and to decide whether they want to sing, play an instrument, or perform.

Dr. Vasilaki understands the importance of exposing students to as many different types of music as possible, teaching them the basics of music, developing their ears, and setting the stage so they learn to share their music with audiences large and small, formal and informal. Her main goal is to teach them to LOVE music. Once they love it, they will be motivated to learn the detailed aspects, such as music theory, advanced techniques of singing or playing their instruments, and the rigor, discipline, and challenge of perfecting pieces.

“Children love it when they play or sing a piece their parents recognize,” she says. That, sometimes, is the “hook” that draws them to music. Also, treating performances as a celebration of achievements rather than as a duty helps to motivate children and make music FUN. We must remember the FUNdamentals of music: music should be social, physical, emotional, and available to all.

To learn music is every child’s right and Dr. Vasilaki’s doctoral studies taught her that music greatly enhances brain development and serves as an expressive, artistic outlet as well as a linguistic and confidence builder.

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ODA students perform at different levels and Dr. Vasilaki encourages them as they grow. There are many performances over the school year that students attend. Some are on campus and others are for the delight of strangers.

The ODA Encore/Suzuki Players/Orchestra students from both campuses performed for Bay Village every month during the school year. They also performed for Gulf Gate Library, Selby Library, and the Siesta Key Chapel Annual Holiday Luncheon.

The Show Choir, under the direction of Dr. Linda Vasilaki and Mrs. Martha Gulácsy, performed for Bay Village and the Siesta Key Chapel Holiday Luncheon during Thanksgiving and the winter holidays.

The Music Theater Troupe, under the direction of Dr. Linda Vasilaki and Mrs. Martha Gulácsy, performed Disney’s “101 Dalmatians,” a Broadway Jr. production. Student Director Maria Shaw, ‘23, did a fabulous job teaching other students about drama as she directed her first production.

Students, pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, took part in ODA’s annual Arts’ Day Celebration on April 28, 2016 with pieces and songs composed by Out-of-Door students.

Piano students and the Suzuki Violin players provided music accompaniment for Art Under the Banyan, as parents strolled the campus to view their children’s artwork.

Clinicians and Music Pros in Our Midst The Venice Symphony treated students in first and second grades to a Symphony Concert on May 6, 2016. Yuri and Linda Vasilaki were proud to be a part of the orchestra and see how much students enjoyed the concert. A.J. Topp, string bass and William Somach, viola, were a part of the symphony concert, also with the Encore Faculty Violin/Piano teacher, Miss Karissa Ratzenboeck. Students recognized many of the professionals who often come to ODA to help them, including principal string bass player, Mr. Dave Cobb.

Third grade students traveled to Van Wezel Performing Arts Center to hear a concert by the incredible Black Violins. They taught students about stereotypes and how to break the preconceived notions that so many have without realizing it. These graduates of Julliard performed hip-hop and classical music together.

The Suncoast Brass Quintet, of which Lower School Band Director, Mr. Ed Stiles, is a member, and the Venice Symphony String Trio came to campus to perform for students. They demonstrated their instruments, explained their histories and helped students realize what instrument they would like to play someday.

All students, from pre-kindergarten through upper school, played a solo at the Annual Solo Recital on May 29, 2016. Some played two lines and some played amazing concertos! Singing, violin, cello, viola, piano, and trumpet solos were featured.

“I like Dr. V. because she is always there when I need her. She gives me all my new violin songs and she answers all my questions.”

- Brody Rose, ‘27

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Arts

MIDDLE SCHOOL & UPPER SCHOOL THEATER AND MUSIC PERFORMANCES

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CONFLAMA! An Evening of Ten-Minute Plays October 7-10, 2015

Florida Voices November 11-14, 2015

Conflama is a combination word, which connects conflict and drama. Our playwrights were asked to write a 10-minute play based on their unique take about why bullying happens, how it affects those involved, and the different approaches we can take to curtail this kind of harmful behavior. Bullying is hardly a new subject, yet bullying persists as a widespread problem throughout society. The advent of the internet and the various technologies grown from it have only increased the number of ways people can torment each other. Each performance was designed to be a tool to create awareness and foster discussions on bullying. Each performance ran the gamut from the comedic to the tragic. However, they all worked to reveal a fresh perspective on a common problem.

This was a poetry and prose performance highlighting the history of Florida from its Seminole beginnings to its current state of conservation concerns. It was a postcard, a love story, a tragedy, and a cautionary tale told in rhythm, with song and powerful voices. This was an extraordinary performance experience for Out-of-Door students who worked with one of live theater’s legends, Tony Award-winning writer/director, Mr. Frank Galati.

Mr. Galati penned this original performance that incorporated verse, music, movement, and rhythm and spoke to the ideas, history, and points of interest that made Florida’s place in this world unique.

This performance was a world premiere and the theater department was pleased that Mr. Galati chose Out-of-Door to present his innovative concept to the world of theater.

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Disney’s The Little Mermaid January 21-23, 2016 Audiences have been falling in love with the little mermaid since Hans Christian Andersen first set her down on paper nearly two centuries ago. In 1989, Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” a sparkling example of musical storytelling on film, inaugurated a renaissance in Disney animation. Nearly two decades later, the stage production of “The Little Mermaid” opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Out-of-Door’s middle school students were pleased to present this underwater fabled tale to the Out-of-Door community.

Movie Theme Night February 16, 2016 The Out-of-Door audience attended an evening of music and memories as the Middle and Upper Schools Strings Group and the Upper School Choir performed classic movie themes including, “Over the Rainbow” and “The Pink Panther” as well as more contemporary selections such as, “Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man’s Chest” and “Shrek”. Several other selections included music from Sweeney Todd, Mission Impossible, and Harry Potter.

CATS April 20-24, 2016

Jazz Under the Stars March 23, 2016

Based on T.S. Eliot’s 1939 collection of poems, “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats,” this 1983 Tony Award-winner for Best Musical featured music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It was the night of the Jellicle Ball, during which Old Deuteronomy selected the cat to go to the Heaviside Layer and be reborn to a new Jellicle life.

Over the course of the evening, the cats of the tribe stepped forward to introduce themselves and audition for the chance to be selected.

The evening delighted the audience with a show primarily made up of song and movement and a rather large cast that was onstage the majority of the time.

The Out-of-Door Academy’s Upper School Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Choir held its annual outdoor concert at the Wood Family Amphitheatre on the Uihlein Campus. Concert-goers brought blankets, lawn chairs, and food and enjoyed the concert in the park.

The family-friendly performances featured the music of Trombone Shorty, Wynton Marsalis, Charles Mingus, and many others.

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Arts

FLORIDA ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION’S

ALL STATE ORCHESTRA On January 13, 2016, The Out-of-Door Academy sent six orchestra students with Mrs. Alyson King to Tampa, Fla. to compete for a spot in the Florida Orchestra Association’s All State Orchestra.

Students from across the state, grades 7-12, were encouraged to audition for the All State Orchestra, which hosted a music festival for the weekend once the auditions were completed. There were two levels of orchestra, All Orchestra and Honors Orchestra.

Orchestra teachers from across the state selectd exceptional students who demonstrated the ability and the work ethic to get through the audition and get accepted. Ethan Ball, ‘19, Zijiao “Emily” Liu, ‘18, Christian Ramos, ‘19, and Luca Stine, ‘19, auditioned for All Orchestra. Overall, Sarasota County sent 35 students to audition, four of which were from ODA. This was a significant increase from participation in past years and was a great honor. Following the All Orchestra tryouts, Chelsea Ball, ‘21, Maram Faqqouseh, ‘20, and Luca Stine, ‘19, auditioned for the Honors Orchestra and were selected for the viola and violin sections. The students remarked that this was one of the “best playing experiences” they had this year and were looking forward to next year. They were also grateful to participate, and are motivated to work harder to make All Orchestra next year.

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Students who planned to participate in the audition received the music in the mail prior to the audition. They were encouraged to practice on their own with limited access to additional instruction and guidance. Once they arrived at the Tampa Convention Center, students were allowed to practice together for the first time. They had approximately one hour before individual seating auditions.

Once the seats had been assigned, the selected members rehearsed for over 20 hours in preparation for the music festival of concerts that would take place over the weekend at the Convention Center.

Overall, it was a very successful experience for ODA musicians.

When asked why the music program had noted success this year, Mrs. King credits her “varsity team” of musicians who play in the Chamber Ensemble. Members include: Ethan Ball, ‘19, Ethan Bertrand, ‘18, Alexis Hudson, ‘19, Zijiao “Emily” Liu, ‘18, Christian Ramos, ‘19, Josh Silverman, ‘17, and Luca Stine, ‘19.

This is a group of dedicated musicians who practice on their own time before and after school, during free periods and lunchtime and who have seen the reward of putting in the extra work. Because of their love of music and accepting the extra opportunities made available to them to get better and grow as musicians, they have been asked to play at a variety of school and non-school events.

They have also performed at Parents Night, Banyan Bash, the Parent Association luncheon, Dick Vitale Telethon, Eighth Grade Dinner, and many other functions.

ARTS IN THE UPPER SCHOOL The Arts Center on the Uihlein Campus is a very active place. Most days before, during, and after school one will hear a symphony of sounds from students singing to drummers drumming to pianists playing. You are in for a visual treat on both floors of the Arts Building where student work is on display throughout the academic year. It is not uncommon for students to use their open periods to work on visual arts projects or collaborate on performance pieces.

Suffice it to say, we have had a banner year in the Visual and Performing Arts Department!

We hope you were able to join us for Arts Day in April 2016. This day was a celebration of our visual and performing artists in the Middle and Upper Schools. Students’ artwork from the entire academic year was displayed. Additionally, the chorus, band, and orchestra presented amazing concerts featuring solo talent and highlighting graduating seniors.

Families are encouraged to join the Arts Alliance, a group of volunteer parents who support the arts at Out-of-Door. The Arts Alliance provides generous funding to the art programs on both campuses each year. We are excited to share that due to their contributions we will add steel drums to our instrumental program next year and also a dance studies program at the Uihlein Campus.

You can learn more about the Arts Alliance at www.oda.edu/artsalliance.

Arts After ODA Vaughn Garcia, Film Florida State University Serenna Jones, Vocal Music/Opera DePauw University

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Athletics

OUT-OF-DOOR STUDENT-ATHLETES PREPARE FOR

COLLEGIATE COMPETITON

“Parke’s abilities were impressive, but not as impressive as his leadership. As a coaching staff, we were able to give him ownership of the team. Parke is the definition of what I want my players at ODA to be. He is the complete package. I’m sure his career at Brown will be full of successes.” - Tim Orlosky, Head Baseball Coach On May 15, 2016 two of Out-of-Door’s decorated student-athletes, both in the classroom and on the field, were recognized as Male and Female Student-Athlete of the Year at the annual Athletic Ceremony. The two seniors, Parke Phillips and M’Balia Bangoura, have demonstrated ODA’s Core Values: Excellence, Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, and Service during the past four years while attending Out-of-Door. Phillips, a stand out at home plate, heads to the Ivy League Institution, Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, while Bangoura will hit the tennis courts at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.

Phillips played baseball and was the catcher for the Thunder for four years. He said, “Baseball taught me to always compete and always strive for a goal using a strong work ethic.” He treasured his time and will fondly remember his senior baseball season.

Phillips was born in Columbia, Mo. and came to Bradenton six years ago. He’s the older brother to Ben, who also attended Out-of-Door. Roy, Parke’s father, is his role model, “Because of how much he taught me over the years, whether it was on the baseball field, with academics, or with building character,” Parke said.

Mrs. Murphy, Parke’s AP Calculus AB teacher said, “Parke Phillips prefers to fly under the radar. However, his undeniable academic and athletic ability often places him in the spotlight.

Academically, Parke possesses a natural ease in the classroom. He opts to challenge himself with Honors and AP classes and maintains high grades in those courses in spite of a vigorous baseball schedule.

Parke’s work ethic and determination to succeed will benefit him as he pushes himself to succeed at Brown University. Simply said, Parke represents the best of the academic and athletic realms. Most impressively, Parke continues to remain humble about his journey. I look forward to Parke’s future successes.”

During his time at the Upper School, Parke has become more outgoing and social. He took a total of 12 Advanced Placement and Honors courses. His favorite class was AP Economics, and he enjoyed having Mrs. Aimee Murphy as his favorite teacher. The tough classes at ODA prepared Parke for success and made him feel ready to pursue any major in college.

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Phillips will major in finance at Brown University, a school he chose because of the strong academic prestige, great surrounding area off-campus, and their good baseball team. He sets the bar very high for himself and understands there is no time for failure. Phillips is looking forward to increased freedom while attending Brown.

Bradenton native M’Balia Bangoura is the reigning Class 1A State Champion in girls doubles tennis. She was also the runner-up this year in the singles final and last year was the State Singles Champion. In addition to playing tennis, M’Balia played golf for the Blue and White. Her athletic heart is in tennis and she will take the experiences of winning the state titles to the University of Nebraska where she will play tennis, but has not decided on a major.

Nebraska was chosen because of how the university made her feel, the environment and the people. “I’m looking forward to learning how to be independent and making important decisions at college,” Bangoura said.

At Out-of-Door, M’Balia studied and did well in class making the Honor Roll every year since she entered the ninth grade. She took Spanish for five years and enjoys Spanish V with Mrs. Margaret Dooley. Mrs. Dooley said, “M’Balia knows the value of learning a second language. She wants to be able to understand others, and be understood herself, especially when she is surrounded by speakers of other languages. Over the years, she has developed a comprehensive understanding and appreciation of the Spanish language and the Hispanic culture. In class, she is focused. She takes time to pronounce the new words carefully, competently. If she has missed a few days of class due to a tournament, she is quick to text or come in the very next morning and ask “what did I miss?”

…I always think, shouldn’t I be asking – what did we miss? – as she returned from representing our school so brilliantly at tournaments in some other part of the state. She is a true athlete and scholar, competitive on and off the court.” Bangoura also enjoys literature because she loves analyzing and critiquing things. Her favorite book is The Audacity of Hope. “ODA prepared me for the college workload by giving me challenges that I know I will face in college,” she said. She has realistically set the bar high in order to reach her goals. Leadership roles will likely come to her in the future, she was a member of Student Council and was a valuable asset to the Student Admissions and Leadership Team at Out-of-Door.

As a tennis player, Bangoura’s role model is Serena Williams.

Playing sports taught her how to problem solve and come up with solutions when something is not working. As she embarks on her new journey, she will remember Out-of-Door’s traditions including her favorite tradition: The pep rally before homecoming. Bangoura provides advice to rising seniors saying, “Do your applications early and don’t worry, you will go to college.”

“M’Balia has developed a comprehensive understanding and appreciation of Spanish and the Hispanic culture.

When she missed class due to a tennis tournament, she was quick to ask “what did I miss?” M’Balia is a true scholar and athlete, competitive on and off the court.” - Margaret Dooley, Upper School Spanish Teacher

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Athletics THUNDER ATHLETIC AWARDS Athletics is a vital component of the student experience at Out-of-Door. ODA student-athletes who participate in athletics improve their academic abilities, build team camaraderie, and proudly represent the Thunder. ODA celebrates students on and off the field annually at our Athletics Ceremony. The Most Valuable Player was awarded to players who contributed the most to the success of his or her team through their OUTstanding ability, effort, performance, and sportsmanship. The Coaches Award was presented to players who embodied Out-of-Door’s Core Values: Excellence, Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, and Service. The Most Improved Player was given to players who increased their fundamental skills, game knowledge, team impact, and overall level of play over the duration of the team’s season. In addition, Thor Awards were awarded to student-athletes who participated in an interscholastic sport during all three seasons of the school year.

2015-2016 THUNDER ATHLETIC HIGHLIGHTS

AWARD WINNERS

Team Honors

Cross Country, Boys

Varsity Boys Tennis: Regional Champions Varsity Girls Soccer: District Champions Varsity Girls Tennis: District Champions Varsity Boys Baseball: District Runner-Up Varsity Girls Golf: District Runner-Up Varsity Boys Lacrosse: District Runner-Up Varsity Boys Soccer: District Runner-Up Varsity Boys Swimming: District Runner-Up

Christopher Eckart: MVP Yunsong Liu: Coaches Award Skye Ehrhart: Most Improved

Terra Ehrhart: MVP Maeve Studdiford: Coaches Award Allison Behne Sharma: Most Improved

Individual State Qualifiers

Cheerleading

Martin Baffico Balharry: 100-Yard Butterfly & 100-Yard Backstroke M’Balia Bangoura: Girls Singles Tennis Sophia Gardinier: 400M Dash Saraiah Walkes: 100M Dash & 200M Dash Sarsen Whatmore: 500-Yard Freestyle

Sierra Dickerson: MVP Ashley DeBartolo & Anne Keen: Coaches Award Zijiao Liu: Most Improved

Cross Country, Girls

Football

State Runner-Up

Christian McCarthy: MVP Dakota Dickerson: Coaches Award Owen Han: Most Improved

M’Balia Bangoura: Girls Singles Tennis Saraiah Walkes: 100M Dash

Golf, Boys

State Champions M’Balia Bangoura & Sydney Sforzo: Girls Doubles Tennis

Max Coutsolioutsos: MVP Evan Murphy: Coaches Award Marius Bschorer: Most Improved

Male Co-Athletes of the Year

Golf, Boys JV

Owen Han & Parke Phillips

Christopher Heller: MVP John Vickery: Coaches Award Jaikai Chen: Most Improved

Female Athlete of the Year M’Balia Bangoura

Golf, Girls Qiwen Tan: MVP Paula Klar: Coaches Award Christy Wyatt: Most Improved

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Swimming, Boys

Soccer, Girls

Martin Baffico Balharry & Sarsen Whatmore: MVP Zachary Szmania: Coaches Award Nam Hoang: Most Improved

Sierra Dickerson: MVP Miller Condrack: Coaches Award Chloe Flanders: Most Improved

Swimming, Girls

Baseball

Kate Patrice & Imola Csendes: MVP Myra Singh: Coaches Award Jacquelyn Olson: Most Improved

Parke Phillips: MVP Cooper Newlin: Coaches Award Brady Moore: Most Improved

Volleyball

Lacrosse, Boys

Greta Holland: MVP Hailey Schlotthauer: Coaches Award Larissa Eaden: Most Improved

Dakota Dickerson: MVP Aidan Dowdy & Owen Han: Coaches Award Kevin Deems & Ian Martin: Most Improved

Volleyball JV

Lacrosse, Girls

Caroline Lafoe: MVP Gillette Bauer: Coaches Award Cayla Damman: Most Improved

Sereena Feeney: MVP Jordan Bruder: Coaches Award Natalie Gorji: Most Improved

Basketball, Boys

Softball

Amad Brayboy: MVP Todd Humphrey: Coaches Award Andrew Berg: Most Improved

Isabella Lee-Swartz: MVP Kiarra Womack: Coaches Award Grace Mannion: Most Improved

Basketball, Boys JV

Tennis, Boys

Steele Carlson: MVP Max Munroe: Coaches Award Brett Szalbirak: Most Improved

Vaughn Garcia: MVP Josh Samuel: Coaches Award Matthew Jones: Most Improved

Basketball, Girls

Tennis, Girls

Sereena Feeney: MVP Liberty Strafuss & Sierra VanSuch: Coaches Award Rebekah Lang: Most Improved

M’Balia Bangoura: MVP Paula Klar: Coaches Award Serafima Kosacheva: Most Improved

Soccer, Boys

Track, Boys

Owen Han: MVP Christopher Robinson: Coaches Award William Harwell: Most Improved

Joseph Runge: MVP Christopher Eckart: Coaches Award Kai Soderberg: Most Improved

Soccer, Boys JV

Track, Girls

Phillip Cecil: MVP Hunter Coakley: Coaches Award Wylder Meyer: Most Improved

Sophia Gardinier: MVP Saraiah Walkes: Coaches Award Catalina Castro: Most Improved

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Athletics OUT-OF-DOOR BY THE NUMBERS Consistent with The Out-of-Door Academy’s mission, philosophy, and core values, the athletics program strives for excellence, which demands from our student-athletes commitment and discipline on a daily basis. More than 655 roster spots were filled across 37 teams in 13 sports during the 2015-2016 seasons. Teamwork, sportsmanship, and the display of Core Values are integral ingredients in our teams for success. Student-athletes bring the same dedication to athletics that they take to the classrooms and performance venues.

In return, student-athletes are well prepared for growth and improvement, competition, team success, and life.

INDIVIDUAL STATE

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INDIVIDUAL REGIONAL

TEAM REGIONAL

TEAM DISTRICT

ALL-STATE

CHAMPIONS

CHAMPIONS

CHAMPIONS

CHAMPIONS

ATHLETES

12

18

6

22

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17

VARSITY TEAMS

JUNIOR VARSITY TEAMS

Athletics After ODA M’Balia Bangoura, Tennis University of Nebraska Miller Condrack, Lacrosse and Sailing SUNY Maritime College Todd Humphrey, Football Tufts University Parke Phillips, Baseball Brown University Qiwen “Wendy” Tan, Golf Vassar College

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Service

COMMUNITY SERVICE AT THE OUT-OF-DOOR ACADEMY

“It is essential that all Out-of-Door students learn to be responsible citizens, who have a global and multicultural perspective, and who take the initiative for improving the quality of life for self and others.” - Angela Giorgianni-Mejicanos, Lower School Community Service Director

ALL SCHOOL Service, one of Five Core Values at The Out-of-Door Academy, is essential to the development of the ethical and moral wholeness of our students, in addition to their social, emotional, intellectual and physical wellness. Students, faculty, and staff participated in yearlong all-school service projects, as well as division-wide service projects designed specifically for their grade levels.

on by ODA’s fourth and fifth grade students. Mattress Firm donated supplies of cardboard while participants brought string, duct tape, paint, brushes, balls, hardware treasures, recycled goods and other supplies to create their nature-themed arcade games. School-aged children were invited to build arcade games using cardboard, recycled materials and their imagination. ODA’s fifth grade students designed a robotic racetrack with Ozobots while other games included a putt-putt/hole-in-one, a pinecone toss into a squirrel’s nest, and a splatter paint balloon game. Those who participated spent several hours building their cardboard arcade games and had about an hour to play each other’s arcade games in the giant arcade located on the Siesta Key Campus. Upper school student ambassadors welcomed visitors to the campus, distributed supplies, ran concessions, and after the games were built, ran the arcade games. Pre-kindergarten and third grade families donated baked goods for a bake sale and lower school administrators hosted a pancake breakfast. The event raised more than $1,200 and benefited the Caring Kids Club and Imagination Foundation.

Thanksgiving Baskets Cardboard Challenge In October 2015, The Out-of-Door Academy participated in its third Global Cardboard Challenge with this year’s theme “Nature” voted

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In November 2015, the Out-of-Door community provided 75 Thanksgiving meal baskets to Gocio Elementary students and their families. On the Siesta Key Campus, each homeroom prepared baskets that included specially created class cards. Faculty, staff,

and the Caring Kids Club also put together baskets. On the Uihlein Campus, each advisory prepared a Thanksgiving basket as well. Faculty, staff, and administrators donated additional baskets.

Turkeys were purchased through donations from the Caring Kids Club’s pumpkin sale and upper school students’ bake sales. After the annual Thanksgiving Assembly on both campuses, students loaded the Thanksgiving baskets onto buses and into cars to deliver them to Gocio Elementary.

Convocation Food Drive During Convocation, Out-of-Door once again chose to assist All Faiths Food Bank in their mission to help reduce youth hunger in our area. Students, faculty, and staff donated boxed raisins, Nutrigrain bars, and canned fruit. The items collectively weighed more than 1,700 pounds and supported the All Faiths Backpack program.

for All Faiths Food Bank’s Campaign Against Summer Hunger.

The entire school community donated over 20,400 ounces of peanut butter and jelly this year.

LOWER SCHOOL The Lower School continued to focus on organizations that made a tremendous impact on our community as a whole during their community service efforts this year. Instead of individual efforts and projects, the entire Lower School worked together to accomplish their established service goals. Mindfulness became key to accomplishing each goal and altruism was the ultimate goal for all.

The lower school students and faculty participated in three large food drives and monthly packing activities (more than 100 hours) benefitting All Faiths Food Bank; helped the homeless at Resurrection House and Harvest House; put smiles on the faces of our senior citizen friends at Palmer Ranch Health Care; collected food for Thanksgiving baskets and Pennies for Pencils for their friends at Gocio Elementary School; held recycle days to Keep Sarasota Beautiful; participated in Jump Rope for Heart in support of The American Heart Association; visited local nursing homes “Makin’ Music”; provided pet care items to the Humane Society; and supported local troops and their families through Manasota Operation Troop Support (MOTS). Third grade students continued with Flag Duty every morning and afternoon and our fifth grade AAA Safety Patrol kept students safe before and after school.

Canstruction® Spirit Day Food Drive Spirit Day in April is always a fun tradition for ODA students. Prior to the start of the games, ODA hosts a service project, collecting donations of food for children in our local community. This year, the White Team donated peanut butter and the Blue Team donated jelly

During Grandfriends’ Days in February 2016, a Canstruction® in the form of a heart was constructed by students. This year’s structure was sponsored by The Caring Kids Club and Kimley-Horn & Associates Inc., a local engineering firm in Sarasota. The cans used in the structure were graciously donated by lower school families and after the event, the cans of food,

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Service totaling close to 900 pounds, were donated to All Faiths Food Bank. Canstruction® not only taught children about building and engineering a structure but it also taught the value of giving back to those in need.

of 2016, a donation to Dig Deep Well. DigDeep works with local partners across the world to build sustainable water projects, giving every human being access to clean water. Another focused on funding education for students in Asia through Child Fund International, a group of Out-of-Door Academy students committed to sponsoring a child in Cambodia during their years at ODA. The sponsorship is combined with others to ensure that the child grows up healthy and educated. Finally, the Ecuador earthquake fundraiser was also quickly assembled after the earthquake that devastated the area and affected friends and family members of ODA’s community.

Jump Rope for Heart Jump Rope for Heart is an annual fundraiser event held on the historic Siesta Key Campus that teaches students how to take care of their hearts while they experience the joy of giving back to their community. The event is sponsored by the American Heart Association. This year, Out-of-Door students raised more than $22,800, our largest donation ever (our top fundraiser was Carly Holst-Knudsen, ‘23), which will help thousands of kids who are born every year with special hearts. A challenge was made to students that if they raised a record of $18,000 for the American Heart Association in this year’s Jump Rope for Heart, Head of Lower School Mrs. Tanna Horner would “chow” down on dog food, but no worries, the kibble was safe for human consumption.

MIDDLE SCHOOL The Middle School Service Club takes a different approach to service than what is done at most Middle Schools. At other schools, service projects are selected, arranged, and organized by teachers, and students only will spend one day working on the project. At Out-of-Door, the goal of the middle school Service Club requires students to leverage interests, create opportunities for students to identify and lead projects, and to encourage students to work on a project over an extended period of time. Through this process, students hone entrepreneurial, business, and leadership skills as they work to address important issues. The vision of the club is to be a “service incubator” where students can learn important skills, support each other’s projects, hear from guest speakers, and make significant contributions to the community. This was the first year of the club, and we are exceptionally proud of the projects that the students have led. One project was the Convocation Gift to the Class

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Giving Closet Eighth grade students Sydney Sforzo, ‘20, and Chelsea Lea, ‘20, held the inaugural Giving Closet to benefit The Taylor Emmons Foundation, which provides an annual scholarship to socio-economically diverse students seeking an opportunity to experience an independent, college preparatory education at The Out-of-Door Academy. Sforzo and Lea came up with The Giving Closet after looking through their own closets and realizing there were clothing items, in great condition that were not worn. The concept of The Giving Closet demonstrated two of ODA’s Five Core Values: Service and Responsibility. The girls enlisted the help of their school community, family, and friends to also donate to this great cause. They created flyers and used social media to get the word out. They also garnered help from Out-of-Door faculty member, Mrs. Kathy Dozier, to help plan the event. “I am so proud of Sydney and Chelsea because of their commitment and dedication to others,” said Mrs. Dozier. “Out-of-Door students live the school’s Five Core Values everyday and it is these types of unselfish acts that make our Out-of-Door students exceptional,” she added. The inaugural Giving Closet raised $2,000 and Mrs. Katie Emmons, Co-Founder of the Taylor Emmons Foundation was presented with the donation check in May 2016.

Community Literary Service Project

AP Language - Emma E. Booker Elementary School

Prior to the end of the school year, Arya Bulusu, ‘20, Mira Khazanchi, ‘20, Abby Eakle, ‘20, and Paige Crittenden, ‘20, visited Gocio Elementary School to read to students in Ms. Collins’ first grade class. These exemplary young ladies wanted to purchase books for students who attended Gocio, and living by Out-of-Door’s Core Values, they held several bake sales that raised $200. The girls received a match from Florida Digestive Health Specialists and Florida Cancer Specialists, a total of $600, allowing them to purchase more than 300 approved books for Ms. Collins’ first grade class. After the books arrived at Gocio, Arya, Mira, Abby, and Paige spent an hour reading with students and engaged them in interactive reading activities.

In March 2015, AP Language students visited Emma E. Booker Elementary School to celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday and to participate in the National Read Across America Day. ODA students not only read to Booker students, but they helped with writing projects and played with the students in the courtyard.

Opportunities like this, provide an invaluable service, one of Out-of-Door’s Five Core Values, to help others in our community.

UPPER SCHOOL Upper School students logged over 11,200 community service hours this year at dozens of organizations in the Sarasota/Manatee areas.

Organizations included: Nate’s Place Animal Rescue, Visible Men Academy, TOP Soccer, Lakewood Ranch Communities, Miracle League of Manasota, SunCoast Blood Bank, Humane Society of Lakewood Ranch, Habitat for Humanity, Booker Elementary, and Circus Sarasota. In addition, upper school students volunteered at weekend football camps at Visible Men Academy; Thunderpalooza, in its 10th year, has now raised more than $10,000 for Manasota Buds; more than 40 students and faculty members volunteered at the Sarasota Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon; Ben and Ian Martin continued their Top Shelf Lacrosse programs at Visible Men Academy; nearly two dozen students and parents from both campuses donated hair to Children With Hair Loss; approximately 60 Upper School students volunteered at Thunder Fun Day; and Key Club members volunteered at Lakewood Ranch events including Boo Fest, Holidays Around the Ranch, St. Patrick’s Day, and the Memorial Day Parade and also organized and ran the Amazing Race at Thunder Fun Day.

Hair Donation Ashley DeBartolo, ‘18, organized the donation that helped gather 144 inches of hair from the ODA community for Children With Hair Loss (CWHL), an organization that provides hair to children with cancer and alopecia. Twelve students, as well as ODA parents and siblings each donated eight inches or more of hair to CWHL. Last year’s goal of 96 inches of hair was surpassed. ODA partnered with Fresh Salon Spa Style, which provided stylists to cut and style participants hair. Thank you to all who donated to give something so personal to children in need.

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Service

Football & Friendship at Visible Men Academy One Saturday morning, following their season-ending 37-14 victory over Canterbury Fort Myers, ODA’s Varsity Football Team visited Visible Men Academy (VMA). VMA provides boys from low-income communities with outstanding academic, character, and social education. The day began with a presentation by Theresa Moore, executive producer, director and co-writer, of “Third and Long” a groundbreaking documentary that examines the history of African Americans in professional football.

Following Q & A with Ms. Moore, Thunder assistant coaches, who personally experienced many of the challenging trends mentioned in the film, shared their thoughts. After the session was over, players and students headed out to VMA’s athletic field for a Thunder Football mini-clinic organized and executed by ODA players. This was the second visit for ODA football to VMA and the clinic was a success!

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“Peanuts” Read at The Lily School at Easter Seals The AP Literature and Composition class dressed as Peanuts characters while visiting The Lily School at Easter Seals in October 2015 to read “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown” to students five years old and younger. Jacquelyn Olson, ‘16, said, “While we came to read ‘It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown,’ it became something more as we not only became invaluable helpers to their Halloween parade but were able to grow as individuals as we gained experience working with such young children.” The hope in establishing this visit was to help foster an interest and excitement for reading and literature in younger students. ODA students helped lead the Lily School students on a costume parade throughout the Easter Seals School. Sydney Koffman, ‘16, said, “Going to the Lily School was definitely an eye opener. It was inspiring to see how much they looked up to us before even meeting us! It just showed that anyone could make an amazing difference in a child’s life.”

Come join us for our annual family fun event on our historic Siesta Key Campus

Thunder Fun Day Saturday, November 12, 2016 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

The Out-of-Door Academy’s Siesta Key Campus 444 Reid Street, Sarasota, FL 34242

FOOD * FUN * GAMES * CRAFTS INFLATABLES * CHILI COOK OFF Sponsorships Available

FREE TICKETS Bring this postcard to the entrance to receive

20 FREE GAME TICKETS! Limit one postcard per prospective family.

Name: __________________________________________________ Email: __________________________________________________ P R E S E N T E D B Y:

Thunder Fun Day Saturday, November 12, 2016 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

FREE ADMISSION BRING THE ENTIRE FAMILY!

Thank you for supporting The Out-of-Door Academy.

www.oda.edu/TFD

As an independent, college preparatory PreK-12 school, The Out-of-Door Academy provides an environment in which students strive to achieve their highest academic goals and to build character through a balanced program of academics, the arts, and athletics.

The Out-of-Door Academy Historic Siesta Key Campus 444 Reid Street, Sarasota, FL 34242

www.oda.edu/TFD or contact us at: 941-554-3400

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Letter from the Director of Advancement Dear Out-of-Door Community, What a great year it has been for our school community! Having just completed my first official year as an ODA parent, I can honestly say that seeing students explore, learn, and create on our campuses reminds me daily of why I was drawn to Out-of-Door.

By virtue of being an independent school, we are free to teach children in the ways we know they learn best and I have seen my own son thrive under this model. While our distinction as an independent school provides us the freedom to offer exceptional hands-on learning from our dedicated faculty, that same distinction also means we are ineligible for state or federal funding.

As we continue to grow, love continues to build our school. A love for our students. A love for what an Out-of-Door education means. Looking around our campuses at the state-of-the-art facilities, it is obvious that friends of Out-of-Door are willing to give to support the important work of our school. Working each year to raise over $1 million in philanthropic support above and beyond tuition to help meet the immediate operating needs of the school, I would like to thank those of you who stepped up to show your support. As the following Report on Philanthropy demonstrates, the generous financial donations of our many supporters made countless opportunities possible for our students and faculty this year.

As we look to the future and the tremendous growth of our school, we realize the increasing needs of our students and I hope you will join me in giving to further advance the traditions that define an Out-of-Door education. On behalf of the students who have benefited from your generosity‌ and for those students who are yet to come... thank you!

Sincerely,

Amy Towery, CFRE Director of Advancement

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Philanthropy Thank you to the many generous donors who have supported The Out-of-Door Academy and are recognized in the Banyan Magazine this year. Your gift allows the ODA student to be OUTstanding in the classroom, on the stage, and on the field.

By investing in Out-of-Door, you also allow faculty and staff to say, “Yes” to innovative programs, classrooms and technology, hands-on learning opportunities and projects, computer and laboratory equipment, course and faculty development, coaching stipends, and maintenance of campus buildings.

At ODA, we produce leaders who are prepared for all that college and life have to offer. They are unrestricted by the barriers of conventional classroom activities and routine. ODA students are not only prepared for their future, but they’re equipped to break down barriers and forge new paths.

Out-of- Door’s first class facilities and cutting edge programs continue to provide an environment where students strive to achieve their highest academic goals and to build character through a balanced program of academics, arts, and athletics.

With your continued support, there’s no limit to what an ODA student can achieve. Every gift, of every size has an impact, and the collective generosity of our community is what makes Out-of-Door an OUTstanding academic institution. Whether you supported the Annual Fund or Capital campaigns, joined the corporate partnership program, or sponsored a special event, your contribution is greatly appreciated and we thank you for your continued support!

LEADERSHIP SOCIETY Founder’s Circle ($25,000+)

The Dixon & Frazier Families & Global Financial Private Capital, LLC Mr. & Mrs. Larry Fox Gelbman Family Foundation John & Teena Humphrey Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Pendery Robert C. Dart Foundation & Ariane & Bob Dart Ken & Marina Sommers Dick & Lorraine Vitale

Chairman’s Club ($20,000-$24,999) Anonymous Dawn & Paul Holland Ms. Ashley D. Kozel Dr. Stephen Patrice & Dr. Sharon Morris-Patrice

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Mary & Dave Peirce The Ramsey Family

Banyan Tree Society ($15,000-$19,999) First Watch Restaurants, Inc. Mr. & Mrs. Ales Graf Mary Jo & Bob Naylor Kat & Florian Schuetz

ODA Benefactors ($10,000-$14,999) The Abrams Family Argyros Family Foundation Bill & Mary Ann Becker The Bradbury Family Mr. & Mrs. Frank Brunckhorst Ann Marie Davis & J.B. Shaw III Jennifer & Christopher Feeney FleischmanGarcia Architecture and Planners

Robert & Kristan Hamill Mr. Derek Han The Karp Family Foundation Donna & David Koffman Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Reck The Savidge Family Mr. Steven Seymour Dr. Alok Sharma & Ms. Alisa Behne David & Stacy White

Headmaster’s Council ($5,000-$9,999) Mr. Pablo Baffico & Mrs. Geraldine Balharry Fran & Jamie Becker Drs. Amy & Richard Buck Cool Today Stephany & Mark Dobosz Rod & Kerri Dowdell Dr. & Mrs. Robert Eckart Mark & Patricia Felsmann

Greenhouse Fabrics FYZICAL Health Mr. & Mrs. Jim Goff Kenneth D. Henson M.D. & Mitzie P. Henson Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey Kints Beth & Dax LaGasse Mr. & Mrs. David Lozier Mr. & Mrs. David V. Mahler Mike & Cindy vonWaldner The Bizick Family Ms. Tracee Murphy & The Lattner Family Foundation Tom & Alison Murphy Don & Cyndi Paxton Savidge Family Foundation Sforzo Dillingham Orthopedics Mr. & Mrs. John P. Studdiford SunTrust Foundation Susan & Stephen Wahl Willis Smith Construction, Inc.

ODA Leaders ($2,500 to $4,999) The Alfred and Ann Goldstein Foundation, Inc. Anonymous Mr. & Mrs. Stephen J. Beck Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Benjamin BMO Harris Bank Todd & Susan Bannar Courtney & Tony Bonacuse Joseph & Sandy Clarke Coast Cadillac Co. Larry & Maria Colditz Rob & Jacqueline Crisci Mr. & Mrs. James Currier Drs. Rhonda & Dan Deems Mr. & Mrs. Patrick DiPinto Troy & Carolyn Eaden Janice & Jim Eakle Ehrhart Family Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Michael T. Emmons Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence J. Fineberg Stan & Halie Fulton Mr. Walter Hajduk & Ms. Sheryl Gofman Chris & Tally Harris Maria & Allen Heise Hirtle Callaghan & Co. The Khazanchi Family Mr. & Mrs. John Kittle Mr. Thomas Klett & Ms. Dawn Werle Dr. & Mrs. William Lahners Julie & Jeff Luhrsen Jennifer & Gary Macleod Don & Cyndi Paxton Fred & Sonia Romano Dr. Christopher Sforzo & Ms. Terri Vitale Scott & Julie Smith SunTrust Bank Mrs. Anne O. Swain Chris & Martina Timol Mr. & Mrs. James K. Vickery, Jr. Ms. Linda Wallin & Mr. Steve Schember

Stephen & Liz Watson David & Stacey White

PATRON SOCIETY 1924 Club ($1,924 - $2,499)

Anonymous Toni & Jeff Cusumano James & Rosalie Fitzgibbons Mr. & Mrs. Mark Floersheimer Rabbi & Mrs. Geoffrey M. Huntting Lands’ End Dr. & Mrs. Joshua Newman Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Rayman Mr. & Mrs. David Shuel Jeff & Utahna Smith

Circle of Patrons ($1,000 to $1,923) Adva-Net All Glass & Windows Anonymous (2) Avery Dodge Stephanie & Michael Appleby Mr. & Mrs. Sean Abrams Baker Orthodontics Mr. & Mrs. Mike Beasley Jake & Nicole Birmingham Mr. Jeffrey D. Bomberger BSN Sports Mr. Darryl Calkins Mr. & Mrs. Bruce Cassidy, Jr. Capstan Financial Consulting Group Taber & Celeste Chadwick City Wide Maintenance of Tampa Bay Dr. Jane Clayton Coastal Eye Institute Mr. & Mrs. Christopher Cogan Denise & Louis Colosimo CS&L CPAs Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Dennehy Mr. Steven R. Eichenbaum Ms. Marya A. Fairchild

Forest Lakes Animal Clinic Freeman Orthodontics Dr. Federico Frias and Mrs. Claudia Imbert Mr. & Mrs. Stephane F. Gardinier Jeff & Jane Giacinti Mr. & Mrs. Bijan Gorji Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Grano, Jr. Ms. Gertrude Hajduk Mr. Gary Hansell Katie & Peter Hayes Mrs. Kathie Hayes Jonathan Hoffberger Mr. Todd Kaplan & Dr. Melissa Schindel-Kaplan Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Robert L. Kim, Sr. Shelley & Charlie Lafoe The LaSalla Family Mr. Tingbin Liu & Ms. Shangchun Ding Sandra Loevner & the James P. Olson Family Liz & Sam Logan LWR Communities LLC Mr. & Mrs. Richard Lyons Ms. Laurel MacDonald McArdle Charitable Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation Mrs. Hope McCampbell-Wenk & Mr. Scott Wenk Mr. Richard Meeks & Dr. Jenifer Back Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Miller Moricz and Varone Orthodontics Melissa & Hakim Morsli Dr. J. Gregory & Libby Neily Oasis Outsourcing Mr. & Mrs. Robert Parker Publix Super Markets Charities Fabian & Katiuska Ramos Mr. & Mrs. George U. Rauch Ringling College of Art and Design Mrs. Martha S. Robes

Dee & Chuck Romito S&B Metal Products Mr. & Mrs. Burton Sack Mr. & Mrs. Ashok K. Samuel SaraMana Business Products Schindel Orthodontics Mr. & Mrs. Michael Shaklik Si McAninch, DDS Dr. & Mrs. Howard Small Mr. & Mrs. Jon Soderberg Square One Development Ms. Lisa Steele, ‘63 Stellar Development Sun Garden Cafe Amy & Ken Sussman Dr. & Mrs. Larry R. Thompson Russell & Amy Towery Mr. & Mrs. Donald Urfer Dr. & Mrs. Cary A. Veith Mr. & Mrs. Michael J. Wilson Wells Fargo Foundation

Blue & White Associates ($500 to $999) Mr. & Mrs. David Alves Anonymous (2) Dr. Michael Arsenault & Dr. Emily Arsenault Ryan K. Ballance Mr. & Mrs. Ken Banks Mr. & Mrs. Philip Biegelsen Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Bitsoff Mr. & Mrs. Gregory Bliss Dr. Pedro Briceno & Dr. Tonantzin Matheus Mr. Stephen Bunker & Ms. Kerry Johnson George & Nancy Castro Camelot Lakes Mr. & Mrs. Andy Cappar Mr. & Mrs. Mark Crews Mike & Kathy Dyer Sonia & Alfonso Espinel Mr. & Mrs. Steven Fenker Dr. Kenneth Giraldo & Dr. Cynthia Collawn Mr. & Mrs. Tom Golart

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Philanthropy H & H Industrial Corp Mr. & Mrs. Richard Hall Dr. & Mrs. Douglas Hansen Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Hill Mr. & Mrs. Rod Hollingsworth Mr. and Mrs. Brock Horner Mr. Brian Hudson & Mrs. Tatiana Palnitska Hudson Christopher & Kassandra Hugill Terry & Alissa Kennelly Drs. Daniel & Jamie Kirschner Knox Family Foundation Shelley & Wayne Ives Krista & Brian Jones Karen & Doug Constant Mr. & Mrs. Bruce Latta Gary & Lori Lawson Mr. Andrew Lemieux Mr. & Mrs. Trudo Letschert, II Mr. Eric Miller Lissa Murphy & Jim LaClair Dr. & Mrs. Eric Larson Luminous Electric Mr. & Mrs. John Maben Mr. & Mrs. Dean Maggio Ms. Terri Medina Lee & Bobbi Miller David & Suzanne Moore Mr. & Mrs. Robert Naylor, III Mario, ‘90 & Amie Austin Oliva Mr. & Mrs. Doug Plattner Christopher Poole, ‘16 Zachary Poole, ‘17 Mr. & Mrs. William Ragsdale Mr. & Mrs. George W. Rauch, IV Mr. & Mrs. Francis C. Rienhoff Kimberly & Jeffery Saltz Dr. Robert Sambursky & Ms. Laura Lovejoy Mr. James M. Schaeffer Mr. & Mrs. Barron Schimberg Scott & Ronni Silverman Mr. & Mrs. Gerard K. Stone Mr. & Mrs. Desmond Varady Mr. & Mrs. Cliff Walker Scott & Maureen Watson Mr. & Mrs. Josh White

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Out-of-Door Supporters ($250 to $499) Mr. Craig Aberle Sam & Eiman Altajar Mr. & Mrs. Adam M. Amdur Ms. Isabelle Amdur Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Angelastro Anonymous Mr. & Mrs. John Barrett Mr. & Mrs. Steven Barron Mr. Chris Bernsen Mr. & Mrs. Morgan R. Bentley David & Cathy Black Mr. & Mrs. Jeff Bogumil Mr. & Mrs. Peter M. Borden Mr. & Mrs. Tim Brewer Dr. & Mrs. Richard H. Brown Carat’s Fine Jewelry & Watches Mr. & Mrs. Mark Chait Melanie & Matt Coakley Ms. Michelle Colburn Ms. Amalia D. Colosimo Cool Girls Horse Store Ms. Lee-Ann Corry Crescent Capital Advisors Group Ms. Kippie Crouch Mr. & Mrs. Kevin Dooley Graham Douglas Kate Douglas Mr. & Mrs. Thomas L. Dowdy Mr. & Ms. Thomas A. Dozier Ms. Grace Duffey Mr. Wolfgang Ebenbichler & Mrs. Leslie Casanova-Ebenbichler Mr. & Mrs. Brian Ellerson Ellie & Victor Falck Mr. & Mrs. Darrin Fedder Mr. & Mrs. Christian M. Fischer Jennifer & Jeff Flanders Camela & Robert Giraud Mr. & Mrs. Paul Grimond Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey Guy Dr. & Mrs. Gregory Hanes Mr. Jacob Harding Mr. & Mrs. W. Gibson Harris II

Mr. & Mrs. Michael Hersom Ms. Denise Hoff Mr. & Mrs. Daniel O. Hogan Ms. Jill Jaiswal Mr. & Mrs. Bruce King Ms. Yadira Kirschner Mr. & Mrs. Adrianus Kruf Mr. & Mrs. Bruce Latta Jill Linhart Ms. Virgene Linse Ms. Melinda Lloyd Martin & Shelli Maag Madison’s Avenue of Gainesville, Inc. Dr. & Mrs. Farhan Majeed James & Andrea Malcolm Mr. & Mrs. Willam F. Mannion The Massey Family Mr. & Mrs. Cory Militzer Drs. Nicholas Monsul & Eva Berkes Mr. & Mrs. Sean Murphy Brian & Laurie Naese Beverly Oetting Mr. & Mrs. James P. Olson Mr. & Mrs. Maurice Opstal Anna & Gregory Pacitti Monique & William Paterson Doug & Shari Phillips Mr. Christopher Pinckney & Ms. Johanna Gustafsson Mr. & Mrs. James R. Riley Mr. & Mrs. Eric Robinson Beth & Bob Rulof Mr. & Mrs. Adam Seldis Mr. & Mrs. Daryl Schaal Mr. Charles F. Spingler, III Karyn & Tony Squitieri Mr. & Mrs. Joern Sroka Steinwachs Family Foundation Ms. Jacqueline Svilokos Mr. & Mrs. Craig Szmania Temple Sinai Mr. & Mrs. Dave Thomas Mr. & Mrs. Richard L. Trueblood Ms. Kimberly Walsh Ms. Deborah Waterman

Mr. & Mrs. Kevin T. Wells Mr. & Mrs. Wilmer Wenger Mr. & Mrs. Mark Wheeler Peggy & Arthur Wood Michael, ‘98 & Tiffany Yates Drs. Richard & Phyllis Yonker Maureen & Christopher Young

Friends of Out-of-Door (up to $249) Ms. Denise Aberle Mr. & Mrs. Charles A. Alario, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Paul Angileri Anonymous (9) Mr. & Mrs. Greg Auen Sandy & Steve, ‘60 Ayers Ms. Monica Baldwin Debbie & Sean Ball Mr. & Mrs. J. Russell Ball Mr. Charles Balliette, ‘00 Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Banks Mr. & Mrs. Sekou C. Bangoura Ms. Kathleen Baraona The Barnette Family Dr. Robert & Irene Barylski Ms. Stacey Basist Baxalta Ms. Theresa Beeman Mr. & Mrs. Jim Bertrand Mr. & Mrs. Kirt Betz Jason & Katherine Bitsoff Mr. Jeffrey Bowers Mrs. & Mr. Sandra Brinling Mr. & Mrs. Mickey Bryan Ms. Gabriella Bucci Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Buffett Mr. & Mrs. Steven Bond Mr. Michael P. Calamaras, ‘06 Mr. & Mrs. Jaime Carrion Mr. & Mrs. Greg Cassis Mr. & Mrs. Michael Chalhub Wendy & Larry Chamberlin Mr. & Mrs. Randal S. Cheney Ms. Jennifer Ciesar The Coco Family Mrs. Carrie Collins, ‘99

Mrs. & Mr. Lesley M. Collins, ‘03 David & Molly Conger Ms. Michele Corley Mrs. Sydney Buffum Crampton, ‘69 Mr. & Mrs. Earl Cronan Ms. Daniele Daddario Mr. & Mrs. Clayman G. Dalton Mr. & Mrs. James P. Dammann Dr. & Mrs. David Decker Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey Denler Starlette & Kent Denslow Mr. Matthew DePalma Ms. Karen Dickerson Mr. & Mrs. Scott DiMare The Dixon and Frazier Families Mrs. Jessica S. Dunda Mrs. Tammy Ekes Mr. Paul Elmendorf Ms. L’Tanya Evans Ms. Nicole Fafalios Ms. Carol K. Falck Ms. Caitlin Farnsworth Mr. Chester Flake Mr. Lee Foullon & Ms. Zaneta McGaha Mr. Kevin M. Frey, ‘10 Ms. Deborah Frye Mr. and Mrs. Michael Garasic Mrs. Julianne Garcia Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Gardner Mr. & Mrs. Dane Gass Mr. & Mrs. Terry Geringer Mrs. Angela GiorgianniMejicanos & Mr. Julio Mejicanos Mr. & Mrs. Herbert B. Gofman Robert & Susan Goldstein David & Fern Grace Ms. Anya Grady Mr. & Mrs. Adam Gulácsy Ms. Anita Hamner Ms. Lindsay Landeche HarNess Nancy & Robert Harrison Ms. Anne Head Ms. Sarah Higham

Ms. Brittany Hiller Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey Horr Carl & Amy Hurlebaus Ms. Joanna Johnson Mr. & Mrs. Ben Jones Dominic & Elizabeth Jones Michelle & Edward Kapreilian Joe & Sue Kennelly Mr. & Mrs. Danny Kessous Mrs. Elizabeth Kiedffer Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. Mr. & Mrs. Scott Kolbe Arthur & Beverly Kunberger Dawn & Ollie Kyte Mr. & Mrs. Richard Lamb Ms. Susan Landsman Mr. Cristin Lavelle Mr. Paul LeBras Mr. & Mrs. George Leicht Let’s Jump Ms. Yuliya Leung Miss Alexandra Lonsdale, ‘04 Ms. Jill Lonstein Ms. Cheryl Lorge Mr. Joseph Madres Ms. Alyssa Mandel & Mr. Brian Gomien Terri & Peter Mann Bix & Gretchen Mannion Mr. Daniel Mason Mr. & Mrs. David McDonald Mr. Scott McMurry The Men’s Warehouse Dr. Lisa Merritt Mr. & Mrs. Philip Meyer Mr. Erik J. Milkovich, ‘05 Ms. Alex Miller Matt & Christina Miller Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Miller Mr. Mark Montagna & Ms. Amy Dear Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Morgan Mr. & Mrs. Ted Morgan Mr. Charles Doyle & Ms. Julie Mulhatten Mr. & Ms. Stephen Mullen

Mr. & Mrs. Richard Munroe Mr. & Mrs. Greg Murphy Mr. H. T. A. Nevill, ‘56 Mr. Michael Newhams Trish Nicholson Mr. Karl Ordetx & Dr. Kirstina Ordetx Ms. Lisa Peirce Mr. & Mrs. William J. Pitts Mr. & Mrs. Leonard Reyneke Mr. & Mrs. Harry C. Rienhoff Mrs. Serena Robins Gerald & Phyllis Robinson Dr. & Mrs. Christopher Rodriguez Aaron Romm, ‘04 Dr. Kelly Rose & Mr. Eric Rose Ms. Daniela Rozanes & Mr. Pablo Fernandez Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Runge Mr. & Mrs. Aaron D. Rutsky Mr. Michael Salmon Mr. & Ms. Jim Saranczak Ms. Stephanie Sassetti Carolyn & George Schlotthauer The Sciame Family Ms. Kathina Sheets Ms. Rosemary Shofe Siesta Key Chapel Mr. Joshua Singer Mr. Toby Skelton & Ms. Nadine Saunders Mr. & Mrs. Leopoldo L. Sosa Mr. & Mrs. Marc J. Soss Mr. & Mrs. William D. Speaker Dr. Naushin Spector Mr. & Mrs. Jehuda Steinbach Mr. Edward Stiles Jim & Javonna Strafuss Ms. Holly Switow Mr. & Mrs. Tom Tengerdy Ms. Sandra Terry Mr. & Mrs. Erik Timothy Sandra & Robert True Mr. & Mrs. David Tyson Mr. & Mrs. Dylan Ulrich Ms. Jessica Urbans

Dr. Linda Vasilaki & Mr. Yuri Vasilaki Ms. Kay Wagner Ms. Katie Walters Ms. Melissa Wandall Mrs. Caylyn Wells Ms. Melissa Wendel & Mr. Robert Eschenfelder Cami & Jeff Wenger Mr. Tom Whitten Mr. & Mrs. Roger Williams Mr. & Mrs. Michael Young Mr. Scott Young & Mrs. Cindy Bruce Young Ms. Shumin Yu Ms. Cheryl Zaccone Ms. Laura Zink Dr. Ellen Zitani

TRUE BLUE SOCIETY

10+ Consecutive Years of Giving to the Annual Fund Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Pendery (26) Mr. & Mrs. Gerard K. Stone (25) Mr. & Mrs. Michael Young (25) Mr. & Mrs. Sean Murphy (24) Mr. & Mrs. William J. Pitts (22) Mr. & Mrs. Charles R. Savidge (22) Ms. Deborah Waterman (22) Mr. & Mrs. Stephane F. Gardinier (21) Mrs. Anne O. Swain (21) Dr. Linda Vasilaki & Mr. Yuri Vasilaki (21) Cindy & Mike vonWaldner (19) Mr. & Mrs. Sean Ball (17) Mr. & Mrs. Tim Brewer (17) Mr. & Mrs. Randal S. Cheney (17) Mr. & Ms. Thomas A. Dozier (17) Ms. Grace Duffey (17) Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Grano, Jr. (17) Mr. & Mrs. Adam Gulácsy (17) Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey Horr (17) Ms. Joanna Johnson (17)

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Philanthropy

Mr. & Mrs. John Kittle (17) Mr. Paul LeBras (17) Ms. Virgene Linse (17) Ms. Cheryl Lorge (17) Mr. Michael Newhams (17) Ms. Kay Wagner (17) Ms. Deborah Frye (15) Kenneth D. Henson M.D. & Mitzie P. Henson (15) Mr. & Mrs. Leopoldo L. Sosa (15) Mr. & Mrs. Roger Williams (15) Mr. & Mrs. Troy Eaden (14) Ms. L’Tanya Evans (14) Chris & Tally Harris (14) Mr. & Mrs. Robert Harrison (14) Mr. & Mrs. William D. Speaker (14) Rhonda & Dan Deems (13) Mr. & Mrs. Thomas L. Dowdy (13) Gelbman Family Foundation (13) Mrs. Angela GiorgianniMejicanos & Mr. Julio Mejicanos (13) Mr. Derek Han (13) Mr. & Mrs. David V. Mahler (13) Mr. & Mrs. Patrick C. Steele (13) Mr. & Mrs. Cass Anderson (12) Mr. & Mrs. Andy Cappar (12) Ms. Nicole Fafalios (12)

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Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence J. Fineberg (12) Mr. Andrew Lemieux (12) Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Miller (12) Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Runge (12) Ms. Rosemary Shofe (12) The Bizick Family (11) Dr. & Mrs. Richard H. Brown (11) Mr. & Mrs. Mark Chait (11) Mr. & Mrs. Matt Dougherty (11) Mr. & Mrs. David Hawkes (11) Ms. Yadira Kirschner (11) Julie & Jeff Luhrsen (11) Mr. & Ms. Stephen Mullen (11) Mr. & Mrs. James K. Vickery, Jr. (11) Mr. Craig Aberle (10) Ms. Denise Aberle (10) Mrs. Celeste Dockery-Chadwick & Mr. Taber Chadwick (10) Mr. & Mrs. Kevin Dooley (10) Mr. & Mrs. Matt Dougherty (10) Mr. & Mrs. Jeff Giacinti (10) Mr. & Mrs. Robert Goldstein (10) Mr. & Mrs. Paul Holland (10) Mr. & Mrs. Bruce Latta (10) Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Morgan (10) Don & Cyndi Paxton (10) Ms. Lisa Peirce (10)

Dr. Christopher Sforzo & Ms. Terri Vitale (10)

RESTRICTED GIVING Birthday Book Club Mr. & Mrs. Adam M. Amdur Mr. & Mrs. Ken Banks Mr. & Mrs. Fran Becker Mr. & Mrs. Jason Bitsoff Mr. & Mrs. Peter M. Borden Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Briggs Mr. James Brownlee & Ms. Nancy Hostetler Mr. & Mrs. Kevin Bruning Mr. James Burne Mr. & Mrs. Bruce Cassidy, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Paul Chren Dr. & Mrs. Douglas Constant Mr. Kevin Conway & Mrs. Summer Bagal-Conway Mr. & Mrs. Mark Crews Mr. & Mrs. Jeff Cusumano Mr. & Mrs. Robert Dart Mr. & Mrs. Lloydman M. DeFelice Mr. & Mrs. Patrick DiPinto Mr. & Mrs. Matt Dougherty Mr. & Mrs. Rodger Dowdell

Mr. Charles Doyle & Ms. Julie Mulhatten Mr. & Mrs. Brian Ellerson Mr. & Mrs. Victor A. Falck Mr. & Mrs. Christopher Feeney Mr. & Mrs. Mark Felsmann Mr. & Mrs. Larry Fox Mr. & Mrs. Geoffrey Frazier Dr. & Mrs. Daniel Friedman Dr. Kenneth Giraldo & Dr. Cynthia Collawn Ms. Renee F. Graeff Mr. & Mrs. Ales Graf Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey Guy Mr. & Mrs. Michael Hersom Mr. & Mrs. Daniel O. Hogan Mr. & Mrs. Carl W. Hurlebaus, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey Kints Mr. & Mrs. Adrianus Kruf Mr. & Mrs. Trudo Letschert, II Mr. & Mrs. Richard Lyons Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Miller Drs. Nicholas Monsul & Eva Berkes Mr. Mark Montagna & Ms. Amy Dear Dr. & Mrs. Hakim Morsli Dr. & Mrs. Swaroop Muppavarapu Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Murphy

Ms. Tracee Murphy Ms. Jean Palmerton Mr. & Mrs. William Paterson Mr. Christopher Pinckney & Ms. Johanna Gustafsson Brent & Marisol Proctor Mr. & Mrs. George W. Rauch, IV Mr. & Mrs. Harry C. Rienhoff Mr. & Mrs. James R. Riley Mr. & Mrs. Eric Robinson Dr. & Mrs. Christopher Rodriguez Mr. & Mrs. Charles Romito Mr. & Mrs. Daryl Schaal Schinder Orthodontics Mr. & Mrs. Ryan Scibelli Mr. James Shaw & Mrs. Ann Marie Davis Mr. Toby Skelton & Ms. Nadine Saunders Mr. & Mrs. Scott Smalley Dr. Naushin Spector Mr. Richard Spilka & Mrs. Veronika Spilkova Mr. & Mrs. Martin Svoboda Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Tuffile Ms. Karen V. Vale Mr. & Mrs. David A. White Ms. Caroline C. Williams Mr. & Mrs. Michael J. Wilson Mr. & Mrs. Michael Yates, ‘98 Mr. Scott Young & Mrs. Cindy Bruce Young Dr. Frederick Yturralde & Dr. Jennifer Goodman

Cassis Memorial Fund Mr. & Mrs. Greg Cassis

Dobosz Spirit of ODA Award Stephany & Mark Dobosz

Financial Assistance Anonymous Cindy Schember Memorial Scholarship Fund

Definition Fit Diamond Select Toys Mr. & Mrs. Stephen J. Beck Doubletree by Hilton Orlando at Seaworld Music Donations Eat Here Elan Skin Spa Camelot Lakes Elements Massage Mrs. Sandra Loevner First Watch Restaurants, Inc. Mr. James Shaw & Fleet Feet Sports Sarasota Mrs. Ann Marie Davis Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse Siesta Key Chapel & Wine Bar Flik IN-KIND GIVING Florida Studio Theatre A Lash Above Fly Dance Fitness Albuquerque International Forest Lakes Animal Clinic Balloon Fiesta Freedom Boat Club Animal Health Center Gecko’s Grill & Pub Anna Maria Oyster Bar Gettel Automotive Aquatica, Seaworld Orlando Gigi’s Cupcakes Arm Candy Global Boundaries ArtisTree Landscape Godiva Maintenance & Design Gold Coast Eagle Distributing Ashley Hawkins Interiors Grapevine Communications Asolo Repertory Theatre Advertising Agency Asparagus Great American Cookie Be Fit Sarasota Company Beneva Flowers and Gifts Gulf Coast Institute of Beyond Dancing Rejuvenation Biasi Laser Hair Removal Center Hana Sushi Lounge Big Top Brewing Company Hand and Stone Massage Blaze Pizza and Facial Spa Blue Rooster Heavenly Cupcakes Bookstore 1 Sarasota Holiday Inn Brio Tuscan Grille Lakewood Ranch/Sarasota Busch Gardens Home Depot Cafe Baci Hotel Indigo Cafe Venice Hyatt Sarasota...The Boathouse Cakes by Ron Carat’s Fine Jewelry & Watches Indigenous Restaurant InFocus Family Eyecare Casa di Pizza Jennifer Macleod Photography Casa Smeralda Jim LaClair’s Dog-Friendly ChaCha Coconuts Tropical Dog Training Bar and Grill Jim’s Small Batch Bakery Chicken Kitchen Keffie’s ecoChic Boutique Circus Arts Conservatory Kennedy Space Center City Pizza Collectors Wall Fine Art Gallery Kona Ice Sarasota Larson Natural Health Center Cutting Loose Salon

Math Donations

Laurel Oak Country Club Lee Roy Selmon’s Let’s Jump Liberty Edge Youth Basketball Lil’ Divas & Dudes Salon and Day Spa Lilly Pulitzer Linens By the Sea Lobster Pot Restaurant Lollipops by Flour Parlor Lotus Boutique LTM Party MAB Enterprises Macallisters Grill & Tavern Manatee Performing Arts Center Mandeville Beer Garden Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Mattison’s Restaurants and Catering McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre Mi Pueblo Restaurant Michael’s on East Catering Molly’s! A Chic and Unique Boutique Moricz and Varone Orthodontics Morton’s Gourmet Market MOSI Mr. & Mrs. Charles Lafoe Mr. & Mrs. Dion Kurczek Mr. & Mrs. Dylan Ulrich Mr. & Mrs. John L. Hawkins Mr. & Mrs. Kirt Betz Mr. & Mrs. Larry Fox Mr. & Mrs. Raymond Poole Mr. Charlie Stephenson Mr. Derek Han Ms. Lucie Marino Ms. Susan C. Tobin Ms. Terri Medina Mytai Design New Balance Nichole Action Art Photography Nuovo Salon Group O’ Donoghue Dermatology Panera Bread (Harmony Food Service)

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Philanthropy Pick of the Litter Pet Care & Concierge Pinchers Pittsburgh Pirates & Bradenton Marauders Pizza Hut Plant Parents Pop Craft Primetime Limousines, Inc. PRP Wine International RAH Rejuveface Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Ritz-Carlton Sarasota Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse Saks Fifth Avenue Sarasota Bay Explorers Sarasota Film Society Sarasota Jungle Gardens

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Sarasota Opera Association, Inc. Sarasota Orchestra Sarasota School of Glass Scarves by Mary DeArment Schindel Orthodontics Sea Palm Cottages SeaWorld Orlando Serbin Print Marketing & Publishing Shore Rejuvenation Day Spa Sights and Sounds Signs In One Day Sir Speedy Printing Sophie’s at Saks Fifth Avenue South Florida Museum Station 400 Still Silver Stonewood Grill & Tavern Sun Garden Cafe

Sunken Gardens Sur La Table Synergy Fitness Tableseide Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay Rays Tesla Motors The Corner Grill The Cottage The Fish Hole Mini Golf at Lakewood Ranch The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art The Melting Pot The Met - Fashion House, Day Spa & Salon The Oasis Cafe The Ringling Beach House on Siesta Key

The Roots Chiropractic The Sarasota Ballet The Tile Market of Sarasaota Thrive Sarasota Thunder Athletic Club (TAC) Tom+Chee Toni Federici Touch Corporation TPC Prestancia TreeUmph! Adventure Course Two Men and a Truck University Park Auto Spa US Tent Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall Village Cafe Walt Disney World Walt’s Fish Market Xcel Pediatrics

Arts Alliance Dear Out-of-Door Families, As advocates for the arts on both campuses, the Arts Alliance was able to enhance the arts programs by helping to fund the following programs this past school year: • A visit to both our Lower School and Upper School campuses from Broadway star and ODA alumna, Rosena Hill • The original play written for ODA by Tony Award winning writer/director Frank Galati which debuted in the Blackbox Theater in November 2015 • Master Class sessions and workshops for lower school students in creative writing, stringed instruments, folk dance, storytelling, and singing with guest artist-composer-author-inresidence, Susan Reed • A comic book sketching workshop for lower school students • A steel drum set for the Upper School, an instrument any student can play We are thrilled we had the opportunity to make these special opportunities a reality, giving all ODA students a chance to experience the Arts. This support would not have been possible without the financial contributions of the many members who stepped up to support the Arts at ODA this school year. Special thanks to all those families listed on the right, we couldn’t have done it without you! If you are interested in becoming a member of the Arts Alliance, please visit www.oda.edu/artsalliance. You can also look for our table at performances on the Siesta Key and Uihlein campuses. Just look for our logo and we’ll be there!

It was my pleasure to serve as the president of the Arts Alliance for the past several years and I am excited to hand over the reins to Shari Phillips, who will continue our momentum in the coming years. I know Shari, along with dedicated committee members Sherry Delgado, Leslie Casanova-Ebenbichler, Caroline Emerson, Jill Ramsey, Kat Schuetz, and Birgit Sroka, will continue to advance advocacy for the Arts.

Sincerely, Tally Harris 2015-2016 President, Arts Alliance

2015-2016 Head’s Choice Award Winner, Per Soderberg, ‘17

Members Masterpiece Mr. Steven R. Eichenbaum Mr. & Mrs. Christian A. Timol Mr. & Mrs. John P. Studdiford Bravo Mr. & Mrs. Christopher H. Harris Mr. & Mrs. Scott T. Ramsey Ovation Mr. & Mrs. Joern Sroka Mr. & Mrs. Don Paxton Applause Mr. & Mrs. Raymond Poole Mr. & Mrs. Russell Towery Debut Mr. Wolfgang Ebenbichler & Mrs. Leslie Casanova-Ebenbichler

OUT-OF-DOOR ARTS

ALLIAN CE

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Thunder Athletic Club

Dear Out-of-Door Families, The Thunder Athletic Club (TAC) is comprised of volunteer parents, family, and friends who support Out-of-Door Athletics through volunteer and fundraising projects.

The TAC appreciates your support of the student-athletes at Out-of-Door. Your membership in the Thunder Athletic Club helps the club provide students with the resources necessary to develop and maintain outstanding athletic teams in every sport. The volunteer support of TAC has been instrumental in this success, and as participation increases, so do financial and volunteer athletic needs.

TAC raises funds through the sale of annual membership/season passes, Thunder merchandise, hosting the annual golf tournament, as well as by operating concession stands at the Thunderdome, Thunder Stadium, and Taylor Emmons Memorial Baseball Field.

TAC also provides volunteer assistance for various athletic duties, such as ticket sales, score-keeping, game announcing, and more.

Please join the Thunder Athletic Club to help make the athletic program at Out-of-Door successful. On behalf of the TAC, thank you for your support.

Sincerely, Teena Humphrey 2015-2016 President, Thunder Athletic Club

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During the 2015-2016 school year, TAC raised over $75,000 and sponsored: The Athletic Awards Ceremony Baseball Batting Tunnel Net and Mat Thunderdome Sideline Chairs Track Long Jump Pit Cover Track Discus Net Track Pole Vault Cover Five Edge Multi-sport Headsets Lacrosse Helmets Weight Room Equipment Film Room

THUNDER GOLF OUTING The Thunder Athletic Club (TAC) is tremendously grateful to everyone who sponsored, participated in and contributed to the annual Thunder Golf Outing on October 17, 2015 at the pristine Lakewood Ranch Country Club during Out-of-Door’s Homecoming Weekend. Teams competed in this annual sporting event fundraiser, vying for the coveted Petrik Cup, while raising money for TAC. This tournament raises money specifically to support the Athletic Department at Out-of-Door.

Out-of-Door is sincerely thankful to the TAC members who hosted this tournament.

2015 - 2016 THUNDER ATHLETIC CLUB MEMBERS The Behne Sharma Family The Cornetet Family The Dodge Family The Feeney Family The Hamill Family The Back Family The Eakle Family The Fenker Family The Bogumil Family The Coakley Family The Colditz Family Gary Hansell The Koffman Family The Mahler Family The Berkowitz Family The Bertrand Family The Birmingham Family The Brinling Family The Cappar Family The Castro Family The Cecil Family The Chadwick Family The Chalhub Family The Colburn Family Debbie Condrak The Diesel-Veith Family The Douglas Family The Dowdell Family

Platinum

Gold

Silver

The Humphrey Family The Khazanchi Family The Lozier Family The Munroe Family

The Holland Family The Opstal Family

The Robinson Family The Schlotthauer Family The Shaklik Family The Wahl Family The White Family

Blue

The Dowdy Family The Dyer Family Kristen Farrell The Gofman-Hajduk Family The Harris Family The Harrison Family The Kolbe Family The Lafoe Family The Lahners Family The Macleod Family The Markowski Family The Merritt Family The Naese Family The Newman Family

The Paxton Family The Polivchak Family The Poole Family The Sambursky Family The Squitieri Family The Sroka Family The Strafuss Family The Swartz Family The Towery Family The VanSuch Family The Varady Family The Wenger Family

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Parent Association Dear Out-of-Door Parents, “Support, Promote and Strengthen our school community” – that’s the proud mission statement of The Out-of-Door Academy’s Parent Association. It takes 10 board members, help from the ODA staff, countless volunteers, and, of course, every one of you to attend and support our events.

With the help of numerous volunteers and dedicated chairs, we hosted our annual Thunder Fun Day held at the Siesta Key Campus, an all school event designed to bring entire families together for a day of fun. We had an amazing time shopping, eating, and catching up with friends at Michael’s on East where we hosted our Holiday Luncheon. Then we celebrated our seniors and kindergartners alike with our time honored tradition at this year’s Spring Luncheon held at the Polo Grill. We were also able to host several back-to-school coffees, teacher appreciation delights, guest speakers, and lunches.

Parent Association Board 2016-2017 President Jamie Becker Treasurer Susann Chalhub Secretary Karen Eckart Lower School Vice President Tina Miller Dee Romito Beth Wild

The 2016-2017 Parent Association Board Members

It is only with these events and your time and support that we are able to live out our mission statement and give back so much to our children, school, faculty, and staff. They are our true treasures.

It’s been my absolute pleasure to serve as the Parent Association president for the past two years and it’s with great pride that I hand over leadership to our own Jamie Becker. Her spirit and enthusiasm for The Out-of-Door Academy is contagious and we are beyond thrilled she will be leading our team!

Sincerely, Daria Spina 2015-2016 President, Parent Association

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Middle School Vice President Michelle Lea Kim Lugannani Lalita Samuel Upper School Vice President Vanessa Opstal Krista Varady

WITH YOUR GENEROSITY, THE PARENT ASSOCIATION SUPPORTED THE FOLLOWING: Siesta Key Campus STEM Microscopes Laminator Library Maker Space Grace Duffey Bench

Uihlein Campus Osprey Platform Lakeside Gazebo

Community-Building Activities Back-to-School Coffees Room/Advisee Parents Thunder Fun Day Parent Luncheons Monthly Faculty/Staff Appreciation

Many of you also helped by volunteering at the following school activities: Homecoming events Spirit Day Convocation Book Fair Uniform Swap Pumpkin Carving Eighth Grade Dinner After-Prom 100 Days Dinner Senior Dinner Arts Day Theater Productions Grandfriends’ Day

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Banyan Bash

BANYAN

BASH LIGHT UP THE NIGHT The Banyan Bash, Out-of-Door’s signature fundraiser, was held on March 12, 2016 at The Dick Vitale Family Student Center & Dart STEM Center on the Uihlein Campus in Lakewood Ranch.

Over 250 guests enjoyed the delicious tasting plates donated by local restaurants, participated in both live and silent auctions and danced into the night under the beautiful evening stars.

Guests were welcomed by the beautiful sounds of the Chamber Ensemble and followed a path to an enchanted area with glowing lights and the aroma of delicious cuisine. The Dart STEM Center featured Out-of-Door student’s visual artwork and designs while the Dick Vitale Family Student Center welcomed guests to a charming atmosphere.

We were thrilled to see our families, alumni, and supporters of The Out-of-Door Academy come together and “Light Up the Night” to benefit our students. We thank you for attending the Banyan Bash and supporting the people and programs at Out-of-Door.

Banyan Bash

SAVE THE DATE

Banyan Ball Saturday, March 11, 2017

Alumni

The Alumni Association is dedicated to building community between alumni and Out-of-Door. Alumni events and school activities offer opportunities for networking, socializing, volunteering, and giving back. Under the leadership of the president of the ODA Alumni Council, Michael Calamaras, ‘06, the Alumni Council has grown in members. The senior classes have benefited from the annual Alumni Council panel discussions over the last four years. The discussions are held to answer any questions that relate to attending college, choosing career paths, networking, and making informed decisions about life after ODA. We are fortunate to have an Alumni Council of dedicated young adults that are starting careers and families, yet are willing to give their time and talents back to Out-of-Door. We invite every ODA alumni to join the Alumni Council’s membership. The Out-of-Door Academy values all of its alumni; whether you attended ODS or ODA, we want to hear from you. Contact Virgene Linse director of alumni relations at vlinse@oda.edu or 941-554-3429.

SAVE THE DATE: 2016-2017 Alumni Events Homecoming & Class of 2006 10-Year Reunion October 7, 2016 Alumni Council Panel December 8, 2016 Alumni Holiday Party December 21, 2016 College Alumni Panel January 4, 2017 Siesta Key Alumni Reunion April 20, 2017

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In 1939, when I attended the Out-of-Door School in Sarasota, followin g the fall semester in Vermont, this New York lad just loved it. Miles and miles of openne ss, trees to climb, and beaches to roam. The Australian pine grove in the southeast corner of ODS were a kid’s delight, as was the Mulberry tree. We came down from that tree stained purple but happy in our successful win over the birds. It was close to heaven for a New York City 10 year-old kid.

I was one of the very few boarding students. Somehow we were able to occasionally slip out at night, cross the road to the ‘dining hall’ and steal ice cream from the kitchen. The school got smart to that after a while. The dining hall was very close to the beach and the swimming enclosure.

It was sad when the school suddenly closed at Christmas, 1941.

I went on to four other prep schools, graduating from Tilton School in Tilton, NH, then earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Florida Southern in Lakeland and after two years in the Army, an MS from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York.

In the Army, I fought in the infantry in Korea, got hurt, took over the

Stripes in Tokyo. That was good duty.

2nd Division newspaper and landed up on Stars and

I’ve worked for magazines, including a brief stint at TIME, lots of newsp apers including the old New York Herald Tribune and wire services such as The Associated Press. Still working, more or less, in newspapers at the age of 87 as a correspondent for the Tampa Bay (nee St. Pete) Times. I live in Sun City Center where I’ve been the golf and travel columnist for four newspapers over the past 14 years.

In between reportage, as my kids got old enough to want to eat, I

went into public relations and worked for a lot of major companies including Swissair’s public relations director for North Americ a and then founded my own PR firm in 1974 which still more or less exists and does spot jobs now and again. For a numbe r of years, one of my clients was Offshore Powerboat Racing and I was part of the team that brought that sport to Saraso ta in 1985. In between, I covered the America’s Cup from 1970 into the 1980s for the AP and did the’76 Olympics for AP and the ‘84 Olympics as Deputy Press Chief for Sailing.

Bob Black

ODS 1939-1941

The Out-of-Door Academy 103

Alumni

WELCOME BACK!

JOANNE MASON, ODS, 1946-1948

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The Out-of-Door Academy 104

Alumni

Joanne Mason, née Davis, attended the Out-of-Door School from 1946-1948 and fondly reminisced her time at ODS during a recent visit. “It really was the Out-of-Door School then,” she said.

Seeing the iconic library flooded her mind with flashbacks of a young girl doing classwork and playing right outside its doors. The vivid visions of her younger self, reading a book, huddling near the fireplace for warmth brought a smile to her face. Mason also spoke about a home across the street from campus, close to where students swam and ate lunch, “I can envision the way it used to be,” she said.

“But, it’s been so long ago that when I look around, I have a hard time seeing anything else that was here.”

Many of the current classes in ODA’s curriculum were taught when Mason attended, including Latin. “The school gave me a good background,” Mason said. She excelled at riding horses and after graduating, she owned a horse and participated in the rodeo.

Mason’s sister Linda also attended ODS and was one of the best riders, amassing numerous ribbons as a student.

In 1972, while Mason and her husband were camping, their home in New Jersey burned down and they lost all of their possessions.

Fortunately, Mason’s mother kept a few items from her childhood including a report card from ODS. Mason returned to Sarasota in 1987 after Bill retired from Hallmark; sadly in 1990, Bill passed away. Today, Mason volunteers at Gulf Gate Library, continues to feed her passion of reading, plays with her dog, and spends a tremendous time at the beach.

It’s hard for Mason to fathom that ODA has a high school now. Her assessment about ODS after more than 68 years is equal to what current Out-of-Door graduates say today. ODA prepares its students for college by providing an excellent education. Since Mason’s time at ODS, the scenery has changed, the grade levels have changed, but the academics and experiences are still preparing an ODS/ODA student for a lifetime.

Mason attended Rollins College on a water ski scholarship while also working as an Aqua Maid at Cypress Gardens. While at Rollins, she met her husband Bill and the two settled in New Jersey.

Bill worked for Hallmark for 55 years before retiring and she worked in several bookstores. The Masons had four children and two granddaughters who are now in college.

Joanne Davis’ ODS report card from 1948.

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Alumni SIESTA KEY ALUMNI Lloyd Tinker Attended ODS 1960-1962 Lloyd attended ODS from sixth-eighth grades. He has many life experiences including surviving a tour in Vietnam. After being discharged from the Army, Lloyd earned a bachelor’s degree at Johns Hopkins University. He spent 15 years in law enforcement as a police officer and detective with the Baltimore City Police Department, specializing in drug enforcement. He was also a Special Agent with the FBI. Lloyd now edits for the Journal of Rehabilitation and Development and is looking forward to his retirement in January 2017. He plans to fish with his dog and work for the journal. Lloyd is married and has three sons and 2.5 granddaughters. His favorite ODS memory was hiding in the tree next to the library. He loved his teachers Mr. Meyer and Mrs. Wheeler. Being a student at ODS helped Lloyd realize that learning could be fun and laid a solid foundation for his life.

Sydney ‘Buffy’ Buffum Crampton Attended ODS 1966-1969 Buffy attended the Out-of-Door School from sixth-ninth grade.

She has fond memories of swimming in the gulf and of her classmates. Since 2004, Buffy has been in charge of the family business resort on Manasota Key called the Manasota Beach Club Cottages. Buffy’s daughter Elizabeth Crampton was an Out-of-Door Academy graduate, Class of 2005.

Valerie Maurer Foley Attended ODA 1984-1993 Since graduating from ODA in 1993, Valerie attended Venice High School and the University of Florida. She majored in sociology and criminology and graduated with honors. Following University of Florida, she graduated from University of Miami Law and is a criminal defense attorney in Naples, Fla. She currently owns her own practice, which allows her to spend quality time with her husband, Shawn and three children, Ava, Conner, and Cooper. Her children attend Seacrest Country Day School in Naples and she thinks of ODA often when the two schools play each other in sports.

Morgan Watkins Attended ODA 1992-2002 Morgan attended the University of Florida for undergraduate studies and attended Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine and earned a doctorate in veterinary medicine. After Morgan graduated, she moved to Greenville, S.C. and was an associate veterinarian for

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three years. Morgan recently moved back to Sarasota to join her father in veterinary practice at the Animal Health Center. This practice has served Sarasota for 26 years and Morgan is proud to continue this legacy. Morgan’s favorite ODA memory was competing in Spirit Day every year. Spirit Day is a perfect combination of school pride and competition. Morgan is grateful for her time at ODA and feels that it helped her excel in both undergraduate and graduate levels of academics.

Justin Doane Attended ODA 1995-1998 Justin went to Stanford University where he earned a bachelors and master’s in materials science and engineering in 2012. Justin is currently working as a battery engineer in the San Francisco Bay Area. Justin fondly remembers Spirit Day and being on the Green Team.

Cameron Doane Attended ODA 2000-2003 Cameron is currently a senior at Southern Methodist University studying mechanical engineering. Cameron is a midfielder on SMU’s club lacrosse team and this past season held a 16-0 record. The lacrosse team won the LSA Conference Championship for the first time in the team’s history. Cameron will never forget being Christopher Columbus in Mrs. Keyser’s second grade class. It was a great experience. Spirit Day is a given – everyone loves Spirit Day. He remembers being a part of the Green Machine. Great fun!

UIHLEIN CAMPUS ALUMNI CLASS OF 2004 Rachel Kashner Rachel attended the College of Charleston and earned a degree in elementary education. She moved to New York and taught elementary school for seven years in Newark, N.J. Currently, Rachel is in graduate school studying educational leadership. Rachel is presently the director of curriculum and instruction for an elementary school in Coney Island, N.J. She feels the ODA experience helped her understand the importance of a high quality education.

CLASS OF 2006

Mercedes McCoy Brown After graduating from ODA, Mercedes attended the University of Wisconsin and graduated with a double major in business administration and marketing. She now works at a large healthcare IT company as an executive in charge of global operations.

Mercedes travels all over the world and loves it. Her favorite memory of ODA was Spirit Day – Go White! She graduated college in three years thanks to the Advanced Placement credits ODA offered.

Michael Calamaras When Michael graduated ODA, he pursued a degree in engineering at the University of Miami. Post-graduation, Michael began working in Sarasota and most recently has been working for TriNet as a regional consultant. He married his wife, Kelly, this year and they regularly attend ODA Alumni events.

Michael remembers playing kickball in the quad during free periods. He is grateful for his experience at The Out-of-Door Academy, which prepared him for college and taught him that he must work hard to succeed.

Austin Dailey When Austin graduated from ODA, he went on to earn a finance degree from the University of Florida and a law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law. Austin is employed as a corporate M&A attorney in Atlanta, Ga. with King and Spalding. Austin was recently married in June 2016.

Katie Dobosz Katie graduated from ODA in 2006, attended the University of Central Florida where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in history.

She taught at ODA from 2011-2013 and attended New York University to work on her master’s degree. Katie graduated from NYU in 2015 with a Masters in global affairs. She recently completed a year teaching seventh grade Global Studies in Jackson, Miss. Katie became engaged in March 2016 to Tanner Kenney. Katie fondly remembers her teachers. They helped her grow as a student and person and mentored her during her first years of teaching at ODA. She is grateful to L’Tanya Evans who she says, “Remains my treasured friend to this day.” Katie feels that her experience at ODA prepared her to continue to find what drives her both personally and professionally. ODA taught her to be confident, but also know that she would always have the ODA family there to support her.

John Eagan John graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from Lehigh University. He earned a law degree at the University of Miami School of Law, where he met his wife. He is an intellectual property attorney at a firm in Miami.

John’s favorite memory was ‘blowing things up’ with Mr. Kennon, but also learning why. He feels ODA taught him to be independent and accomplish his goals.

Scott Haddow Since graduating from ODA, Scott is a realtor.

He joined the Greg Sheller Team and finished in the top four percent of all ReMax agents in the nation last year. ODA prepared him to succeed in his real estate career. Scott’s favorite memory is ‘Bouncing around Beantown’ with Ms. Evans and Mr. Lemieux.

John Clark Hawkins Since graduating from ODA, John earned a bachelors in philosophy and English from the University of North Florida. He went on to earn a master’s certificate in guitar from Berklee College of Music and is a musician. John Clark said that his experience at ODA prepared him to be humble in failure and success, and measure neither in terms of money or power.

Chris Hayes In 2013, Chris relocated to Washington, D.C., where he received his master’s degree from Georgetown. He worked and coached Georgetown’s football team for two years before accepting a position as athletic director for a school in Washington, D.C. Chris remembers football games on the quad during lunchtime. Chris feels that ODA helped him become an educator by following the examples that ODA faculty set when he was a student.

Joshua Israileff After graduating from ODA, Joshua pursued a degree in management, marketing, and economics from DePaul University.

Joshua worked with UBS Financial for six months in Chicago before starting a career in his family’s jewelry manufacturing business, where he is currently the vice president of operations. He remembers Spirit Day on campus and helping the Blue Team finally break the White Team’s winning streak. Joshua is grateful for his experience at ODA and feels it prepared him to navigate the rigors of college.

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Alumni Drew Kantor Drew received his degree with a triple major in mathematics, computer science and economics from Bowdin and later earned a master’s degree in computer science at Brown University. After completing college, Drew joined Amazon in Seattle, Wash. In 2014, he relocated to New York City and began a career at Google.

Bryant Turffs Bryant obtained a degree in environmental science from New College of Florida, where he focused on marine biology and worked extensively with Mote Marine Laboratory. Since receiving his degree, Bryant has worked as a scuba instructor, captain, and educator for several companies around the world. Bryant has visited every continent, save Antarctica, at least twice. Bryant remembers that his teachers went above and beyond to help him succeed in school. The experiences at ODA helped him to excel across the academic spectrum and provided the tools to teach him everything he needs to learn.

Jennifer Savidge Bartlett Jennifer attended Rollins College where she received a Bachelor of Arts in biology in 2010.

Jennifer earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Remington College of Nursing in 2012. She began her nursing career at Winnie Palmer Hospital in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where she spent a little over a year before relocating back to Sarasota. Jennifer worked the last three years in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla. During this time, she received her Master of Science in acute pediatrics and began a career as a nurse practitioner in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in June 2016. Jennifer resides in Lakewood Ranch with her husband K.C. and dog Cowboy. Jennifer’s two favorite memories at ODA are being the only female on the men’s golf team from seventh to 12th grade and attending PreK to 12th grade school with her two siblings and three cousins. “That was the best!” Her time at ODA prepared her to excel in her undergraduate career and continue with her education over the past 10 years. She has achieved her dream of becoming a nurse practitioner.

Amanda Steele Hancock Amanda graduated from Stetson University in Deland, Fla. with a bachelor of science in rehabilitative studies. She moved to Lake Mary, Fla. where she met her husband, Gary. They have been married for four years. Amanda has a successful career as an oil consultant-sales representative for Lynch Oil. She feels her greatest

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accomplishment is her marriage to Gary and the life they are building together. Amanda’s favorite ODA memory was senior prom. The event was held at Mote Marine and was absolutely beautiful. Amanda is grateful for the experience she received at ODA. It helped her become a strong, independent woman. Amanda holds education close and believes without ODA and the faculty who taught her, she would not be the person she is today. “The faculty helped build confidence to help us believe we could handle anything that came our way. I truly hope to give my children the same opportunity,” she said.

Molly Whalen After graduating from ODA, Molly pursued a career in real estate and new home construction. She currently works in Internet Sales for Taylor Morrison in the Tampa and SWFL markets. Molly recently was engaged and purchased a home in Sarasota. She holds many special memories of ODA, and feels it is an amazing school. Molly knows she can conquer anything because of her experiences at ODA. Her time at ODA equipped her with an attitude that ‘if I do not know something, I can learn about it.’ Knowledge is power and there is nothing she cannot tackle.

Stacy Yonker Stacy graduated with a bachelor’s degree in energy technology management at SCFA with honors. She resides in Sarasota and has two beautiful children, Ryan, 4, and Landon, 1.

Stacy’s favorite memory at ODA was the class trip to Boston with Mr. Lemieux and Ms. Evans. “It was the best trip ever,” she said. ODA prepared Stacy to be successful in all future academic endeavors. She received knowledge and many important life lessons from ODA’s faculty. ODA was the best education she could have ever received.

CLASS OF 2007 Alexa Ferro Alexa was an ODA Lifer having attended from kindergarten until her graduation. After graduating ODA, she attended Flagler College in St. Augustine, Fla. where she studied Spanish and Latin American studies and history. After graduating Flagler, Alexa moved to the Midwest and is currently living in Wisconsin. She has a variety of career experiences, focusing on both higher education and the hospitality industry. She continues to be passionate about history and cultural studies. Her other passions include being involved with animal rights, travel, dance, and yoga. Alexa’s

favorite memories at ODA were the trips abroad to the Riviera and Salamanca, Spain and spending time with her incredible teachers.

Alexa is so grateful for the experiences she had at ODA and for the expansive education that she was provided and earned. She says the teachers at ODA are unforgettable and completely dedicated to helping students find their passion in life and in academics. “ODA students receive a well-rounded education that puts them at an advantage later in life,” she said.

CLASS OF 2009 Sekou Bangoura Since graduating from ODA, Sekou has travelled the world for the past six years improving his tennis ranking. He is now one of the top 200 tennis players in the world. Sekou’s favorite memories from ODA are participating in the Turkey Bowl and the teamwork it took to win and really enjoying his Latin class because he was the only guy in the class. “That was fun!” he said.

Sekou felt the experiences at ODA taught him how to manage his time as he balanced a tough course load and he believes that ODA is the perfect preparation for college.

CLASS OF 2010 Amaad ‘AJ’ Strong After graduating from ODA, AJ earned a degree from Campbellsville University while playing football. He is currently the assistant running backs coach for Campbellsville University. AJ fondly remembers being with his friends on campus and participating in baseball and football. He is grateful that ODA prepared him for college and taught him to never give up on any task he put his mind to accomplishing. ODA also taught him to set the bar high and not to settle for anything less.

Michelle Ramos Michelle pursued pre-medicine at Johns Hopkins University, majoring in behavioral biology with a minor in psychology. She is currently attending medical school at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and will enter her second year in the fall. Michelle fondly remembers being on the school’s tennis team. She feels that ODA encouraged her to push herself and work hard in whatever she chooses to pursue.

CLASS OF 2011 Brenden Bercaw Since his time at ODA, Brenden has pursued a bachelor’s degree in finance at Florida State University with a focus in international business. He graduated June 2015 and began working at Deutsche Bank as a vendor management and performance analyst in Jacksonville, Fla, where he resides today.

Brenden’s favorite memory was the fifth grade trip to Washington, D.C. and New York City. The class trips inspired him to continue traveling, and eventually, to study abroad for a semester in Spain.

ODA was instrumental in teaching Brenden how to properly cope with time management and task prioritization, while learning the essential skills of critical thinking and how to communicate ideas in a clear and articulate manner.

Lauren Brown After graduating from ODA, Lauren moved to Denver, Co. and earned a degree in communications at Colorado State University.

Lauren is currently enrolled in CSU’s master’s of management program and works as a general manager for a rapidly growing spa franchise. She is engaged to her longtime boyfriend Alex. One of Lauren’s favorite ODA memories was being a cheerleader. She remembers the heart and dedication of the very young football team and what a thrill it was to cheer them onto the playoffs. The ODA experience helped Lauren develop a strong work ethic, learn how to think critically, and find out how to act like a leader. These skills have been most valuable to Lauren in the workplace.

Austin Ferro Austin attended Skidmore College where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience. While at Skidmore, he received the Harnett Prize in neuroscience for his research on mitochondrial dysfunction in spinocerebellar ataxia type 1.

Austin is attending the University of Minnesota in the graduate program of neuroscience. He is working towards his doctorate in Dr. Marija Cventonivc’s and Dr. Alphonso Araque’s labs, studying glial pathology in neurodegenerative diseases. Austin’s experience at ODA helped him realize who he wanted to be and his course of study.

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Alumni Wesley Kean

Jack Cannon

Wesley attended the Georgia Institute of Technology and earned a degree in business operations and supply chain management and a minor in engineering and business. Wesley was a member of the Sigma Nu Fraternity and was published as a research assistant with his work on standardization verses creativity. He received the Outstanding Leader Award amongst his business class and graduated with highest honors. Wesley is currently working as a consultant at Grant Thornton. Wesley’s favorite ODA memories are playing textbook tennis on the main quad and playing the sport tennis in Florida’s beautiful sunshine, that he misses dearly. Overall, he enjoyed the ‘outdoor’ atmosphere of the school, and, of course, the outstanding faculty who went above and beyond their job description to care for all students. ODA gave Wesley the perspective to look at the world with more of an open mind.

Jack earned a degree in business administration at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business. He enjoyed his time at ODA and the experience of training for and playing football.

Ian Mullen Ian qualified as the 10th driver out of over 100 nation-wide challengers to compete at the World Center of Racing, Daytona International Speedway. Ian then won 4th place in the SCCA national championship. Ian thanks Out-of-Door for instilling a mindset of excellence, determination, and dedication that made this endeavor possible.

Christy Steed Christy attended the University of Nebraska and relocated to South Dakota to work for a horse trainer. Since ODA, Christy has pursued a career in the horse industry: she rides, ropes, and barrel horses, while living the ranch life.

Christy started a breeding program and her first foal was born this year. Christy remembers playing softball and hitting an over-the-fence homerun. She credits ODA for providing her the confidence and knowledge to pursue a career in a male dominated profession.

CLASS OF 2012 Tyler Burgett Tyler earned his bachelor’s degree in sports marketing and management with a minor in business at Indiana University. Tyler played the position of linebacker for four years on the Indiana Hoosiers football team. He is employed as a mortgage loan officer in Indianapolis, Ind. and is working on a master’s degree online at Miami University. Tyler remembers playing football on Friday nights and feels that the ODA experience helped him navigate through college and graduate with his degree.

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Sammi Jo Gaeta Sammi completed a bachelor’s degree in psychology at The College of Wooster in Wooster, Oh. She continued her education at Wright State University for a post-baccalaureate pre-dental program. Sammi fondly remembers playing sports and attending all the sporting events at ODA. ODA taught Sammi how to manage her time and reach the goal of achieving a college degree.

Nicolai Israileff Nicolai has a diverse background with a father from Switzerland and a mother from France.

At Stetson University, Nicolai was a proud member of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity.

His passion for the finance industry was ignited after experiencing Wall Street as a summer research analyst for Cantor Fitzgerald in New York City.

He interned at Black Coral Financial Advisors in New Jersey. After earning a bachelor of business administration in finance and family business Consulting from Stetson University, Nicolai moved back to Sarasota and began his career in the financial industry with LCM Advisors. Nicolai is passionate about speaking French with his parents and giving back to the community of Sarasota County.

Nicolai does a variety of things throughout the community: he is a flag football coach, and basketball coach, Boys and Girls Club mentor, and volunteers with the Special Olympics. Nicolai’s favorite ODA memory was walking to school in such an incredible beautiful and safe environment. Nicolai is grateful for his experience at Out-of-Door which helped him learn how to connect with others on a personal level, while creating relationships that will last a lifetime.

Marina Kyte Marina attended High Point University where she graduated Cum Laude and received a bachelor of science degree in interior design and is currently an interior designer. Marina’s favorite memory was participating on the swim team and being the makeup artist for the school plays. Marina appreciates her ODA experience, because it helped her to excel in her classes and academics at High Point University.

Mark Marcello Mark attended St. Bonaventure University for his first two years of college. After his second year, he transferred to the University of South Florida in St. Petersburg, Fla. where he completed a Bachelor

of Science degree in biology. Over the past year, Mark has been fortunate to travel and backpack southwestern Europe and the United Kingdom. He also embarked on a photography expedition in search of snow leopards in Indian Tibet this past winter. ODA provided Mark with confidence to face rigorous college classes and taught him how to professionally communicate with his teachers.

Brian Ragone Brian graduated from Amherst College in 2016, with a degree in mathematics. As a member of the Amherst football team for four years, he won three NESCAC Championships from 2013-2015. Brian is currently working for a small business that focuses on branding, advertising, and business consulting for online businesses. Brian says he was always welcome on the Siesta Key Campus during after-school hours to play sports until the sunset. “It was incredibly rewarding to have a place to be active everyday throughout my childhood,” he said. ODA provided Brian the opportunity to attend a top-tier college and gave him the necessary tools that enabled him to thrive. ODA instilled both soft and hard skills that allowed him to be open-minded, creative, and ambitious during his college years and beyond.

CLASS OF 2013 Brandon Place This year, Brandon participated in Denison University’s off-campus program, where many undergraduate students choose to broaden their horizons through off-campus study. Motivated students from around the world tailor educational experiences in pursuit of their highest aspirations.

Nicholas Lewis Nicholas pursued a degree in music education at Florida State University. In 2014, he was the youngest recipient of the assistant conductor position at FSU Opera. Since then, he has been invited to conduct all over the world, including at Charleston Symphony, the Detroit Sessions, and the artist series in Tallahassee. Nicholas’ favorite memory at ODA was getting to play Wilbur in the musical Hairspray. He performed a hilarious dance sequence (“Timeless to Me”) that he’ll never forget. Nicholas hopes that dance is on tape somewhere! The experiences Nicholas received at ODA created opportunities that helped him fulfill his passions and gave him the tools necessary to move forward with confidence.

CLASS OF 2014 Daniel Pivonka Daniel is attending Lake Forest College and will be a junior in the fall. He is majoring in finance and minoring in cinema studies. He is currently vice president of Delta Chi Fraternity and has served as treasurer. Daniel plays for the tennis team and won the Midwest Conference Championship this year. This summer Daniel interned at Coyote Logistics in Chicago and hopes to work for the company after graduating. Daniel enjoyed the friendships developed at ODA. He had fun, but he worked hard and did well.

Daniel enjoyed performing as an actor in two theater productions during his senior year. His experience at ODA helped him be more organized and diligent in whatever he chooses to pursue.

CLASS OF 2015 Rachel Rodgers Since her time at ODA, Rachel had a successful freshman year at the University of Tampa. She made new friends from all over the world, joined a wonderful sorority, Delta Zeta, and is pursuing her love for music and singing.

Rachel’s favorite ODA memory was when she sang with Helena Beltrao, ‘17, at the talent show. Rachel said she felt so privileged to sing with such an amazing singer. Rachel is grateful for her experience at ODA, which prepared her to excel in academics, stay organized, and communicate well with her professors and peers.

Mark Sulimirski Mark’s first year at Boston College was the most exciting and memorable time of his life.

“Boston College does an extraordinary job integrating the freshman class into daily life,” he said. “Although this may seem intimidating to most, it is key to remember where you come from, and everything your supporters taught you,” he added. The ODA community was truly unique in creating such a personalized experience for each and every student, and the work ethic taught from a young age served him very well this past year. Whether it is getting to know new people and professors, studying for big finals, or just busy work, he found himself so grateful to have such a seamless transition from high school to college life. “Remember to always keep an open mind, and to remind yourself that you have an entire community that is supporting you for future success.”

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F R I D A Y , O C T O B E R 7, 2 0 1 6 All-School Family Picnic - 5:00-7:00 pm

Check in at the registration table to pick up your FREE dinner ticket and enjoy activities for the entire family.

Alumni Gathering

Prior to the start of the football game, alumni will gather at the entrance of Thunder Stadium to help welcome the football team to the field.

Varsity Football Game - 7:00 pm

The Out-of-Door Academy vs. Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School Adults $5, Students $3 • ODA Students & Alumni - FREE!

www.oda.edu/homecoming

Visit us online for directions, parking information, and further details.

2016-2017 School Calendar of Openings & Closings Monday, August 15

Open House, Grades PreK-5 Conference Day, Grades 6-12

Tuesday, August 16

Conference Day, Grades PreK-5 New Student Orientation, Grades 6-12

Wednesday, August 17

First Day of Classes, Grades PreK-12

Monday, September 5

Labor Day; No School

Monday, October 10

Columbus Day; No School

Thursday, October 27

Parent Conferences; No School

Friday, November 18

Monday, November 28

Thanksgiving Break begins at end of day Classes Resume

Friday, December 16

Holiday Break begins at end of day

Monday, January 2 Faculty Professional Day; No School Tuesday, January 3

Classes Resume

Monday, January 16

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; No School

Friday, February 10

Mid-Winter Break begins at end of day

Monday, February 20

Faculty Professional Day; No School

Tuesday, February 21

Classes Resume

Thursday, March 23

Parent Conferences; No School

Friday, April 7

Spring Break begins at end of day

Monday, April 17

Classes Resume

Monday, May 29

Memorial Day; No School

Thursday, June 1

Last Day of Classes, Grades PreK-12

Friday, June 2

Lower School Graduation Middle School Graduation

Saturday, June 3

Commencement

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID Permit No. 1422

444 Reid Street | Sarasota, FL 34242

The Dick Vitale Family Student Center & Dart STEM Center during an evening on the Uihlein Campus in Lakewood Ranch.

Manasota, FL