Banyan Magazine - Summer 2017

BANYAN

THE

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

Switch FLIPPING THE

Solar Sustainability on our Historic Siesta Key Campus

SUMMER

2017

Core Values Respect Integrity Service Excellence Responsibility Since 1924, The Out-of-Door Academy has remained true to its original mission. Our faculty has always understood that shaping the lives of our students, by instilling core values and helping young people make good decisions, is essential for student learning, growth, and development.

www.oda.edu

Dear Friends of Out-of-Door, The 2016-2017 school year was a truly memorable, and exceptional year for The Out-of-Door Academy. Across almost every performance metric our school established all-time records and high water marks. In August, we welcomed the largest, and most diverse student body in the ninety-two year history of our school. In June, we celebrated the Commencement of the Class of 2017, the largest class ever to graduate from Out-of-Door. Several years ahead of our ten-year projections, we have reached our optimum enrollment. With strong demand for the breadth and rigor of an Out-of-Door education, we will continue to seek talented young people from the Sarasota area and beyond who will enrich our student body and embrace our school’s mission and core values.

While experiencing some of the predictable growing pains that accompany a rapidly growing enrollment, as a faculty, we remain focused on the need for continuous improvement for all facets of the student experience at Out-of-Door. In alignment with our strategic vision for the future, we are committed to expanding and enriching the learning opportunities available to our students on campus, and beyond, to meet the needs of a rapidly changing and increasingly interconnected world. In the pages that follow in this edition of the Banyan, you will see evidence of our commitment to qualitative growth in all areas of our mission: from project based learning in STEM, to creative artistic expression on stage and in the studio, to our student-athletes’ pursuit of their dreams, to community focused service learning opportunities, to collaborative, international and educational partnerships, to infusing our core values into everything we do, our pre-K through 12 program is nimble, dynamic, complex and increasingly relevant to a world of profound and significant change that is all around us.

A Message from the Head of School

David V. Mahler

Finally, as you can see from the cover of this Banyan magazine, we are truly entering a new era regarding our sustainability initiatives with the addition of a vast array of solar panels on our historic Siesta Key Campus.

Beyond the important message of good stewardship that this investment makes to our students, our local community and the broader world of education, this is truly the gift that keeps giving. Primarily funded by an ODA family that wishes to remain anonymous, these solar panels will dramatically reduce our electrical consumption and expenses while insulating us from future increases in the cost of energy. These resources will be re-allocated to enrich and expand the programs that we are able to offer to our students.

This philanthropic family has also invested in the future of our Lower School marine science program with the creation of a fabulous new laboratory and STEM project space including touch tanks designed by Mote Marine that will mirror local aquatic ecosystems and videoconferencing technology that will connect our youngest students to scientists and researchers across the planet at the touch of a button. On the Uihlein Campus, a group of ODA families has donated a new athletic complex to meet the demands of a rapidly growing athletic program.

This new facility will open in the fall and will eliminate the need for off-site rentals and staggered practice schedules so that all of our student-athletes participating in field sports will remain on campus and will now be able to return home at the dinner hour each night. At the top of our agenda for 2017-2018 is finalizing the design for a new field house to provide parallel practice facilities for our indoor athletic programs.

As we take the time to reflect on one of the most successful years in the history of Out-of-Door, we are also focused on the prospect of an even brighter future for our school. As a faculty and staff, we will continue the essential work of inspiring each and every ODA student to realize their full potential and to pursue their dreams with confidence, resolve and integrity. On behalf of the entire ODA family, thank you so much for your generous philanthropic support and for all that you do for our school. These resources afford us the opportunity to provide the facilities, programs and people that make the Out-of-Door experience both unique and exceptional.

With gratitude,

David V. Mahler Head of School 2

The Banyan

Table of Contents 8

28

44

84

FEATURES

IN THIS ISSUE

After 15 years, Ron Gelbman Graduates. . . . . . . . 6 Solar Sustainability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Ms. Debbie Waterman: 37 Years of Service. . . . . 16 Mrs. Lupe Sosa: 27 Years of Service. . . . . . . . . . 18 Welcome New Head of Upper School, Christopher Chesley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Marine Science . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 KaiWen Academy Visits Out-of-Door. . . . . . . . . . 44 Flik Independent Food Dining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Saraiah Walkes: State Titles Today, Olympics Tomorrow. . . . . . 84 A Roaring Twenties Inspired Banyan Ball . . . . . 110 1943 Brochure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Message from the Head of School. . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Letter From the Board Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 School Traditions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Faculty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Academics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Senior Profiles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Graduation Ceremonies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Campus Visitors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Athletics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Philanthropic Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Alumni. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

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 Pre-K - 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 © 2017 The Out-of-Door Academy

Dear Out-of-Door Community, I can’t believe the 2016-2017 school year is over and we have graduated a record class of 72 seniors! I want to thank all of our students, parents, faculty and staff who made the year a huge success by every measure. We had record enrollment and retention rates, record participation in our athletic and arts programs, record fundraising and 100 percent college acceptance of our seniors, just to mention a few highlights. None of this would be possible without the support of our entire ODA community.

At the board’s annual retreat and planning session last September, we set six goals for the year:

Letter from the Board Chair

Larry Fox

1. Plan for the future growth of our school. Approximately 10 years ago, a master plan was adopted to provide a framework for the development of ODA. Although we are thrilled that we have achieved our 10year goals in about half of the projected time, it has put stress on parts of our campus, especially our facilities.

The board will again spend a significant amount of time over the next year addressing our long-range plan in an effort to balance maintaining the culture and mission of the school with the ability to continue to enroll more new students.

2. Conduct a successful annual fund campaign and Banyan Ball to help close our funding gap. In the annual budget, tuition is about $1 million short of covering our expenses; therefore, without the help of our many generous donors, we would not be able to provide the excellent level of education that we do. We exceeded our goal with both of those programs, raising more than $1.15 million in total unrestricted funds.

3. Begin the process of construction on our new athletic facilities. As with any new building on campus, the project starts with fundraising. I am happy to report that the fundraising is complete for three new fields, and in June we broke ground on a new athletic complex, with a scheduled completion this fall. A new indoor practice facility is also on schedule with fundraising underway and our architects working on the final designs.

4. Develop a metric to measure our success in placing our students in the best colleges and universities.

We have made good progress in putting together a framework for this measurement, but we realize that this is a difficult outcome to assess. We will continue to work with our historical data to try to develop an effective measurement of our college placements over time.

5. Review our athletic and arts programs. A thorough analysis of each program was completed and a number of suggestions for improvement were made. While there are too many suggestions to list here, ideas included improving our facilities (with the primary focus of getting our students home earlier); increasing the number of coaches for our athletic programs; and expanding our arts offerings. At our last board meeting, additional funding was approved to help meet these goals.

6. Review our school security procedures. Without going into great detail, for obvious reasons, enhancements were made to our security protocols, and we have invested in the expansion of our electronic surveillance to make our campuses safer places for our children. We will continue to evaluate and enhance the security of both the Siesta Key and Uihlein campuses.

Again, thank you for helping us make the 2016-2017 school year one of our best ever. I look forward to building upon our momentum and seeing all of you in the coming year.

4

The Banyan

New Members of the Board of Trustees Tony Bonacuse Tony Bonacuse worked as a district manager for ADP, and left in late 1995 to start his first company, HR Tech/Intraforce. He sold that business and founded Senior Helpers, a company that provides in-home care services to seniors who need activities of daily living assistance. Tony also founded and sold multiple other companies, including the first urgent care franchise system in the U.S., Doctors Express. Currently, Tony is a general partner and board member of Siesta Coast Capital – a real estate owner/operator.

Throughout the course of his professional career, Tony has held positions of CEO, COO, president, general partner and board member. His primary interest is spending time with his wife, Courtney, and their three daughters: Austin, Emma and Sofie. Tony enjoys skiing, hiking, biking, diving, swimming and pretty much any activity associated with the water or the mountains.

Thomas Murphy Thomas Murphy established his first company, Imperial Software, while studying computer science at The Rochester Institute of Technology. The company quickly grew to become the largest business partner for IBM in the education market and was sold in 2002. Thomas designed and coded a new category of software known as Professional Development Management Systems. His web-based product, MyLearningPlan, would become the most widely used in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean with more than 1,000 school districts and state and regional departments of education as customers. Thomas is currently designing and researching software applications in the area of virtual currencies. In addition, he is a certified anti-money laundering specialist, an Amazon web services certified solution architect and a Coast Guard licensed master captain. He and his wife, Ali, reside on Siesta Key with their sons Cash and Max.

Scott Smith Scott Smith began his career at Continental Bank in Chicago. He spent six years at Ziegler Securities, a healthcare investment bank based in Chicago. In 2005, Scott and his family relocated to Sarasota from New York City. After 16 years, Smith recently retired from Cain Brothers and Company, a privately-held healthcare investment bank based in New York City, where he was a member of the firm’s executive committee and board of directors. He ran three divisions within the bank – Capital Markets, CB Asset Management and CB Funding and remains an advisor to its board. He enjoys traveling, reading, boating, wine collecting and spending time with his wife Julie and their six children.

2017-2018 Board of Trustees Jamie Becker Tony Bonacuse Douglas Bradbury Robert Crisci Ariane Dart Larry Fox Mitzie Henson Teena Humphrey Tammy Karp Ann Kittle Donna Koffman Ashley Kozel Julie Luhrsen Tom Murphy Ken Pendery Scott Smith Larry Thompson Terri Vitale David White EMERITUS Ron Gelbman Gerd Petrik Reed Savidge Brendra Uihlein EX-OFFICIO David V. Mahler

The Out-of-Door Academy

5

AFTER 15 YEARS, RON GELBMAN GRADUATES FROM THE OUT-OF-DOOR ACADEMY Ron Gelbman joined the ODA Board of Trustees in 2002 and quickly became a driving force in guiding the school’s growth and shaping its culture.

He served as chairman, treasurer and head of the finance committee at various times during his tenure, making an unmistakable impact on ODA as a premier academic institution.

Board of Trustees

Now, he’s stepping down after a remarkable decade and a half of service, earning a well-deserved title of distinction with his appointment as Trustee Emeritus.

Gelbman was a key figure in building ODA’s endowment from $200,000 to more than $19 million. He strongly advocated for the preservation of the historic Siesta Key Campus when serious consideration was given to consolidating the school in Lakewood Ranch. He helped instill a culture of excellence that resonates throughout the school and established the Gelbman Family Wellness Center on the Uihlein Campus.

Gelbman brought decades of elite business experience to the ODA board and insisted on high standards in every area of the school.

“I want everything we do to be excellent,” Gelbman said. “There are no exceptions. Nothing is too small not to be excellent.”

After a long executive career at Johnson & Johnson, Gelbman relocated to Sarasota from New Jersey in 2000. It was a Florida homecoming, as he had grown up in Jacksonville and attended

6

The Banyan

Rollins College in Winter Park. He sought school recommendations for daughter Lisa from the head of admissions at Rollins, where he served as a trustee.

Based on a strong reference, and attracted by the charm of the Siesta Key Campus, ODA won out.

Lisa graduated from ODA in 2008 and subsequently attended Bucknell University in Pennsylvania.

She now resides in New York, where she works in medical advertising.

Gelbman politely declined when he was first asked to join the ODA Board of Trustees. He wanted to make sure he didn’t overshadow or intrude upon his daughter’s school experience.

“I wanted Lisa to have the freedom to be herself,” Gelbman said. “They asked me three times to be on the board before I finally said OK the fourth time.”

It’s difficult to envision for anyone who wasn’t around at the time, but ODA had legitimate financial issues in the early 2000s. It was an annual rite for the school to open a line of credit each March to meet payroll.

Gelbman distinctly recalls dropping off Lisa for her first day of classes at the Uihlein Campus and seeing the quad as a quagmire of mud, cordoned off by yellow caution tape. He was unimpressed, to put it mildly. Coming from a corporate environment where attention to detail was paramount to success, he believed it was more than just a bad look. He knew parents could perceive it as a reflection on the overall state of the school. He voiced his concern

Arts Center Ribbon Cutting

and was told funds were not available to clean up the eyesore. Rather than simply complain, he helped arrange for the area to be beautified – just one such gesture that points back to the expectation of excellence in everything at ODA.

“His dedication, hard work and commitment have positioned the school perfectly for the future,” Mahler said. “Nobody works harder than Ron Gelbman. He has been a tremendous resource for our school and a great mentor to me.”

“The message we want to keep sending to kids and parents is that you’re all important,” Gelbman said.

“And by the way, you’ve got a responsibility, too.

You’ve got to take care of what we give you. It’s not just a one-way pact that we have. You’ve got to deliver, too. You’ve got to be excellent also.”

Gelbman is careful to point out that any article about his contributions to ODA would be remiss not to share credit throughout the school community.

He bristles a bit at the attention and emphatically sings the praises of a dedicated faculty, staff, board members and Mahler.

Gelbman would play a key role in securing David Mahler as Head of School in 2004 by heading up the search committee that identified Mahler and recruited him to ODA. In retrospect, Gelbman said the committee had assembled a pool of five or six excellent candidates. But even in that context, Mahler stood out to Gelbman.

“David and I didn’t do this alone,” Gelbman said.

“There is a board of trustees, and the board bought into the plan. They approved everything. They were involved in all of this. There was zero politics, zero cliques, zero friction. We disagreed from time to time, which is healthy. But we all shared the same vision for the future of ODA. In addition, we were and are fortunate to have amazing faculty and staff who believed in the vision of making ODA a premier independent school.

“What was the best thing I did in 15 years at ODA?” Gelbman pondered. “Getting David to Sarasota.

Everything after that was easy, even though ODA was in a bad situation financially. The first time I talked to David, he really appealed to me, so I just kept after him. The rapport was just instantaneous.”

In 2008, Ron Gelbman presented daughter, Lisa, her diploma

Ron Gelbman, David Mahler, and Ken Pendery

“It was everybody’s success.”

After 15 years at ODA, Ron Gelbman has graduated with honors.

The feeling was mutual and remains to this day.

Mahler doesn’t hesitate to mention Gelbman as a pivotal figure in the Academy’s 93-year history.

The Out-of-Door Academy

7

SOLAR SUSTAINABILITY The Out-of-Door Academy has made a firm

commitment to renewable resources in recent years.

Now, the school has raised the stakes on that pledge in a big way.

The historic Siesta Key Campus flipped the switch on a sparkling new array of solar energy panels in June, marking ODA’s most ambitious sustainability project to date.

The $350,000 project was made possible through a lead donor who wishes to remain anonymous. More than 500 panels were installed, each measuring approximately 3½ feet by 6½ feet and capable of generating 320 watts of electricity. Cost projections indicate that the array could pay for itself in as little as five years – and almost certainly before the school celebrates its centennial anniversary in 2024.

Perhaps even more important is ODA’s opportunity to become a model of conservation for other schools and inspire students to consider environmental issues and impacts.

8

The Banyan

“We should be doing everything we can do to educate the next generation about good stewardship,” said ODA Head of School David Mahler. “I see this as a teaching opportunity as it relates to everyone’s responsibility to take care of our planet.”

With that in mind, students and faculty will be able to access data collected by the solar monitoring system in real time on computers, tablets and other devices. They will be able to make equivalency comparisons, the number of trees preserved or gallons of gasoline saved over a period of time for instance, and identify trends in financial savings and reduction in the school’s carbon footprint. Students will also be able to utilize the information for STEM projects and other classroom applications.

Solar panels on Glendy Huene Library/Media Center

“That is the most exciting part to me,” said ODA Facilities Director Dan Dennehy. “We can teach our students, and hopefully their families, that you can make this world a better place, and you can do so economically by harvesting the sun.”

To perform the installation process, ODA enlisted Region Solar, a Sarasota-based firm that manages solar projects throughout the eastern United States.

The company’s director, Andrew Tanner, said the project is the largest of its kind at a Florida elementary school and represents one of the biggest such projects in the area. “This expresses the direction, intent and stewardship of the school,” Tanner said. “They’re putting their money where their mouth is.”

10 The Banyan

The way the array works is relatively straightforward. Solar power is absorbed by the panels and converted from direct to alternating current by inverter boxes. This supply is exhausted before traditional grid electricity is tapped to meet campus needs. Surplus power gathered during peak collection periods is transferred to the electric grid in a practice called net metering, which provides utility credits back to the school. A cost analysis

by Region Solar indicates that ODA can expect to reduce its annual energy costs at the Siesta Key Campus by about 60 percent.

Work on the project was performed exclusively when school was out of session in order to avoid academic disruption. The effort began in April, when classes were adjourned for spring break, and was completed after the academic year ended in June. Tanner said the panels are designed to withstand winds of up to 170 mph without becoming dislodged, and the array requires surprisingly little maintenance, according to Dennehy.

Whenever the sun is shining over Siesta Key, the ODA community can take pride in knowing that dollars are being redirected from utility bills to the classroom by way of clean, renewable energy.

“I’ve got new terminology in my vocabulary,” Mahler said. “Instead of just saying, ‘Hey, it’s a beautiful, sunny day,’ you can also say, ‘Today is a great solar day’.”

Indeed, it all adds up to a significant step forward in what was already a multipronged sustainability initiative.

$11,275 saved in electricity thanks to our Building Management Systems

Other areas in which ODA has made environmentally-motivated decisions in recent years include: • Providing single-stream recycling at both the Siesta Key and Uihlein campuses • Utilizing motion-sensing lights in every room on both campuses to save electricity when lights are not in use • Installing water fountains with bottle refilling stations that tally the number of plastic bottles saved • Purchasing furniture and carpet made from recycled materials • Using soybean-derived insulation and roof designs that reflect heat in recent construction • Replacing standard air-conditioning filters with ultraviolet high-efficiency filters • Converting standard fluorescent lighting to high-efficiency fluorescent and LED lighting • Utilizing auto-flush, water-conserving features on new plumbing fixtures and upgrading to hand dryers from paper towels • Increasing usage of all-natural cleaning products

Looking to the future, preliminary design work is already being studied for a potential solar retrofit project at the Uihlein Campus at Lakewood Ranch.

The roofline angles and ample square footage atop that campus facilities are especially conducive for solar panels, and the Dick Vitale Family Student Center and Dart STEM Center building was specifically constructed to be able to accommodate an array.

“I think this solar initiative is going to push us to do much more,” Mahler said of the Siesta Key project. “It’s a great step forward for our school, and I can’t wait to see what the next step is going to be.

Hopefully, it’s just the beginning.”

1,305,276 water bottles saved during the 2016-2017 school year thanks to campus bottle refilling stations

13,409 plastic milk jugs recycled to create waste receptacles on both campuses

Undoubtedly, it’s a great solar day at ODA.

The Out-of-Door Academy 11

SENIOR & KINDERGARTEN BUDDIES

School Traditions

On September 30, 2016, the annual tradition of pairing students in the senior and kindergarten classes at The Out-of-Door Academy took place.

This tradition began 13 years ago, when members of the Class of 2017 were kindergarten students.

Eleven of the 72 seniors, affectionately known as ODA Lifers, have very special memories of this program, McCabe Ballance; Cody Cheney; Kevin Deems; Emily Dixon; Clarence Dodge; Larissa Eaden; Jason Fineberg; Sophia Gardinier; Christian McCarthy; Nicholas Murphy and Joseph Runge.

Along with the Lifers, the senior class traveled to the historic Siesta Key Campus to meet their Kindergarten Buddies for the first time. The group ate lunch together, took a group photo at the Kozel Amphitheatre and played on the kindergarten playground. This first meeting was important because it provided role models for the kindergarten class, but it also allowed them to get to know each other before Convocation.

Ms. L’Tanya Evans, associate head of school for academics, said that since the first Senior-Kindergarten Buddy event, ODA has added more opportunities for the two groups to connect throughout the year. These included kindergarten students sending Valentine’s Day cards to seniors, seniors sending holiday greetings to kindergarten students and kindergarten students coming to the Uihlein Campus in the spring for breakfast with their Senior Buddies and a rousing game of duck, duck, goose on the quad.

“Many of the buddies maintain relationships with each other post commencement,” Evans said. “It’s a great program that the seniors see as a privilege or a rite of passage and each class looks forward to it.”

12 The Banyan

OPENING OUR HEARTS ON GRANDFRIENDS’ DAY Students at The Out-of-Door Academy’s Lower School welcomed their grandparents and family friends to the Siesta Key Campus on February 10, 2017 to participate in our Grandfriends’ Day celebration. This annual event is an opportunity for students to invite their grandparents and special friends to visit Out-of-Door for musical performances, to spend quality time together and to share what they have learned in the classroom during the school year.

Grandfriends arrived to a musical performance directed by Ms. Martha Gulacsy, Dr. Linda Vasilaki and Mr. Ed Stiles. The theme of this year’s concert was Musical Escapes to the Seven Continents and students in each grade level learned or wrote songs about each continent, including a student-composed song about Antarctica. Our Grandfriends were truly delighted while listening to the performances. After being serenaded, the Grandfriends were whisked around the historic Siesta Key Campus for some brain-bending fun at a multitude of interactive inquiry stations – activities such as escape boxes, construction zones, circuit exploration and puzzles were available to inspire critical thinking. Everyone had the opportunity to join the fun at the photo booths loaded with various props and gadgets for fun-filled photo memories.

HOMECOMING The annual all-school Homecoming events were held on the Uihlein Campus in Lakewood Ranch on October 8, 2016 after being rescheduled due to Hurricane Matthew. ODA family members enjoyed a wonderful catered lunch by Nancy’s Bar-B-Q while the younger children enjoyed face painting, bounce houses and activities on the quad.

After the picnic, the ODA community showed their Thunder spirit by supporting the varsity football team at Thunder Stadium as they hosted Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School in a hard-fought contest. During halftime, the Homecoming Court was honored midfield. The 2016 Homecoming Court included: 10th Grade’s Duke and Duchess, Mutaz Faqqouseh and Alexis Assha; 11th Grade’s Prince and Princess, Chris Eckart and Ashley DeBartolo; and the 2016 Homecoming King and Queen, Cody Cheney and Caitlin Camire.

Later that evening our Upper School students enjoyed the “Red Queen’s Ball,” an Alice in Wonderland-themed Homecoming Dance in the Black Box Theater. The event was an elegant affair and we hope our seniors enjoyed their final Homecoming Dance at The Out-of-Door Academy.

The Homecoming festivities are always a great opportunity for the Out-of-Door community to come together, welcome its alumni back and show their school spirit in their blue and white.

SPIRIT DAY Spirit Day, one of Out-of-Door’s oldest school traditions, was held on April 7, 2017 and began with our annual service project collecting peanut butter and jelly to benefit All Faiths Food Bank’s Campaign Against Summer Hunger. The White Team donated 424 jars of jelly and the Blue Team donated 378 jars of peanut butter, totaling 802 jars of food.

Following the student processional around the track, the games officially began with the White Team narrowly outpacing the Blue Team in the eighthgrade obstacle course. Students then dispersed into grade level “Olympic-style” competitions that included events such as the balloon toss, tug-of-war and water games. Spirit Day ended with the highly anticipated senior obstacle course, which the Blue Team won. At the close of the event, there were smiles, laughter and an incredible celebration of the teamwork between the two groups with the White Team narrowly outpacing the Blue Team for the day.

Spirit Day Donation Totals

424

Jars of Jelly

378

Jars of Peanut Butter

Congratulations to all of our students for competing with integrity. A special thank you to parents Michele Abrams and Courtney Bonacuse for helping count the peanut butter and jelly donations and to all our parents and grandparents who were on campus to lend a hand!

The Out-of-Door Academy 13

CONVOCATION:

UPLIFTING THE SENIOR CLASS OF 2017 The Senior Class of 2017 was recognized at Convocation on November 10, 2016. Convocation brought together all elements of the school’s community including the 757 students, 132 faculty and staff members and parents of the Classes of 2017 and 2029.

Seniors celebrate Convocation with their Kindergarten Buddies

Convocation gift to the Class of 2017

14 The Banyan

Convocation is one of several school-wide traditions that promote unity across the student body. It started at Out-of-Door in fall 2002 when the then dean of students, Martha Holland, acknowledged the seniors and their leadership by having them sign the Honor Pledge in front of the Middle and Upper Schools’ student body. The following year, sixth-grade students were invited to the event as part of the transition experience from one campus to another.

In fall 2004, the idea to include the entire school, matching seniors with Kindergarten Buddies, and having each class lift up the senior class’ leadership with gifts of songs and poetry was created. “This is the 13th year of this celebration that bookends with Commencement in June,” said L’Tanya Evans, associate head of school for academics.

Head of School, Mr. David Mahler, officially opened the 2016 Convocation celebration. The Middle and Upper School Orchestra played and the procession began with kindergarten students escorting their senior buddies, hand-in-hand, into the Petrik Thunderdome. Since its inception, Convocation has been a moving event that brings senior parents to witness not only the celebration, but also the beginning of one of their senior’s most special years at ODA. Seniors McCabe Ballance, Cody Cheney,

Kevin Deems, Emily Dixon, Clarence Dodge, Larissa Eaden, Jason Fineberg, Sophia Gardinier, Christian McCarthy, Nicholas Murphy and Joseph Runge began their academic careers at ODA in either pre-kindergarten or kindergarten. In addition to senior parents, kindergarten parents attended this year’s Convocation and previewed what will come during the 2028-2029 school year when their students are seniors and leading the school.

The Class of 2017 student representatives, Caitlin Camire and Kiarra Womack presented Mr. Mahler with this year’s Honor Scroll, which included the 301 signatures of every Upper School student, pledging to uphold and respect The Out-of-Door Academy’s Honor Code and abide by its Five Core Values: Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence, and Responsibility.

At the conclusion of Convocation, the Class of 2017 along with their Kindergarten Buddies from the Class of 2029 together rang the school bell and took photos, including an all-school photo taken on the quad.

“Convocation is a celebration of our senior class and the Class of 2017 is a truly exceptional group of young people,” said Mr. Mahler. “As faculty and staff, we look forward to walking every step of the journey from Convocation to Commencement with this special senior class.”

F R I D A Y , O C T O B E R 20 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. St. Petersburg Catholic High School Adults $5, Students $3 • ODA Students & Alumni - FREE!

www.oda.edu/homecoming

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

MS. DEBBIE WATERMAN: 37 YEARS OF SERVICE AT ODA

During Debbie Waterman’s 44-year-long teaching career, 37 of those years were spent at The Outof-Door Academy teaching students in the Lower and Middle Schools. She earned both her Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Education degree from Plymouth State University in New Hampshire.

As Debbie prepared for the 2016-2017 school year to be her last teaching full-time, the New Hampshire native is now looking forward to spending more time with family, including her two adorable grandbabies.

Faculty

Debbie began teaching in the rural town of Piermont, New Hampshire where she taught a combined fifth and sixth grades. Debbie joined Out-of-Door after she and her husband relocated to Sarasota and her in-laws, who lived on Siesta Key, told her about a “delightful small school” on the island.

During her tenure at Out-of-Door, Debbie had the opportunity to teach students in grades 2 through 7.

She began her ODA teaching career in the Lower School and when ODA expanded to the Uihlein Campus in Lakewood Ranch, Debbie was one of the first teachers to move to the new campus to teach

16 The Banyan

in the Middle School. There, she taught history including ancient history, American history and world cultures.

It was the students who kept Debbie in the classroom. She could have retired years ago, but she valued the challenge of moving to a new curriculum or a new grade level. Patiently working with students and providing additional help, if needed, was gratifying to her as well. “When you see the look in a student’s eye and you know they understand a new concept, it’s like a light bulb going off,” Debbie said. She recalled an eighthgrade student summing up his years in a speech for graduation saying, “Ms. Waterman, she smiles and laughs every day!” It pointed out how much she enjoyed being at ODA, the students, her colleagues and ODA’s culture.

Debbie will undoubtedly miss the fun and excitement she and her peers had when going on field trips together, or taking part in the chariot races, Medieval Fairs and Grandfriends’ Days. It’s the many students and parents through the years who have said she made a difference in their lives that she will cherishes and hold dear. “I will feel a

Ms.

Waterman Through the Years

sadness that this part of my life has come to an end, but I look forward to what is to come in the future,” she said. “I plan to travel more and will have time to do things I enjoy such as visiting museums and attending shows.”

Debbie will also have more time to visit her daughter, Krystal, who attended ODA from pre-K to eighth grade; she also plans to spend time with Matt, Krystal’s husband, and their two daughters in Chicago as well as her mother, who is 91-years-young and lives in New Hampshire, along with her sister, two brothers, their spouses and many nieces and nephews. As Debbie moves from preparing lesson plans to preparing hugs and kisses for her grandchildren, she will remember the joy she brought to each student and her favorite “Confucius saying” she shared with each of them, “Choose a job you love and you will never work a day in your life.” No doubt that Debbie Waterman hasn’t worked a day in the past 44 years. The Out-of-Door Academy congratulates Ms. Waterman on her retirement. She will be dearly missed by all.

The Out-of-Door Academy 17

MRS. LUPE SOSA: 27 YEARS OF SERVICE AT ODA

Lupe Sosa began teaching at The Out-of-Door Academy on the Siesta Key Campus in 1989 and has taught the youngest of ODA’s students in prekindergarten and kindergarten for more than 27 years. Her decision to become a teacher came down to helping with the development of young children, but she chose to teach at Out-of-Door because of the uniqueness of its campus.

Serena Robins & Lupe Sosa

18 The Banyan

Lupe looked forward to each new school year as she relished in the opportunity to learn about the newest students to join the ODA family. To Lupe, every day was memorable working with her students; no two days were the same with the unpredictability of our little ones. The most rewarding part of teaching was sharing her happiness educating them. She also enjoyed watching ODA families experience the joys of Siesta Key Campus life including its special events – whether it was for her classroom or the

entire school. It’s Lupe’s hope that she played an important part in the formation of their developing minds and that she instilled a love of school, and love of learning and kindness that will last throughout their lifetime.

Over the past two decades, Lupe has seen many positive developments at ODA including the growth in both the number of campuses and the number of students who attend, to the overall physical building improvements on the campuses.

She treasures the friendships she has made with the faculty, staff and parents and has enjoyed the many opportunities to participate in the educational traditions and social events that the school held. .

Mrs. Sosa Through the Years

“I am going to miss the best co-teacher that I have ever had the pleasure to work with,” said pre-kindergarten teacher, Ms. Serena Robins. “We balanced each other’s day with humor, enlightened each other with our childhood memories, and collaborated together to bring the very best learning environment for our pre-K children.”

After twenty-seven years of teaching, Lupe made a very tough decision to retire and leave the most fulfilling job a person could have. However, she plans to spend more time with her family, including her daughter Kara, an ODA alumna, and her grandson, Henry. In addition, she will continue her volunteer work with special needs horseback riding therapy, continue to create crafts for charity and read, read and read. Mrs. Lupe Sosa has done an incredible job teaching children who attend Out-of-Door and will be immensely missed.

The Out-of-Door Academy 19

MS. JOANNA JOHNSON: CELEBRATING 25 YEARS AT OUT-OF-DOOR

This year, The Out-of-Door Academy celebrated the 25-year teaching career of Middle School teacher Joanna Johnson. Joanna, who attended Marietta College in Ohio and earned dual degrees in biology and chemistry and a minor in mathematics, is a major asset on the Uihlein Campus. She could have worked in business or in the sciences or mathematics fields, but she decided that teaching developing minds was her calling. She moved to Sarasota and accepted a teaching position at Out-of-Door after speaking with then Head of School, Martha Duffy. Teaching was what she loved and she recognized that there was nothing else she aspired to do.

Joanna taught mathematics and biology in all three ODA divisions, but she truly appreciated the challenge of middle school the most. She loved helping students understand the material and its usefulness in the real world. “The look a student has when he or she masters a difficult concept is exceptionally refreshing,� she said. Her career has also given her the opportunity to be a life-long student. Out-of-Door has found new ways to teach the material that she loves, keeping the subject alive and exciting for those that enter her classroom.

Joanna Johnson

20 The Banyan

Joanna feels the best part of being a member of the Out-of-Door faculty is that you are a part of a community that is supportive in both good and difficult times. She enjoys it when alumni come back to visit and share the impact she made on their lives. The Out-of-Door Academy congratulates Ms. J for 25 years of stellar service to students at Out-of-Door.

GROWTH MINDSET: FACULTY & STAFF 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 nearly 10 years of service. Faculty and staff at ODA are committed to challenging themselves by continuing with their own education, attending conferences and webinars and supporting both new and experienced educators and administrators. Ongoing professional development keeps Out-of-Door employees up-to-date with 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 Banks • • • • •

FCIS leadership cohort member FKC chair, Good Shepherd Episcopal School FCIS/FKC Accreditation FKC chair, Academy at the Lakes FCIS/FKC Accreditation Florida Kindergarten Council board member and standards and accreditation committee FCIS Convention 2017 steering committee member

Katie Baraona • •

Lindamood Bell LiPS Training Certificate “Learning Disciplinary Literacy through Vocabulary and Word Study,” University of South Florida

Daniele Daddario •

Seeing Stars Program, two-day remedial reading conference, February 2017, Orlando

Sarah Higham • • •

Tanna Horner • • •

Orton Gillingham Training Attended Florida Council of Independent Schools’ New Teacher Institute

• •

•

• •

Columbia University Teachers College, 2016: “Computers, Tablets, Smartphones: The Writing Tools Have Changed— How Can My Teaching Change Too?” Columbia University Teachers College, 2017: June Writing Institute 2017 Interactive Notebooks English Webinar

Completed Athletic Facility Planning Management course, Concordia Irvine Attended Florida Society of Health and Physical Educators’ Physical Education Conference, Orlando Received accolades for Jump Rope for Your Heart as ODA finished seventh place in the state of Florida

Professional Development

Jill Jaiswal •

Martha M. Gulácsy •

Attended Columbia University’s Leadership Program, Strategic Agility in Action Served on the Florida Council for Independent School’s steering committee for 2017 Convention Served on the Sarasota STEM Council Board of Directors

Jeff Horr

Brittany Gieseke • •

Completed master’s degree course: “Educational Research” “Handwriting Without Tears” Literacy & Math Workshop “Handwriting Without Tears” Pre-K Readiness & Writing Workshop

Completed “Academic Coaching” and “Facilitating Student Learning” master’s courses, Saint Leo University

Angela Mejicanos • •

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers board member Attended Bay Area Association of Independent Schools World Language Conference

Glynis Miller •

Presented “MITT@Home: Kits to Inspire Your Budding Makers at the Florida Kindergarten Council Convention, February 2017 The Out-of-Door Academy 21

Amanda Racioppi

Michael Young

•

•

•

Earned Master of Arts Degree in elementary education, University of South Florida, Summer 2017 Completed “Global Perspective of Education, Experience Schools and Culture in Costa Rica,” a two-week study abroad course

Serena Robins •

• •

•

Completed graduate courses “Math in Early Childhood Education” and “Assessment of Young Children,”Arizona State University Participated in Florida Kindergarten Council Regional Caucus, September 2016 “Handwriting Without Tears” Training: Emergent Literacy Readiness & Writing Workshop continuing education by The American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. eWebinars: “The Brain and Learning-What to Look for in Students’ Executive Function,” “Cultivating Curiosity in Your Classroom,” “Embedding Music in the Early Childhood Inclusion Classroom” and “Diverse Strategies for Communication with Dual Language Learners”

Kelly Rose • •

FCIS accreditation team member, Berkeley Prep Tampa, Fall 2016 Served on steering committee and as sub-committee member for Friday sessions/choosing speakers, 2017 FCIS State Conference

Linda Vasilaki • • • •

Noteflight course: Teaching and Writing Music “In the Cloud” Helped to present the Carnegie Hall LinkUp curriculum to our students in conjunction with the Venice Symphony Music consultant at River Oaks School in Houston, as an advisor on how to start a strings program Suzuki Association of the Americas, National Music Teachers Association, Music Educators of Florida, Pi Kappa Lambda, Who’s Who in American Education and Florida Music Educators’ Association, Member

Laura Zink •

Completed “Educational Procedures and Materials for the Gifted, Talented, and Creative,” “Philosophies of Education,” “Affective Programming in the Classroom,” “Identification, Nature, and Needs of the Gifted, Talented and Creative,” “Introduction to Statistics and Research,” Creativity and Current Issues in Gifted Education courses towards a master’s in education-science, Arkansas State University

22 The Banyan

•

Attended Florida Society of Health and Physical Educators’ Physical Education Conference, Orlando Received accolades for Jump Rope for Your Heart as ODA finished seventh place in the state of Florida

MIDDLE SCHOOL Joanne Barrett • • • • • •

•

Defended dissertation in curriculum and instruction, Ph.D., in educational technology, University of Florida UTeach CS Principles certificate Completed 18 credit hours, University of Florida Tutorial Advisory Committee for Code.org Computer Supported Telecommunication Applications Florida chapter president Presented “Bringing Coding into the Classroom,” National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Meeting, San Antonio, Texas Selected for Ultimaker Pioneer Cohort

Cici Fougere • •

Earned Crossfit Level 2 Coaching Certificate Presented the physical education pedagogy to teachers, Seacoast Montessori Institute

Bruce Latta •

Named Headmaster, All Saints Episcopal School, Lubbock, Texas

Alexandra Lonsdale •

Delta Kappa Gamma, Inductee, May 2017

Stephanie Sassetti •

• •

Completed “Introduction to Advanced Graduate Studies and Scholarship,” “Psychoanalysis and Psychodynamic Theory,” “Behaviorism, Theories of Inquiry, Humanistic, Transpersonal and Existential Psychology” courses towards Psychology Ph.D. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, member National Science Teachers Association, member

UPPER SCHOOL Theresa Beeman • •

•

Completed a Massive Open Online Course, “The Sun and the Total Eclipse of August 2017,” May 2017 National Science Teachers Association, American Chemical Society and American Association of Chemistry Teachers, member College Board Workshop focused on teaching strategies for the AP Chemistry exam, November 2016

Stefanie Betz • • •

“Writing Center Advocacy: Creating Positive Reciprocity Between Students” - Annual NCTE Conference Presentation NCTE, IWCA and USAV (volleyball), member NCTE Annual Conference: invited to read at AP Language and Composition grading session, sponsored to present at AP Regional Conference 2018

Tim Brewer • • •

Continuing work on master’s in education, emphasis on positive coaching and positive psychology Attended student leadership workshop, Berkley Preparatory School Hosted workshop on student behavior and school culture, led by author and co-founder of Focus 3, Mr. Brian Kight

Nicole Young • •

Ellen Zitani •

•

Completed “Art Across the Curriculum” and “Visual Culture & Studio Practice,” University of Nebraska National Art Education Association, Member

Camela Giraud • • •

Helped to launch the school’s partnership with the Hybrid Learning Consortium Completed two graduate level courses in educational leadership, University of South Florida Trained with the New English Association of Schools and Colleges for ACE accreditation teams

Denise Hoff •

Promoted to head of the history department

ADMINISTRATION L’Tanya Evans • • • •

Selected to the board of the Venice Theater Selected as a member of the Asolo Theater Youth and Family Services Committee Asolo Theater Illumination Series Facilitator Selected to the Gulfcoast Community Foundation Leadership Institute Class of 2017

David Mahler • • • •

Serving as past president of the FCIS Board of Directors Serving on NAIS Commission on Accreditation Serving on USF Sarasota Manatee Continuous Improvement Advisory Board Co-Director, SAIS Institute for Strategic Leadership

Laura Murphy •

Leslie Garasic •

Florida Music Educators, Member Attended the Florida Music Educators Conference in January 2017

Associate of Independent Schools Admission Professional certification program for admission and enrollment management professionals. Cohort leader at the AISAP Annual Institute, presenter

Michael Salmon •

Assistant house manager and volunteer for the Circus Arts Conservatory, Smithsonian Folklife Festival

Amy Towery • • •

Attended Strategic Marketing & Advancement Institute for Independent Schools, November 2016 Presenter, Association of Fundraising Professionals International Conference, April 2017 Association of Fundraising Professionals, member

Attended the International Society of Jazz Composers and Arrangers

Aimee Murphy •

Certificate for completing pre-calculus, University of California Irvine

Adam Seldis •

Earned Ph.D. in Education, Northeastern University

The Out-of-Door Academy 23

WELCOME NEW HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL,

MR. CHRISTOPHER CHESLEY Christopher Chesley was selected as the new Head of Upper School at The Out-of-Door Academy.

He joins ODA from Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan where he served as the director of education programs and student academic support for more than 500 students at the arts boarding school.

New

Faculty & Staff

Chris was raised in western Maine and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English and government from Bowdoin College. After working in the public sector, he took time away to enjoy his affinity for the outdoors. After returning to Maine and working as a substitute teacher for three years, he went back to school and received a Master of Arts degree in teaching from the University of Maine. He completed the National Association of Independent School’s Aspiring Heads Fellowship in 2015 and has more than 15 years experience working for independent schools and academic institutions.

Prior to Interlochen, Chris was the director of college counseling and senior class dean at Chapel Hill – Chauncy Hall School, a boarding/day school in Waltham, Massachusetts. As the associate director of college counseling and teacher at The

24 The Banyan

John Cooper School in The Woodlands, Texas, he was counselor to students in grades 11-12, taught American History and coached baseball and basketball. He was also the director of college counseling to more than 200 students in grades 11-12, taught English and American history, and coached golf while at The American School in Switzerland.

Chris has served in numerous roles including faculty member, department head, school dean, and head dorm parent and has extensive coaching experience.

He has led initiatives, revamped academic support programs facilitated character education programs, and has played a critical role in many aspects of educational professional development.

“His strategic thinking and vision, coupled with a deep understanding of independent school culture, will bring strong and thoughtful leadership to the task of enhancing, growing and enriching our Upper School program,” said Head of School, David Mahler. We are excited to welcome Chris Chesley, his wife, Kierstin, and their two children to The Outof-Door Academy.

Get to Know Chris Chesley •

In 1996, Chris hiked the Continental Divide Trail from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Banff, Alberta, Canada.

•

Between 1996 and 1999, he worked as a restaurant manager in Glacier National Park, as a clerk in an engineering firm, as a soccer and basketball coach and as a long-term substitute in three different schools in Maine and Montana.

•

Chris has traveled to 49 states, nine Canadian provinces and 26 foreign countries. He has also led student trips in multiple countries, ranging from cultural tours to backcountry ski mountaineering trips in the Alps.

•

He played semi-pro basketball in Switzerland in 2002-2003.

•

After earning his master’s degree and prior to beginning at TASIS, he worked as Dillingham High School’s english department chair in the native fishing village of Dillingham, Alaska.

•

He is the current member and former chapter president of The Sons of Norway lodge in northern Michigan.

•

Chris performed in Interlochen’s 2011 presentation of The Nutcracker.

New Faculty & Staff Steve Brelsford -

Upper School Mathematics Teacher Steve holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from George Washington University as well as a master’s degree in applied learning and instruction from the University of Central Florida. He comes to ODA with over 10 years of teaching experience in all levels of math from grades 5-12. For the past five years, he has worked at Shorecrest Preparatory School, an independent school in St. Petersburg, where he developed a true admiration for the independent school model. Steve is passionate about applying math outside of the classroom setting as much as possible. A former college rugby and saxophone player, he is also very interested in athletics and music and he previously coached volleyball and softball teams. Steve is excited to bring his enthusiasm for education to The Out-of-Door Academy.

Lynette Claude - Lower School Director of Counseling and Academic Services Lynette obtained her Bachelor of Arts in psychology from New York University and holds three master’s degrees including a Master of Science degree in biomedical sciences from Barry University, a Master of Religious Arts in Christian counseling from Jacksonville Theological Seminary and a Master of Public Health in community health education from Hunter College. She brings a wealth of knowledge to the position and has held various positions as a classroom teacher, counselor for children and families and administrator in the medical field. Lynette will oversee our Learning Center, offering parent workshops, teaching social/emotional growth classes, as well as integrating Out-of-Door’s Core Values throughout our curriculum and programs. Lynette has four children, three of which are current Out-of-Door students.

The Out-of-Door Academy 25

Callie Donnelly - Middle & Upper School Performing Arts Director Callie has been teaching theatre to students ranging from kindergarten to the graduate level for nearly two decades. She earned her Master of Fine Arts in theatre pedagogy with a concentration in directing while at Virginia Commonwealth University. Callie acted for both the stage and screen and focused on performance while earning her bachelor’s in theatre arts degree at Flagler College, but she prefers directing and has produced comedies and tragedies, one-acts and full lengths, classics and contemporary pieces, and, of course, musicals. For the past two years, she has been an adjunct professor of acting in the film department at Ringling College of Art + Design. Callie is also a yogi, a mother and a wife and is very excited to join the Out-of-Door community.

Steve Duffy -

Interim Head of Middle School Stephen Duffy joins Out-of-Door with 30 years of experience in independent schools, most recently as head of school at Falmouth Academy in Massachusetts. He has worked as an upper school principal (Rutgers Preparatory School, New Jersey) and as director of academic studies and college guidance (Abington Friends School, Pennsylvania), and has spent many years in the classroom as a middle and upper school English and history teacher. Steve obtained his Bachelor of Arts in English and a minor in American history from Middlebury College, a Master of Arts in literature from Middlebury College and a Masters in Education from Columbia University. His arrival at The Out-of-Door Academy marks a return to the state where he got his start at Oak Hall School in Gainesville. He comes to Sarasota with his wife Karen, dog Bailey and considerable excitement and anticipation of working with an exceptionally strong middle school faculty.

Tim Garrett - Upper School Physics/Engineering Teacher Tim holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics and computer science from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and a Master of Education degree with an emphasis in technology from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Tim taught AP physics, algebra, geometry, lab science, environmental science and robotics for the last 23 years at Darlington School in Rome, Georgia. He also served as head varsity basketball coach for Darlington for the last five years and assistant coach for 18 years, and also served as head coach for the junior varsity team. Tim will join the Upper School as the AP Physics I and II teacher, and will also teach the Engineering Your World course. Tim brings with him an abundance of understanding on classroom approach as well as curriculum design. He has worked closely with students of all abilities, including those with learning differences, and he is co-chair of the Teaching and Learning Center Professional Learning Community. He also worked closely with student-athletes on academic coaching as well as coordinating with recruiters to make sure his students were ready to play and learn at the next level. Tim has successfully placed numerous students at the collegiate level.

Marc Roberts - Upper School Spanish Teacher Marc holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and Spanish from Furman University in South Carolina, a post graduate certificate in business and economics education from the Institute of Education in the United Kingdom, and is completing his master’s degree in education from the Open University in the United Kingdom. Marc will join the Upper School as a Spanish teacher. Marc has taught in Argentina, the UK, Qatar and in the U.S. He believes strongly in learning for life and a holistic approach to education in which educational partnerships between learners and teachers help foster leadership, inclusion and personal development. Outside the classroom, Marc is also a keen athlete. He represented Argentina at the Associate Nations Cricket World Cup and played first division rugby and club soccer in the UK. Marc will be involved with the athletics programs at ODA and has coached the girls middle school soccer team and the middle school tennis team. Marc is also a skilled card player and avid reader and has had a wide range of acting roles in school productions.

26 The Banyan

Sarah “Beth” Smithey - Upper School Physics and Chemistry Teacher Beth is originally from the mountains of northeast Georgia. She holds a bachelor’s degree in both chemistry and forensic science from Western Carolina University. She also has a Master of Science degree in chemistry as well as a Master of Education degree in curriculum development from the University of Cincinnati. While in graduate school, she taught freshman chemistry at the University of Cincinnati, where she was awarded the Henry Hochstetter Prize for Excellence in Teaching.

Michelle Snell - Middle & Upper School Nurse Michelle Snell is originally from New York and is married with two children and four grandchildren. Michelle explored many avenues of study before she realized that her personality and desire to help others was best suited to the nursing field. She holds an Associate of Applied Sciences degree in nursing and is currently licensed as a registered nurse in Florida and North Carolina and previously in New York and Vermont. As a registered nurse and member of the National Association of School Nurses, Michelle has worked in the hospital setting as the charge nurse and also worked in a primary care facility. In 2012, Michelle followed her husband to North Carolina when he retired from the Air Force. It was here that Michelle found the nursing field she was truly suited for, school nursing. In this position, Michelle has been able to affect the lives of so many students and families. She knows how important it is to provide a safe and secure educational experience for all students.

Connor Ventling - Middle School History Connor earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology with a minor in American history from Bates College.

After fieldwork abroad in Samoa, American Samoa, Fiji and Hawaii, he wrote his thesis on traditional Polynesian seafaring. He joins The Out-of-Door Academy after serving as an assistant humanities instructor at Culver Academies in Indiana where he led the varsity sailing team as the head coach. Utilizing closed-circuit rebreathers, Connor is also an avid participant in deep shipwreck exploration, with operational depths often exceeding 300 feet. His background also includes working with students in outdoor education settings, as well as being involved in community service.

Paul von Saman - Lower School Math Teacher Paul comes to Out-of-Door with over 14 years of teaching experience in mathematics at charter and independent schools. Hard work and dedication are what have allowed him to make his way to the United States from South Africa on an athletic scholarship. He earned both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration degree, and runs his own small business. As a former NCAA Division 1 scholarship athlete, Paul is also a personal fitness trainer and tennis coach.

The Out-of-Door Academy 27

ODA STUDENTS EXPLORE

MARINE SCIENCE The overall goal of the Lower School Marine Science program is to instill a

love of marine animals and science in all of our students. A strong emphasis is placed on learning by adhering to the philosophy of Confucius who said, “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.”

For our early pre-kindergarten and kindergarten learners, the focus is on animals and their adaptations. Students learn through literature, role-play, hands-on activities and experiments. In first-grade, our students explore various marine habitats such as the deep sea, the coral reef and the kelp forest. They learn all about the ecology of these animal homes, and they learn by doing to foster understanding. Our second-grade scientists study Florida marine animals such as manatees, sharks and dolphins. Lastly, in third-grade, students explore oceanography and learn about currents, waves and water quality; they also study invertebrates and fish to round out the year.

In the spirit of our school’s founders, all grades participate in outdoor learning.

Each grade from pre-kindergarten to third-grade enjoys an annual field trip to Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium. Field trips involve student collection and identification of near shore estuarine animals, as well as a tailor-designed classroom experience with a marine scientist.

Photo Courtesy of Mote Marine Aquarium

Every year, our students focus on a specific question while they are exploring the estuary. For our younger children, the question may be as simple as, “What can we find with our nets, and what can we see with our eyes?” whereas the older learners focus on more complex questions such as, “What are the abiotic and biotic differences between two bodies of water?” Students also participate in field trips to the Florida Aquarium, the Sarasota Bay Explorers Boat Tour, the Ft. Myers Manatee Park and the Siesta Sandcastle Classic.

• • • • • • • • • • This year, sixth-grade students hosted a research symposium in the Black Box Theater. English teacher, Ms. Alex Lonsdale, and science teacher, Mrs. Katie Walters, created a cross-curricular unit for their sixth-grade students titled “Creating a Coastal Conservationist.”

The project began with students reading the book “Flush” by Carl Hiaasen in their English class. “Flush” is a story about a young boy in the Florida Keys who attempts to bring to light the illegal sewage dumping of a casino boat owner. While Ms. Lonsdale worked with students on grammar, vocabulary and dissection of the book, Mrs. Walters taught the students about the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, food webs and food chains and the effects of invasive species and human impacts on coral reef ecosystems. Together, they hosted a video conference call with 30 The Banyan

two scientists from the Ocean Conservancy in Washington, D.C., who spoke with students about ocean debris and the International Coastal Clean-Up as well as the invasive Lionfish species. The sixth-grade students traveled to Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium where they engaged in a scavenger hunt to learn about the various research projects that Mote Marine is conducting to help conserve and protect the ocean.

Students worked in teams of four to generate a thoughtful question that could be answered using Mote’s research. They worked together to analyze research from additional organizations in order to answer their question and displayed the results on a website each team built. This collaboration of English and science offered an eye-opening experience to many of the students who enjoy the beautiful waterways in Florida, but need to learn so much more about conservation and helping animals currently living among us. It is essential students find something to make them passionate about the ocean. Then they can teach others how to protect it.

• • • • • • • • • • The marine science program in the Upper School has grown from a fledgling class of 10 in 2013 to two large classes for the 20172018 school year. Students fondly remember their days with the touch tanks on the Siesta Key Campus and time at Seacamp in middle school. Many students want to continue to keep their feet wet with a semester or two of marine science. Also, since moving

into the DART STEM Center, the lake has become a focus of learning as well. Students study the flora and fauna of the lake and compare estuaries with the ocean.

This year, students went on field trips to continue their learning outside the classroom. They went to the beach to do a beach profile, and to learn about the shoreline and its important tidal features and creatures­— with help from a drone. They went kayaking through the mangrove tunnels, stand-up paddle boarding in coves and boating to see organisms discussed during class. They observed dolphins, manatees, and all varieties of fish – all found within our local marine ecosystems.

Our partner Mote Marine allowed us to borrow dolphin bones, which students assembled to compare an adult and juvenile dolphin. They reviewed data to try to determine how the dolphins died. Students problem-solved by creating an aquarium of their choice – either salt or freshwater and maintained several tanks in the STEM Center and in the admissions’ office. This involved weekly record keeping and water testing. Some students were allowed to fish for smaller fish in the lake in order to feed their tank fish and recently, two reef balls were placed in the lake at different locations to provide habitat and shelter for young fish.

This year, we even had a jellyfish tank. The Upper School marine science students also hosted the sixth-grade classes who came to tour and ask questions. This was a wonderful opportunity for our older students to engage the younger ones, enjoying the opportunity to explain why their tank is “the best.”

John Floersheimer ‘19 tested the lake water every month for a year to collect baseline data about lake conditions and how construction has impacted it. Every month there were surprises – from baby crayfish and healthy algae to oil and silt from run off. He hopes to continue this testing and pass on his results so we can continue to monitor the health of the lake. This relates to marine science as the lake is part of our watershed that flows to the sea.

The marine science curriculum continues to evolve and next year, we hope to collaborate with the environmental science classes, that will explore hydroponics and determine if aquaponics would be feasible at our school. This would involve using fish tanks to add nutrients to hydroponically-grown vegetables that we can have in our dining hall.

The Out-of-Door Academy 31

LOWER SCHOOL

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY

Academics

32 The Banyan

Since the library’s origin in the cabin, students have gathered in the space to enjoy books, spend time together, learn new things and share what they learned. This past year the Glendy Huene Library/ Media Center was renovated to create a flexible space that continues to inspire these timeless activities while encouraging students to explore the many ways information can be accessed and shared. If you look around the library/media center at any given time you may find students building robots, 3-D printing a sign, reading a book, playing chess, researching on the iPad and performing on stage. Simultaneously, fifth grade students might create a music video about the Gold Rush while pre-K students used code-a-pillars to learn computer programming. The library/media center is a place where students are encouraged to actively create, collaborate, communicate and think critically.

Watching, evaluating and producing media is one aspect of a student’s learning experience while on the Siesta Key Campus. Whether it is learning advertising techniques to better understand how to look at commercials with a critical eye or sharing a time period in history through stop motion, students interact with media. To encourage this, the library/ media center now includes a green screen studio space, complete with microphones, lights, cameras and editing equipment. The studio is an active space, used in MITT (Meaningful, Innovative, and Transformative Transliteracy) classes, by teachers and their students, as well as by several Prime Time after-school offerings.

The studio is home to WODA, a program that provided third-fifth grade students the opportunity to learn how to produce a news show. Students created scripts, interviewed peers, recorded pieces about individuals and activities at school and discovered the nuances of post-production. With the use of the green screen, our news reporters were able to appear “on location” even when talking about the creatures of the sea. The news show was shared with teachers to show in homeroom classes. Through this experience, our students gained not only the technology skills associated with movie making but they also developed interpersonal skills and confidence.

Out-of-Door students in the Lower School are encouraged to use the library/media center as a place of innovation, creativity and learning. The new equipment and layout of the space have encouraged independent learning for individuals of all ages.

Whether it is a quest for the perfect book or an interest in 3-D printing game pieces, the resources are available to encourage our learners. Now, as in the past, students dream it and come to the library/ media center to make it a reality.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY Technology is incorporated into the Middle School curriculum to solve a variety of learning and instructional problems. The school uses software from Microsoft and Google in addition to specialized software to meet particular educational needs.

Communication and Collaboration One of the main goals of technology is to help students learn and hone their communication skills, which is one of the “4 Cs” of 21st Century Skills. At Out-of-Door, the communication technology extends far beyond word processing and e-readers. Middle School students use a variety of video technology and editing software packages to improve how they communicate through speaking, formal presentation and video production. Students use shared documents to collaborate (another of the “4 Cs”) with peers on group projects, and teachers use the same tools to provide feedback to students on their work. This even happens in mathematics, where in some classes teachers ask students to create screencasts of their solutions to problems. This assignment requires students to solve the problem, show their work and explain their reasoning, which is not an easy task. Finally, student work is presented in video format for competitions, as was the case for the team that earned honors in the national Rube Goldberg competition.

Research, technological tools, and applications technology is used throughout the Middle School to aid in research. As one would expect, the research databases provided by the library are used extensively, as are the software tools that help students manage research, notes, citations and the other bibliographic necessities

of formal research. Technology also assists with the gathering and management of data for student-led research projects. Students create and administer surveys to collect data and technology is used to save and manipulate images captured by microscopes.

Video conferencing technology is used to interview experts from around the world, as was done in a computer science unit, or simply to talk to another class in a different country as was done in Spanish class. Students use 3-D printing technology, visual programming tools, spreadsheets, webpage development software, graphing technology and similar to learn and describe a variety of topics in mathematics and science, from linear regression to finance to linear motion to marine science.

Instruction and Assessment Teachers in the Middle School use technology extensively to make instruction more efficient and effective. Online tools, such as IXL, Membean, Kahoot, Quizlet and others help teachers streamline the process of assessing student understanding. More importantly, these tools offer students immediate feedback and targeted remediation while providing teachers data on student performance.

Video is used to highlight particular passages in books, to provide instruction, and to capture student work. Teachers use CK-12 and other open-source resources, to create specialized texts that are tailor-made to meet the needs of The Out-of-Door Academy curriculum. Canvas and other technologies are used at times to test students and improve communication with students and parents.

The Out-of-Door Academy 33

UPPER SCHOOL

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY The development of the Computer Science (CS) / Engineering program is the worthiest educational technology accomplishment this year. Last year, fewer than a dozen Out-of-Door students took a CS class. This year we had more than 45 students take either the AP or Intro to Programming class. We also have more than 35 students signed up for the new engineering class next year.

Mr. Ryan Kinser built interest in these programs by making them project-based and connected to real world problems. The Baltimore app was one example. The computer science students in both classes studied “Design Thinking,” a method of creative problem-solving pioneered at Stanford’s d.School and IDEO, one of the world’s foremost design companies known for creating things such as the first computer mouse. They examined how these methods inform innovation at places like Apple, Amazon and The New York Times.

Students created capstone projects including original Android apps, websites and computer programs in Javascript. They found a socially-useful problem and followed these steps in creating solutions: 1. Empathize (Who are those closest to the problem? What do they need?)

2. Define (Do we have the right problem identified, or has it changed from what we originally thought?)

34 The Banyan

3. Ideate (What solutions can we come up with?)

4. Prototype (How might we iterate quickly so we don’t spend time building something that doesn’t work for people?)

5. Test (Get the product in the hands of those who need it.)

This process caused students to think as designers rather than just coders. This is what has helped to grow the program. Students are realizing they do not need hardcore science backgrounds to be successful in answering big questions. The best part? These projects fit with the AP performance task and prepared intro students to continue to learn more advanced work.

This year, students brought several projects to fruition including an escape-room style puzzle using Javascript, a pet-matching app service, a healthy food planner for college students, a Spanishlanguage review game, a volunteer opportunity finder and a tutoring app.

To piggyback on this success, Mr. Kinser has created Middle School STEM camps in the fields of computer programming, 3-D animation and design thinking. He’s also used student feedback to design curriculum in areas of our student’s interest like virtual reality, artificial intelligence and machine learning. Next school year will be even more exciting!

35 ODA STUDENTS INDUCTED INTO THE NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY

The Out-of-Door Academy held its National Honor Society (NHS) induction ceremony on September 25, 2016 on the Uihlein Campus in Lakewood Ranch. Thirty-five new inductees joined their fellow Out-of-Door NHS chapter members in one of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon a high school student.

Students are selected based on their academic accomplishments. Qualified students were selected primarily by percentage in class standing related to their GPA. The percentages included the top 10 percent of sophomores and 40 percent of juniors and seniors.

Additionally, eligible students went through an interview process starting with an application, which was reviewed by the two faculty co-advisors, Mr. Andy Lemieux and Mrs. Stefanie Betz. After applications were submitted, current NHS members interviewed prospective inductees and introduced them to family and friends attending the event.

The inductees were: Ryan Appleby ‘18; Martin Baffico Balharry ‘18; Tala Bleau ‘19; Amber Bond ‘17; Catalina Castro ‘19; Hunter Chalub ‘18; Cody Cheney ‘17; Philip Chiritescu ‘18; Aurora Clements ‘18; Maxwell Coutsolioutsos ‘18; Ashley DeBartolo ‘18; Denisse Descamps-Tofani ‘17; Clarence Dodge ‘17; Delaney Dowdell ‘18; John Floersheimer ‘19; Courtney Hamilton ‘18; Alexis Hudson ‘19; Matthew Jones ‘18; Hayden Kennelly ‘17; Serafima Kosacheva ‘18; Isabella Lee-Swartz ‘17; Zijiao ‘Emily’ Liu ‘18; Matthew Luhrsen ‘18; Adelaide Mahler ‘19; Jack Malcolm ‘19; Ian Martin ‘18; Chloe Militzer ‘17; Vivienne Miller ‘18; Lexi Murphy ‘18; Nicholas Murphy ‘17; Matteo Romano ‘18; Melanie Saltz ‘18; Andrea Schiro ‘19; Simone Timol ‘18; and Clayton Watson ‘19.

Anthology of Poetry Featured Poets Congratulations to Out-of-Door’s fourth and fifth-grade students whose poems were chosen to be published in the Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans: Grade 4 Sophia Doyle Addison Dowdell Savannah Dowdell Jack Feeney Izabella Green McKay Kay Jaden Maggio Celia Rayman

Jackson Rooney Ella Shuel Kristina Spilka Paul Svilokos Aidan White

Grade 5 Ava Banks Reece Benson Blaine Bentley Andrew Brewer Benjamin Brewer Daniel Claude Rachel Constant Robert Crisci

Grace Frazier Claire Giraud Martin Gomien Ryan Goss Claire Hansen Charlie Hugill Jacob Kaplan Giulia Lyons Blake Neumann

Chris Nightingale James Ramage Sam Schoenfeld Nino Schultz Darcey Skelton Zachary Szabo Caroline Yancey

The Anthology of Poetry is the forum that recognizes writing excellence in students from kindergarten through grade 12.

They select and publish the finest poems submitted by student writers. Authors are selected for their writing expertise.

The Out-of-Door Academy 35

OUT-OF-DOOR STUDENTS EXCEL IN

ACADEMIC COMPETITIONS Students in all grade levels at The Out-of-Door Academy participated and excelled in local, state and national academic competitions in math, science and world languages. These competitions play an important role in academic achievement and help students to pursue excellence. It also challenges them to work harder in the classroom while engaging in a more exciting academic curriculum. Academic competitions bring together Out-of-Door students who share common interests and abilities while pursuing their favorite subjects and learning more about the topics that can inspire them to follow their passions. ODA students tirelessly work in preparing, researching and practicing for these academic endeavors.

Lower School Students Win Top Honors in Sarasota County STEM Fair On January 24, 2017, the Sarasota County STEM Fair/STEM Summit, sponsored by the Education Foundation of Sarasota County, was held. Fourteen fifth-grade students from Out-of-Door were interviewed by Sarasota County School judges to explain and defend their creative engineering projects. Students prepared to compete in the STEM Fair for more than three months with all seven teams entering their work in the engineering category. They defined a need and worked to solve that problem by designing a new or improved device. Students built prototypes, worked 36 The Banyan

through trial and error, completed many redesigns and worked to compile an abundance of documentation that demonstrated their work. The Education Foundation of Sarasota stated that this event allows Sarasota County students, from elementary to high school, to showcase their STEM skills through the hypothesis, research, preparation, execution and collaboration of their projects. They are given the opportunity to investigate fields of study in which they are curious, while engaging with community members and working side-by-side with area experts within those fields of study.

Congratulations to Johnny Squitieri ‘24 and Nolan Naese ‘24 (Tarp with a Gutter System); Caroline Yancey ‘24 and Devon Van Hoesen ‘24 (Lunch Tray Rack); Trey Naese ‘24 and Ian Crews ‘24 (Concussion Proof Helmet); Daniel Claude ‘24 and Joseph Clarke ‘24 (Safety Cleats); and Charlie Hugill ‘24 and Jacob Kaplan ’24 (Extend-a-Hook) who did a fantastic job creating their projects. Congratulations Ava Banks ‘24 and Felix Felsmann ‘24 for finishing second-place (Safety Shades) in the Fifth-Grade Engineering Category and Giulia Lyons ‘24 and Darcey Skelton ’24 for finishing in first-place (Mist’ a Face) in the Fifth-Grade Engineering Category and the Overall Engineering Category.

Every student worked incredibly hard and proudly represented Out-of-Door.

Middle School Students Participate in National Geographic Bee On January 25, 2017, The Out-of-Door Academy hosted the Middle School National Geographic Bee, an annual competition organized by the National Geographic Society, designed to inspire and reward students’ curiosity about the world. Ten students, Dylan Black ‘21, Jason Brewer ‘22, Owen Eakle ‘23, Drew Hill ‘23, Milan Jaiswal ‘22, Elizabeth Karp-Hauser ‘21, Jonas Leicht ‘21, Trent Rayman ‘22, Lauren Sambursky ‘22 and Taylor Shaklik ‘21 participated this year. After placing first in Out-of-Door’s Middle School Geography Bee, eighth-grade student Taylor Shaklik qualified to compete in the state-level competition which was held on Friday, March 31, 2017 at Jacksonville University in Jacksonville. Taylor competed against other Geographic Bee winners, in grades 4-8, who also won their school’s Bee competition.

Florida Junior Classical League Latin Competition On February 4, 2017, 14 Upper School and five Middle School students from Out-of-Door joined hundreds of students from the region at this year’s Florida Junior Classical League (FJCL) Latin Competition hosted at Robinson High School in Tampa. 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 several events including academics, athletics, artistic and oral contests. The FJCL Regional Forum was an amazing opportunity for students to pit their body, mind and creative spirit against students from seven counties. Middle School students Michael Dyer ‘21, Sydney Graham ‘22, Kyle Klett ‘22, Samantha Malcolm ‘22 and Ansley White ‘22, gave up their Saturday to attend the event and each took an academic test in the category of their choice. They collectively earned seven individual awards and took second place in Latin 1-A Certamen, a dynamic, mixedacademic trivia competition.

ODA Upper School students Tyler Barlow ‘18, Arya Bulusu ‘20, Caty Castro ‘19, Joshua Cohen ‘20, Nina Dinh ‘20, Christopher Eckart ‘18, Maram Faqqouseh ‘20, Mutaz Faqqouseh ‘19, John Floersheimer ‘19, Mary Ashley Fulton ‘19, Kat Gaukhman ‘19, Mackenzie Grace ‘18, Mira Khazanchi ‘20, Kelsey Lugananni ‘20 and Ashley Sciame ‘20 also competed and extensively prepared for and placed in 17 high-achieving individual awards.

Upper School Students “Do Science” in Florida Science Olympiad On February 4, 2017, Upper School students traveled to Hillsborough Community College to participate in the Florida Science Olympiad. The events included a broad range of science subjects including forensics, physics, chemistry, earth and space science, gaming and engineering. Students representing Out-ofDoor were Cody Cheney ‘17, Hayden Kennelly ‘17, Zach Poole ‘17, Marius Bschorer ‘18, Phillip Cecil ‘18, Philip Chiritescu ‘18, Christopher Eckart ‘18, Michael Gosnell ‘18, Courtney Hamilton ‘18, Alex Denler ‘19, John Floersheimer ‘19, Arya Bulusu ‘20, Paige Crittendon ‘20, Hannah Greenblott ‘20 and Mira Khazanchi, ‘20. The goal of Science Olympiad is to improve the quality of science education through competition and ODA students represented well in their respective fields. Cody Cheney placed sixth in “Optics,” Zach Poole placed fifth in “Game On” and sixth in “Optics,” Philip Chiritescu placed fifth in “Game On,” Christopher Eckart placed fifth in “Anatomy” and Hannah Greenblott placed fifth in “Anatomy.”

Florida Chinese Competition On February 10-11, 2017, four Out-of-Door students participated in the 2017 Florida Statewide Chinese Competition (FSCC), held at Saint Andrew’s School in Boca Raton. FSCC is an annual event organized by the Florida Chinese Teachers Association (FCTA) and co-hosted by a school in the state of Florida. For the past 12 years, FCTA has organized the competition for middle and high school Chinese learners.

The Out-of-Door Academy 37

Mandarin teacher Ms. Shumin Yu along with students Nina Dinh ‘20, Mikhail Fazlutdinov ‘18, Grace Mannion ‘21 and Christian Ramos ‘19, participated in a “Jeopardy” style competition, with questions about various Chinese topics including ancient history, land, festivals, architecture, food, news and culture. There was a main Jeopardy round that included Daily Doubles and a Final Jeopardy round in which ODA students performed very well.

Florida State Spanish Competition This year, ODA’s Modern Languages Department sent a team of 16 students, Valentina Alvarez ‘18, Gillette Bauer ‘20, Helena Beltrao ‘17, Arya Bulusu ‘20, Imola Csendes ‘17, Kevin Deems ‘17, Daniel Fernandez ‘20, Joshua Fernandez ‘19, Mackenzie Grace ‘18, Agustin Gualtieri ‘18, Mateo Luna-Agamez ‘20, Adelaide Mahler ‘19, Maria Miller ‘19, Matteo Romano ‘18, Anne Keen ‘17 and Clayton Watson ‘19, to compete in the annual Florida State Spanish Conference. Approximately 800 students representing over 50 Florida public and private high schools participated in this year’s event. The competition took place March 9-11, 2017 in Orlando. ODA competed and placed third or better in 22 competitive events including impromptu speaking, declamation (poetry), cultural entertainment and dramatic presentation. In the Impromptu category, students must speak extemporaneously in Spanish for two to three minutes on a randomly selected topic. In the Declamation category, students must recite a poem in Spanish with feeling, gestures and expression. ODA Spanish teachers, Ms. Margarita Dooley, Ms. Daniela Rozanes and Ms. Clara Viana were extremely proud of our students’ achievements and effort in this state-wide competition. This was a fun and challenging experience for ODA’s Spanish team representatives.

Lower School Students Participate in Science Olympiad Pre-K through fifth-grade students at The Out-of-Door Academy’s Lower School competed in an on-campus Science Olympiad during the week of March 13-17, 2017. Students were placed in teams based on their respective grade level and competed against one another in several categories. ODA students engaged in hands-on, interactive, inquiry-based activities that were labbased, research-based or pre-built. Typically, fourth and fifth-grade students would have traveled to the Florida Science Olympiad, however, this year ODA faculty decided to bring the Science Olympiad back to the Siesta Key Campus, allowing every student to participate and “do science.”

The event was a huge success for our students. Many of the younger students were fascinated while building their unique towers and dropping eggs, ultimately learning about science in a fun and engaging way. The older students’ projects were more challenging. While not every team placed in the overall rankings of the competition, they all learned valuable lessons about science and collaboration. “I learned that if you do not work together, 38 The Banyan

you will not get anywhere,” said Jaden Maggio ‘25, who worked alongside Camiryn Opstal ‘25 and Thomas Perez ‘25 in the Catapult. Camiryn Opstal ‘25 added, “We had trouble at first, but we didn’t lose our confidence. If we would have lost our confidence, we wouldn’t have had motivation to do well. Since we had confidence, we won.” On the final day of the competition, Kendall Cassidy ‘24 and William Nightingale ‘24 wrapped up the 2017 Science Olympiad with the launch of their first-place Water Rocket in front of the entire Lower School student body.

Congratulations to the 2017 Science Olympiad teams for creating, learning and engaging in the sciences.

Suncoast Science Center Remote Control Car Competition Students from Out-of-Door’s Middle and Upper Schools competed in the Second Annual Suncoast Science Center Remote Control (RC) Car competition. This year the following Upper School students helped in redesigning our two cars: Ethan Bertrand ‘18, Dakota Dickerson ‘18, Skye Ehrhart ‘18, Agustin Gualtieri ‘18, Lucas Macleod ‘18, Ian Martin ‘18 and Christian Ramos ‘19. On March 25, 2017, Ehrhart, Macleod, Bertrand and Ramos took their monster-themed vehicle to the competition and brought home two first place victories. ODA placed first in the Blind Driving Obstacle Course in which students were challenged to drive their car through a narrow tunnel, around wooden stakes and over a steep hill. The driver, Ehrhart, was blindfolded and navigated through his teammates. ODA won the Upper School division with a time of only 17 seconds. The second-placed team had a time of 30 seconds. ODA also placed first in the Most Innovative Design Competition in which students modified their car by changing the suspension so the car could drive even if it flipped over. They used a 3-D printer to create new, larger wheels for speed, enhanced the steering and increased their motor’s power with a more powerful battery. All of these modifications helped to make their car the most innovative in the Upper School division.

The Middle School entered a total of five monster-themed cars to the competition and brought home a total of five trophies. Will Lahners ‘21 and Cole Kirschner ‘21 placed first in the Middle School division for both the blind car and off-road races. Lindsay Soss ‘22 and Sydney Graham ‘22 placed first in the Middle School design division for their environmental Harry Potter design. Caitlin Pacer ‘23 and Megan Dowdell ‘22 placed third for their Lab Gone Crazy themed design. Tyler Beck ‘23, Andre Angelastro ‘23 and Max Fischer ‘23 made it to the final round of the off-course race, placing second in the Middle School division.

Florida Junior Classical League Latin Forum Nine Out-of-Door Upper School students who previously participated in the Florida Junior Classical League Latin Competition, including Tyler Barlow ‘18, Arya Bulusu ‘20, Nina Dinh ‘20, Christopher Eckart ‘18, Maram Faqqouseh ‘20, Mutaz Faqqouseh ‘19, John Floersheimer ‘19, Mira Khazanchi ‘20 and Ashley Sciame ‘20, also attended the State Latin Forum of the Florida Junior Classical League (FJCL) Latin Competition in Orlando on April 6-8, 2017. Accompanied by Latin teachers, Ms. Nicole Fafalios and Ms. Anya Grady, the students representing Out-of-Door learned and shared information about classical culture and language, as well as had the opportunity to network with more than 1,000 other students from 54 Florida high schools. There was plenty of excitement and fun during the competition and Out-ofDoor students not only enjoyed the event, but they also excelled, receiving numerous honors awarded to the top 10 students in each academic and creative category.

Middle School Wins People’s Choice Award with Rube Goldberg Machine Contest During first semester, Middle School students studied simple machines and how to calculate mechanical advantage and efficiency. They followed the National Rube Goldberg Competition rules and theme, which this year was to put a BandAid on an object in less than 25 steps. All eighth-grade students created machines and then voted to choose one to submit to the national competition. The group selected consisted of five team members: Chelsea Ball ‘21, Dylan Black ‘21, Raina Khatami ‘21, Grace Mannion ‘21, Supawadee Surattanont ‘21 and Reece Whatmore ‘21.

In the first round of judging, ODA students placed third overall, which sent them to the final round held on May 2, 2017. The team was named winner of the Division I - 2017 Online Rube Goldberg Machine Contest People’s Choice Award. The Out-of-Door Academy is extremely proud of our students’ accomplishments.

This is the first-time that ODA entered the contest, and to not only

make it through the first round of judging nationally, but to also receive the People’s Choice Award, was an amazing feat for our students.

Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Each year, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Alliance partners with nearly 100 visual arts and literary arts organizations across the country to bring the Scholastic Awards to local communities.

Teens in grades 7-12 apply in 29 categories of art and writing and submit nearly 320,000 works of art and writing nationally.

Students receive Gold Keys, Silver Keys, Honorable Mentions or American Visions & Voices Nominations at the regional level.

Gold Key works are then judged nationally by an impressive panel of creative–industry experts to receive national medals, including Gold, Silver, American Visions & Voices, Portfolio Silver with Distinction or Portfolio Gold Medals and Sponsored Awards.

National medalists are recognized in part at the national ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Out-of-Door students recognized in writing were Nora Altajar ‘18: Honorable Mention for Flash Fiction “13,972 Miles”; Clarence Dodge ‘17: Silver Key for Poetry “Where’s Dad?”; Mary Fulton ‘18: Honorable Mention for Poetry “Not a Heartbeat”; Serafima Kosacheva ‘18: Silver Key for Short Story “The Yellow Building” and Honorable Mention for Flash Fiction “One Can Only Dream”; Melanie Saltz ‘18: Gold Key for Poetry “Elysian Fields” and Honorable Mention for Poetry “Southern Cross”; Hailey Schlotthauer ‘17: Gold Key for Poetry “Eat your heart out Michigan Ave.” and “Sticky Love,” Silver Key for Poetry “Confessions From an (almost) Teenage Mother,” and Honorable Mention for Poetry “My Letter, Eulogy, Apology to Him,” “Something About Love,” and “What Killed the Writers”; Simone Timol ‘18: Silver Key for Poetry “The Year Halcyon: Summer” and “The Year Halcyon: Winter,” Honorable Mention for Poetry “The Year Halcyon: Spring”; and for Flash Fiction “Inconsistency/ Change,” and in Arts was Caitlin Camire ‘18: Silver Key for her photo “Viscosity.”

The Out-of-Door Academy 39

MIDDLE SCHOOL MINIMESTER: AN EXTENSION OF ODA’S CLASSROOM Traditions like Minimester are part of the learning experience for all Out-of-Door Middle School students. Each May, as an extension to the classroom, students and faculty head to Washington, D.C., Big Pine Key, and other locations across Florida to take part in a variety of activities that combine learning and fun and add up to a unique multi-day experience. A special thank you to the teachers who planned, facilitated and accompanied students on Minimester this year.

Eighth Grade The eighth-grade students went to Washington D.C., a trip led

by Mrs. Kathy Dozier. This trip was an amazing opportunity to learn about our nation’s history, heroes and government. The first day included stops at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorials, lunch at Union Station and a visit to the Capitol Building. It was extra special this year having the opportunity to see both the House and the Senate in session. There was a moving visit to the Holocaust Museum followed by an evening at Nationals Park to watch the Nationals play the Arizona Diamondbacks.

40 The Banyan

Day two included going undercover at the Spy Museum, visiting the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War and World War II Memorials. Students also took a trip to Arlington National Cemetery to view President John F. Kennedy’s gravesite, the Eternal Flame and the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. A highlight for many of the students was an experience at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Students descended on the memorial at the same time as an Honor Flight visit. This gave the students a special opportunity to appreciate and understand the sacrifices of our veterans and the significance of the memorial. A highlight was when Elle Lawson ‘21 and Mackenzie Dove ‘21 helped a veteran find the name of a fallen soldier, which he had known 40 years ago. The evening was topped off with a visit to the Thomas Jefferson and Iwo Jima Memorials.

The final day included a trip down Embassy Row and visits to the National Archives and three of the Smithsonian Museums. The students had many opportunities to make real world connections to their learnings from the classroom. Best of all, students were great ambassadors for The Out-of-Door Academy, receiving compliments from many along the journey.

Seventh Grade

Sixth Grade

The core objectives of the seventh-grade science curriculum encompassed all of the life sciences. As part of this overall theme the students studied marine biology including marine life (plants and animals), ecosystems and humans’ effects on our oceans, rivers and lakes. Prior to going to Seacamp on Big Pine Key, led

by Ms. Stephanie Sassetti, students spent time investigating the different types of invertebrates and vertebrates and the interactions between them, which included dissection of worms and sharks.

Sixth-grade students, led by Ms. Joanna Johnson, took a whirlwind adventure across the state starting at Kennedy Space Center. The students went on to Busch Gardens and Adventure Island and made an impromptu stop at the Enchanted Forest Sanctuary in Titusville. The Enchanted Forest offered students the opportunity to wander several trails where they discovered diverse artifacts and experienced nature at their fingertips. At the Kennedy Space Center, students were able to climb aboard a lift-off simulation ride and experience the effects of a shuttle launch. They also took an after-hours tour of the space shuttle Atlantis Exhibit, explored an adventure quest through the rocket garden and met astronaut Jerry L. Ross, a veteran of seven space missions. Before heading to the Apollo/Saturn V Center, the students toured launch pad sites.

Students also slept under the actual 122 foot Atlantis shuttle which has been propelled into space 33 times.

At Seacamp, students snorkeled in the coral reef and received firsthand experience looking at Florida’s ecosystem. While snorkeling and in the classroom setting, students participated in various lab experiences that enhanced their knowledge of marine life and human interactions. For example, they tested live Cassiopeia Jellyfish for stress levels based on water pollution. They also swam with small sharks and observed their behaviors and explored algae and other small marine life in a micro-ecosystem.

Not only does Seacamp provide students with an integral knowledge of marine science, it also provides a wonderful team building and personal growth experience for our students. Students and teachers had a chance to form bonds with one another outside of the classroom as they worked side by side during the three-day trip. It was truly an amazing experience.

At Busch Gardens, students went nose-to-nose with a baby alligator during an animal encounter and were also introduced to a bullfrog and a macaw. Our sixth-grade students were put to the test when they had to scavenge through Jungala, climbing tree tops and hanging with flying foxes, a gibbon and a peacock in search of hidden clues. Finally, students observed the feeding of an 11-year-old tiger, Soltan. The animal trainer spoke to students about conservation efforts such as purchasing Rain Forest Certified Products and avoiding food items that contain palm oil in order to prevent the destruction of the macaw, tiger and orangutan habitats.

To conclude the excitement, students spent a sun-n-fun filled day at Adventure Island. It’s unclear whether the Colossal Curl, the Aruba Tuba or the Key West Rapids was the biggest hit throughout the day.

The Out-of-Door Academy 41

DESIGNING A

HEDGEHOG HABITAT Charlotte the hedgehog arrived on the Siesta Key Campus in September 2016. As a nocturnal creature, she slept the day away inside her yellow plastic house. The students in Mrs. Caylyn Wells’ second grade class took very good care of Charlotte while she was in their charge. Their responsibilities were to check her water and food supply, to clean her wheel every morning and return it to her cage by the end of the day, scoop out her droppings and give her plenty of love.

Mr Militzer discusses the laser cutting process

First draft of Charlotte’s new castle home

42 The Banyan

Charlotte has always been a happy active hedgehog with her 20 doting students looking after her, but they soon noticed that she had a problem … you see, Charlotte had outgrown her current house, and the students were concerned. Mrs. Wells and Dr. Kelly Rose, librarian media specialist, asked their students to design a new home for Charlotte. They enlisted the help of Megan Wiles ‘17, who sketched their design, and John Floersheimer ‘19, who turned the sketch into a CAD file so that her home could be made using the laser cutter on the Uihlein Campus.

Upper School physics teacher Mr. Cory Militzer and Upper School technologist Mr. Ryan Kinser joined the design team via Skype to interview their young clients. They saw a terrific collaboration including mentorship from Upper School students and ingenuity from Lower School students.

In May 2017, teachers Mrs. Melissa Mayoral and Ms. Jill Jaiswal accompanied Dr. Rose and the second-grade classes to the Uihlein Campus. There, the younger students spent an hour on app design mini-lessons with Mr. Kinser. Mr. Militzer and student John Floersheimer showed the students how the laser cutter would help create Charlotte’s new home. The most valuable lesson students learned with this experience was that of perseverance and the power of appreciating mistakes.

Charlotte the Hedgehog will receive the student-designed castle as her new home at the start of the 2017-2018 school year. No doubt it will be fit for the queen that she is.

INNOVATIVE STEM RESEARCH IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL

The week of March 20-24, 2017 students in Out-of-Door’s seventh grade classes participated in Middle School STEM Week.

The overall theme was an extensive Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) unit with a “whodunnit” surprise at the end. Students used various activities such as fingerprinting, blood and DNA typing, lip prints, hair analysis, dissections, bone ratio and body proportions, handwriting analysis and other activities to analyze the crime scene. Once the information was gathered, these forensic clues would lead to a perpetrator. Guest speakers also presented information about their respective careers and areas of expertise that go into crime scene investigation. At the end of the unit, students were required to write court briefs as either the defending or prosecuting attorney in order to convince the judge of their findings in the case.

Ashton Lamb ‘22 was excited to learn about crime scene investigation. He enjoyed Mrs. Barrett’s presentation about the types of wounds victims may have and how they are analyzed.

Ashton also enjoyed learning how powders are tested and evaluated. He thought it was most interesting that the “powder samples are put into flames” in order to determine what they are and what substances a suspect may have had on them.

At the end of the week-long event, students submitted a final anonymous evaluation about their work. “I would like to do something like this again because it is something different and you have to be engaged with the subject to actually do well,” said one student. After the perpetrator was identified, a local attorney went through the case with students and helped them understand what it would take to build the prosecution and defense. “I liked being able to use the clues of each day to figure out who did it. I also enjoyed the many mini activities we did that teach you the skills that an actual detective would have. I looked forward to doing the prosecutor vs. defendant case because I will get to go back and look at all the evidence I gathered,” another student added.

The Out-of-Door Academy 43

CROSS-CULTURAL COLLABORATION:

KAIWEN ACADEMY

On January 19, 2017, The Out-of-Door Academy welcomed

10 students from the KaiWen Academy in Beijing, China to our community. They arrived with their teacher and were apprehensive and excited to immerse themselves into a new culture and new opportunities available through the student exchange program with our school. The three girls and seven boys, all currently in eighth or 10th grade were happy to have landed in the final leg of their trip. Ten Out-of-Door host families graciously opened their homes and provided a unique experience to the students, many of whom had left their native country for the first time. This is the fourth year that ODA has hosted students from China. The two-week visit provided an immeasurable benefit to both the students visiting and students at Out-of-Door.

Exchange students shared the difference between the U.S. and China

Zhenyu ‘Frank’ Zhao, hosted by the Benjamin family; Leo Lyu, hosted by the Kirschner family; Xinyu ‘Nancy’ Zhang, hosted by the Kwan family; Pan ‘Richard’ Liu, hosted by the Linehan family; Roger Li, hosted by the Scanlan family; Qixuan ‘Alina’ Shu, hosted by the Mannion family; Shenwei ‘Richy’ Li, hosted by the Luhman family; He Xu, hosted by the Black/Leatherwood family; Martin Zhang, hosted by the Ramos family; and William Cao, hosted by the Newman family experienced new adventures living with their host families including mealtime, chores, family fun, shopping and other cultural experiences.

“We have students from China come to ODA as part of the growth of our Mandarin program,” said Mrs. Camela Giraud, director of collaborative learning and educational outreach. “Our hope is to expose our students to peers from China to excite interest in our language program and curiosity about travel to Asia. Another motivation for the exchange is to increase our international diversity.”

Each student received a “Certificate of Completion” from Mr. Mahler

46 The Banyan

The benefit to students from China visiting an American high school is having an experience that allows them to integrate into the culture if they decide to attend a college or university in the United States. The educational methods are different in the United States than in China and the exposure to a more open kind of teaching and learning is very valuable for them. Our guests were enrolled as full-time ODA students while here. They attended classes with ODA students and followed eighth and 10th grade schedules. Students noticed several

differences between their school in China and Outof-Door; one example is that they take classes in one classroom where as ODA students move from classroom to classroom.

The group had the opportunity to visit the Siesta Key Campus and interact with our Lower School students. They also participated in prekindergarten’s 100th Day Celebration where they took turns trying to break a piñata. Pre-K students presented hand-painted fans created for their guests.

“The Lower Campus was like a park,” said Alina.

Out-of-Door faculty were impressed by the academic strength and personal character of each Chinese student. They were all extremely attentive in class and held a high level of interest in the material they learned while attending. Prior to our guests’ departure, ODA held an assembly in their honor. The students addressed the entire Upper School student body to share the difference between the Chinese and American cultures. Mr. Mahler also provided a “Certificate of Completion” and an ODA swag bag to each student.

Mrs. Giraud developed a reciprocal exchange with ODA students going to China to live with host families and attend a program at KaiWen Academy during the Summer of 2017. This immersion program would not have been possible without the graciousness of the host families as they opened their homes and their hearts to these young students.

Thank you to the entire ODA community for being hospitable hosts.

CHINA For more than two weeks, June 10-26, 2017, Out-of-Door students had the opportunity to visit several cities in majestic China. First, the tourists enjoyed a week-long visit in Beijing at ODA’s partner school for the Mandarin exchange, KaiWen Academy. While there, students experienced instruction in language, culture and experiences with people and places surrounding the academy. They took trips to learn the history about the Forbidden City, Ming Tombs, Tiananmen Square and the Temple of Heaven. Time in Beijing also included a weekend with a host family from KaiWen Academy.

Traveling Abroad

Travel to other countries provides our students with new opportunities to explore the world and experience different cultures while expanding their worldview

The group also visited Xi’an by high speed train to see the famous Terra Cotta warriors, the Great Mosque, a reed flute cave and Fubo Hill. They had the opportunity to enjoy a Tang Dynasty performance, flew to the mountains of Guilan to escape the city and see the iconic landscape, took a cruise on the Li River and visited a traditional market. In Yangshuo, the group took a cycling tour and spent time at a local farm to experience rural Chinese life.

They also visited the most populous city proper in the world, Shanghai, where they visited Suzhou and Tongli Water Town, saw the Shanghai Museum, Yuyuan Garden and Market and the famous Jade Buddha Temple. On their final day in China, the group enjoyed a Chinese acrobatics show before heading home.

The Out-of-Door Academy plans multiple trips abroad for faculty, students and family members to engage with and to learn about international cultures and history. These trips abroad are extremely accessible and provide eye-opening educational experiences for anyone interested in learning more about our world.

The Out-of-Door Academy 47

IRELAND ODA students enjoyed the beautiful Ireland sites

From April 7-13, 2017, a group of nine ODA students and chaperone Mr. Paul LeBras met their tour director in Dublin, Ireland’s capital city. They saw and experienced the scenery, savored the local cuisine and learned about Ireland’s magnificent history. The group visited Trinity College, where playwright Samuel Beckett and satirist Jonathan Swift studied, saw the Book of Kells and rode through Dublin’s elegant Georgian squares.

Over the next seven days, they saw the countryside and visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral, traveled to Galway to tour the River Corrib, and went to Bowling Green where an excursion took them to Connemara, Maam Cross and Spiddal. In Killarney, the group took a tour of the Burren, an expansion of limestone rock and wildflowers. They also visited the Cliffs of Moher, staggering rock walls that dominate five miles of the coast of county Clare and that tower 700 feet above the Atlantic.

Students continued to learn more about the country that is only the size of Indiana, but full of history. They took an excursion to the Ring of Kerry and encountered Ireland’s famed mystical beauty and the stunning, 112-mile coastal route that wraps around the Iveragh Peninsula. They visited a Bog Village in Glenbigh and wandered through a re-creation of an early-1800s Irish village. There was a visit to Blarney Castle, a tour of the City of Cork, a visit to the Queenstown experience and a tour of the National Horse Farm in Kildare.

With so much to see and so little time to see it, the group had a whirlwind time, but they were well cared for—allowing them to relax and enjoy the beautiful Irish countryside.

48 The Banyan

PERU No sooner than school was out, students were preparing to enjoy a nine-day tour through the beautiful landscapes of Peru from June 7-15, 2017. Eight students, nine parents and chaperones Dr. Ellen Zitani, Mrs. Angela Giorgianni-Mejicanos and Mrs. Yadira Kirschner represented Out-of-Door on an adventure of a lifetime. The group visited the San Francisco Monastery and Larco Museum and went on a walking tour of Miraflores, a lively neighborhood near the coast of Lima. They dined on delicious Peruvian cuisine at local restaurants and villages. There was a quick flight to the City of Cuzco which has an elevation of over 11,000 ft. They went on to Ollantaytambo to sightsee the Sacred Valley of the Incas, afterwards enjoying the beautiful city and dinner. The next day, the group traveled three hours to Aguas Calientes by train where they explored the famous Incan ruins of Machu Picchu. A tour guide provided insight and the group found free time to walk around the grounds and some were able to hike up to the famous Sun Gate while there.

Free time brought shopping at Pisac Market and a return back to Cuzco for a visit to the Korikancha Temple, Cuzco Cathedral and the Fortress of Sacsayhuaman. There was an all-day bus trip to Puno with stops at the Andahuaylillas Chapel and the Raqch’i Temple. Another day was an enjoyable boat excursion on Lake Titicaca with a stop at Taquile Island as well as Uros Island to hike and have an opportunity for interaction with native communities in the area. They visited the archaeological site of Sillustani, a pre-Incan burial group before returning to Lima and the United States.

ODA students immerse themselves in Peruvian culture

The Out-of-Door Academy 49

CIRCUS ARTS CONSERVATORY AN EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIP Written by Delaney Dowdell ‘18

Educational Partnerships

For many Out-of-Door students, January represents reaching the halfway mark of the school year.

Students arrive back on campus focused on the coming months of intense studying and reviewing for Advanced Placement exams and finals. A few students, however, feel the energy in the air and the excitement of a new year. These students are excited because it’s circus season. The Circus Arts Conservatory and The Out-of-Door Academy formed a partnership many years ago. This partnership provides students an opportunity to volunteer and get involved in activities related to the Circus. Over the past few years, Out-of-Door students have had the opportunity to volunteer their time under the Big Top near Nathan Benderson Park and the University Town Center Mall.

The partnership has expanded even more this past year, providing new experiences for both the circus productions and the Out-of-Door students involved.

Three students joined the 2016 Circus Sarasota production as interns. Andrew Dowdell ‘20, Delaney Dowdell ‘18 and Clayton Watson ‘19 assisted the Circus Arts Conservatory in many different capacities. They took on roles as tech interns, with Andrew as head of videography and Clayton assisting. Delaney took on the role of photography

50 The Banyan

intern, going to as many shows as possible and documenting everything in sight. The performers invited the students into a unique and incredibly diverse circus family and culture. As photographers and videographers, they were able to capture every moment, down to the pure, unbridled joy of the aerial artist’s face as she swung from a trapeze over the audience at Cirque Des Voix. Delaney’s photographs were able to capture solitary moments of artists’ visualizing their act or spending time with their circus partners. Andrew and Clayton were responsible for filming and projecting the imagery of the performance on the supersized LED screen.

Together they enhanced the overall show experience with their technological expertise.

During the Circus Sarasota production run, 40 Outof-Door student volunteers provided over 700 hours of service. Leading the way was Quinn Birmingham ‘17, the ‘Queen of the Tent.’ Quinn, as the student volunteer coordinator, made sure that every show was staffed with Out-of-Door students. Whether greeting patrons under the Big Top or assisting the administrative team with other show and production related items, the Out-of-Door student-volunteer corp literally became one big circus family.

With Ringling Brothers coming to an end after 146 years, many have wondered what will become of the circus legacy. Our students know that Sarasota will remain the epicenter of the circus world, and they will continue to honor and celebrate the incredible performers who fly high above the Big Top every night.

Additionally, Andrew and Delaney traveled to Washington, D.C. this summer to participate in the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in partnership with the Circus Arts Conservatory. Taking place on the National Mall, the 2017 Smithsonian Folklife Festival celebrated the circus arts. Andrew assisted with technology and Delaney assisted with photography. Delaney’s photographs can be viewed on the Smithsonian’s website, as well as in the promotional literature for the Circus Arts Conservatory.

This year’s partnership between the two organizations— The Out-of-Door Academy and The Circus Arts Conservatory— was an absolute success. The Big Top is not currently up but it has not stopped the student volunteer corp from planning and preparing for future events. For these students, the February circus production is right around the corner.

A contortionist performs at Circus Sarasota

• • • • • • • • • •

BONDING AT TREEUMPH

OUT-OF-DOOR SOPHOMORES AND EASTER SEAL STUDENTS On January 26, 2017, students from The Out-of-Door Academy’s Class of 2019 joined students from Easter Seals’ VIP Academy at TreeUmph for its collaborative 10th grade Biography Project.

In its third year, the objective of the Biography Project is to allow time and space for two groups of students to explore and understand both differences and similarities in the hopes that a shared humanity can be realized by the conclusion of the program. Through the project, students were asked to focus on a particular topic. The focus this year was that of “challenge” and TreeUmph provided a tough challenge with its high rope courses.

Out-of-Door & Easter Seals’ students together experience the challenge of TreeUmph

The day was about helping one another reach outside their individual boundaries. ODA students supported, encouraged and cheered their VIP partners while they participated on the ropes courses. Sophomore Will Diesel ‘19 said, “The project today was to get us out of our comfort zone and to help each other.” Students from both schools had a great time working together.

The Out-of-Door Academy 51

her experience will be similar to her time at Outof-Door and offers the following piece of advice to students, “Just try it, I was scared too, but this is the time, the time to try new and different things… just do it.”

Helena Beltrao ‘17 Helena Beltrao will surely be missed at The Outof-Door Academy next year. Beyond her pleasant personality and kind demeanor, she has one of those voices you look forward to hearing during every arts performance. Whether you were first exposed to her in The Wiz, in Cats or at Commencement, she is someone we should keep our ears open for.

Senior Profiles

Helena moved to the United States in 2010 from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She began her ODA career at the Lower School in fifth grade, but had begun singing in Brazil with her mother’s encouragement years earlier. She credits her mom for noticing her talent and passion early in life and says that is when she began believing in herself as a vocal artist.

The arts program at ODA is a priority for the leadership of the school and Helena says she felt that. From her first chorus teacher, Mrs. Young, in fifth grade to her cherished relationship with Ms. Hoff and Ms. Evans while in Upper School, she said without her teachers she wouldn’t have excelled.

She said the faculty pushed her to her limit and helped her find her path. She also credits the art department for helping to build her self-confidence and open her mind to believe in herself.

This fall Helena will attend Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. When first considering colleges she wasn’t sold on being at a school that primarily focused on music, but once she visited Berklee, saw the facilities and met some of the faculty, she knew it was the right place for her.

She feels fortunate that she will be in the city and be able to explore Boston and the surrounding areas.

Her major is still somewhat up in the air but she hopes she will learn the business side of music and also improve her song writing abilities. She hopes

52 The Banyan

Caitlin Camire ‘17 Caitlin Camire was selected as The Out-of-Door Academy’s valedictorian for the Class of 2017. The future Northeastern Husky was extremely excited to be tapped for this once-in-a-lifetime honor. The senior took more than 11 Advanced Placement and Honors courses during her four years in the Upper School and challenged herself to be among the top students in her class.

Caitlin started out on the Siesta Key Campus in fifth grade. She enjoyed having a first-grade buddy and loved creating her stepping stone. When she arrived on the Uihlein Campus, she was intimidated but had her older sister, Emily, there to help.

Caitlin flourished in the classroom, on the field and in theater, participating in the many of ODA’s musicals.

She’s an avid long-distant runner and in January 2017 she completed her first Disney Marathon in Orlando wearing a piglet costume. At ODA, she ran track & field, was a member of the Honor Council and the Thunder Heads and served as a student writing assistant, a peer tutor in chemistry and math and as a student ambassador. She even submitted artwork to be used in the Caliope Literary Magazine.

Caitlin has been a trailblazer at Out-of-Door.

While researching her career path, Caitlin spoke with her advisor, Ms. Theresa Beeman, about the possibilities and was encouraged to research jobs in the chemistry field because of her love of math and science. Caitlin was also interested

in computer innovations after taking Mr. Ryan Kinser’s AP Computer Science Principles course. She learned that Harvard was conducting research to test organs using small microchips and she became intrigued at how science and technology are fused. After applying and being accepted to several colleges, Caitlin chose Northeastern’s Honors Program and will major in chemical engineering with a biology minor. The school, is a top-tier university with outstanding academic programs. Caitlin is definitely prepared for the challenges she will face in college and is excited to get started.

manual massages, immediately after surgery helped more than the traditional model of therapy.

Kate has been an important part of ODA and its swim team.

“She’s an incredibly talented student-athlete and is one of the hardest working students in the classroom and in the lane. Kate is a fearless, strong young woman, who leads by example. When she gets to college, she’s going to hit the ground running. She’ll devour every opportunity that’s put in front of her and she will never settle for less,” said Mr. Michael Salmon, director of middle/ upper school admissions and head coach of varsity swimming.

Kate’s excited to be a part of USciences and explained how the small research school has the same feel as ODA. She’ll get practical experience in the PT field at the numerous hospitals and pro-bono clinics in the area while committing herself to the six-year doctoral program. She’ll miss her classmates, and favorite teacher, Mr. Andy Lemieux as well as Ms. Victoria Davis, with whom Kate has become close. “I loved my time at ODA,” she cheerfully said. “It was rigorous, it’s been amazing and it’s been a great experience. I really loved being there.”

Kate Patrice ‘17 “I’m so amazed at how close the senior class is. We have gotten to know each other well, and I’m going to miss everyone,” said senior Kate Patrice, who joined ODA in fifth grade. But, as one door closed, another opened for Kate, who will study physical therapy (PT) at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.

During her sophomore year, Kate participated in her first internship at a private practice in Osprey, Florida. There she realized she wanted to focus on sports injuries to help young people. Her senior year internship, however, was at Fyzical Therapy in Sarasota.

She learned more about the PT business and administrative work as well as patient care for patients of all ages. “These internships helped me figure out who I wanted to work with and it wasn’t only the young athletes,” she said. “You have to be open-minded in the field. You get to meet different types of people in need of physical therapy and it’s not just you, but an entire team treating that one person. That’s what made me want to invest in helping everyone.”

Kate, along with siblings, Grace and Stephen, co-authored and presented the research in “Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Preventative Physical Therapy versus a Traditional Care Model for Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema” to the American Physical Therapy Association in San Antonio, Texas in February 2017.

The abstract required many hours of research into the topic and patient outcomes. “There is so much to learn about the difference between sentinel lymph node and axillary lymph node surgeries and how they affect people,” Kate said. She shared her conclusion of whether preventative PT, including customized sleeves and

Zachary Poole ‘17 Zachary Poole began attending The Out-of-Door Academy in seventh grade and after graduating, as one of the top students in June, he is looking forward to his freshman year at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. While Zach will miss his family, friends and ODA faculty, he’s excited to begin his next academic journey.

While in the Upper School, Zach successfully completed more than 15 Advanced Placement and honor courses. The aspiring engineer knows exactly what he wants to accomplish and he understands that Johns Hopkins is the academic institution that will help him achieve his goals. After inquiring about and visiting multiple colleges and universities, Zach found Johns Hopkins to be a strong academic establishment and the school has a great engineering program, but more importantly, it has a friendly atmosphere.

The Out-of-Door Academy 53

Zach is the embodiment of the well-rounded student at Out-ofDoor. Aside from his rigorous academic schedule, he played the trumpet in the Jazz Band, played football and lacrosse and he’s been a member in several ODA clubs over the years. Zach’s favorite classes at ODA were AP Physics I and II. The courses were challenging, but he enjoyed the combination of hands on experiments, the open format and the lectures provided by Mr. Militzer. Zach also enjoyed being a peer-tutor and assisted fellow-students with mathematics. He found peer-tutoring to be extremely helpful for him as well. He learned to not only work with other students, but how to analyze and solve problems step-by-step, which helped him become a leader at ODA. Zach has an indisputable talent for science and mathematics. He was a member of multiple Science Olympiad teams and participated in a programming competition. Zach is also the recipient of the Math Aces Award, which shows his strength in mathematics and he was previously selected to the Sunshine State Athletic Conference’s All-Academic Team for football.

Raymond Poole, Zach’s dad, is his role model. Ray taught his son to have a hard-working attitude and Zach’s work ethic mirrors that of his father’s. The Whiting School of Engineering at Johns Hopkins will inherit a self-motivated young man, ready to put his mark on the world and willing to put academics above everything.

5 Player of Year. It was a great honor to be selected among many other talented student-athletes, but Kolbie knows that even though he worked hard for the honor, it wasn’t only his. He attributed his success this year to his teammates. “They pushed me, they looked up to me and helped me keep my head on straight while playing hard every game,” he said.

Kolbie is heading to Flagler College and plans to major in business management. He made a tough decision not to play collegiate basketball. While reflecting on his basketball and academic careers at ODA, he realized that basketball is the hardest sport to go professional. “At some point, the ball will stop bouncing,” he said.

“But no one can take away your knowledge or education.” Perhaps the hard courts may beckon him back one day after he settles in his new collegiate home.

As the youngest of three children, Kolbie owes much gratitude to his mother and grandmother for everything they have done for him, including the sacrifices they made so he could attend ODA. In May, Kolbie participated in an internship at the Laurel Civic Association, a non-profit organization that operates inside the Sandra Sims Terry Community Center, a building named after his grandmother for her community work. He helped the youth programs assisting students with homework and after-school play.

While his favorite class was Mr. Mike Newhams’ anatomy class, the person he will miss the most is math teacher Mrs. Aimee Murphy who he described as an extremely caring teacher who has always been there for him. Mrs. Murphy, in turn said, “Kolbie is gentle, humble and compassionate. He remains grounded in spite of his tremendous talent on the basketball court. He’s a leader, not a follower and finds his own path. Quite simply, I will miss him— his honesty, his smile, his laughter— just him.”

Kolbie Ward ‘17 One of the tallest students at Out-of-Door, Kolbie is hardly invisible when walking around campus, but it’s not a gigantic personality that makes you notice him, it’s his quiet demeanor and the fact that he smiles at and says hello to everyone. Kolbie Ward arrived at ODA in eighth-grade and briefly left before returning the following year. Upon his return, he committed himself to playing basketball and was a vital part of the Thunder basketball program.

He and head coach, Marcus Liberty, formed a bond.

“I credit Coach Liberty with my development. He saw my potential and really pushed me to play harder and become a leader on the team,” said Kolbie. “I listened to what he told me and I got better.” In recognition of his amazing performance this year, Kolbie was selected and represented ODA as the Class 3A-District 54 The Banyan

Kolbie enjoyed being a member of the Out-of-Door community and will not only miss his fellow seniors, underclassmen and the teachers he’s gotten to know well over the years, but he will truly miss everyone at ODA who made him feel welcome.

“He is one neat kid, who is quite bright and has the potential to achieve higher academically. I am sad that I only got to know him in his last year of ODA,” said Mr. Newhams.

Kiarra Womack ‘17 Kiarra Womack worked hard to achieve academic success at Out-of-Door. She attended kindergarten through third grade and sixth grade on the Siesta Key Campus recalling how Senora Giorgianni-Mejicanos always brightened her day, singing and reciting the alphabet in Spanish. But Kiarra also enjoyed playing the violin with Dr. Vasilaki. The violin brought discipline and excitement and she excelled as she grew as a member of ODA’s orchestra.

When Kiarra arrived on the Uihlein Campus for middle school, she knew her goals. She learned valuable lessons in Mrs. Dozier’s and Ms. Johnson’s classes, and earned top grades. In high school, she enrolled in Mr. Naylor’s World Literature class; it was this class that helped her adjust to the rigors of ODA classes. She also took Mr. Newhams’ Honors Biology and he made an impact; helping her to think about the world from different viewpoints.

Kiarra, an avid softball player with Miss Sarasota Softball, made ODA’s varsity softball team in eighth grade. Kiarra, was a member of Student Council and was also in Delta Sigma Theta’s mentoring program, Community Youth Development, the Sarasota County Chamber of Commerce Youth Leadership Program, the Association of Health Education Center’s Reach Program, and was a Multicultural Health Institute student scholar. However, her biggest accomplishment came this year when she was awarded the Gold Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout can earn. The project she created with others was called “SPECTRUM: Diversity Leadership Club.” Receiving this prestigious award was a goal of hers since following in her older sister’s Girl Scout footsteps.

While looking out at the beautiful landscape of the Uihlein Campus, Kiarra takes a deep breath and realizes that her days at ODA were limited. “You can get lost here,” she said. “Especially at the lake where you know you should be studying, but it’s so beautiful.” This fall, Kiarra will attend Washington University in St. Louis. Her goal is to become a psychiatrist. Her mentor, Dr. Lisa Merritt, was influential in helping Kiarra figure out her goals.

During her visit to Washington University in St. Louis, she became enamored. The atmosphere reminded her of ODA, something new but comfortable.

“There’s something about being at ODA that helped fuel my drive,” she said. “I had the passion and ODA gave me something to work toward. I was always encouraged to strive.” The teachers at ODA gave her the tools needed to succeed academically and she’s ready to travel to a new adventure in the great midwest.

Kiarra will remember the wonderful times she had at ODA and as a 2017 Class Agent, she’ll return one day with new stories to share.

The Out-of-Door Academy 55

OUT-OF-DOOR LIFERS Traditions are very special to The Out-of-Door Academy and 11 members of the graduating Class of 2017 and ODA Family - who began as a pre-kindergarten or kindergarten students on the Siesta Key Campus—are referred to as “Lifers.”

McCabe Ballance

56 The Banyan

Cody Cheney

Kevin Deems

Emily Dixon

The Out-of-Door Academy 57

Clarence Dodge

Larissa ‘Lacey’ Eaden

Jason Fineberg

Sophia Gardinier

Christian McCarthy

Nicholas Murphy

Joseph ‘Joey’ Runge

58 The Banyan

85%

100% ACCEPTED

2017

OF CLASS

Received unsolicited merit/academic scholarships

To four-year colleges/universities

CONGRATULATIONS

TO THE CLASS OF

OVER

$9.3 Million

In total scholarship dollars awarded

OVER

$154,000

Average four-year scholarship per recipient

Graduates of The Out-of-Door Academy’s Class of 2017 were admitted to over 300 colleges and universities across the United States, Canada, and Europe.

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

CLASS OF 2017

BY THE NUMBERS

The Out-of-Door Academy celebrated the graduation of the Class of 2017 on June 3, 2017 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 for this amazing celebration.

Highlights from the Class of 2017 include: • 85 percent of the class received unsolicited merit/academic scholarships • $9.3 million total awarded to the class in merit/academic scholarships • $154,000 average four-year scholarship per recipient

Graduation Ceremonies

• 70 percent of the class will matriculate out-of-state These very talented graduates look forward to starting a new and exciting chapter in their lives. Congratulations and best wishes to the Class of 2017!

Senior Awards Classical/Modern Language Award for Excellence: Charles Hayes English Award for Excellence: Alexa DeBartolo History Award for Excellence: Clarence Dodge Mathematics Award for Excellence: Kevin Deems Science Award for Excellence: Zachary Poole Griffin Award for Excellence in Musical Arts: Joshua Silverman Griffin Award for Excellence in Performing Arts: Helena Beltrao Griffin Award for Excellence in Visual Arts: Megan Wiles and Christopher Robinson

60 The Banyan

Robert P. True Award (Theater): Isabel Eichenbaum Head’s Choice Art Award: Megan Wiles Massaro Kozak Art Scholarship: Joseph Runge Dobosz Family Spirit Award: Carling Landeche Petrik School Service Award: Quinn Birmingham Sportsmanship Award: Carling Landeche and Joseph Runge Achievement Award: Alexander Seftas Faculty Cup: Kiarra Womack

COMMENCEMENT SPEAKERS Caitlin Camire ‘17, Valedictorian Graduation Speech Excerpt

Dr. Adam Seldis, Interim Head of Upper School, Faculty Speech Excerpt

“If I can bestow one piece of personal wisdom, it would be this: no matter what, be yourself. Stay true to who you are and chase after your dreams because if you run far enough, one day you might be able to call yourself a marathon runner; if you sing loud enough you might be able to call yourself a platinum artist; and if you climb high enough you might be able to say you hiked Mount Everest. So, Class of 2017, don’t reach for the stars, run for them, sing for them and climb for them. Thank you for all of the memories and just remember— don’t think outside the box, think Out-of-Door.”

“So, Class of 2017, learning from my own experiences, I’m not going to stand up here to give you any great life advice of my own. If nothing else, the Class of 2017 are 72 unique individuals whose lives may have intersected for a short while but whose journey is about to go in 72 different directions.

Through your time at ODA you have all had developed within you the resilience and flexibility to go on and lead happy and fulfilling lives full of love and passion. In that sense, ODA has done its job. Now you’ve outgrown us—we’ve got nothing more to offer you, and it’s exactly how it’s supposed to be. There’s no more for us to teach. We’ve given you all the skills and tools you need to be incredible citizens. Now it’s over to you. Now it’s time for you to look deep inside yourselves and ask the question, “who do I want to be” and not “what do others expect me to be?”

Class of 2017 Awards Cum Laude Society Members: Caitlin Camire, Imola Csendes, Alexa DeBartolo, Kevin Deems, Denisse Descamps-Tofani, Isabel Eichenbaum, Sophia Gardinier, Trevor Gorji, Charles Hayes, Carling Landeche, Zachary Poole, Alexander Seftas, Nicole Vitiello and Kiarra Womack.

Math ACES Award: Zachary Poole Valedictorian: Caitlin Camire

The Out-of-Door Academy 61

The Out-of-Door Academy

Savannah Alario

McCabe Ballance

Andrew Berg

Dylan Berkowitz

Amber Bond

Amad Brayboy

University of Miami

University of South Florida, Tampa

Elon University

62 The Banyan

Colby College

DePaul University

Lynn University

Rashona Banks Salem College

Quinn Birmingham

Miami University, Oxford

Sasha Brun-Wibaux Florida State University

Helena Beltrao

Berklee College of Music

Tristan Bleau

Florida Institute of Technology

Caitlin Camire

Northeastern University

Class of 2017

Duncan Cappar

Cody Cheney

Imola Csendes

Alexa DeBartolo

John Carroll University

Pennsylvania State University

Nicholas DiMare

Louisiana State University

Rhodes College

University of Miami

Emily Dixon

Stetson University

Caroline Colburn

Peter Cornetet

Kevin Deems

Denisse Descamps-Tofani

University of Delaware

The George Washington University

Clarence Dodge

Sarah Lawrence College

Berry College

Tulane University

Larissa Eaden

Texas Christian University

The Out-of-Door Academy 63

The Out-of-Door Academy

Isabel Eichenbaum Bates College

John Fenker

Hofstra University

Jacob Flanders

Sophia Gardinier

Charles Hayes

Berrian Holland

Georgia Southern University

Clemson University

64 The Banyan

Lafayette College

Texas College

Jason Fineberg

Syracuse University

Trevor Gorji

University of Southern California

Greta Holland

Texas Christian University

Ethnan Flake Lynn University

Brad Hansell

Dickinson College

Anne Keen

Rollins College

Class of 2017

Hayden Kennelly University of Dayton

Garrett Luhman

George Mason University

Bradyn Moore Western University Ontario, Canada

Chayse Kessous

Florida Atlantic University

Jack Macdonald

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Daytona Beach

Nicholas Murphy Gettysburg College

Carling Landeche

Isabella Lee-Swartz

Christian McCarthy

Chloe Militzer

Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Centre College

Michael Ordetx

Miami University, Oxford

Oglethorpe University

St. Olaf College

Juliana Osborn

Southeastern University

The Out-of-Door Academy 65

The Out-of-Door Academy

Kate Patrice

University of the Sciences in Philadelphia

Owen Ragsdale

University of South Florida, Tampa

Maria Ross

Boston College

66 The Banyan

Nathan Patrick

Lawrence University

Madison Reece Flagler College

Joseph Runge

University of San Diego

Nicole Petron

University of San Diego

Na’jee Rhodes

San Jacinto College

Chloe Ruppert

University of Miami

Zachary Poole

Johns Hopkins University

Christopher Robinson

Florida Gulf Coast University

Hailey Schlotthauer Butler University

Class of 2017

Alexander Seftas

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Per Soderberg

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Nicole Vitiello

Florida State University

Tess Siciliano

Oberlin College of Arts and Sciences

Sabrina Suriol

Southwestern University

Kolbie Ward

Flagler College

Joshua Silverman American University

Laszlo Tengerdy

Hawaii Pacific University

Megan Wiles

Wentworth Institute of Technology

Cameron Smalley Eckerd College

Anthony Varga

Chapman University

Kiarra Womack

Washington University in St. Louis

The Out-of-Door Academy 67

EIGHTH GRADE GRADUATION Margaret Buck ‘21 Graduation Speech Excerpt “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” Quote by Atticus from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Seeing and understanding situations through other peoples’ perspectives is a powerful theme repeated throughout this novel. Today, I would like you to walk with me and experience our journey through middle school.

Just over two years ago, we started here in a very different mindset than we are today. As the year progressed, we started to find ourselves drawn to these halls. We made friends and began to understand the pace of middle school. Just as we were getting comfortable the year ended, and the next one began. In seventh grade, we were truly in the middle. We were not the youngest, yet we were not the oldest. Seventh grade was full of learning about ourselves and the world around us. Now here we are in eighth grade. We are the leaders of the middle school. In our own eyes we are the wisest, oldest, and most experienced. The reality of high school being only a few months away has hit us when we least expected it. Do not worry; our wonderful teachers and parents have been preparing us for this moment all along.

As Atticus Finch once said, you really don’t know a person until you climb into their skin and walk around in it. I hope you enjoyed climbing into our skin and walking around in it for a moment. Class of 2021, let’s get ready for the next step in our journey.”

68 The Banyan

Eighth Grade Awards Faculty Cup: Amanda Colditz Academic Award: Reece Whatmore Achievement Award: Christopher Heller Service Award: Reece Whatmore Art Award: Mackenzie Dove Sportsmanship Award: Elizabeth Karp-Hauser Michael Dyer Music Award: Chelsea Ball

FIFTH GRADE GRADUATION Nolan Naese ‘24 Graduation Speech Excerpt

Mrs. Tanna Horner, Head of Lower School Faculty Speech Excerpt

“Do you ever wonder why we go to school? I used to ask myself at my old school. I never asked that question ever again when I got to Out-of-Door. The first day I started in first grade, I was so nervous.

Would I ever make any friends? After the first day at school, I had already made many friends. The race all started in first grade, where I had so much fun making new friends. In second grade, I had so much fun playing imaginary football on the little playground. Halfway through the race was third grade. We finally got to play where the fourth and fifth graders got to play, and we had fun doing the Five-a-Day Play. The final turn was in fourth grade where we had to get…big ugly…binders to carry up the stairs...everyday...all day. The home stretch was in fifth grade. It was our last year, but then we have realized that we’re almost to the middle school.

“Carving your own path gets you to greatness quicker than following someone else’s trail.” This quote by Canadian philosopher Matshona Dhliwayo reminds us that setting a trend involves taking risks and being unconventional. Class of 2024, you are my trendsetters!

These years that I have been at Out-of-Door have been a race. From starting the race in first grade to continuing the race all the way to fifth grade. This race track has been fun! One of the biggest reasons that I have had fun is because of all the teachers.

They are kind of like our pit crew, making sure we are always ready for the middle school. I am now ready to take on a new track with my classmates. On behalf of my classmates, I’d like to say thank you to the faculty, our pit crew and our parents who have helped us throughout the years.”

Academic: Jacob Kaplan Citizenship: Darcey Skelton Caroline Yancey Spirit of ODA: Nolan Naese Trey Naese Sportsmanship: Andrew Brewer Benjamin Brewer Lexi LaGasse Claire Hansen

As with any trendsetter, all eyes will be on you, watching for the next big thing. I have no doubt that you are going to continue to be innovators and pioneers throughout your educational journey and beyond. You have done more than leave your stepping stone here on Siesta Key, you have set the trend for excellence in academics, a passion for learning, and compassion for others.”

Fifth Grade Awards

The Out-of-Door Academy 69

CAMPUS VISITORS

SPARK INTEREST WITH STUDENTS Adam Sobel

Campus Visitors

Adam Sobel, a professor at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, visited The Out-of-Door Academy on March 16, 2017 to discuss extreme weather patterns and the science behind climate change. His presentation titled, “Climate Change & Extreme Weather…What Do We Know?” covered weather topics including droughts, floods, fires, hurricanes, heat waves and cold events by sharing specific data points about weather changes around the world over many years.

Extreme weather and climate change is a passion for Sobel. He and his colleagues use mathematics including statistics and calculus to help predict and identify patterns of extreme weather events on the horizon, some due to climate change. Sobel is an atmospheric scientist who specializes in the dynamics of climate and weather, particularly in the tropics. A major focus of his current research is extreme weather and the risks these types of storms pose to human society in the present and future.

Predictions indicate that certain areas will become drier while hurricanes, formed in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and threatening the United States, will become much stronger. Floods and storm surge from the aftermath of these hurricanes force the winds and weather inland, which leads to additional damages. Storm surges during Hurricane Sandy in 2012 in New Jersey and Hurricane Joaquim in 2015 in North Carolina destroyed more property than the

70 The Banyan

storms themselves. Sobel shared that the biggest concern for Florida and most potential for damage will come from the storm surges, with Tampa being one of the cities at the most risk of a dangerous storm surge. Up to 450,000 homes could be flooded during a hurricane in Tampa Bay with higher storm surges and these types of weather events happening more frequently due to rising sea levels.

Sobel also spoke to a more intimate, yet engaging group of Upper School students: Laszlo Tengerdy ‘17; Kiarra Womack ‘17; Ashley DeBartolo ‘18; Courtney Hamilton ‘18; Rebekah Lang ‘18; John Floersheimer ‘19 and Mairead Studdiford ‘19.

Most of these students were enrolled in or already completed the Environmental Sciences course and had an interest in the topic. Students discussed the issues of global warming and what society can do to help reverse climate change, such as burning less fossil fuels and reducing carbon emissions.

Sobel holds a bachelor’s degree in physics and music from Wesleyan University, and a Ph.D. in meteorology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received the Meisinger Award from the American Meteorological Society, the Excellence in Mentoring Award from the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, an AXA Award in Extreme Weather and Climate from the AXA Research Fund, and an Ascent Award from the Atmospheric Sciences Section of the American Geophysical Union.

Sobel is also author or co-author of over 125 peerreviewed scientific articles, and his book about

Hurricane Sandy, “Storm Surge,” published in October 2014 by Harper-Collins, received the 2014 Atmospheric Science Librarians International Choice Award in the popular category and the 2016 Louis J. Battan Award from the American Meteorological Society.

The Out-of-Door Academy was extremely pleased to have Mr. Sobel visit.

to both ODA campuses. As Aaron shared, “It felt good to give something back to the school that gave me so much.”

Tito Gaona

Aaron Romm, Class of 2004 Aaron Romm ‘04 has had the distinct pleasure of performing with orchestras and chamber ensembles, as a soloist throughout the United States, Mexico and Europe. Aaron regularly performs with his parents, Ronald and Avis Romm, in The Romm Family Trio, an internationally acclaimed ensemble. Aaron, an ODA Lifer, who attended The Out-of-Door Academy from 1991-2004 began his career in music in Dr. Linda Vasilaki’s music classes. He started playing the trumpet in fourth grade in the newly-formed ODA band, directed by Mr. Victor Mongillo. Aside from his father, Mongillo was his first formal trumpet instructor. Aaron continued to play in Dr. Vasilaki’s orchestra in Middle and Upper School and even participated in ODA drama productions with Bob True and Paul Kraft, first on stage and then in the orchestra pit.

Dr. Romm began teaching trumpet at State College of Florida (Manatee-Sarasota) in the fall of 2016. In addition, he serves as a trumpet coach at schools in the Sarasota area, including the ODA Encore program, which included performances at the Bay Village retirement community. Prior to his move to Florida, he held an interim professorship in trumpet at Illinois State University, and the Conservatory of Central Illinois.

The Romm Family Trio performed at both ODA campuses in early October 2016 as part of the Ovations program, which offers world-class musical and educational performances of the highest quality, while still keeping the music approachable to all audiences, regardless of age. They presented exciting music from opera and ballet to ragtime and tango, while also engaging the students with entertaining descriptions, and answering students’ questions. “It is important that we spread our love of music to the next generation of musicians and music enthusiasts,” said Aaron.

The entire Romm Family Trio thoroughly enjoyed their visit

Mr. Tito Gaona, a member of the famed Flying Gaonas, visited The Out-of-Door Academy on March 6, 2017. Mr. Gaona visited Senoras’ Maggie Dooley’s and Daniela Rozanes’ Spanish classes to talk about his life as a member of a prestigious five-generational family, known world-wide for their aerial performances.

Mr. Gaona, who began performing at eight-years-old, is an accomplished aerial acrobat and trapeze artist in his own right and owns the Trapeze Academy in Sarasota.

He shared his life story and experiences, discussing his family and career in Spanish and English. He shared how growing up bilingual was a benefit to him in the entertainment industry. Mr. Gaona, along with his family, performed in the Big Apple Circus and the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus. “The performing circus arts is amazing,” he said during a previous interview.

The students appreciated learning about this amazing individual and his impact in the history of the circus.

Dr. Morgan Watkins, Siesta Key Alumna 2002 ODA Siesta Key alumna and veterinarian, Dr. Morgan Watkins and her guest, Skyler, visited the pre-kindergarten classes at The Out-of-Door Academy on March 7, 2017. During the week prior, the pre-K students learned about different types of animals and The Out-of-Door Academy 71

Dr. Watkins was invited to share the importance of pet care with our youngest students. Many of the students shared photos of their own pets, including dogs, cats, fish and even ferrets.

Skyler, who was a big hit with the children, allowed them to pet her belly and listen to her heartbeat. One of the tips that Dr. Watkins shared was to never walk up to an animal without asking your parents and the animal’s owner first. “Because you might get bit,” one of the students emphatically said. She also recommended that students walk their animals to give them fresh air and to play with them everyday to keep them healthy and fit. “It is important to take your pet to the vet’s office each year to make sure they are healthy,” she said. Dr. Watkins even discussed what foods not to feed dogs and cats, like grapes and chocolate, which are many of the children’s favorite foods.

It is always an honor to have former ODA students visit our campus. We hope that Dr. Watkins and Skyler will visit us again.

Betty Silberman, Paul Molnar, Paul Temmer, Sue Figdor, & Rifka Glatz Upper and Middle School students at The Out-of-Door Academy were privileged to hear several individuals speak about surviving the Holocaust. The history department invited Ms. Betty Silberman, whose parents survived the Holocaust; Mr. Paul Molnar, a Hungarian survivor of Auschwitz and other labor camps; Mr. Paul Temmer, a Hungarian survivor; Ms. Sue Figdor, whose family members escaped to Cuba, and then to the United States; and Mrs. Rifka Glatz who is also a Hungarian survivor. The presentations provide holocaust awareness education throughout Sarasota and are part of the Holocaust Speakers Bureau organized

by Ms. Anne Stein.

Nik Wallenda King of the high wire Nik Wallenda, who broke numerous world records, including crossing the Niagara Falls on a high wire, visited The Out-of-Door Academy on January 11, 2017.

He spoke with Upper School students about the importance of following their dreams and never giving up. Wallenda also shared information about how his family became prominent with their high wire acts. He shared the successes and failures he and his family faced as performers, but he concluded that no matter how many times you are told no, continue to go after your dreams.

In addition, staff and volunteers from the Circus Arts Conservatory came to assist and to register students as volunteers for this year’s performances. Senior students Quinn Birmingham ‘17 and Denisse Descamps-Tofani ‘17 both received recognition for being outstanding volunteers with Circus Sarasota over the past year. The Circus Arts Conservatory and The Out-of-Door Academy have a dynamic partnership in which ODA students volunteers at Circus Sarasota and receive volunteer hours that count towards their 25 hours of service required every year.

72 The Banyan

Melissa Wandall On November 2, 2016 Ms. Melissa Wandall, founder of The Mark Wandall Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to facilitating support for children in grief, visited The Out-of-Door Academy to discuss driving safety. Ms. Wandall lost her husband, Mark, in a tragic automobile accident prior to their daughter being born. Through this tragedy, she provides encouraging, motivational speeches about automobile and driver safety education to students, law enforcement, insurance companies and others to protect other children from losing a loved one.

A “GROWTH MINDEST”

IN STANDARDIZED TESTING PREPARATION At Out-of-Door, we embrace an educational philosophy that recognizes that every child has her or his personal journey to follow as they discover who they are as a student. Small class sizes, times built into the daily schedule for outside-of-theclassroom time with teachers, and benchmarking over the course of the four years in the Upper School provide students with the tools to reflect on what they are doing well, where they need work, and how they can grow in all areas of their academic pursuits.

Standardized testing is a system that does not necessarily allow students that reflective and thoughtful option. However, the ACT and SAT are important components of the college admissions process and the College Counseling Office took the lead in identifying a system and process that would give ODA students the ability to positively impact their standardized testing journey in a manner that is similar to that of their classroom experience.

After researching and vetting more than 30 test prep companies, the College Counseling Office recommended Revolution Test Prep as the partner for this important aspect of the college process. Revolution’s track record for improving standardized test scores was certainly an important part of the equation but that was not the primary reason they were selected. Revolution Prep, like ODA, operates with a “student first” philosophy. In their own words, they: believe every child has the potential for academic success; believe that with the right tools, preparation, and mindset, every child has the ability to succeed; and reject the notion,

held by too many students, that they don’t have the natural talent to succeed in school or get into a good college.

Their central philosophy is one of “growth mindset”– the belief that anyone can improve and grow–this is central to their test preparation curriculum. Every child deserves the best instruction from a full-time, professional tutor who motivates and ignites students’ love of learning. Because ODA students are incredibly busy, Revolution’s test prep is offered via an integrated, internet-based platform providing maximum flexibility for our students to schedule sessions when it works best for them.

College Counseling

David V. Mahler, Head of School believes that, “as a school we have an opportunity to more formally support all of our students in their quest for standardized testing scores that more accurately reflect their academic ability and potential.” As such, a formal partnership between ODA and Revolution Test Prep began during the summer of 2017. Every rising junior and senior has access to 20 hours of test prep at no charge to their family. Juniors will participate in sessions in July and August in anticipation of the October PSAT/NMSQT exam.

Rising seniors have access to 20 hours of test prep for either the August SAT or the September ACT. Students are strategically arranged into small groups of no more than six students and will be able to participate in the test prep from any location that has internet access. The College Counseling Office will track each student in the program to see how this new resource impacts their standardized testing profile over time.

The Out-of-Door Academy 73

FLIK INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DINING PROMOTING HEALTHY CHOICES

Campus Dining

74 The Banyan

The cafeteria is a great place to enjoy a meal and socialize at The Out-of-Door Academy. This past school year, there was a recognizable change on both campuses with Flik Independent School Dining joining the ODA community to provide healthy and delicious food choices to students and faculty.

Flik, a leading food service provider, prides itself on preparing high-quality dishes from fresh ingredients.

Leading the charge is Chef Jonathan Tatum, who oversees operations on both campuses along with Brad Armstead, chef manager, on the Siesta Key Campus. In unison, this new duo is showing ODA students healthy food choices can also be tasty.

Jonathan arrived at ODA in January and quickly found a rapport with students. He’s gradually learning their names and the types of food they eat.

And he always finds time to answer their questions about the foods he serves. He’s proud of the ‘clean food’ and ‘clean flavors’ that he brought to ODA (with most items made by hand), and Chef uses what is known as ‘stealth health’ to keep the foods we consume healthy and nutritional. Infused water, made with freshly cut fruit, is served every day and is a staple of Flik’s charm. He’s working on a more consistent menu with seasonal food variations so students will try foods they’re not accustomed to.

Chef Jonathan is a married father of two who enjoys the outdoors and fishing. He’s also a movie buff, but food…food is his passion! He has catered in hotels and hospitals for numerous years and enjoys the culinary arts in general. He wants to contribute to the future of culinary experience at ODA, educating students and faculty alike.

During the new school year, there will be special programming to accompany the meals he will create, the Thunder Café will have more coffee, drinks and a variety of healthier quick-to-grab options for upper school students and faculty and because most students don’t eat breakfast at school, more options may be offered to increase the morning traffic.

Recognizing that seafood wasn’t the biggest hit last year, Chef Jonathan will encourage students to get their Omega-3s while also finding the right balance between chicken tenders and Duck Lorraine that will satisfy the pickiest eaters and their parents. He’s already incorporated substitutions for students who have food limitations, providing a variety of sugarless treats, whole grain options and other healthier choices.

Chef Jonathan Tatum

Catering is available, from simple lunches to elaborate meals, and is an added bonus for our athletic teams, clubs and special events. He enjoyed seeing the seventh-grade students host the eighth-grade dinner and the juniors host the senior dinner. He says he could not have catered the entire meal without the students and parents who volunteered at each event.

Chef Jonathan is also looking forward to being a vital part of the ODA community. You’ll probably find him at our sporting events and visual and performing arts programs this year as he continues to show his commitment to the school and its students.

Chef Brad Armstead

Flik agrees that lunch should be an enjoyable part of the school day and both Chef Jonathan and Chef Brad want to make mealtime a wonderful experience promoting healthy eating habits and encouraging students to try new foods.

The Out-of-Door Academy 75

LOWER SCHOOL VISUAL ARTS Arts

Mrs. Olan Quattro believes all students are creative and capable of expressing themselves visually.

She understands that art class is an opportunity for creativity and exploration. Art in the Lower School is a time for experimentation and creative problem solving. The curriculum is a balanced mix of studio production, art history, aesthetics and art criticism. Each of these disciplines gives students the opportunity to understand the visual arts in a multi-dimensional manner.

Visual art allows all students to find a venue to express themselves. It is Mrs. Quattro’s job to provide as many artistic opportunities as possible so each student can find their favorite way to visually express themselves. For some students this might be drawing; for others, collage or weaving.

Elementary-aged students should be exposed to a multitude of materials, techniques and projects in order to understand the depth and dimensions of contemporary art. Mrs. Quattro loves to teach art history, introducing her students to exemplars of artistic creation. This spring, students learned about famous artists Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso and Matisse.

76 The Banyan

A highlight of the year in the art room also included learning about the contemporary glass artist Dale Chihuly. Students watched videos and viewed his work as they learned about this interesting artist.

During Earth Day week, Lower School students created a collaborative sculpture using recycled plastic bottles brought in from home. These bottles were used to create a Chihuly-inspired chandelier.

This project highlighted the importance of recycling and the opportunities to reuse materials in the art room. The finished project hangs in the Dining Hall where all students can admire the beauty that their hard work produced.

Students were also exposed to a multitude of art on Arts’ Day this spring. A Japanese origami artist came to teach some of our students the intricate art of paper folding. Other students were introduced to mixed-media book arts with a visiting professor from Stetson University. A cartoon artist also came to teach students about the art of illustration.

Fifth-grade students made a painting with a tropical landscape painter who guided them, step by step, in how to create a seascape. Arts’ Day was an inspiring day showcasing a wonderful variety of art.

LOWER SCHOOL PERFORMING ARTS This school year has been extremely inspiring for the ODA Arts Department. ODA music alumni returned to inspire and work with our students.

Guest artists also came to perform for them. A highlight of the year occurred in the fall when Dr. Aaron Romm, ODA alumnus, and the Romm Family Trio, performed a trumpet and piano concert and the Show Choir performed with them for the finale.

The Sarasota Opera performed for our students, and they were invited to a dress rehearsal of Don Pasquale. Students were then treated to an exciting evening at the Sarasota Opera House.

In March, ODA was honored to have the Perlman Music Program send a chamber music group to perform for our students and faculty. Students from Julliard, who are alumni of the Perlman Program, performed for our students and answered many questions.

On May 3, 2017 professional guitarist David Whitmire, from the Venice Symphony Music Education Department, presented an in-depth program on the history of the guitar to our immersion students. He demonstrated the science of high and low sound waves and how sound travels, described the first known guitar from 5,000 B.C., and performed samples of classical, folk and rock guitar. He also showed the students how electric guitars differ from regular guitars and why they require a different technique. The afternoon was informative and interesting to students and faculty.

The first and second-grade students took an exciting trip to the Venice Performing Arts Hall in May. There, they heard the Venice Symphony, and Dr. Linda Vasilaki, her husband, Yuri Vasilaki, and Ms. Karissa Ratzenboeck performed for them. The curriculum was based on a Carnegie Hall Program entitled “Linked In.” Students were able to interact with the orchestra and the challenging rhythms and repertoire as the concert progressed.

In between these awesome guest artists and experiences, our own students gave monthly concerts in the community. They also gave three all-school concerts, a festive winter concert, a Grandfriends’ Day concert and an Arts’ Day concert.

They worked with the Visual Arts Department, and on Arts’ Day, reached new heights of quality work. The chorus, under Mrs. Gulacsy’s direction, and the orchestra, under Dr. Vasilaki’s direction, culminated the year by performing well-known pieces together, including Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, The Lion Sleeps Tonight and selections from the “Phantom of the Opera.” Making music together has proven to be inspiring and invigorating, as we share interpretations, talents and ideas. We look forward to future collaborations between Mr. Stiles’ band, Dr. Vasilaki’s orchestra and general music students, Mrs. Gulacsy’s chorus and Ms. Quattro’s Visual Arts Department.

David Whittmire, guitarist from the Venice Symphony Education Program, presented a guitar demo for our students in May

Lower School students perform their annual holiday concert at the Siesta Key Chapel

The Out-of-Door Academy 77

MIDDLE & UPPER SCHOOL VISUAL ARTS The Arts Center on the Uihlein Campus is a very active place.

This year we welcomed new faculty to our visual arts program.

Mr. David Valdini joined the Middle School team representing the visual arts and Mr. Nicholas Wozniak joined the Upper School team teaching visual arts. We are very pleased to have their expertise and the addition of their unique creativity within the art building and program.

The Arts Center is always abuzz with different art forms. There were times that the chorus was practicing in the stairwell and the drawing class would quickly open its doors for the impromptu serenade. What better experience in an art room than to be surrounded by all art forms in unison. While strolling through the building there is art on display filled with student artwork that gave a peek inside of what the visual art classes created.

In many of the art classes, students were learning, drawing and creating using multiple mediums. The drawing and graphic design classes created visuals that were used to create the coloring book fundraiser for the visual arts. Our Advanced Placement Studio Art student Delany Dowdell ‘18 had her photography work of the circus featured and published on programs and websites.

Vivienne Miller ‘18 and Ani Kapreilian ‘18, both in Advanced Placement Studio art, had their photography featured on a website

78 The Banyan

called Honey, which is a website where photography is paired with a creative writing piece that complements the work of art. In Advanced Ceramics, Tala Bleau ‘19 completed a semester long ceramic piece, a hand-built vessel that was inspired by glass artist Dale Chihuly’s artwork (pictured above).

We had a wonderful year in the Visual and Performing Arts Department. We hope you were able to join us for The Winter Arts’ Celebration in December 2016 and Arts’ Day in April 2017.

These days were a celebration of our visual and performing artists in Middle and Upper Schools. The chorus, band, and orchestra presented amazing concerts featuring solo talent and highlighting graduating seniors. We were extremely proud of our visual arts students this school year and we look forward to another year of teaching, learning and collaborating in the visual arts.

Out-of-Door families are encouraged to join the Arts Alliance, a group of volunteer parents who support the arts at ODA. The Arts Alliance provides generous funding to the art programs on both campuses each year. Because of your support through the Arts Alliance, we have continuously been able to add enrichment to our arts programs and curriculum. You can learn more about the Arts Alliance at www.oda.edu/artsalliance.

FREE ADMISSION BRING THE ENTIRE FAMILY!

FUN DAY Saturday, November 11, 2017 11:00 am - 3:00 pm P R E S E N T E D B Y:

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

www.oda.edu/TFD FOOD • FUN • GAMES • CRAFTS • INFLATABLES • CHILI COOK OFF

MIDDLE & UPPER SCHOOL

PERFORMING ARTS DEPARTMENT The Performing Arts are alive and well at The Out-of-Door Academy. With enrollment increasing in each of our departments and many performing opportunities available to our students enrolled in our band, jazz band, chorus, orchestra, keyboard, pitt orchestra, steel drum ensemble, advanced chamber ensemble, a Capella ensemble and theater, we are proud to have 57 percent of our total middle school through upper school student body enrolled in a performing art. Throughout the year, students performed in the Winter Arts Festival, Broadway Night, Jazz Under the Stars, Middle and Upper Schools Theater productions and Arts’ Day. Our students do more than perform; they learn how to transfer their musicianship in different ways than traditional music ensembles.

Members of our chorus accompany their ensemble on the ukulele, auxiliary percussion and boomwhackers. This was best on display during their “World Music” showcase, which took listeners on a musical journey as students had to learn songs in French, Hindi and Maori. Choral Director, Ms. Denise Hoff says, “Music crosses all boundaries, whether it be cultural, economic, or academic— music teaches respect for one another.”

Under the direction of Mr. Patrick Miller, band students are not only performing traditional band repertoire, but also performing in the Steel Drum Ensemble during each concert. They perform at football games as a pep band, the pit orchestra for our US musicals, and with the US Jazz Ensemble. Members of the 80 The Banyan

orchestra learn the classical repertoire while also performing rock, pop and jazz standards. Students begin improvising through a jazz fiddle series in middle school culminating in the ability to dissect the structure of pop songs, build chords and improvise using the proper scales and modes. “The improvisatory aspect of orchestra class is perhaps the most important and creative music-making element of every week,” Orchestra Director, Mrs. Nicole Young said. Students develop artistic creative expression and synthesize all of their learned musicianship in these mini-performance sessions. Through improvisation we are developing character independence and developing critical thinking skills.”

Students in the Theater Program had some unique opportunities this year as well. In addition to the traditional musical, “Smile” was produced and directed by Ms. L’Tanya Evans in collaboration with Denise Hoff and Patrick Miller. Tim Dobosz ‘11 served as an artist-in-residence directing an original piece, “The Virtue of Presence.” Middle School students performed an original musical inspired by the classic Cyrano DeBergerac with Florida Studio Theater. “In this transitional year, we did what artists are known to do—improvise,” Evans said. “In doing so, students were exposed to and engaged in many elements of the creative process, contributing greatly to each of these productions. I am very proud of the theater program and I look forward to its continued success.”

We are fortunate to have developed strong bonds in the greater performing arts community. This year, we are proud to recognize 12 Youth Orchestra students: Chelsea Ball ‘21, Ethan Ball ‘19, Nzinga ‘Imani’ Barnette ‘18, Ethan Bertrand ‘18, Natalie Carrion ‘23, Alexis Hudson ‘19, Eugenia Kornacki ‘20, Zijiao ‘Emily’ Liu ‘18, Kelsey Lugannani ‘20, Christian Ramos ‘19, Leonard Reyneke ‘21 and Luca Stine ‘19. Youth Opera students were Leeson Foullon ‘19 and Ada Giraldo ‘23. Elizabeth Karp-Hauser ‘21 was selected as a member of the Gulf Coast Middle School Honor Band, performing at the Sarasota Opera House in May with 75 of the top middle school musicians in the Sarasota and Manatee County area.

Individual students also had some note-worthy accomplishments including pianist Emily Liu becoming a finalist in the Young Artists Concerto Competition. Violist Chelsea Ball was selected to represent our school in the Florida Honors Orchestra and trumpet player Vivienne Miller, a member of the Competitive Indoor Marching Band Circuit, won the silver medal in the World Championship, missing first place by only .25 points. Violinist Alexis Hudson became the first ODA student to make it into Florida’s All-State Orchestra. Concertmaster and trumpet player Luca Stine ‘19 placed third in the Venice Musicale Competition and earned $1,100 in scholarship money to attend summer intensive programs. He also won the Schmeier Jazz Scholarship to cover full-tuition at the New England Music Camp. Luca’s recent accomplishments include performing with the Anna Maria Orchestra and playing weekly at the Tampa Bay Jazz Jam in St. Petersburg. Senior choral musicians, Amber Bond ‘17, Helena Beltrao ‘17 and Chloe Militzer ‘17 will all go on to study music at the collegiate level next year. Helena Beltrao auditioned and earned a spot at Michael Feinstein’s “Great American Songbook

Academy” where she was further celebrated as a top-10 contestant with a special performance coached by members of the Manhattan Transfer. This experience helped prepare her for her audition and acceptance into the Berklee College of Music. Our theater students are often involved in multiple shows. Alexia King ‘22 and John Robinson ‘23 are heavily involved in the Venice Theater Program.

Raina Khatami ‘21 performed as a dancer and member of the chorus for “Billy Elliot” in the fall.

Our students expanded their musicianship taking courses in AP Music Theory, 20th Century Music History, Movement and Acting.

These courses inspire creativity and composition. This year, we featured two student compositions from Nicholas Murphy ‘17 and Christian Ramos ‘19. These students have inspired many others to step forward and make plans to arrange and compose for next years’ concerts. As our department prepares for the 2017-2018 school year, we look forward to welcoming our full-time theater director and teacher, Ms. Callie Donnelly, to our department.

Callie brings with her a wealth of expertise, most recently as a teacher of acting and film at the Ringling College of Art + Design.

Arts after ODA Helena Beltrao ‘17 Berklee College of Music Amber Bond ‘17 Elon University Chloe Militizer ‘17 St. Olaf College

The Out-of-Door Academy 81

Mr. Lemieux and Mrs. Betz, who provided him an advantage over other college freshmen, by teaching him how to write college-style essays and research papers.

McCabe Ballance ‘17 After spending the last 14 years as a student at The Out-of-Door Academy, “Lifer” McCabe ‘Cabo’ Ballance said goodbye on June 3, 2017 to the only school he’s ever attended. He spent his entire time with 10 other “Lifers” who enjoyed the family-like atmosphere at ODA. This fall, McCabe will attend Colby College in Maine and will also be a member on the defensive side of Colby’s football team. His summer was occupied with workouts to become stronger, faster and fitter.

StudentAthlete Profiles

While searching for the perfect college, McCabe had not settled on Colby right away. While researching colleges, including USC and others in California, he went through a distinctive change of thinking. With the help of Mr. Jacob Harding, co-director of college counseling, McCabe began to look at colleges where he could also play football. Colby began rising to the top of the list, and ultimately it became his top choice.

Cabo will take with him sweet memories of the time he spent on the Siesta Key Campus. He fondly remembers “Lake ODA,” where skipping shells and running through the rain-filled mulch was a badge of honor. “I will miss the family aspect at ODA, the freedom we had, the caring teachers and walking through the halls knowing everyone,” he said. ODA is a school that creates lifelong friendships and relationships.

Middle school teachers, Mr. Ball, Mrs. Dozier, Ms. Johnson and Ms. Sassetti prepared him for the demanding courses he would take over the next four years. His favorite courses were AP Language and AP U.S. History, which were set up in a discussion format and allowed him to talk about two of his favorite things, books and history. His mentors were his advisor, Mrs. Betz; his Uncle Charlie, his father and Coach Sommers. He owes a lot to English teachers

82 The Banyan

McCabe participated in a number of clubs, student council, and also a member of the yearbook staff. He was also involved with Habitat for Humanity and Relay for Life. He played football and lacrosse with pride and purpose and was captain on both teams.

Being in a leadership role helped him convey a positive message to the underclassmen while also listening to their concerns. Due to his undeniable leadership, McCabe was selected as this year’s Male Athlete of the Year. He wasn’t expecting the recognition— and concluded that many of his peers could have been chosen—but he’s extremely proud of what he accomplished and thankful to have received the award.

McCabe’s time at Out-of-Door has prepared him for the demanding academics and athletic programs at Colby. Cabo knows it will be an adjustment not coming back to ODA and seeing his friends every day, but he’s ready to make an impression on the world.

He’s ready for Colby.

Sophia Gardinier ‘17 As Sophia Gardinier prepared for graduation, she noted the excitement yet nervous feelings she was having about the next chapter of her life at Lafayette College.

She anticipated commencement day bringing about a variety of bittersweet feelings. “I have been here for 14 years…I never thought it would end,” she said. “It is exciting to officially be an adult, but sad at the same time.” Sophia said she worked so hard for the past four years, and she is proud of herself for doing everything it took to get to this point.

When asked how she decided on Lafayette, Sophia explained that she and her mother visited nearly 20

colleges in July 2016. When she arrived at Lafayette College in eastern Pennsylvania, she said she “knew right then, it just felt right.”

On the surface, she liked the location and how the campus looked.

But when she met the coaches, “they were extremely welcoming” and “the vibe” made her feel right at home. Lafayette is a small undergraduate college that affords many opportunities academically that she didn’t think she would have elsewhere. A Division I studentathlete, Gardinier was most concerned with balancing academics, athletics and her social life.

Gardinier plans to major in biology or neuroscience and knows that will be challenging in and of itself, but added that being away from the comfort of home will add to the challenge. She was anxious about leaving her friends and family but notes her oldest brother in Toronto will be her closest relative and she hopes to see him more often. She also noted her parents have talked about what they will do when she is gone and Sophia said, “I will miss my mom so much. We do a lot of mom/daughter things. That will be hard.” She knows she is leaving everything she has ever known… As an ODA Lifer, she’s only ever lived in Sarasota and has never experienced a winter, but she says she has already shopped for cute hats and scarves and can’t wait to get to Lafayette to begin her adult life.

When Maria returned to ODA during her junior year, she became acclimated to the rigorous academic schedule. She was once again a vital part of ODA and she thrived. When her senior year arrived, Maria decided not to commit to playing tennis due to outside tennis tournaments, and as much as she wanted to support her fellow tennis players at school, she didn’t want to let them down if there was a conflict with her travel schedule.

Maria successfully balanced her academics and tennis commitment while enrolled at ODA. Working with her teachers and advisors, who were extremely supportive, Maria completed all of her course work in a timely manner. Her love to play the game of tennis is evident as she has committed to play while attending college at Boston College in Massachusetts. She’s eager to begin school in the fall, having been raised in Boston, and had already met her teammates at BC. Tennis is a full-time sport at BC; during the fall season, Maria and her teammates will play together, but during the spring season, they play individually for points and an opportunity to make it to the NCAA championships. While Maria is not necessarily interested in becoming a professional tennis player, she knows the discipline on the court will benefit her in the classroom while she works towards a degree, possibly in political science. Maria is interested in the legal field and completed her senior internship with Judge Krug this past May. She’ll miss the fun events at ODA including Thunder Cup, which helped her and other seniors bond and become closer, but more importantly, Maria says she will miss many of her former teachers including Mr. Ball, Mrs. Dobosz, Ms. Dooley and Mrs. Murphy to name a few.

Maria Ross ‘17 Maria Ross began playing competitive tennis when she was 9 years old. When she was a freshman, she won the state singles and doubles in tennis for The Out-of-Door Academy, but the following year, she withdrew from Out-of-Door and was homeschooled so she could focus on tennis tournaments around the country. Maria missed being a part of the ODA community, but she understood that the time away was to improve her tennis game.

The Out-of-Door Academy 83

SARAIAH WALKES:

STATE TITLES TODAY, OLYMPICS TOMORROW The Out-of-Door Academy had never won a state championship in track and field prior to May 6, 2017.

Said Saraiah’s father Al Walkes, a former high school track athlete who also ran the 400: It might be hard, “but that’s her best event.”

Saraiah Walkes changed that in a hurry.

District Champion 100 m Dash, 200 m Dash & 400 m Dash Regional Champion 100 m Dash, 200 m Dash and 400 m Dash State Champion 100 m Dash, 200 m Dash, and 400 m Dash

Saraiah, a 14-year-old rising ninth-grade student, captured Class 1A gold medals in the 100, 200 and 400 meters that Saturday afternoon. In a span of just a few hours, Walkes had delivered three varsity state championships to the Thunder program.

Not bad for someone who had yet to step foot in an Upper School classroom.

Of those three victories, perhaps Walkes should be proudest of her performance in the 400. She readily admits to hating the event, and it’s easy to understand why. The 400 represents both a mental and physical test, requiring runners to exert maximum effort for a quarter-mile and remain focused as physical discomfort turns to searing pain.

“That’s the one event that you know you’re going to have to put everything into it,” Walkes said. “You have to run fast in the 100 and 200, but that 400 is going to kill you.”

84 The Banyan

Indeed, the 400 brings out the best in Saraiah. She ran the event in seven varsity meets this past season, winning all seven times on her way to claiming the state title. Saraiah has medaled regularly in the 100, 200 and 400 at the AAU Junior Olympics national meet over the past five years. But her first gold came in the 400, of course.

Behind that success is the support of parents Al and Monica Walkes. Al is the one who drives to Junior Olympics meets around the country, and Monica is the one who excitedly shouts encouragement while Saraiah’s muscles are aching in the home stretch of the 400.

“On the sideline, I know I’m loud,” said Monica Walkes. “I’ll yell at her: ‘Push! Leave it on the track!

Leave it on the track!’ She will pick it up and push through. She will be about to fall down and die at the end, but she gives it all she’s got.”

With those credentials and that kind of support, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that ODA track and field head coach Jeff Taylor describes Saraiah as highly motivated and extremely competitive. “She’s got a heart of steel,” Taylor said. “She does whatever it takes to win.”

Saraiah admits she was nervous when she first began running against varsity upperclassmen as a seventh-grade student, but that was no longer the case by the time she took silver in the 100 at the state championships as a 13-year-old last year. A few months after that performance, she placed second in her age group in the 100, 200 and 400 at the Junior Olympics in Humble, Texas.

While Saraiah distinguishes ODA on the track, her teachers aspire to help her succeed in the classroom. Walkes’ parents said they cherish her opportunity to receive an ODA education, and they especially appreciate the level of teacher engagement at the school.

Saraiah started competing in track at age 7. She didn’t place in her first meet, but it wasn’t long before she got a taste of success. After that, she was hooked on the sport.

“When she got that first medal – she was jumping and happy,” said Al Walkes. “We knew that she could do it. But when she finally got it, it was like winning the Olympics.”

Saraiah lists American track stars Allyson Felix and Justin Gatlin as her favorite athletes and was paying close attention when each won a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics. She hopes to compete on the Olympic stage someday as well, perhaps as soon as 2020, when she will be 17. It’s a lofty goal, but there is precedent for such an accomplishment. Sydney McLaughlin, a high school hurdler from New Jersey, qualified for the Olympics last year at 16 and competed shortly after turning 17. Felix was just 18 when she won the first of her nine Olympic medals in 2004.

Saraiah, who describes herself as confident but humble, said she hasn’t imagined what it would be like to step up to the Olympic medal stand – not yet, anyway.

Saraiah on campus and on the track

“I’ve never really thought about it,” Walkes said.

“But I feel like if I won and I was up there, I would probably cry.”

Only she will know if those tears come from a place of joy – or whether her muscles are still screaming from the 400.

The Out-of-Door Academy 85

THUNDER ATHLETICS

Athletics

More than one-half of our student population on the Uihlein Campus participated in a fall interscholastic sport (cheerleading, golf, cross country, swim, football and volleyball) and represented the Thunder in over 150 competitions. The volleyball team finished the season as district runners-ups. The boys’ golf team finished their season as district runners-up and advanced to the regional tournament as a team, finishing fifth. The girls’ team had three individual qualifiers for the regional tournament. The boys’ cross country runners finished in fourth place in the district tournament, qualifying as a team for the regional meet. Joining the boys were two girl runners as individual qualifiers. Both finished in the top 50 runners. Our swimmers took the district by storm. The boys’ team finished as district runners-up while the girls’ team repeated as third place finishers. Both teams advanced to the regional meet.

More than one-third of our student population on the Uihlein Campus participated in a winter interscholastic sports (basketball and soccer), with 10 competitive teams representing the Thunder in over 175 competitions. The varsity boys’ basketball team finished as district runners-up. Our varsity girls’ basketball team ended their season on a great game against district champion Bradenton Christian.

Varsity boys’ soccer finished the season as district runners-up on a superb game versus the district champions. And, the varsity girls’ soccer ended the season as district champions and made it to the regional semi-final game.

During spring season, ODA fielded 15 teams in five sports (baseball, lacrosse, softball, tennis and track & field) with close to 200 competitions. The

86 The Banyan

baseball tem won the Taylor Emmons Memorial Tournament, and senior Na’jee Rhodes won the Home Run Derby. The softball team won three games this season giving them a great foundation to build upon. The boys’ lacrosse team played a tough district semi-final against Riverview High School, losing 10-11 in double overtime after overcoming a four-goal difference. The girls’ lacrosse team finished as the district runners-up. Our boys’ tennis team finished as district runners-up, the regional champions, earning a spot in the state tournament.

The girls’ tennis team finished the season as district runners-up. In track & field, Saraiah Walkes ‘21, finished the year as the state, regional and district champion in the 100M, 200M and 400M dashes.

It’s been a great year for the THUNDER! We have sent swimmers, runners and tennis players to state competitions. We are proud of the many accomplishments of our student-athletes on the playing fields, pools and courts, as well as in the classroom. Congratulations on a great year. Enjoy the summer, we look forward to seeing students back on campus in August.

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 630 roster spots were filled across 42 teams in 13 sports during the 2016-2017 season. Teamwork, sportsmanship and the display of Core Values (Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence, and Responsibility) 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

INDIVIDUAL REGIONAL

INDIVIDUAL DISTRICT

TEAM REGIONAL

TEAM DISTRICT

ALL-STATE

CHAMPIONS

CHAMPIONS

CHAMPIONS

CHAMPIONS

CHAMPIONS

ATHLETES

15

21

8

7

24

21

18

18

VARSITY TEAMS

JUNIOR VARSITY TEAMS

The Out-of-Door Academy 87

THUNDER ATHLETIC AWARDS Team Honors Varsity Boys Tennis – Regional Champions Varsity Girls Soccer – District Champions Varsity Boys Basketball – District Runner-Up Varsity Boys Golf – District Runner-Up Varsity Boys Soccer – District Runner-Up Varsity Boys Swimming – District Runner-Up Varsity Girls Lacrosse – District Runner-Up Varsity Boys Tennis – District Runner-Up Varsity Girls Tennis – District Runner-Up Varsity Volleyball – District Runner-Up

Individual State Qualifiers

Three time Individual State Champion Saraiah Walkes with Coach Jeff Taylor

Boys Swimming – Martin Baffico – 100 yd Butterfly and 100 yd Backstroke Boys Swimming – Martin Baffico, Zach Szmania, Laszlo Tengerdy, Sarsen Whatmore – 200 yd Medley Relay Boys Swimming – Zach Szmania – 200 yd Individual Medley and 100 yd Breaststroke Track & Field – Saraiah Walkes – 100 m Dash, 200 m Dash & 400 m Dash Boys Swimming – Sarsen Whatmore – 500 yd Freestyle

Regional Champions Boys Swimming – Martin Baffico – 100 yd Butterfly Track & Field – Saraiah Walkes – 100 m Dash, 200 m Dash and 400 m Dash

Individual State Qualifiers Boys Swimming – Martin Baffico – 100 yd Butterfly, 100 yd Backstroke, 200 yd Medley Relay, and 400 yd Freestyle Relay 88 The Banyan

Boys Swimming – Zach Szmania 200 yd Individual Medley, 100 yd Breaststroke, 200 yd Medley Relay, and 400 yd Freestyle Relay Boys Swimming – Laszlo Tengerdy 200 yd Medley Relay, and 400 yd Freestyle Relay Boys Swimming – Sarsen Whatmore 200 yd Freestyle, 500 yd Freestyle, 200 yd Medley Relay, and 400 yd Freestyle Relay Track & Field – Kai Soderberg, 800 m Run Track & Field – Saraiah Walkes, 100 m Dash, 200 m Dash, and 400 m Dash

State Champion Track & Field – Saraiah Walkes, 100 m Dash, 200 m Dash, and 400 m Dash

Male Athlete of the Year McCabe Ballance

Female Athlete of the Year Christina Lutton

Cross Country, Boys Kai Soderberg – MVP Zach Wells – Most Improved Christopher Eckart – Coaches Award

Cross Country, Girls Maeve Studdiford – MVP Nora Altajar – Most Improved

Cheerleading Anne Keen – MVP Mairead Studdiford – Most Improved Ashley DeBartolo – Coaches Award

Football

Soccer, Girls

Dakota Dickerson – MVP Joey Runge – Most Improved McCabe Ballance – Coaches Award

Natalie Gorji – Co-MVP Madisyn Opstal – Co-MVP Maram Faqqouseh – Most Improved Abby LaGasse – Co-Coaches Award Cayla Dammann – Co-Coaches Award

Golf, Boys Max Coutsolioutsos – MVP Jim Cai – Co-Most Improved Wyatt Plattner – Co-Most Improved Josh Silverman – Coaches Award

Golf, Girls Lexi Murphy – MVP Alexandra Lu – Most Improved Christy Wyatt – Coaches Award

Swimming, Boys Lazlo Tengerdy – MVP Tristan Bleau – Most Improved Peter Cornetet – Coaches Award

Baseball Brady Moore – MVP Duncan Cappar – Most Improved Max Munroe – Coaches Award

Lacrosse, Boys Dakota Dickerson – MVP Declan McCann – Co-Most Improved Luke Fenker – Co-Most Improved Leland Wheeler – Co-Coaches Award Ian Martin – Co-Coaches Award

Lacrosse, Girls

Kate Patrice – MVP Courtney Hamilton – Most Improved Reece Whatmore – Coaches Award

Sereena Feeney – Co-MVP Natalie Gorji – Co-MVP Morgan Hoerner – Most Improved Hannah Greenblott – Co-Coaches Award Lizzy Karp-Hauser – Co-Coaches Award

Volleyball

Softball

BreAnn Brown – MVP Liberty Strafuss – Most Improved Greta Holland – Coaches Award

Isabella Lee-Swartz – MVP Liberty Strafuss – Most Improved Kiarra Womack – Coaches Award

Swimming, Girls

Basketball, Boys

Tennis, Boys

Amad Brayboy – Co-MVP Kolbie Ward – Co-MVP Nate Patrick – Most Improved Chase Maasdorp – Coaches Award

Jake Krug – MVP Philip Chiritescu – Most Improved Yuchen Kong – Coaches Award

Basketball, Girls

Sydney Sforzo – MVP Lara Felsman – Most Improved Sima Kosacheva – Coaches Award

Liberty Strafuss – MVP Hannah Greenblott – Most Improved Christina Lutton – Coaches Award

Soccer, Boys Filip Svoboda – MVP Peter Cornetet – Most Improved Cody Cheney – Coaches Award

Amad Brayboy, Boys Basketball co-MVP

Tennis, Girls Liberty Stafuss, Volleyball Most Improved

Track, Boys Joey Runge – MVP Kai Soderberg – Most Improved Christopher Eckart – Coaches Award

Track, Girls Caty Castro – MVP Eugenia Kornacki – Most Improved Jenna Viard – Coaches Award

The Out-of-Door Academy 89

ODA COACHES HONORED Coach Kieran Killigrew Boys Tennis

Coach Tim Orlosky Baseball

Coach Bill Unzicker Girls Soccer

90 The Banyan

Three Out-of-Door coaches were selected as HT Preps Coaches of the Year based on recommendations from other coaches in the area with input from the Sarasota Herald Tribune staff. They were rated against other coaches in their sports from high schools in Charlotte, Manatee and Sarasota counties.

Coach Kieran Killigrew is a tennis pro at The Founders Club and is also in his fourth season as head coach of the boys’ and girls’ tennis teams and tennis director for Out-of-Door’s tennis program.

The Thunder’s 12-member boys’ tennis team reached the regional tournament after upsetting the district champions 4-3. “The season was up and down, but we were competitive in every match,” said Killigrew.

“These young men drew on experience from previous years and knew what to expect and how to win.” The 2016-2017 tennis team was made up of middle school and junior players. Everyone was on a level playing field and at any given time, these student-athletes can be competitive.

Killigrew’s selection as Coach of the Year for boys’ tennis was a complete surprise. “They think I’m responsible for the award, but it’s the players who are,” he said. “I put them in the lineup, but they did the hard work, competing and winning. I was flattered to win, but I give them the credit.” Killigrew wants the tennis program to grow and go further next year. He’s anticipating the entire team coming back with more experience.

Tim Orlosky had a 20-6-2 record at the end of the 2017 baseball season. Orlosky joined Out-of-Door in 2013 as the associate athletic director for facilities management, baseball program head and head coach for varsity and Junior varsity baseball. Varsity played in a very competitive district and against good coaches.

During the Taylor Emmons Memorial Tournament, the varsity team came up against three D1 commits and beat each one of them, not only taking the tournament title, but also the homerun derby. Coach Orlosky is grateful to be selected as the coach of the year, but shares the award with his coaches and players.

“We hired quality assistant coaches, many of whom are former baseball players,” he said. Out-of-Door student-athletes receive high-quality instruction with a culture to win whether in the weight room, on the diamond or in the classroom. “That’s where the value is in our program,” he said. “Everyone has something to contribute.

“We have a lot of really young talent coming up from middle school and the underclassmen, and our future looks bright,” said Orlosky.

Bill Unzicker is in his third year coaching Out-ofDoor’s girls’ soccer and holds the past two consecutive district champions in the division. This year, the team had a goal to go further, and as a result had a 16-0 regular season record. The Thunder retained the district championship again after dominating the field. They advanced to the regional tournament and in the semifinal match, suffered their only loss. After that match, coach provided positive words and the team showed personal, team and school pride.

All-Stars, First Team Martin Baffico Boys Swimming Natalie Gorji Girls Soccer

Unzicker has coached soccer for more than 18 years in the Sarasota area. While at his previous school he coached the girls’ team to numerous championships including six district titles and two trips to the regional finals. He also coached several youth clubs in the area to regional championship as well as the Florida State Cup Final Four.

In addition to leading ODA to three consecutive district championships, he is currently a tactical analyst for the University of South Florida women’s soccer team.

Receiving Coach of the Year wasn’t expected, but the honor is not his, it is the players, Coach Unzicker says. The goal was to repeat as district champion and be the number one seed. He encouraged his players to create their own individual goals, and together they become a better team.

This award shows these young ladies what they are capable of achieving together. Several students are interested in playing soccer at the collegiate level. The focus for next year continues to be education and development for players—to learn and use what they already know and to raise the bar. Coach insists that he’s not going to look at what was previously done, but will look ahead and continue to incorporate the school’s core values with a focus on tactics. He notices how much school pride these young ladies have and it translates on the field. They believe and trust in their coach and realize that he has their best interest at heart. He says he is extremely proud of them, because they played hard this year.

The Out-of-Door Academy celebrates coaches Kieran Killigrew, Tim Orlosky and Bill Unzicker.

Madisyn Opstal Girls Soccer Na’jee Rhodes Baseball Filip Svoboda Boys Soccer Saraiah Walkes Girls Track & Field All-Stars, Honorable Mention McCabe Ballance Football Amad Brayboy Boys Basketball Connor Krug Boys Tennis Abby LaGasse Girls Soccer Josh Samuel Boys Tennis

Athletics after ODA Savannah Alario ‘17 University of Miami, Rowing

Sophia Gardinier ‘17 Lafayette College, Track & Field

Brady Moore ‘17 University of Western Ontario, Baseball

Tess Siciliano ‘17 Oberlin College, Lacrosse

McCabe Ballance ‘17 Colby College, Football

Brad Hansell ‘17 Dickinson College, Football

Na’jee Rhodes ‘17 San Jacinto College, Baseball

Sabrina Suriol ‘17 Southwestern University, Lacrosse

Duncan Cappar ‘17 John Carroll University, Baseball

Christian McCarthy ‘17 Centre College, Football

Maria Ross ‘17 Boston College, Tennis

Cameron Smalley ‘17 Eckerd College, Baseball

Kai Soderberg Cross Country Kolbie Ward Boys Basketball Sarsen Whatmore Boys Swimming

The Out-of-Door Academy 91

GIVING BACK

SERVICE AT THE OUT-OF-DOOR ACADEMY

Service

Students in pre-kindergarten to 12th grade are making a difference in the community through a wide variety of community service projects. Our students enjoy service because it strengthens our local community. Whether it is an individual student, a group of students or the entire school fundraising for a charitable cause, feeding the hungry or volunteering at a local non-profit, our core value of service encourages our students to look beyond themselves and understand the leadership role they play in helping people in need. Providing servicelearning opportunities for our students encourages them to give back and to make a difference in the lives of others.

Hands-On Learning On October 15, 2016 more than 150 people, including 60 children from Out-of-Door, gathered at ODA’s Siesta Key Campus to participate in Imagination Foundation’s Annual Global Cardboard Challenge. Those participating in the event spent several hours building cardboard arcade games, and afterwards, had an hour to play one another’s games in the giant outdoor arcade. Arcade-style prizes, donated, by ODA’s Parent Association, were awarded. The Global Cardboard Challenge affords students the opportunity to let their imaginations run wild. This hands-on learning opportunity, using recyclable materials, aligns with our sustainability 92 The Banyan

initiatives. ODA students came with creativity, energy, joy and ingenuity to create terrific games and beautiful cardboard monster creations. There was a strong man game, a Shook prize grabber and many ball tosses into the mouths of hungry monsters and headless pumpkins. Older students created a haunted house, a rolling train and a kids-only clubhouse, which was propped up at the edges of the Kozel Family Amphitheater. Proceeds from the event were donated to The Imagination Foundation.

Protecting our Environment Sarasota County Government recognized The Out-of-Door Academy’s Freshman Class of 2020 as the high school volunteer organization of the year for their outstanding Beach Cleanup Day at Turtle Beach. Students worked diligently spreading mulch and shell, shoveling sand, cleaning weed beds, pulling invasive vines from trees and hauling trash away. The freshman class was presented with the award during the 2016 Keep Sarasota County Beautiful’s Annual Volunteer Awards Recognition Dinner on November 9, 2016. Mrs. Aimee Murphy, Hannah Greenblott ‘20, Tomas Giacinti ‘20 and Joshua ‘JJ’ Easto ‘20 accepted the award on behalf of The Out-of-Door Academy.

Annual Cardboard Challenge on our historic Siesta Key Campus

Helping Fight Hunger During Convocation on November 10, 2016 the ODA community supported All Faiths Food Bank in their mission to reduce hunger in our area. The goal this year was to donate more than 2,017 boxes of every child’s favorite side dish, macaroni and cheese, to help with All Faiths Food Bank’s backpack program. The twist, however, was to have a macaroni and cheese challenge that created a domino effect. Students, faculty and staff not only donated more than 2,400 boxes in honor of the Class of 2017, but videos from each division were created and shared at Convocation to celebrate the donations to the food bank.

On November 19, 2016 seven ODA fifth-grade students, along with their families and Ms. Daddario, volunteered to pack 430 meals for Meals on Wheels Sarasota. The oldest recipient to receive a meal was 104 years old and the youngest was 6 years old. Meals on Wheels has fed Sarasota’s hungry, disabled and homebound individuals since 1971. Meals on Wheels relies solely on community donations and volunteers to help pack and deliver 500 meals a day, six days a week to those in need.

School traditions, such as the annual Thanksgiving service project, are equally important to Out-of-Door. For more than a decade, Out-of-Door has provided Thanksgiving meals to families of students who attend our sister school, Gocio Elementary School, through the Thanksgiving service project. This year our families, faculty and staff on both campuses donated a total of 70 Thanksgiving meals. This service project has a twofold effect: it allows Gocio families to receive a holiday food basket containing all that is needed for a complete traditional Thanksgiving dinner

(including a turkey, all the trimmings and pie), and also gives Out-of-Door students the opportunity to provide service to others.

Mrs. Kathy Dozier and Mrs. Angela Giorgianni-Mejicanos have again done a terrific job with this project. We were also thankful to our Parent Association for the purchase of 70 storage bins that held the meals.

On February 10, 2017, as a special attraction during Grandfriends’ Day, a Canstruction® in the form of a question mark was created by students and sponsored by The Caring Kids Club.

Canstruction® displays not only teach children about building and engineering a structure, but they also teach about hunger and the value of giving back to those in need. The cans of food used in the structure were graciously provided by our Lower School families and then donated to All Faiths Food Bank to feed families in Sarasota County.

• • • • • • • • • •

13,430 2016-2017 Upper School volunteer hours

• • • • • • • • • • In March 2017, during the first three weeks of the Summer Hunger Food Drive, 318 total items were donated to benefit All Faiths Food Bank’s Campaign Against Summer Hunger on the Uihlein Campus. Each week a different canned item was requested: week The Out-of-Door Academy 93

Students deliver Thanksgiving Baskets

one was a call for canned beans, week two was pasta and rice and week three was canned salmon, chicken or tuna. The donations helped provide food for over 40,000 children and their families during the summer. This summer feeding project was spearheaded

by Rachel Silverman ‘18 with assistance from Brianna Carney ‘18, Haley Carney ‘18, Mackenzie Condrack ‘19, Delaney Dowdell ‘18, Grace Dunn ‘20, Michael Gosnell ‘18, Rebekah Lang ‘18, Lauren Millar ‘19, Rachel Redington ‘19, Haille Rutsky ‘18 and Chloe Spingler ‘19. A special thank you to ODA’s Middle School Student Council and Feeding the Hungry Club for volunteering time to run the food drive.

The Out-of-Door’s annual Spirit Day, a traditional field day event that brings both campuses together for a friendly, but fierce, athletic competition was held on April 7, 2017. The entire school contributed to our annual peanut butter and jelly drive on behalf of All Faiths Food Bank. The student body was divided into two teams, white and blue, with each team collecting either peanut butter or jelly. This year the white team won the PB&J challenge and collected 378 jars of peanut butter. The blue team was close, donating 424 jars of jelly. In total, 802 jars were donated to All Faiths Food Bank by the ODA community.

Supporting Social and Health Causes More than 230 Lower School students participated in ODA’s 28th annual Jump Rope for Heart, a service project that supports the American Heart Association. Students raised over $23,000, far exceeding their goal of $15,000. As a reward for reaching the goal, our STEM students created “slime” that was dumped on Head of Lower School Mrs. Tanna Horner at an assembly on February 24, 2017.

Ashley DeBartolo ‘18 organized ODA’s third annual hair donation event supporting Children With Hair Loss (CWHL), an organization that provides hair to children suffering from cancer and Alopecia. A record 220 inches of hair was donated on April 19, 2017 from 21 people, including 17 Out-of-Door students, who 94 The Banyan

donated eight or more inches of hair each. Ashley, along with sister, Lexi DeBartolo ‘17; younger brothers, Chase Smith ‘26 and Drew Smith ‘28, mother, Julie Scott and teacher, Ms. Kim Walsh, planned the event. ODA partnered with Fresh Salon, which provided stylists to cut hair. ODA’s Entrepreneur Club provided a gift to each donor.

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) is close to the heart of ODA’s Lower School librarian, Dr. Kelly Rose. Dr. Rose met ODA parents Michael and Tiffany Yates and their boys Cameron Yates ‘27 and Logan Yates ’29 through baseball. Kelly learned that the two boys have Type 1 diabetes. As a way to support the Yates boys, the Lower School participated in JDRF’s annual fundraising event for juvenile diabetes research in honor of Cameron, Logan and other ODA students who have diabetes so they may one day live without this illness. The JDRF walk was held on April 8, 2017 and Team Yates raised more than $7,000.

During the month of May 2017, Chloe Spingler ‘19 and Madisyn Opstal ‘19 spearheaded a donation of gently-used cleats, sports bras and soccer balls for GOALS Haiti, a non-profit organization that advances youth leadership through soccer and education to create stronger healthier communities in rural Haiti. The students collected more than 470 items of clothing and equipment and $800 in funds to support the program. During the athletic awards celebration, football head coach Ken Sommers, a board member with GOALS Haiti, highlighted the need for the donations and thanked Chloe and Madisyn for their dedication to others.

Sophomore Sofia Mejicanos ‘19 hosted the second annual used backpack drive for Resurrection House, a day center for the homeless of Sarasota County. Backpacks are often the only way the homeless can keep their personal belongings together and students at Out-of-Door donated more than 50 gently used and new backpacks.

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

ORTHODONTICS

Support Out-of-Door’s Corporate Partnership Program please visit: www.oda.edu/corporatepartners

or contact Terri

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

Dear Friends of Out-of-Door, The 2016-2017 school year was an amazing display of our five core values in action!

Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence, and Responsibility were prevalent in the classroom, on the playing field, on the stage, and also evident in your philanthropic support of our great school!

Letter from the

Director of Advancement

Amy L. Towery, CFRE

Your record-setting gifts to both the Annual Fund and Banyan Ball demonstrated your recognition of the responsibility we have to ensure our students continue to recieve the education they deserve. Thank you for supporting each and every student at Out-of-Door!

The Annual Fund raised over $1.175 million dollars this year in support of the exceptional people and programs at Out-of-Door.

In addition to Annual Fund donations, fundraising for Capital Improvements was also very successful. As you return to our campuses in the fall, you will notice many improvements on our Siesta Key Campus. Forward thinking around social responsibility has led to the installation of solar panels and our commitment to excellence in terms of our facilities will be on full display in a new marine science expansion, updated technology, sun shades over outdoor dining and playgrounds, and sheltered porticos at the entrances to campus. On the Uihlein Campus in Lakewood Ranch, our field space will be expanded, allowing studentathletes to practice earlier and get home to enjoy family time and focus on academic excellence, integrity, and responsibility. All of this has been made possible through philanthropy!

Thank you for your generosity and unwavering support!

Sincerely, Amy L. Towery, CFRE

97

Photo Courtesy of Mote Marine Aquarium

NEW MARINE SCIENCE STEM LAB ON SIESTA KEY

The marine science lab on The Out-of-Door Academy’s historic Siesta Key Campus will experience a massive expansion and transformation over the summer and students will come back to a bigger, hands-on, and high tech classroom environment this fall. The project, funded by a generous anonymous donor, will bring ODA’s distinctive marine science program to a whole new level.

Campus Enhancements

The new marine science/STEM classroom, will house three large touch tanks custom designed for the ODA curriculum by the marine biologists at Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium. Each tank will hold a variety of marine species found in the local ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico.

Built-in video-conferencing technology will allow our students to connect with researchers, scientists, teachers and students from across the globe at the touch of a button. In addition, an outdoor marine science classroom including an aquaponics system to grow marine life and plants together is planned.

These improvements will provide transformational learning opportunities for our students on Siesta Key. Out-of-Door and Mote Marine have enjoyed a strong partnership for many years and this

98 The Banyan

collaboration helps our students better understand and appreciate the environment around them and provides a closer look at marine life in its natural habitat. Students will continue to visit Mote Marine, but they will also receive much more hands-on instruction in the remodeled classroom and outdoor lab space.

Ms. Lisa Cheney, ODA’s marine science teacher at the Lower School, has taught students at ODA for 21 years. She taught middle school on the Uihlein Campus for three of those years before returning to the Siesta Key Campus to create the marine science program for students in pre-K-Grade 3. “I want to inspire our students to become excited about marine science and all sciences,” she said. “I want them to love, and explore marine science and STEM so they continue to be highly engaged in the sciences throughout their career at ODA.” This is the first educational program design that Mote Marine is embarking upon in an elementary school setting.

The objective is to enhance the marine science program by leveraging new programming developed by scientists at Mote Marine and Mrs. Cheney.

Come August, our students will have access to a truly unique educational environment as they develop their passion for science and STEM.

Siesta Key Campus •

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

Permanent, hurricane-grade, canopies will be installed at all three student drop-off locations, protecting students from wind, rain and the sun’s harmful UV rays.

Permanent shade structures will be installed over playground equipment, the four-square court and the new outdoor marine science classroom.

The pre-K and early elementary restrooms will be remodeled to allow direct access from pre-K classrooms and includes upgraded fixtures and finishing, auto flush systems and automatic hand dryers.

A remodeled MITT/Maker Space in the Glendy Huene Library/ Media Center includes a new, state-of-the-art green screen/studio with professional grade lighting, cameras and a 3-D printer.

The library has undergone a re-design including student-friendly book displays as well as movable furniture that can be configured in a variety of ways for different class activities. Additional storage for Maker Space materials has also been added.

A permanent sound system was installed at The Kozel Family Amphitheater allowing the outdoor space to be used for more assemblies and performances.

Upgraded projection and sound equipment has been installed in the cafeteria to enhance presentations for visiting speakers and assemblies.

A new campus garden has been installed outside the Glendy Huene Library/Media Center.

Uihlein Campus •

•

•

A new athletic complex is under construction on the adjacent south parcel on Deer Drive. The new facilities will guarantee that all of our student-athletes participating in field sports can practice concurrently on campus every afternoon.

A new 12,000-square-foot field house is in the final phase of design work and will be added to the baseball and tennis complex. The field house will provide much needed practice space for volleyball and basketball and will include a reception area, concessions and restrooms.

Additional exterior cameras and security lighting have been installed throughout the campus.

The Out-of-Door Academy 99

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 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

Mary & Dave Peirce The Ramsey Family Mr. & Mrs. John P. Studdiford

Anonymous Ms. Kendall S. Barmonde The Brunckhorst Family Mr. & Mrs. Larry Fox John and Teena Humphrey Ms. Ashley D. Kozel The Patterson Foundation

Headmaster’s Council ($5,000-$9,999)

Founder’s Circle ($25,000+)

Philanthropic Support

Chairman’s Club ($20,000-$24,999) Dawn & Paul Holland

Banyan Tree Society ($15,000-$19,999) Mr. Robert Hamill

ODA Benefactors ($10,000-$14,999) Mr. Douglas Bradbury Drs. Amy & Richard Buck First Watch Restaurants, Inc. FYZICAL Health Mr. & Mrs. Ales Graf Greenhouse Fabrics 100 The Banyan

Mr. Pablo Baffico & Mrs. Geraldine Balharry Bill & Mary Ann Becker Cool Today The Cowles Charitable Trust Rob & Jacqueline Crisci Ariane & Bob Dart Rod & Kerri Dowdell Mr. Steven R. Eichenbaum Jennifer & Christopher Feeney Gelbman Family Foundation Mr. & Mrs. James Goff Mr. Derek Han The Karp Family Foundation The Kints Family Donna & David Koffman Dr. & Mrs. William Lahners The Luhrsen Family Mary Jo & Bob Naylor Dr. Stephen Patrice & Dr. Sharon Morris-Patrice Don & Cyndi Paxton

Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Pendery The Savidge Family Mr. & Mrs. Peter Soderberg Drs. Peer & Maureen Soderberg SunTrust Foundation Susan & Stephen Wahl Willis Smith Construction, Inc.

ODA Leaders ($2,500 to $4,999) Mr. & Mrs. Sean Abrams Anonymous Fran & Jamie Becker The Bizick Family Breakthrough Results LLC The Cochran Family Larry & Maria Colditz Rhonda & Dan Deems Troy & Carolyn Eaden Chris & Tally Harris Kenneth D. Henson M.D. & Mitzie P. Henson Hirtle Callaghan & Co. Honeywell International Charity Matching The Khazanchi Family Mr. & Mrs. John Kittle

Liz and Sam Logan in memory of Robert Buzzelli Mr. & Mrs. Gary W. Macleod Mr. & Mrs. David V. Mahler Morgan Stanley Mr. Jeffrey Nuckols & Mrs. Lisa Barnaby-Nuckols The Pittsburgh Foundation Sarasota Smile Design Dr. Christopher Sforzo & Ms. Terri Vitale Ann Marie Davis & J.B. Shaw III Mrs. Anne O. Swain Toni Federici, Inc. Vera Cash Foundation, Inc. Mr. & Mrs. James K. Vickery, Jr. Stephen & Liz Watson Wells Fargo Educational Matching Gift Program White Family Foundation Fund of Gulf Coast Community Foundation

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

Gallagher Hagopian Ms. Cathy Hansell Rabbi & Mrs. Geoffrey M. Huntting Dr. & Mrs. Joshua Newman The Shuel Family Dr. & Mrs. Howard Small Jeffrey & Utahna Smith Mr. & Mrs. Donald Urfer Ms. Karen V. Vale

Circle of Patrons ($1,000 to $1,923) All Glass & Windows Animal Health Center Anonymous Stephanie & Michael Appleby Baker Orthodontics Mr. & Mrs. Mike Beasley Beneva Flowers and Gifts Jeff Bomberger Mr. & Mrs. Bruce Cassidy, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Paul J. Chren

City Wide Maintenance of Tampa Bay Joseph & Sandy Clarke Denise & Louis Colosimo Dr. & Mrs. Joseph Coppola Mr. & Mrs. Mark Crews Toni & Jeff Cusumano Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Dennehy Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence J. Fineberg Forest Lakes Animal Clinic Freeman Orthodontics Dr. Federico Frias and Mrs. Claudia Imbert Stan & Halie Fulton Mr. & Mrs. James Gettel Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey Giacinti Dr. Kenneth Giraldo & Dr. Cynthia Collawn Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Giuliani Mr. & Mrs. Bijan Gorji Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey S. Gould Maria & Allen Heise Infiniti Aesthetics, Inc. Kona Ice Sarasota Mr. Qinsong Kong & Mrs. Junyan Wang Charles & Shelley Lafoe Mr. & Mrs. Bruce Latta Michelle & Timothy Lea Mr. & Mrs. Scott Loretan Mr. & Mrs. David Lozier LWR Communities LLC Mr. & Mrs. John Maben Mantra Fitness Mr. Joseph Marinucci & Ms. Eleni Larcombe-Marinucci Dr. Silas E. McAninch, DDS Matt and Tina Miller Moricz & Varone Orthodontics Tom & Alison Murphy Mr. & Mrs. Robert Parker Publix Super Markets Charities Fabian & Katiuska Ramos Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Rayman Mr. & Mrs. Robert Rittenhouse, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Dana R. Robes Fred & Sonia Romano Dee & Chuck Romito Mr. & Mrs. Burton Sack

Mr. & Mrs. Ashok K. Samuel Schindel Orthodontics Ken & Marina Sommers Mr. & Mrs. Blase Sparma Mr. Richard Spilka & Mrs. Veronika Spilkova Ms. Lisa Steele ‘64 Mr. & Mrs. Roger Tichenor Chris & Martina Timol Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Van Hoesen Cary and Brooke Diesel-Veith Dick & Lorraine Vitale Dr. Scott Wenk & Mrs. Hope McCampbell-Wenk Mr. & Mrs. James Whatmore Mr. & Mrs. John Wilander

Blue & White Associates ($500 to $999) AMC Group Management-Buffalo Wild Wings, University Anonymous Drs. Michael & Emily Arsenault Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Benjamin Mr. & Mrs. Philip Biegelsen Mr. & Mrs. Gregory Bliss Mr. Darryl Calkins Mr. & Mrs. Andy Cappar George & Nancy Castro Taber & Celeste Chadwick Drs. Cristian & Alina Chiritescu Ms. Kippie Crouch Dr. & Mrs. Raymond Dixon Mr. & Ms. Thomas A. Dozier Mike & Kathy Dyer Dr. & Mrs. Robert Eckart Sonia & Alfonso Espinel Ms. L’Tanya Evans Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Grano, Jr. Gertrude M. Hajduk Mr. & Mrs. Richard Hall Dr. & Mrs. Douglas Hansen Mr. Jacob Harding Mr. & Mrs. David Hawkes Mrs. Kathie Hayes Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Hill Mr. & Mrs. Rod Hollingsworth Brian & Tatiana Hudson Krista & Brian Jones

Dr. Daniel Kaplon & Ms. Monet Sexauer Knox Family Foundation Dr. & Mrs. Eric Larson Lattner Family Foundation, Inc. Mr. Andrew Lemieux Mr. & Mrs. Trudo Letschert, II Mr. & Mrs. David Macrae Mr. & Mrs. John Mantone Marsh & McLennan Mr. Robert McCaa Mark & Susan McCann Ms. Terri Medina Monsters Lacrosse Academy Mr. & Mrs. Ted Morgan Mr. & Mrs. Richard Munroe Mr. & Mrs. Robert Naylor, III Anna & Gregory Pacitti Dr. & Mrs. Robert Sambursky Mr. James M. Schaeffer Ms. Rosemary Shofe Scott & Ronni Silverman Mr. & Mrs. Lane Smith Steinwachs Family Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Gerard K. Stone Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Sussman Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Tengerdy Dr. & Mrs. Larry R. Thompson Russell & Amy Towery Mike & Cindy vonWaldner Mr. & Mrs. Michael J. Wilson Mr. Scott Young & Mrs. Cindy Bruce Young

Out-of-Door Supporters ($250 to $499) Mr. & Mrs. Charles A. Alario, Jr. Sam & Eiman Altajar Mr. & Mrs. Adam M. Amdur Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Angelastro Anonymous Ms. Monica Baldwin Mr. & Mrs. Gregory Band Mr. & Mrs. Ken Banks Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Banks The Barnette Family Mr. John Barrett & Dr. Joanne Barrett Mr. Chris Bernsen Jason & Katherine Bitsoff David & Cathy Black The Out-of-Door Academy 101

Mr. & Mrs. Jeff Bogumil Mr. & Mrs. Peter M. Borden Mr. & Mrs. Tim Brewer Mr. Stephen Bunker & Ms. Kerry Johnson BurgerFi Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Carlton Mr. & Mrs. Jaime Carrion Mr. & Mrs. Mark Chait Mr. & Mrs. David Chessler Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Cobert Ms. Michelle Colburn Ms. Amalia D. Colosimo Mr. William Crump & Ms. Elizabeth Gringeri Mr. & Mrs. Tom Dowdy Mr. Charles Doyle & Ms. Julie Mulhatten Mr. & Mrs. Brian Ellerson Mr. & Mrs. Steven Fenker Mr. & Mrs. Christian M. Fischer Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey Flanders Ms. Deborah Frye Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Gardner Dane and Jill Gass Camela & Robert Giraud Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Golart Dr. & Mrs. Gregory Hanes Mr. & Mrs. W. Gibson Harris II Mr. and Mrs. Brock Horner Ms. Jill Jaiswal Terry & Alissa Kennelly Ms. Yadira Kirschner Drs. Daniel & Jamie Kirschner Mr. Thomas Krug & Ms. Sherri Vitale Mrs. Cristin Lavelle Goerke ‘01 & Mr. Justin Goerke Mr. & Mrs. Steven R. Lenz Ms. Melinda Lloyd Ms. Jill Lonstein Mr. & Mrs. Richard Lyons Martin & Shelli Maag James & Andrea Malcolm The Massey Family Mr. & Mrs. Kennon McCaa Mr. & Mrs. David McDonald Mr. Erik J. Milkovich ‘06 Mr. Michael Millar David & Suzanne Moore Mr. & Mrs. Sean Murphy 102 The Banyan

Brian & Laurie Naese Mr. & Mrs. John Nelson Dr. & Mrs. Morgan O’Donoghue Mario & Amie Oliva Doug & Shari Phillips Mr. & Mrs. Doug Plattner Mr. & Mrs. Eric Robinson Beth & Bob Rulof Kimberly & Jeffrey Saltz Mr. & Mrs. Daryl Schaal Mr. & Mrs. Barron Schimberg Schwab Charitable The Sciame Family Mr. & Mrs. Ryan Scibelli Dr. & Mrs. Adam Seldis Jeanne & David Smith Ms. Daria R. Spina Karyn & Tony Squitieri Sun Garden Café Ms. Jacqueline Svilokos Mr. Matthew Testa & Mrs. Isabelle Pinard Mr. & Mrs. Dave Thomas Richard & Lisa Trueblood Ms. Clara Viana James & Romy Viard Ms. Deborah Waterman Mr. & Mrs. Kevin T. Wells Mr. & Mrs. Michael J. Wilson Michael & Tiffany Yates Drs. Richard & Phyllis Yonker Dr. Frederick Yturralde & Dr. Jennifer Goodman

Friends of Out-of-Door (up to $249) Ms. Denise Aberle Ms. Marya A. Annicelli Anonymous Ms. Jennifer Arsenault Audrey B. Robbins Fund Mr. & Mrs. Greg Auen Sandy & Steve ‘60 Ayers Mr. & Mrs. Micheal Babich Jenifer Back Baird Foundation Debbie & Sean Ball Mr. & Mrs. J. Russell Ball Ryan K. Ballance Mr. Charlie Balliette Bank of America

Ms. Kathleen Baraona Mr. & Mrs. Steven Barron Dr. Robert & Irene Barylski Mr. & Mrs. Stephen J. Beck Ms. Theresa Beeman Ben and Erin Jones Charitable Fund Mr. & Mrs. Gene Benson Mr. & Mrs. James Bertrand Mr. & Mrs. Kirt Betz Bjork Sanders Donor Advised Fund Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Bitsoff Mr. Robert G. Black Mr. Jeffrey Bowers Mrs. Katie Bricciano Mr. & Mrs. Harold Brown Dr. & Mrs. Richard H. Brown Mr. & Mrs. Kevin Bruning Mr. & Mrs. Mickey Bryan Ms. Gabriella Bucci Mr. Ramesh Bulusu & Dr. Sangeetha Bulusu Callan Malone Fund Mr. Wolfgang Ebenbichler & Mrs. Leslie Casanova-Ebenbichler Mr. Marco Castillo Mr. & Mrs. Michael Chalhub Wendy & Larry Chamberlin Mr. & Mrs. Randal S. Cheney Mr. Nick Choueiri & Mrs. Samira Fayad-Choueiri Ms. Jennifer Ciesar Mr. & Mrs. Seth Claude Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Collins Karen & Doug Constant Ms. Michele Corley Mr. & Mrs. Earl Cronan Ms. Carol Crossman Ms. Daniele Daddario Mr. & Mrs. Clay Dalton Ann Marie Davis & J.B. Shaw III Ms. Victoria Davis Mr. Mark Montana & Ms. Amy Dear Mr. Cameron R. Deems ‘10 Mr. & Mrs. Jim Delgado Mr. Matthew DePalma Ms. Karen Dickerson Yom & Dornelas Dinh

Mr. & Mrs. Patrick DiPinto Mr. & Mrs. Michael Dixon Avery Brunson Dodge Richard ‘08 and Clarence ‘17 Mr. & Mrs. Kevin Dooley Miss Kate M. Douglas ‘12 Mr. Graham J. Douglas ‘09 The Douglas Family Mr. & Mrs. Ian Dove Mrs. Jessica S. Dunda Judy & Ron Dunn Janice & Jim Eakle Robert Eschenfelder Ms. Nicole Fafalios Ms. Carol K. Falck Mark & Patricia Felsmann Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Ferguson Mr. Pablo Fernandez & Mrs. Daniela Rozanes Mr. Chester Flake Ms. Cynthia C. Fougere Mr. Kevin M. Frey Dr. & Mrs. Daniel Friedman Mr. & Mrs. Bill Gale Ms. Shelly Gallagher Mr. and Mrs. Michael Garasic Mrs. Julianne Garcia Mr. & Mrs. Stephan F. Gardinier Mr. John Garner Mr. Travis Garner ‘01 & Mrs. Amy Garner Ms. Brittany Gieseke Mr. Julio Mejicanos & Mrs. Angela Giorgianni-Mejicanos Mrs. Cristin Lavelle Goerke ‘01 & Mr. Justin Goerke Mr. & Mrs. Herbert B. Gofman Mr. & Mrs. Richard Goldstein Susan & Robert Goldstein Mr. & Mrs. James Gosnell Cheryl & Chris Goss David & Fern Grace Ms. Anya Grady Ms. Renee F. Graeff Mr. & Mrs. Thomas R. Green, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Adam Gulacsy Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey Guy Mr. & Mrs. Jack Hall Mr. Gary Hansell Ms. Lois Harrison

Ms. Anne Head Mr. & Mrs. Steve Hemphill Ms. Brittany Hiller Ms. Denise Hoff Mr. Gary Stanton & Ms. Heather Holst-Knudsen Dr. & Mrs. Todd K. Horiuchi Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey Horr Christopher & Kassandra Hugill Carl & Amy Hurlebaus Shelley & Wayne Ives Mr. Ronnie Jeglie & Ms. Karen O’Donnell Drs. Kirk & Belinda Jobe Ms. Joanna Johnson Dominic & Elizabeth Jones Mr. Todd Kaplan & Dr. Melissa Schindel-Kaplan Michelle & Edward Kapreilian Ms. Mary Sue Karp Mr. Gicorey Keys Dr. Farhan Majeed & Mrs. Umbreen Khalidi-Majeed Mr. & Mrs. Kayvan Khatami Ms. Elizabeth M. Kieffer Mr. & Mrs. Robert L. Kim, Sr. Miss Sydney Koffman ‘17 Mr. & Mrs. Scott Kolbe Mr. & Mrs. Adrianus Kruf Dr. Xuheng Kuang & Dr. Yanrong Fu Dr. David Millie & Dr. Laura Kunberger Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Kunberger Dawn & Ollie Kyte Mr. & Mrs. Richard Lamb Mr. Robert Lamberti Ms. Susan Landsman Mr. Paul LeBras Mr. & Mrs. George Leicht Mrs. Yuliya Leung Mr. & Mrs. Marcus Liberty Mr. Robert Lifsey & Mrs. Hai Guo Ms. Virgene Linse Mr. Guillermo E. Llorente Miss Alexandra Lonsdale Ms. Cheryl Lorge Mrs. Sarah Louk-Higham Mr. & Mrs. Loren Lysen

Mr. Brian Gomien & Ms. Alyssa Mandel Mr. & Mrs. Willam F. Mannion Miss Rosemarie Marchese ‘08 Mr. Ciro Marfella & Mrs. Lee Epting Ms. Lucie Marino Christine Martin Ms. Renee Martone-Cecil Mrs. Melissa Mayoral Mr. & Mrs. Patrick McArdle Mr. James Woodman and Ms. Courtney McCollum Mr. James McCreary & Dr. Lucinda Fingado Mr. Kevin Mercier ‘07 & Mrs. Heather Mercier Dr. Lisa Merritt Mr. & Mrs. Philip Meyer Mr. & Mrs. Cory Militzer Lee & Bobbi Miller Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Miller Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Miller Melissa & Hakim Morsli Mr. & Ms. Stephen Mullen Mr. Jose Munoz Mr. & Mrs. Tom Murphy Mr. & Mrs. Greg Murphy Mr. & Mrs. Brian Nash Mr. & Mrs. Peter Nelson Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Nuemann Mr. Hugh T. A. Nevill ‘56 Mr. Michael Newhams Trish Nicholson Mr. & Mrs. Maurice Opstal Mr. Karl Ordetx & Dr. Kristina Ordetx Mr. Tim Orlosky Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Palmeri Ms. Lisa Peirce Mr. & Mrs. James Perry Dr. Kenneth Pfahler & Ms. Christiana Casanova Shannon Rohrer-Phillips & Neil Phillips Mr. Christopher Pinckney & Ms. Johanna Gustafsson Mr. & Mrs. William J. Pitts Barbara & Raymond Poole Mr. Zachary Poole ‘17

The Progressive Insurance Foundation Lyn C. Wittmer and the Vera Cash Foundation Ms. Amanda Racioppi Mr. & Mrs. George W. Rauch, IV Ms. Kimberley Reibel Leonard & Tanja Reyneke Mr. & Mrs. Ramon A. Rivera Mrs. Serena Robins Gerald & Phyllis Robinson Dr. & Mrs. Christopher Rodriguez Mr. & Mrs. John Rohrer Avis & Ronald Romm Mr. & Dr. Eric Rose Mr. & Mrs. Bruce Rosenberg Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Runge Mr. Rogelio Salazar Mr. Michael Salmon Ms. Stephanie Sassetti Mr. Toby Skelton & Ms. Nadine Saunders Allison & Peter Scanlan George & Carolyn Schlotthauer Kat & Florian Schuetz Ms. Jekaterina Selakova Mr. David Sessions Mr. & Mrs. Michael Shaklik Ms. Jingti Shan Mr. Joshua Singer Scott & Julie Smith Ms. Summer E. Smith, Esq. ‘99 Mr. & Mrs. Jon Soderberg Mr. & Mrs. Leopoldo L. Sosa Mr. & Mrs. Marc J. Soss Mr. & Mrs. William D. Speaker Judi & Patrick Steele Mrs. Barbara Steinback Mr. Edward Stiles Ms. Theresa Stivali Jim & Javonna Strafuss Mr. & Mrs. John Stump Miss Maria E. Sulimirski ‘09 Ms. Sandra Sutter Dave & Magalie Szabo Ms. Kathina Tayag Mr. & Mrs. Earle Timothy Sandra & Robert True Mr. & Mrs. David Tyson Mr. & Mrs. Dylan Ulrich

Ms. MariJane Upton Ms. Jessica Urbans Mr. David Valdini The VanSuch Family Mr. & Mrs. Desmond Varady Dr. Linda Vasilaki & Mr. Yuri Vasilaki Ms. Kay Wagner Ms. Kimberly Walsh Ms. Melissa Wandall Scott & Maureen Watson Mr. Ethan Weiss Mr. & Mrs. Eric Welle Mrs. Caylyn Wells David & Stacy White Mr. & Mrs. Thomas P. Whitten, Jr. Thomas & Dorothy Williams Mr. & Mrs. Roger Williams Ms. Caroline Williams Mr. Nick Wozniak Tracy & Robert Wyatt Maureen & Christopher Young Mr. & Mrs. Scott M. Young Mr. & Mrs. Michael 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 (27) Mr. & Mrs. C. R. Savidge (27) Mr. & Mrs. Gerard K. Stone (26) Mr. & Mrs. Michael Young (26) Mr. & Mrs. Sean Murphy (25) Mr. & Mrs. William J. Pitts (23) Mrs. Deborah Waterman (23) Mr. & Mrs. Stephane F. Gardinier (22) Mrs. Anne O. Swain (22) Dr. Linda Vasilaki & Mr. Yuri Vasilaki (22) Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Logan (21) Mike & Cindy vonWaldner (20) Mr. & Mrs. Sean Ball (18) Mr. & Mrs. Tim Brewer (18) Mr. & Mrs. Randal S. Cheney (18) The Out-of-Door Academy 103

Mr. & Ms. Thomas A. Dozier (18) Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Grano, Jr. (18) Mr. & Mrs. Adam Gulacsy (18) Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey Horr (18) Ms. Joanna Johnson (18) Mr. & Mrs. John Kittle (18) Mr. Paul LeBras (18) Ms. Virgene Linse (18) Ms. Cheryl Lorge (18) Mr. Michael Newhams (18) Ms. Kay Wagner (18) Dr. & Mrs. Kenneth D. Henson (17) Ms. Deborah Frye (16) Mr. & Mrs. Leopoldo L. Sosa (16) Mr. & Mrs. Roger Williams (16) Troy & Carolyn Eaden (15) Ms. L’Tanya Evans (15) Chris & Tally Harris (15) Mr. & Mrs. William D. Speaker (15) Drs. Rhonda & Daniel Deems (14) Mr. & Mrs. Thomas L. Dowdy (14) Gelbman Family Foundation (14) Mrs. Angela Giorgianni-Mejicanos & Mr. Julio Mejicanos (14) Mr. Derek Han (14) Mr. & Mrs. Patrick C. Steele (14) Mr. & Mrs. Cass Anderson (13) Mr. & Mrs. Andy Cappar (13) Ms. Nicole Fafalios (13) Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence J. Fineberg (13) Mr. Andrew Lemieux (13) Mr. & Mrs. David V. Mahler (13) Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Miller (13) Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Runge (13) Ms. Rosemary Shofe (13) The Bizick Family (12) Dr. & Mrs. Richard H. Brown (12) Mr. & Mrs. Mark Chait (12) Mr. & Mrs. David Hawkes (12) Ms. Yadira Kirschner (12) Julie & Jeff Luhrsen (12) Mr. & Ms. Stephen Mullen (12) 104 The Banyan

Mr. & Mrs. James K. Vickery, Jr. (12) Mr. Craig Aberle (11) Ms. Denise Aberle (11) Mrs. Celeste Dockery-Chadwick & Mr. Taber Chadwick (11) Mr. & Mrs. Kevin Dooley (11) Mr. & Mrs. Jeff Giacinti (11) Mr. & Mrs. Robert Goldstein (11) Dawn & Paul Holland (11) Emily & Bruce Latta (11) Don & Cyndi Paxton (11) Ms. Lisa Peirce (11) Dr. Christopher Sforzo & Ms. Terri Vitale (11) Mr. & Mrs. Ralph Barnette (10) Mr. John Barrett & Dr. Joanne Barrett (10) Dr. & Mrs. Robert V. Barylski (10) Mr. & Mrs. Larry L. Chamberlin (10) John & Teena Humphrey (10) Mr. & Mrs. Charles Lafoe (10) Mr. Eric Massey & Mrs. Sarah Lancaster Massey (10) Ms. Lisa Steele ‘63 (10)

BANYAN BALL Anonymous Suzanne & Adam Armbruster ArtisTree Landscape Maintenance & Design Mr. Charlie Balliette Mr. & Mrs. Ken Banks Ms. Kendall S. Barmonde Mr. & Mrs. Stephen J. Beck Fran & Jamie Becker Mr. & Mrs. Gene Benson Berkadia Commercial Marketing Berkeley Point Capital BMO Harris Bank Mr. Douglas Bradbury The Brunckhorst Family Capstan Financial Consulting Group Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Carlton CBRE CC Ford Healthcare Group The Cochran Family Mr. & Mrs. Christopher Cogan

Denise & Louis Colosimo Karen & Doug Constant Greenhouse Fabrics Rob & Jacqueline Crisci Ms. Kippie Crouch Ariane & Bob Dart FleischmanGarcia Architecture Planning - Interior Design Mr. & Mrs. Larry Fox Franklin Street Insurance Services, LLC Camela & Robert Giraud Cheryl & Chris Goss Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey S. Gould Ms. Renee F. Graeff Ms. Cathy Hansell Dr. & Mrs. Douglas Hansen Chris & Tally Harris Ms. Lois Harrison Mr. & Mrs. Robert Harrison Kenneth D. Henson M.D. & Mitzie P. Henson Mr. & Mrs. Rod Hollingsworth Mr. and Mrs. Brock Horner Insula Companies Michelle & Edward Kapreilian Arthur S. Karp Family Foundation, Inc. Kerkering, Barberio & Co. Mr. & Mrs. Robert L. Kim, Sr. The Kints Family Donna & David Koffman Ms. Ashley D. Kozel Dr. & Mrs. Steven J. Krouse Dr. & Mrs. William Lahners Mr. & Mrs. Bruce Latta Mr. Robert Lifsey & Mrs. Hai Guo Mr. & Mrs. David V. Mahler Dr. Farhan Majeed & Mrs. Umbreen Khalidi-Majeed Mr. Joseph Marinucci & Ms. Eleni Larcombe-Marinucci Mr. & Mrs. Todd Martin Mr. & Mrs. Federico Matheu Mr. & Mrs. Dennis McGillicuddy Mr. & Mrs. Ted Morgan Ms. Tracee Murphy & the Lattner Family Foundation Tom & Alison Murphy

Mario & Amie Oliva Mr. & Mrs. Dino Oliva Mary & Dave Peirce Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Pendery Doug & Shari Phillips RSP USA, Inc. Dr. & Mrs. Robert Sambursky Allison & Peter Scanlan Sally & Bradd Schule Seaward Development Dr. Christopher Sforzo & Ms. Terri Vitale Sforzo Dillingham Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Sherlock Title, LLC Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick Scott & Julie Smith Mr. & Mrs. Lane Smith Mr. & Mrs. Zuhier Sophia Mr. & Mrs. Blase Sparma SunTrust Bank SVN Commercial Advisory Group Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Tengerdy The Modern Girl Party & Co. The Otto Group Russell & Amy Towery Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Van Hoesen Dr. Scott Wenk & Mrs. Hope McCampbell-Wenk David & Stacy White Mr. & Mrs. Elton White Mr. & Mrs. John Wilander Dr. Peter Wish

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN Anonymous Fran & Jamie Becker The Cochran Family Robert C. Dart Foundation Jennifer & Christopher Feeney Mr. & Mrs. Larry Fox Mr. Kevin M. Gallagher Global Financial Private Capital, LLC Mr. Robert Hamill Chris & Tally Harris Kenneth D. Henson M.D. & Mitzie P. Henson The Kints Family

Beth & Dax LaGasse Mr. & Mrs. David V. Mahler Mary Jo & Bob Naylor Mr. & Mrs. Maurice Opstal Mary & Dave Peirce Kat & Florian Schuetz Scott & Julie Smith Ken & Marina Sommers Thunder Athletic Club Dick & Lorraine Vitale David & Stacy White

RESTRICTED GIVING Athletics Mr. & Mrs. Larry Fox Kona Ice Sarasota Sforzo Dillingham Orthopedics and Sports Medicine

Birthday Book CLub Mr. & Mrs. Sean Abrams Mr. & Mrs. Adam M. Amdur Mr. & Mrs. Ken Banks Ms. Barbara Birnbaum Mr. & Mrs. Peter M. Borden The Brunckhorst Family Mr. & Mrs. Kevin Bruning Mr. Frank Chinnici & Ms. Maria Baird Elizabeth & Paul Chren David & Molly Conger Karen & Doug Constant Mr. Kevin Conway & Mrs. Summer Bagal-Conway Mr. & Mrs. Mark Crews Ariane & Bob Dart Mr. & Mrs. Daren Davenport Mr. & Mrs. Patrick DiPinto Rod & Kerri Dowdell Mr. Charles Doyle & Ms. Julie Mulhatten Sonia & Alfonso Espinel Ellie & Victor Falck Jennifer & Christopher Feeney The Frazier Family Dr. Federico Frias & Mrs. Claudia Imbert Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey S. Gould Mr. & Mrs. Cedric Hameed

Maria & Allen Heise Mr. & Mrs. John Hermansen Mr. & Mrs. L. Michael Hersom Carl & Amy Hurlebaus Drs. Kirk & Belinda Jobe Dominic & Elizabeth Jones Mr. Todd Kaplan & Dr. Melissa Schindel-Kaplan Mr. & Mrs. Adrianus Kruf Charles & Shelley Lafoe Mr. Robert Lifsey & Mrs. Hai Guo Mr. & Mrs. David Macrae Dr. Farhan Majeed & Mrs. Umbreen Khalidi-Majeed Mr. Joseph Marinucci & Ms. Eleni Larcombe-Marinucci Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Miller Matt & Christina Miller Drs. Nicholas Monsul & Eva Berkes Mr. Mark Montagna & Ms. Amy Dear Melissa & Hakim Morsli Tom & Alison Murphy Mr. & Mrs. George W. Rauch, IV Mr. & Mrs. James R. Riley Dr. & Mrs. Christopher Rodriguez Dee & Chuck Romito Mr. & Mrs. Bruce Rosenberg Mr. & Mrs. Daryl Schaal Macrae Family Foundation Mr. Toby Skelton & Ms. Nadine Saunders Mr. & Mrs. Jon A. Soderberg Dr. Naushin Spector Mr. Richard Spilka & Mrs. Veronika Spilkova Mr. & Mrs. Martin Svoboda Dave & Magalie Szabo Mr. & Mrs. Roger Tichenor Ms. Karen V. Vale Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Van Hoesen Ms. Caroline C. Williams Michael & Tiffany Yates

Cassis Memorial Fund Mr. & Mrs. Greg Cassis

Dobosz Spirit of ODA Award Mark & Stephany Dobosz

Financial Assistance Anonymous Mr. Steve Schember & Ms. Linda Wallin

Lower School Donations Anonymous Arts Alliance Eliza & Hugh Culverhouse Parent Association Thunder Athletic Club

Middle School Donations Arts Alliance Cowles Charitable Trust Rod & Kerri Dowdell Parent Association Thunder Athletic Club

Music Donations Presbyterian Women of Siesta Key Chapel

Thunder Fun Day Arthur S Karp Family Foundation, Inc. Fran & Jamie Becker Ms. Sarah Bosek Dr. Pedro Briceno & Dr. Tonantzin Matheus Mr. Frank Chinnici & Ms. Maria Baird Rod & Kerri Dowdell Mr. Charles Doyle & Ms. Julie Mulhatten Mr. & Mrs. Scott Doyle Sonia & Alfonso Espinel Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Ferguson First Watch Restaurants, Inc. Dr. Federico Frias & Mrs. Claudia Imbert Mr. & Mrs. Ales Graf Dr. & Mrs. Robert Knego Ms. Ashley D. Kozel Mr. & Mrs. Dean Maggio

Mr. & Mrs. David V. Mahler Mr. Joseph Marinucci & Ms. Eleni Larcombe-Marinucci Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Miller Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Miller Melissa & Hakim Morsli N. C. Ferguson Construction Mr. & Mrs. Maurice Opstal Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Rayman Mr. & Mrs. James R. Riley Dee & Chuck Romito Mr. Eric Rose & Dr. Kelly Rose Schindel Orthodontics Mr. & Mrs. William Schlotthauer Mr. Richard Spilka & Mrs. Veronika Spilkova Mr. Mark Stevens Mr. & Mrs. Paul Svilokos David & Stacy White

Upper School Donations Arts Alliance Cowles Charitable Trust Rod & Kerri Dowdell Ehrhart Family Foundation Kona Ice Sarasota Parent Association Thunder Athletic Club

IN-KIND GIVING A Lash Above ABC 7 Altru Images Photography Animal Health Center Anna Maria Oyster Bar Arsenault Dermatology Artful Giraffe ArtisTree Landscape Maintenance & Design Asolo Repertory Theatre Auction World USA Baltimore Orioles Beach Bazaar Mr. & Mrs. Stephen J. Beck Beneva Flowers and Gifts Berlin Patten Ebling Beverly Hills Dog Big Olaf The Out-of-Door Academy 105

Blonde Cow Photography Blu Interiors Blue Rooster Bonjour French Cafe Bookstore 1 Sarasota Cafe Amici Cafe’ Barbosso Cafe L’Europe Cafe Venice Calusa Brewing Carat’s Fine Jewelry & Watches Cevichela Columbia Resturant Mr. & Mrs. James Cornetet & Greenhouse Fabrics Cravat’s Custom Clothiers & Habedashery Daiquiri Deck Raw Bar Definition Fit Derek the Salon Detwiler’s Farm Market Dimmitt Luxury Motorcars DSDG Architects Elan Skin Spa Elements Massage Evo Athletics Fast Eddie’s Limousines First Watch Restaurants, Inc. Flik Florida Studio Theatre Forest Lakes Animal Clinic Fox Creek Pet Ranch Mr. & Mrs. Larry Fox Fresh Gidget’s Coastal Provisions Gilligan’s Island Bar Gold Coast Eagle Distributing Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey S. Gould Gulf Coast Institute of Rejuvenation 106 The Banyan

Mr. Brent Hamill Mr. Derek Han Hana Sushi Lounge Harry Roa Studio Maria & Allen Heise Hayden Reis Mr. & Mrs. Mark Henderson Holcomb-Kreithen Plastic Surgery & Medspa Christopher & Kassandra Hugill Humane Society of Sarasota County Hyatt Residence Club I Learn Fast Software, Inc Il Panifico Infiniti Aesthetics, Inc. International Diamond Center Island Boutique Island Trader Jim LaClair’s Dog-Friendly Dog Training Just Gents Barber & Spa JW Pro Ball Kennedy Space Center Mr. & Mrs. John Kittle L. Spa LaBella Beach Bodies Fitness Charles & Shelley Lafoe Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country Club Legacy Golf Club Liberty Edge Youth Basketball Limelight by Alcone Local Bean Lotus Boutique Madfish Grill Manatee Performing Arts Center Mantra Fitness Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Marina Jack’s

Mr. Joseph Marinucci & Ms. Eleni Larcombe-Marinucci Massage Experience Siesta Key Miami Marlins Michael’s on East Morgan Stanley Morton’s Gourmet Market MOSI MoZaic Restaurant Music Compound Neiman Marcus Ocean Properties Mario & Amie Oliva Off the Hook Seafood Company Orlando Magic Pacific Rim Paint Nail Bar Painting with a Twist Pamaro Shop Furniture Pandora UTC Don & Cyndi Paxton Peter Acker Photography Point Lumineux Pop Craft Primetime Stable PRP Wine International Pure Barre Sarasota Mrs. Olan Quattro Rent Siesta Key Roohi Photography Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse Saks Fifth Avenue Sara Bay Real Estate, Inc. Sarasota Bay Explorers Sarasota Film Society Sarasota Orchestra Sarasota Plastic Surgery Center Sarasota School of Glass Sarasota Smile Design

Scout & Molly’s Boutique Seasons 52 Fresh Grill SeaWorld Orlando Serbin Print Marketing & Publishing Serenoa Golf Club Sforzo Dillingham Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Shelly’s Gift & Christmas Boutique Shirts and Stones Siesta Key Fitness Scott & Julie Smith Sophie’s at Saks Fifth Avenue Soul Studios South Florida Museum Spa Hollywood Mr. & Mrs. Francis H. Suits, III Sunken Gardens Super Slow Zone Tgeorgianos The Betsy Hotel on South Beach The Circus Arts Conservatory The Cottage The Lobster Pot Restaurant The Modern Girl Party & Co. The Observer The Resort at Longboat Key Club The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota The Roots Chiropractic Toni Federici, Inc. Treat an Accessories Boutique Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall Walt Disney World Walt’s Fish Market Ms. Tricia Ward

*as of 06/30/17

Dear Out-of-Door Community, The Out-of-Door Academy Parent Association’s mission is to support, promote and strengthen our school community. Our board of 11 members works tirelessly to achieve our mission, and I like to think we have a lot of fun along the way!

This year we had tremendous support and success with our fall signature event, Thunder Fun Day. This school-wide event encourages families and the community alike to come out and enjoy quality time together while raising important funds for our school. We also hosted holiday and spring parent association luncheons.

Both events were well attended and we appreciate the continued support from our parents in achieving our goals.

I am incredibly proud to announce we raised more than $40,000 this year and all that money goes back into supporting our beloved school. On the Siesta Key Campus, we will enhance the outdoor marine science lab, implement a hydroponic garden and install a new solar monitoring system. On the Uihlein Campus, we will update the library interiors, purchase four new HP Sprout computers, and add a hydroponic garden.

It goes without saying that we couldn’t do it without the support of the parents within our school family. We appreciate your efforts and participation and look forward to achieving even greater things next year!

Jamie Becker Parent Association, President

2017-2018 Board Members President Jamie Becker Treasurer Susann Chalhub Secretary Karen Eckart LS Vice President Sara Ferguson Tina Miller Katie Rauch MS Vice President Karen Constant Sonia Espinel Kim Lugannani US Vice President Laurie Naese Lolita Samuel

The Out-of-Door Academy 107

2017 Head’s Choice Award Winner, Megan Wiles‘17

2017 Head’s Choice Award Winner, Hayley Wahl ‘18

Dear Out-of-Door Community,

2016-2017 Members Masterpiece The Cowles Charitable Trust The Lozier Family Bravo The Robinson Family The Dowdell Family The Phillips Family Ovation The Harris Family The Paxton Family The Ramos Family Applause The Poole Family The Constant Family The Towery Family

The Arts Alliance exists to advocate for the Arts at the Siesta Key and Uihlein Campuses by funding special arts events and projects that enhance student learning. This year, the Arts Alliance was able to provide over $13,000 in funding for the following: • Steel drum set for Middle and Upper School Students • Dance studio construction on the Uihlein Campus • Access to special performances and guest artists • Display cases for student artwork Membership is available to all. For more information, visit oda.edu/artsalliance. We would also like to thank all the student-artists who contributed their work to the Masterpieces Coloring Book, Volume 1. The books were very popular and helped to generate support to put back into the arts program! You can show your support of the arts by becoming an Arts Alliance member at www.oda.edu/artsalliance.

Sincerely, Shari Phillips 2016-2017 Arts Alliance Chair

MASTERPIECES FEATURING

STUDENT-ARTISTS COLORING BOOK VOLUME ONE

Masterpieces Volume One, Coloring Book

PRESENTED BY THE

Arts_Alliance_Coloring_Book

_2016_2017 .indd

OUT-OF-DOOR ARTS

ALLIANCE

1

11/4/16 12:51 PM

108 The Banyan

Thunder Athletic Club 2016-2017 Members

Dear Out-of-Door Families, Thank you for your support of the Thunder Athletic Club (TAC). Our student population has grown in the past few years and as it has grown, so have the opportunities to excel in Out-of-Door athletics. We currently field 42 Middle and Upper School teams across 13 sports. In order to provide the best possible athletic experience, TAC was established as a charitable, non-profit organization to encourage athletic excellence, promote awareness for athletic programs, enhance community relations and to fund facilities and equipment that enhance the athletic experience at The Out-of-Door Academy.

The TAC strives to provide volunteer assistance for various athletic events, enhance school spirit with Thunder merchandise, eliminate confusion and simplify processes associated with participating in athletics, provide resources necessary to develop outstanding athletes and provide snack and beverage options during athletic competitions. All of this is made possible by funds raised through the sale of TAC memberships—which include a season pass to sporting events throughout the year for the member’s entire family­—a golf tournament, sales from the Thor Store and concessions stands. To see a list of items TAC has purchased for athletics, visit www.oda.edu/tac.

Please join the Thunder Athletic Club in 2017-2018 and help make our ODA athletic program second to none. On behalf of the TAC, thank you for your support.

Sincerely, Nancy Castro President, Thunder Athletic Club For more information on how you can become involved with TAC, visit oda.edu/tac or contact Nancy at gncastro@me.com or 941-704-0156.

SAVE THE DATE

Thunder Golf Tournament Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country Club Saturday, September 16, 2017 • 9:00 am Shotgun Start

Platinum The Brunckhorst Family The Cornetet Family The Dodge Family The Feeney Family The Goff Family The Hamill Family The Cathy Hansell Family The Humphrey Family The Lahners Family The Munroe Family The Ragsdale Family The Sforzo-Vitale Family Gold The Berkowitz Family The Colditz Family The Fenker Family The Holland Family The Robinson Family The Wahl Family Silver The Castro Family The Flanders Family The Kolbe Family The Mahler Family The Ramos Family The Schlotthauer Family The Swartz Family The White Family Blue The Ballance Family The Bertrand Family The Brinling Family The Brown Family The Carlton Family The Choueiri Family The Condrack Family The Diesel-Veith Family The Douglas Family The Dyer Family The Fincher Family The Fox Family The Fulton Family The Gosnell Family The Gary Hansell Family The Harris Family The Harrison Family The Koffman Family The Lafoe Family The Luhrsen Family The Lutton Family The Maasdorp Family The MacLeod Family The Moore Family The Millie Family The Naese Family The Newman Family The Opstal Family The Paxton Family The Polvichek Family The Poole Family The Sambursky Family The Strafuss Family The Towery Family The Varady Family

The Out-of-Door Academy 109

A ROARING TWENTIES INSPIRED

BANYAN BALL

The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota played host to nearly 400 guests who gathered to support The Out-of-Door Academy’s annual Banyan Ball. A cascade of pearl white balloons and a vintage, cherry-red jaguar greeted guests on March 11, 2017. The event space was transformed into an opulent Roaring Twenties-themed affair. From the magnificent golden cocktail party to the elegant dinner tables adorned with silver linen, ostrich-feathers and crystal centerpieces, it was an affair to remember. The extravagant event was orchestrated by Banyan Ball event chairs Jennifer and Larry Fox. In addition to an extraordinary dinner, the Banyan Ball also included silent and live auctions, a paddle raise and beautiful, artistic, oneof-a-kind pieces created by each Out-of-Door grade level. Thank you to our Banyan Ball sponsors, donors, volunteers and attendees for making this year’s Banyan Ball successful.

Banyan Ball SAVE THE DATE

Saturday, March 10, 2018

110 The Banyan

The Out-of-Door Academy 111

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. The senior classes have benefited from the annual Alumni Council panel discussions over the last few 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 at alumni@oda.edu.

ALUMNI

112 The Banyan

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

1943 BROCHURE This past year The Out-of-Door Academy was surprised by a very special package sent to our Alumni Association from Tim Nevill who attended The Out-of-Door School from 1946-1956. Inside the package was a pristine original ODS brochure from 1943; one of the original admission pieces that was used to promote the school. Please enjoy this unique glimpse into our past.

114 The Banyan

The Out-of-Door Academy 115

Steve Ayers, pictured at right, back-row with white helmet

STEVE AYERS ‘60 THE OUT-OF-DOOR SCHOOL

ALUMNI CLASS NOTES

It was a real culture shock for me when my family moved from a mid-sized town in northwest Missouri to Sarasota in 1957, when I was 11 years old. I wasn’t sure what had happened when I arrived at The Out-of-Door School that fall. As I recall, I wasn’t a happy camper at first, but then a few days later, I decided “what’s not to like about a year-around summer camp!” The small classes (12 in my class) and the relaxed atmosphere were wonderful. I was not the best of students, but I did enjoy the teachers, the activities and the social life. I remember the old wooden buildings, the sandy soil and the banyan trees, the library and the musty smell, the stables next to the library, riding horses along the beach, the bath houses and the dining room across the road, and of course, our first “football” team in 1958.

I graduated (eighth grade) in the spring of 1960 and went on to boarding school at Woodberry Forest School in Virginia. I had a respectable track & field career there … maybe the only thing that was truly respectable … and managed, somehow, to graduate in 1964. That fall I embarked on the next step in my education at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Two things of particular note here: (1) I met my future wife at Vanderbilt, and (2) I got my engineering degree in regulation time.

In the summer of 1968, Sandy and I were married in Oklahoma, and we moved to Maryland so that

116 The Banyan

I could start my career with the National Security Agency. Over the years I held a wide variety of positions with NSA, mostly at headquarters but some in the field: data analysis and technical support, project management, mission planning and budgeting. Back in the early days of my career, no one knew anything about the agency. You only told people you worked for the Department of Defense.

The standing joke was that NSA stood for Never Say Anything or No Such Agency! But then more recently, thanks to people like Edward Snowden and the like, our place of business has become front page fodder.

In the mid-to-late ‘90s the intelligence community started a downsizing program, and I finally volunteered for an early-out and retired in 1997.

Sandy and I moved to Lakewood Ranch to be closer to my parents and to our daughter, who had moved here the year before. Today we enjoy visiting with friends and spending time with family, playing a little tennis, dabbling in community politics, reading, dining out, traveling and, of course, carpooling grandkids.

It’s really amazing to see how ODA has flourished … from that little summer camp with old wooden buildings on a barrier island to the big, modern inland campus at Lakewood Ranch. They are doing an amazing job preparing our next generation.

Thank you, ODA.

SIESTA KEY ALUMNI (Henry) Blair Tyson Attended ODS 1939-1941, 1942-45 After completing 10th grade at ODS in 1945, Blair went to the Bolles School in Jacksonville to complete high school. He studied at Stevens Institute of Technology and American International College until enlisting in the U.S. Air Force in 1950 as a radar technician after the start of the Korean War. He served in Japan and Korea.

After his discharge as a staff sergeant in 1954, he went to the Milwaukee School of Engineering and graduated with a degree in electronic engineering. He took a job with RCA in Camden, New Jersey working on early digital computers. The General Motors Corporation was building inertial guidance systems for the Air Force and was just moving to the use of digital computers and Blair moved to Milwaukee to join that effort, working on guidance for the Titan II missile. GM was selected to manufacture the guidance for the Apollo capsule and for the Lunar Excursion Module. He also worked on the Apollo for eight years, saying it was the best job he ever enjoyed. In 1970, Blair moved to Detroit to assist in the development of electronic devices for GM vehicles.

He later led a group developing an expanded approach to public transportation. Blair was married and celebrated the birth of his two boys in Michigan. When GM bought Electronic Control Systems from Ross Perot, Blair transferred to EDS and took on numerous positions living first in Detroit, Washington, D.C. and Long Beach, California. After retiring from GM/EDS his family moved to Middleton, Wisconsin.

Jean McCullough Attended ODS 1941-1944 Jean moved to Sarasota because her father wasn’t well and was advised to come to Florida to improve his health. They rented a home on Shell Road and bought a lot on the same road, but during World War II they weren’t allowing anyone to build. The Navy put up the Siesta Key bridge and their family had to move to St. Armand’s Circle during that time. The Out-of-Door School sent a car each day to pick her up along with her sister, two other students and the school’s Latin teacher. There was a lot of Latin taught from home to school and back. Jean remembers her swimming lessons and outside art classes, and felt that her music and English teachers were the best.

in 1995. Jean resides in Pennsylvania and enjoys walking down memory lane and her early years in Florida.

Edward J. Seibert Attended ODS 1942 Edward’s father, a captain in the Navy, went overseas a few days after Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese. His mother, had heard Sarasota was a pleasant town from another Navy wife who was born there, and she decided the family would live in Sarasota until Edward’s father came home.

Edward entered ODS in the autumn of 1942. A Navy kid, he had attended several schools. As his family traveled a lot, he was also home schooled at times. From the start, Edward felt he had landed in paradise! John Newberry taught the students literature sitting under a tree, and students read aloud to each other. He particularly recalls being introduced to the work of Hemingway. Dr. Newberry taught Spanish and Edward thought the teacher was learning the language too, keeping just a few days ahead of the students.

There was laughter and camaraderie in the class as they made up sentences in Spanish. Mrs. Crawford taught geometry and some algebra. Edward recalls enjoying the logic of geometry and the precision of the drawings he made. At lunch, they swam off the school dock. Sometimes the older kids would have a picnic on the sandy island in Big Pass.

After his adventure at ODS, his father was ordered to duty at the Charleston Naval Shipyard. The family lived on base there, and Edward attended military school for several years. At seventeen, Edward took the exam for the Navy Flight Program (V-5) and just after his 18th birthday he was on his way to the Navy. After the atom bomb and Japan’s surrender, Edward dropped out of V-5 and eventually the Navy let him go. Edward attended Stanford for several years as an art major and then transferred to the School of Architecture at the University of Florida, where he graduated in 1953. In 1955, Edward opened an architectural office in Sarasota, where the family had settled after the war. He sold the firm in 1994 to several of his employees, and it flourishes today as “Seibert Architects.” Today, Edward and his wife Lynne live in Boca Grande. They sail his 30-foot sloop and Edward writes for yachting magazines and he enters European yacht design contests with a reasonable amount of luck.

Jean recalls watching the practice sessions of the John Ringling Circus performers, going to the movies every Saturday, watching the Boston Red Sox play, and walking up to the fence and getting Ted Williams autograph. She remembers Longboat Key being completely empty, and the long, beautiful beach road ended in Manatee with a trailer park. Jean would prefer that ‘Old Florida’ still existed, as much has changed as she recalls from her last visit The Out-of-Door Academy 117

Shelley Burke Rich Attended ODS 1942-1950 Shelley resided on Siesta Key for part of the year with her family and part of the year they lived on their farm in West Virginia. Shelley attended the Out-of-Door School from pre-K in 1942, leaving in sixth grade in 1950. Her father, Mr. James Burke Rich, eventually bought and owned the school from 1955 to 1976. When he passed away, her mother, Gwen (MiMi), continued to operate ODS. MiMi Rich eventually sold the Out-of-Door School to ODS parents.

Shelley remembers riding horses and the stable. The island was a jungle then and they would ride on the path to the only little store on the island. They would purchase ice cream and ride back to campus. She and her husband still own and ride horses today.

She recalls what is now the office building was a boarding school with classrooms inside, but most classes were taught outside in little thatched huts. School would be canceled when it was too cold outside. The old library was built next to the stable and the cafeteria was across the street where the students swam at Big Pass.

She and her sister Kay both have their own memories of ODS. She fondly remembers her best friend Sue Garrison, and also, Bill Langer who built the Sandy Hook development. Shelley remembers a lot of the faculty as well. She occasionally comes back to visit to remember those special days.

Merrilee Doeer Attended ODS 1947-1949 After college Merrilee married and had two children. She now has five grandchildren and one great grandchild. After her children were in college, she went back to work as a physician’s office manager. Merrilee has traveled throughout the USA and parts of Asia and Europe. She spends several months in Florida each year and it brings her great joy to be back in one of her home states.

While at ODS, she learned to ride horses and has continued that sport her whole life. Merrilee fondly remembers her horse called “Step and Fetch It.” In college, Merrilee rode in the National Western Stock Show, and thanks ODS for inspiring her interest in horses. One of Merrilee’s granddaughters has her own horse and rides competitively. She likes to think the interest came from her.

Hugh T. A. (Tim) Nevill Attended ODS 1946-1956 Hugh graduated from The University of Virginia with a degree in English literature. He worked in Washington, D.C. briefly and then started his own retail business. Hugh has been married for 40 years, and has two sons and two grandsons. His favorite memories 118 The Banyan

of ODS are sailing and horseback riding as the school sports. He says ODS helped him to sometimes take the road less traveled.

Joyce D. Heneman Schnobrich Attended ODS 1947-1950 Joyce loved the Key. She learned how to ride horses at ODS, and participated in the riding competitions on campus. Joyce went to school with circus members at ODS and at Sarasota High where she graduated in 1954. She says she received a good education at ODS and her favorite teacher was Ms. Wheeler who taught math. Her favorite memory is of spending time and taking refuge in the library. Her brother Burr Heneman also attended ODS from kindergarten to second grade and middle school. She also remembers taking piano lessons with a teacher Ms. Hueber. Joyce has lived in California since 1960.

Hillary Goldman Steele Attended ODS 1956-1960 Hillary received her degree in Journalism from The University of Florida. After graduation, Hillary got married and had two children. Currently, she spends her time divided between family, friends, and charitable endeavors. Having served as the Board Chair of the Sarasota Ballet for the past five years, Hillary says, “The ballet is my passion, although I help with other organizations as well.” Her favorite memories of Out-of-Door including climbing trees, a skill she says she learned very well on the Siesta Key Campus.

Rob Martin Attended ODS 1963-1969 Rob remembers the part of campus located on Big Pass, across Ocean Blvd. where the students walked to lunch, had swimming lessons, graduation ceremonies and school dances. To Rob, that was the essence of the school life as he remembers it.

Rob has many specific memories including Mrs. Lundy’s amazing productions with the limited resources of the old theatre. Winning the all-school art award for a funny little clay alligator in fifth grade in Mrs. Menke’s class. Mrs. Pynn, who could make anyone want to learn Spanish. Mrs. Curry and Mr. Dupont, who took a small group of ODA students on an unforgettable summer trip to Nova Scotia and St. Pierre Island for Bastille Day. Rob also wants to confess to dear old Mr. Munro, ODA director at the time, that he was one of the “Midnight Bell Ringers.” Rob grew up and the next generation was introduced to ODA when he and his wife Donna enrolled their daughters in the early 1990s. It was nostalgic for Rob to reconnect with several of his former schoolmates and also make new friends. So much had changed­— it was not quite the sleepy little school anymore.

Their oldest Holly, finished sixth grade and Maggie, third grade, before their family moved to central Virginia. Today, Holly is in Boston working for Morgan Stanley and is busy planning her wedding in September 2017. Maggie and her fiancé live in Phoenix where she is in the financial consulting business. ODA has left Holly and Maggie with their own childhood memories.

George M. Luer Attended ODA 1965 George M. Luer, Ph.D. is an ODA alumnus and Florida archaeologist. He recently visited the Siesta Key Campus to reminisce and to revisit his cement “stone” he made 52 years ago when he was in fourth grade. It depicts Old Faithful, which he saw as a 7-year-old. He drew it because he was interested in nature and saw it as a metaphor for his faithfulness to science and humanity.

Kimberly Parrish Jasch Attended ODS 1971-1981 Kimberly attended Florida State University and earned a Bachelor of Science. She also earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Emory University. After she completed her BSN, she moved back to Sarasota, got married and had three daughters.

After her second daughter was born, Kimberly completed her Master of Science in nursing at Case Western Reserve University and received her Certificate of Midwifery from Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing. Kimberly has become a permanent guardian to a beautiful baby boy that she has been fostering since he was 2 months old. Kimberly currently practices full scope obstetrics and gynecologists as a nurse practitioner at River Landings OB/GYN in Bradenton. Kimberly fondly remembers participating in the many plays the students produced in the auditorium and going to Seacamp.

Mark Goldman Attended ODS 1974-1981 Mark has been President of Pennville Custom Cabinetry in Portland, Indiana since 1990. The company just added a factory showroom bringing their campus up to 60,000 feet on 15 acres. He is married to Michele, and they have two daughters. The family tries to spend as much time as possible in Sarasota. Mark fondly remembers ODA and enjoys seeing his fellow classmates 35 years later and realizing what a special group of friends he has. ODA helped Mark understand the gifts that he could bring to the world and to recognize the individual talents of other people as well.

Skylar Rupp Attended ODS 1978-1980 Skylar graduated from Grinnell College in 1988.

Skylar has been in the insurance industry for over 25 years and currently owns his own brokerage.

Skylar’s favorite ODA memory was his trips to France. ODA helped him see the world in a different way. Skylar also has several lifelong friends that he met while at ODA and he has remained close to them.

Bill Dillard Attended ODA 1980-1982 Bill worked as crew on a private yacht then moved to St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands until Hurricane Hugo happened. From there he joined the United States Coast Guard and was stationed aboard a 378 foot Cutter, enforcing fishery laws in the North Pacific and Bering Seas, drug interdiction off the Central and South American Coasts and rescue operations throughout the Pacific Rim. After meeting his soulmate on Siesta Beach, he settled back in Sarasota and began working in photography as well as broadcast television (Access Sarasota Government). He has worked as a professional corporate photographer for over 20 years. The last nine years he has coowned a multi-media company, Go11. He said of his experiences, “I feel fortunate that my work has allowed me to travel the world with the honor of photographing people.” These days he prefers to travel less and spend more time in Sarasota with his two teenage daughters, while exploring what new technologies are bringing to photography and cinematography. Bill said his time at Out-ofDoor prepared him to look at the world with a broader perspective noting, “...the style of education we received not only allowed for, but encouraged creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. The small classroom setting and the cross-grade interactions encouraged us to engage and connect with each other at a meaningful, inclusive, respectful and sincere level. Certainly, we all felt a sense of having an extended family.”

Roger Wolf Attended ODA 1981-1983 Roger created a digital imaging company that targeted professional women for their business presentation portfolio. His company also partnered with major retailers such as Dillard’s, Macy’s and Saks Fifth Avenue for department wide events to increase customer traffic. Roger has great memories of starting sports teams at ODA. He was on the first soccer and basketball teams and later became an assistant coach on the girls’ softball team.

The Out-of-Door Academy 119

Elizabeth Buzzelli Logan Attended ODA 1982 Elizabeth’s memories are of the beautiful Siesta Key campus and nurturing environment at Out-of-Door, where students at ODA are cared about and honored as individuals. Today, she is very involved with the local Humane Society and active in many animal rights causes. She said, “I carry gratefulness in my heart each day for the education and experience I received at Out-of-Door. The education and nurturing environment prepared me to give back to my family, my children, society, to cultivate a deep respect and compassion for all creatures on this earth.”

Laura Sullivan Attended ODA 1987-1992 After high school, Laura went on to receive a Bachelor of Science in architectural studies and architectural history in 2001 from University of Virginia and received her Master of Architecture from University of Virginia in 2006 where she graduated with the Alpha Rho Chi medal. She currently works and lives in Philadelphia for Gensler and is currently working on the new Comcast Tower project in Philadelphia. Laura has fond memories of her classes and teachers at Out-of-Door.

Rhett Garner Attended ODA 1987-1995 After graduation, Rhett started work in the financial services field.

He spent the first part of his career brokering investment and insurance products as a financial representative. At some point, he ran into luck and met his wife Ashley. He was promoted to management and the couple moved to Delaware. They now have two children and enjoy spending family time together. Rhett has been in the financial industry for nearly 10 years. In addition to becoming insurance and securities licensed, he became a chartered life underwriter, a chartered financial consultant, and a certified financial planner. He is currently working with one of the largest banks in the United States, and is excited about the work that he is doing. “For whatever reason, when I think about my time at ODA I’m reminded of how we would play games in the Assembly Hall during PE,” he recalled. When it was raining, Coach Young would always hide his keys when we weren’t looking, and we’d end the class scrambling to find them before time ran out.”

Maria Gaudiel Jakes Attended ODA 1988-1997 Maria skated on tour with Feld Entertainment’s Disney On Ice for 11 years. She has been a competitive figure skater for most of her life, and it was a natural progression for her to go from competing to performing. Maria was fortunate to travel to more than 30 countries around the world, and during that time she met and married her husband. They reside in Denver, Colorado where Maria works as a legal administrator and is a full-time student 120 The Banyan

at the Metropolitan State University of Denver. They have three rescue kitties that they love very much. Looking back at her time at ODA, she appreciates the relationships she developed. One specific memory, was the ropes course, a team building exercise on her eighth grade retreat. ODA encouraged Maria to venture out into the world with confidence and curiosity.

Brittany Callans Hines Attended ODA 1989-1998 Brittany is a registered nurse and currently a clinical nurse supervisor for over 50 staff at a rural multi-specialty clinic in North Carolina. She recently finished her Master of Science in nursing.

Brittany has been married to her husband for 10 years and together they have three boys. Brittany’s favorite memories of ODA are all the festivals on the Siesta Key campus, especially Halloween.

Being an ODA student has helped her be a better person, and she appreciates the solid foundation she received. She wouldn’t change anything about her time at ODA.

Danielle Girardin Favara Attended ODA 1990-1997 Danielle studied musical theatre in New York City and graduated from the Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. During her time in New York, Danielle was in a few off-Broadway plays and TV commercials.

She was honored to be crowned Miss New York City in 2001.

Since then, Danielle pursued a career in early childhood education.

She is a mother of two children that also share her love for music.

Danielle is so happy her son attends ODA today so they can share some of the same memories and amazing teachers that inspired her. Danielle has many amazing memories but what sticks with her the most was the love and dedication of the teachers. One of her favorite memories was of Ms. Dozier riding up on a white horse while studying the Civil War. Now that is a special kind of dedication and passion.

Eric Liss Attended ODA 1991-2000 Eric completed a degree in child development at Vanderbilt University prior to attending medical school at Florida International University. After his time in South Florida, Eric moved to Virginia where he completed a year of general medicine in Newport News and then specialized in ophthalmology at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville. Eric will be moving back to the Gulf Coast of Florida to join an ophthalmology practice in the Port Charlotte area. Eric enjoyed driving across the Siesta Bridge every morning on the way to ODA and seeing the shimmering downtown skyline and water of Sarasota Bay. He is thankful for growing up in such a beautiful place. Attending ODA helped Eric view the world positively and to

be intellectually curious and optimistic about all people, places and experiences that he has encountered.

Morgan Watkins Tiefenthal Attended ODA 1992-2002 Morgan went on to pursue a doctorate in veterinary medicine from Auburn University. She moved back to Sarasota in 2015 and is currently in practice at the Animal Health Center alongside her father. In April 2017, she married Chris Tiefenthal. Her favorite memory of Out-of-Door was the eighth grade Science Olympiad.

Morgan also noted that ODA prepared her to actively pursue her dreams!

Chanel Bird Attended ODA 1994-1998 Chanel attended the Lower School and later received a bachelor’s degree in parks, recreation and tourism from the University of Florida. She interned at Mote Marine Laboratory in their education department and then interned for the San Diego Zoo on the Big Island of Hawaii to help breed endangered birds. She is now a zoo educator at Busch Gardens in Tampa and gets to teach guests about her passion of conservation and animals every day. Chanel’s favorite ODA memory is Spirit Day!

Molly Klauber Biter Attended ODA 1996-1998 After graduating high school, Molly went to Johnson and Wales University to pursue a career managing fine dining restaurants. After managing several successful local restaurants, she settled down and married.

The couple welcomed twin girls on Valentine’s Day 2017. Molly loves the fact that ODAers really keep in touch, stating she “met her closest friends at ODA and loves continuing to make memories with them.”

Heather Kennon Attended ODA 2002-2009 Heather earned a degree in criminology from the University of South Florida followed by a master’s degree in criminal justice from Boston University.

Currently Heather is working at the Juvenile Assessment Center, which works with any juvenile who has had police contact for a variety of reasons within her judicial district.

She enjoys being a juvenile assessment specialist and helping young people.

UIHLEIN CAMPUS ALUMNI CLASS OF 1999 Benjamin Sprout Benjamin went to Ringling College of Art+Design for computer animation and has worked in Amsterdam in the video game industry. For the last seven years, he worked on a brand-new PlayStation 4 game IP called Horizon: Zero Dawn, which was released in February 2017. Benjamin worked as an environment artist and made the tribal settlements for the game’s world. Benjamin enjoys both the technical and creative aspects of his work. He said of his favorite memory of ODA, “getting the opportunity to be the first class of the Upper School is something I appreciate more and more as I get older. We were so lucky to get the group of great teachers and smart students that we had and I cherish the memories and opportunities of the entire experience now.”

CLASS OF 2000 John Crouse After studying theology for four years at Boston College, John ultimately settled on healthcare and is now a nurse at the University of Texas Medical School in Austin. John married Mica Odom this summer, and the couple welcomed baby Jack to the world a few months ago. John says they are happy and thrilled to have created a loving family. John’s favorite memory of ODA is playing keeper in a game against St. Stephen’s when he saved a penalty kick to save the tie. He recalls the tie game was a spectacular victory. John says that ODA prepared him to find his community and help build it.

Jordan Letschert Jordan is a former Texas police officer who appeared as an amicus curiae in both the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic marriage equality case. He currently resides in Florida with his husband, Robby, and their son, Kellan. It was a 21 month long and 30,000+ mile journey to create their family. Jordan is a partner in Crunch Fitness, which currently has 12 locations. Jordan is also a seed investor in Blinker, a revolutionary car app where you can buy, sell, and refinance vehicles. Jordan’s feels fortunate to have made lifelong friendships with teachers and staff. He says they attended his wedding and they offer constant support and guidance.

The Out-of-Door Academy 121

CLASS OF 2001 Justin Agrell Justin is certified in A+, Microsoft and Linux and worked in the information technology industry.

In 2010, Justin and his wife started a computer repair business. Over time, their business grew and they decided to sell it. Today, Justin and his wife are semi-retired business owners residing in Arizona. Justin acknowledges how ODA prepared him to work hard and he gained the benefits of personal organization and taking each project to completion while attending Out-of-Door.

Travis Garner Travis attended Texas Tech University. In 2003, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Alaska with the 501st Airborne Infantry Unit. After leaving the military he used his G.I. Bill to go back to school and traveled. He is now settled in Sarasota, and is married with two kids. Travis describes his favorite memory of ODA as being, “Dixie Vance’s eccentric marine science class in an old shack on the NE corner of campus...amazingly unique class, but certainly don’t miss the pungent smell of her preserved fish specimens...when she would unseal the jars for closer examination.”

CLASS OF 2002 Alicia Stritz Charbonneau Alicia is married with a 4-year-old daughter. She has a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education and a Master of Arts in educational leadership. She currently trains Sarasota County teachers in how to teach math, and also teaches at State College of Florida as an adjunct professor of their alternative certification program for teachers. She appreciates the culture at Out-of-Door, built on small class sizes and relationship building and is grateful the faculty challenged her to always do her best.

Randall Morris Randall is the co-founder and Vice President of Outrider—a startup that connects hunters and landowners. He also holds the titles and responsibilities of creative director and partner at BHW Group. Prior to joining BHW and founding Outrider, Randall managed and led all design for the suite of CBS Sports digital fantasy products. Before entering the field of digital product design, he held the position of creative director at Ogilvy & Mather. Concurrent to his time at Ogilvy, he was the designpartner in the event-based startup HUGECITY, which was successfully acquired by TimeOut Global in 2014. His work has

122 The Banyan

been recognized by The AIGAʼs Permanent Design Archives, The AIGAʼs 50 Books/50 Covers, The AIGAʼs Year in Design 29, The AIGAʼs 365 Design Effectiveness Competition, ReBrand 100, The Art Director’s Club, The Type Director’s Club, The Adobe Design and Achievement Awards, The Webbys, Effie Awards and the National Addys. Randall currently is a guest technology writer for GEN FKD. Randall says he appreciates ODA because on his first day, he had such a warm welcome. “It was great being the ‘new kid’ at ODA.” Randall said his time at ODA, helped him to see the world as a place of connectivity and opportunity.

CLASS OF 2003 Lesley Collins Lesley graduated from Elon University in 2007 and went on to work in marketing and public relations in North Carolina and New York. She and her husband moved to Dallas last summer and had a baby girl in August. She has so many wonderful memories from attending ODA, and listed her favorites as: Spirit Day, 60s Fair, 50s Dance, the annual “Fish Fry” and the re-creation of Romeo & Juliet in Mrs. Williams’s sixth grade English class. Lesley commented that her experience at ODA prepared her to get into a great college where she was able to utilize several of the tools she learned in high school, both socially and academically.

Isis Graham Isis is working on a wide scope of projects and events including those focusing on documentary and experimental film, contemporary art and music, sustainable living, feminism and community building. Isis has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in filmmaking from the University of Colorado and a Master of Arts degree from Stockholm University. Isisi has lived in Stockholm, Sweden since 2010. ODA helped her to be bold and to speak out for the things she believes in.

Chloe Lipp Chloe graduated with honors from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film & Television. She has been working in the film industry since 2009 in the art and visual effects departments. Notable projects that Chloe has worked on are: “Insurgent,” “Allegiant,” “Last Vegas,” “Hidden Figures” and currently the second season of “Stranger Things.” Chloe currently lives in Atlanta. When Chloe is not working, she enjoys traveling, writing, photography and hanging out with her friends and her French bulldog, Rocko. Chloe especially remembers the Literature of War and Crime classes that were taught by Martha Holland.

CLASS OF 2004 Wendy Petrik Carroll Wendy says that ODA prepared her to “take on the world with eyes wide open” and she has done just that. After graduating, she completed a bachelor’s degree at Rollins College, followed by a postgraduate degree in hotel management at the Hotel Institute of Montreux in Switzerland. Returning to Florida, she completed a master’s degree at Palm Beach Atlantic University. For the last six years, she has worked as the interior designer for Princess Yachts America. She feels lucky to have an amazing family and husband of five years. Wendy remembers playing volleyball, performing in plays at the amphitheater, and having the most amazing staff and teachers to support her every step.

Peter Dobosz Peter has begun his 11th year with The Walt Disney Company, returning after two years away, as a manager for Textile Services.

In his role, Peter leads and manages the Cast Members and Operation of Entertainment Costumes for the entire Walt Disney World Resort. Peter’s facility, whose automated system inspired the “door room” of the Disney/Pixar film “Monsters Inc.” processes just over 30,000 garments per day for use by cast members all across the 45 square miles of the resort. Most of his favorite ODA memories involve participating in the multiple plays and musicals, but his absolute favorite was the production of Noises Off during his senior year.

John Dweck John has spent the last seven years working as a sales consultant for Arthur Rutenberg Homes in Sarasota. He feels fortunate to be married to his wife, and they welcomed a baby girl born in April 2017. John had moved around a fair bit in his high school years, and his memories of ODA are something that he will carry with him the rest of his life. John feel ODA helped him become the person that he is today and his education continues to serve as a baseline for how he approaches problems and gives back to those who supported him. He is happy to be a part of the Alumni Association.

Mackenzie Foote Mackenzie has been working as a hair stylist at Cutting Loose for three years. Mackenzie has been in the industry for five years and she is happy every day. She says she absolutely loves what she does and doesn’t feel like she has worked a day in her life.

Stephen Martin Stephen graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2008 with a degree in finance and real estate and moved to Washington, D.C. in 2009. He joined the firm JLL in 2014, which specializes in commercial real estate. In 2016, his team completed one of the largest private sector leases in Washington, D.C.’s history. Stephen remembers going to the Old Salty Dog in sixth grade with his homeroom— “thanks, Mr. Sprout,” he said.

Sam Rega On February 23, 2017, Sam proposed to Megan Cornell. Megan and Sam both attended ODA. While they only spent a year and a half together, they clearly made an impression on each other and eventually reconnected over the years. In November 2015, “we went on our first date and nearly a year and a half later, we were engaged.” Sam’s boasts that his favorite memory was being ODA’s first mascot. ODA has impressed on Sam to always strive to be the best and to pursue his dreams.

Kevin Sullivan Since his time at ODA, Kevin went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry at Santa Clara University. In 2013, he received a master’s degree from the University of Texas Architecture School in landscape architecture. After graduating, he moved to New York City where he worked for two years on large scale urban design and park design both nationally and internationally. He now resides with his wife in Austin, Texas where he continues to work on large scale development projects. Kevin describes his favorite memory at Out-of-Door as “collecting tadpoles in ‘Lake ODA’ after big storms.” He also commented that his time at Out-of-Door helped him to think critically.

CLASS OF 2005 Cortney Keller Since her time at ODA, Cortney earned a bachelor’s in interpersonal and organizational communication from the University of South Florida and she is currently pursuing a master’s of business administration. After graduating, Cortney took a position as a legal assistant at the law firm of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP in Tampa for three years. Cortney was then offered the opportunity to work at Moffitt Cancer Center as executive assistant to general counsel. In May of last year, her college sweetheart, Kevin L. Bishop, Esq., proposed and they are looking forward to becoming “Mr. & Mrs.” on New Year’s Eve. Cortney’s favorite memory of her time at ODA is homeroom and math with Mrs. J. She says she was always a force to be reckoned with and somehow made math fun. Cortney’s ODA experience prepared her The Out-of-Door Academy 123

for college, and it made the pursuit of her degree easier than most of her college classmates.

Andrew Moore After graduating from the University of Richmond in 2009, Andrew moved to Colorado where he worked at a guest ranch and ski resort before going to law school at the University of Denver. He currently practices real estate law in Colorado and is active in his community, volunteering for the Access to Justice Committee. Andrew enjoys hiking, fly fishing and skiing. His favorite ODA memories were playing soccer and baseball.

Thomas Rogers Thomas received a degree in general business from Stetson University. In 2014, he received an award for most innovative use of an alternative risk transfer mechanism for his work in the alternative insurance market. Thomas lives in Chicago with his two dogs.

Thomas liked the eighth grade leadership camp. It was a “fun introduction to his new classmates and school” and he says that ODA prepared him to tackle the world.

CLASS OF 2006 Scott Haddow Scott recently won the Rising Star award at the ReMax Alliance Group, and he is also in the leadership academy for the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee Counties. Scott’s ODA experiences have helped him to always strive to be better and know that anything is possible.

Christopher Hayes After working at ODA as a coach and teacher, Chris moved to Washington, D.C. to pursue his master’s degree. For the last two years, he has been working as the athletic director of a school located in Georgetown. In April, Christopher was married. He and his wife plan on staying in the D.C. area for a few years.

CLASS OF 2007 William Crouse William is currently enjoying his love for film and theatre and producing commercials—a career he pursued after a passion for the creative arts was instilled in him during his time at ODA. William is a proud son, brother and uncle of two amazing boys. Taking his “Lifer” status seriously, he said his favorite memory of ODA was “attending ODA for 14 years and being a TRUE lifer.” He also said his time at Out-of-Door has prepared him to take on whatever the world is going to throw his way!

124 The Banyan

Reba Evans Reba received her bachelor’s degree from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami.

She then moved to New York City to perform professionally as a concert soloist and sing with small opera companies. She is now living in Salzburg, Austria and pursuing her master’s degree at the Universität Mozarteum. This year she had the pleasure of performing Cherubino in Mozart’s opera “Le Nozze di Figaro” and has been invited to reprise the role as a guest artist at the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music in Hangzhou, China. Of her Out-of-Door experience Reba said, “ODA prepared me to make my dreams a reality and take on the world!”

Alexa Ferro Alexa pursued a degree at Flagler College, graduating with a focus on Spanish, Latin American studies and history. She has worked in both higher education and hospitality since then, and is currently managing a hotel in Wisconsin. One of Alexa’s favorite memories of ODA was having Mrs. Huene read to the class in the library and discovering new books. Alexa’s experiences as a Lifer at ODA helped shape her into a curious person that believes you must continue to learn, experience and do new things. She will always be an ODA kid that wants to learn as much as possible.

Taylor Jaworski Griggs Taylor graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2011. She currently resides in Colorado Springs and is a surgical assistant for a group of periodontists. She is married and has one son.

Taylor said her favorite memories from attending ODA “were the countless opportunities we were given to travel. I traveled to London, Puerto Rico and the Galápagos Islands. I am also grateful for the friends that turned into family and the teachers who I still keep in contact with. You all have made such a positive impact on my life and I’m lucky to have met you at ODA!”

Erin Kane Erin graduated from Boston College in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in nursing. She now lives in Philadelphia and is starting her sixth year as a pediatric oncology nurse at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She is currently in graduate school at Villanova University where she is studying to become a pediatric nurse practitioner. Erin said her favorite memory of Out-of-Door was, “Spirit Day Eve of my senior year” and noted that Out-ofDoor prepared her to work hard and be a strong self-advocate.

Ro Marchese Ro received an undergraduate degree from Southern Methodist University in Texas. From there she attended Law School at Nova Southeastern University and graduated in 2014. Ro is presently an attorney working as an Assistant Public Defender at the Public Defender’s Office in Bradenton. Ro enjoyed all the trips she took... white water rafting, San Francisco and the Keys! She has unforgettable memories with friends that became like family. She says the greatest day of the year was Spirit Day. Ro was successful in college and graduate school because of the academics at ODA, which were as challenging if not more than her college courses.

Christopher Marsh After getting married in the spring of 2015, Chris and Diane moved from Dallas to New York so Chris could pursue a Master of Business Administration degree at Columbia University. After graduation, Chris became an associate at Evercore, an investment bank, in their mergers and acquisition group.

Kevin Mercier Kevin graduated from Stetson University with a degree in finance and MIS. He joined FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers as their first employee.

Kevin moved into the director of marketing role with the franchisor in 2016. He has helped the organization grow from one location in 2013 to over 220 locations across 36 states today. He’s been married to Heather for three years and they have a fur-baby, Brady, named after the G.O.A.T. Kevin enjoyed Turkey Bowl, Spirit Day, baseball and anything involving ODA activities.

Allie Meuser Allie graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in biology. Shortly after that, she worked for Oceans Research in Mossel Bay South Africa collecting data on great white sharks utilizing the area. She is now engaged and living in the Florida Keys, pursuing a career in coral restoration and research in climate and ocean health/conservation. Allie’s favorite memories of Out-of-Door are “the friendships/mentorships that were created between instructors and students. I hope my future children can have that same experience someday. Also, who can forget Spirit Day?” Allie says ODA taught her to believe in myself enough to pursue a career in subjects that she often struggled with academically in high school.

Rachel Yonker Rachel graduated from Dickinson College with a Bachelor of Science in biology in 2011. She went on to Johns Hopkins University, graduating in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in nursing.

Rachel decided to move home to Sarasota and has been working at

Doctors Hospital of Sarasota in the medical-surgical department.

Rachel says her time at ODA prepared her to be a critical thinker.

CLASS OF 2008 Lauren Ettinger Lauren went to Appalachian State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology and global studies with a minor in German.

Since that time, she has additionally received a Master of Science in conflict analysis and resolution from the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University. Lauren has been living in the Washington, D.C. area for five years and loves it. Since 2014, she has worked for World Learning, an international non-profit focused on education, exchange and development work around the world. Lauren was promoted in October and currently manages the U.S. Alumni Thematic International Exchange Seminars program, funded by the U.S. Department of State. Lauren’s team recently brought 30 accomplished alumni of U.S. government sponsored exchange programs to the Atlanta area for a four day seminar on “The New Frontiers of Global Public Health.” In her free time, she enjoys traveling and she most recently spent three weeks exploring Myanmar. Lauren’s fondest memory was the senior class trip to Key West! She feels her education at ODA helped her to be successful in all her academic endeavors.

Logan McCann After graduating from ODA, Logan graduated from the University of Louisville with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a minor in management. After graduating from college, he was extended an offer to work in Chicago as an IT client technologies specialist at BorgWarner Automotive. Special ODA memories are Spirit Day and beating the faculty team in Turkey Bowl his senior year.

Logan’s ODA educational experience gave him the boldness to take on college and be secure in his preparation for all the college work he encountered.

Kyle Pack After Kyle graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2011, he started working on his Master of Business Administration degree at Stetson University. While he was studying for his MBA, Kyle was also working for a small flight school in central Florida. In 2014, he took the skills he had acquired from the MBA program, left his job at the school and created a company called Pack Flight Services. Through Pack Flight Services, Kyle offered flight instruction, aerial photography and aircraft ferry and delivery services. Kyle has personally trained over 100 pilots for either primary or advanced ratings. Kyle was selected as a designated pilot examiner, which was his ultimate career goal for the last eight years. Kyle is currently the youngest The Out-of-Door Academy 125

examiner in the world. If Kyle isn’t at the airport, he is either in the woods or on the water with his wonderful girlfriend, Laura, and their two dogs, Captain and Spitz. They both enjoy grabbing a plane and flying out to out-of-the-way destinations.

CLASS OF 2009 Gabrielle Balit Gaby graduated from Vanderbilt University a semester early with a Bachelor of Science in human and organizational development with a minor in corporate strategy and French. The extra semester before starting work was spent traveling, spending time with friends and taking full advantage of the free time before entering the “real world”.

Scott Dawson Shortt Scott graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University with a degree in resort & hospitality management.

Scott purchased and remodeled Paula Kozak’s house, a former art teacher at ODA, and plans to put a plaque under the oak tree in the backyard in her memory.

He recently opened, Fine Wine & Tastings on Main, a wine bar and retail wine store located on Main Street in Lakewood Ranch.

Scott’s favorite memory of ODA is how much the faculty cared about the students, noting he still keeps in touch with many of the teachers and loves coming back to visit and see how the campus has changed. Scott commented on how well prepared he was to be successful at FGCU noting, “I was amazed at how prepared I was in comparison to my classmates.”

Gaby started working at Morgan Stanley in human resources in July 2013. She works in New York City and notes the worst part of working in Times Square is having to maneuver through a sea of tourists every time she leaves the building. Over the course of the last two years, Gaby took night classes at New York University and recently graduated with a Master of Science in human resources management and development with a concentration in organizational effectiveness. Gaby frequently sees other Out-of-Door graduates who live in New York City and remembers her time at ODA fondly. She always looks forward to being back in Sarasota!

CLASS OF 2011

Nicholas Hepp

Christy Steed

Nicholas graduated from Lafayette College with a degree in engineering studies in 2013. During his time at Lafayette, he also participated in Division 1 track & field. Currently, he is working at Ernst and Young in New York City where he is an advisory consultant for banking organizations. Nicholas recalls, “Spirit Day was always my favorite day of the ODA school year as it was a time for the entire school to come together in a day full of outdoor activities and friendly competition.”

Aliena Shea After her time at Out-of-Door, Aliena went on to pursue a degree in elementary education at the University of Alabama. In 2016 she was nominated for Alabama Teacher of the Year. She is very excited to be returning home to Sarasota to get married this October. Aliena said, “My favorite memory of ODA is Spirit Day! I loved how Spirit Day brought the entire school together in true camaraderie.” She also noted, “My experiences at Out-of-Door prepared me to be successful in higher education and in my career.

Without the amazing education and support from the faculty at ODA I would not be where I am today.”

126 The Banyan

Christopher Mullan Christopher worked his way up from being a lab technician to the facility manager of a neurological research company based out of Sarasota. He later joined the Army to become a combat medic and is currently based out of Fort Benning, Georgia. Christopher appreciates the time he spent in the classroom. He thoroughly enjoyed the classes at ODA due to the brilliant teachers he had.

ODA helped Christopher to set goals; no matter the size and then to reach them.

Since her time at ODA Christy has lived in Nebraska, South Dakota, California and Texas pursuing her career as a horse trainer.

She currently splits her year, living half of it in California and the other in Texas. She said that ODA prepared her by giving her the confidence to go after anything she sets her mind to.

Heather Steele Heather received a bachelor’s degree in nutrition, fitness, and health and a minor in naval science from Purdue University. She deployed to Japan on the USS John S. McCain for two years, attended Nuclear Power School, deployed to the Middle East on the USS Oak Hill and is now working as a training liaison officer in Norfolk, Virginia. She has run multiple marathons and competes in open water swims. She has her sights set on her next goal, a 70.3 Ironman in August. Heather recalls her favorite memories of her time at ODA involving swim meets and of course, Spirit Week! “Whether it was academics or through athletics, I refuse to go through my life without being challenged,” she said of her time at ODA.

Orsi Spanyol Orsi graduated from Ringling College of Art+Design with a degree in game art, then moved to San Francisco and has been employed at Thekla, Inc. for the past six years. She is making large contributions to the critically-acclaimed game “The Witness,” and is currently art directing on another project. Orsi enjoyed painting and reading books in the art room during free periods. Also, she liked being involved in school plays, because it was “tons of fun.”

Alison Weiner Alison graduated from Villanova University in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.

She is now a doctoral student in a clinical psychology program at William James College in Massachusetts. She recently received her master’s in clinical psychology and in two years will finish her dissertation and doctoral work. Her concentration is in clinical health psychology and she plans to work with patients dealing with chronic and serious medical diagnoses. “ODA prepared me to succeed at anything I dreamed of for my future. I am extremely grateful for my education at ODA which provided me with a foundation to achieve my goals.”

CLASS OF 2012 Jimmy Donnellan Jimmy received a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and English Literature from Bowdoin College. Two days after graduation, he moved to New York City, aiming to spend time with family who he missed while growing up in Florida. While he says he doesn’t yet have grandchildren that he can brag about, he does have a cat that thinks he’s pretty fun, joking, “she hasn’t explicitly admitted that, but she hasn’t told me otherwise, either.” Jimmy remembers when Mr. Lemieux tasked his class with responding to any and all requests that came their way during a particular school day with, “I would prefer not to” an homage to the daring sass of Bartleby, the Scrivener. Jimmy says that ODA prepared him to pursue things outside his comfort zone and invites others to do so as well.

Tyler Eaden Tyler recently graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Southern California with a degree in business administration as well as emphasis in entrepreneurship and cinematic arts. In college, Tyler had the opportunity to travel often, and spent many months working in Tokyo, which is now his favorite city in the world.

Tyler recently accepted a full-time job offer as a recovery support representative at Square, Inc., a technology and financial services firm in San Francisco. Tyler’s favorite memories of ODA are from the class field trips Minimesters including Seacamp, Leadership

Camp, and the trip to the Everglades! ODA helped Tyler succeed in college and he felt fully prepared to tackle any academic challenge or task. The ODA experience helped him develop a work ethic that ultimately allowed him to graduate with academic honors from the USC and find a job that he is truly excited about.

Brian Ragone After Out-of-Door, Brian attended Amherst College and pursued a degree in mathematics. Just before his 2016 graduation, Brian started his own digital marketing company and in 10 months of operation, it merged with Fownders, a progressive education company that seeks to provide entrepreneurs with educational resources. Brian thinks Spirit Day was the best day at ODA because the entire campus community unites through a healthy competition and outdoor activities.

CLASS OF 2013 Gabriella Alvarez Gabriella went to the University of Florida to pursue a degree in nutritional sciences. She will be attending graduate school for a master’s of biomedical sciences and then applying to medical school. She is excited about the journey to come. She says that Out-of-Door prepared her to be hardworking and independent—traits that will serve her well in medical school and beyond! She cherishes the close relationships she built with her teachers, recognizing that not many people have the opportunity to get to know their faculty at such a close level.

Caroline Dailey Caroline received her degree in finance at the University of South Carolina. She will be attending the University of Georgia School of Law this upcoming fall. Her favorite memories from ODA were Spirit Day and Turkey Bowl. She also said that “the small tight knit community at ODA, along with the student teacher ratio, really allowed me to personally get to know my teachers in high school! Knowing the professors personally really helped me to excel in undergrad.”

Cheyenne Kerekes Since her time at Out-of-Door, she went on to pursue a degree in English at Skidmore College. Cheyenne noted, “one of my favorite memories of ODA is Spirit Day. It was so great to see everyone from all grades competing and having a blast on the field!”

Cheyenne also said, “my experience at ODA prepared me to be an independent person and thinker. I couldn’t be more grateful for my teachers for mentoring me and helping to shape me into the person I am today.”

The Out-of-Door Academy 127

Evan Wilson

Madison Shaw

Evan spent three years at the University of South Florida pursuing a degree in business finance and playing football for the Bulls. Shortly after his third year he decided he was ready for a change in scenery. He set off for an eight-month extended summer as a raft guide in Alaska and a fall semester as an intern for a ministry in Atlanta, Georgia. Refreshed from the adventure, he returned to USF and graduated in May, and headed back to the Land of the Midnight Sun for another summer on the Kenai River. Evan said ODA prepared him to enter college with an open mind and a desire to make more friendships like the ones he had at ODA.

Madison is now a junior at Texas Christian University majoring in fashion merchandising and minoring in business. She joined the sorority Zeta Tau Alpha and Athletic Ambassadors, which help to recruit football players on campus. This past May, she took a class in New York through the fashion merchandising program to gain knowledge of the industry. Madison commented, “I will always remember the beautiful campus and the personal connections made with the teachers.”

CLASS OF 2014 Joshua Simon Joshua is currently in pursuit of a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Berry College in Georgia. He is set to graduate in May 2018 with the hopes of joining the Air Force and pursuing a master’s and doctorate in counseling psychology. His most cherished memory from ODA was the freedom to pursue his passion for service. Starting freshman year, he created a drive, Sweets for Soldiers, to collect Halloween candy from the students at ODA to send to servicemen and women overseas. In his senior year, he developed a fundraiser for testicular cancer research named Facial Hair February. He remembers his time participating in Turkey Bowl as not only a day to give back to the community through the Thanksgiving Dinner Drive, but also as a day to remind students in the fast-paced, goal-oriented mindset that they were still kids and needed to play like kids from time to time. Josh loves to travel, hunt and fly fish. He dreams of one day owning his own fly fishing company as a side job to his counseling work.

He hopes this counseling career focuses on serving active duty and retired military servicemen and women and first responders.

CLASS OF 2015 Amy Cutmore Amy will be starting her third year at Rollins College, pursuing a degree in international business with a minor in economics. This fall, she will be studying abroad and completing an internship in London, before returning to Rollins for her final undergraduate semester. In the fall of 2018, she will pursue a master’s in business administration at the Crummer Graduate School of Business.

Amy remembers the 100 Days Dinner recalling, “It was such a great night with lots of great memories and experiences to share about our amazing ODA Faculty.” Amy says that ODA prepared her to succeed at anything she chooses to do and commented how prepared she was for college because of her time at The Out-ofDoor Academy.

128 The Banyan

CLASS OF 2016 M’Balia Bangoura M’Balia is currently playing tennis for the University of Nebraska and excelling in her studies, having received recognition from the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. M’Balia fondly remembers her time at Out-of-Door saying, “ODA prepared me for the responsibility and the time management that is required to be successful in college.”

Madeline Naylor Madeline just completed her freshman year at Sewanee University of the South and she loves it! She thanks ODA for helping her make a smooth transition academically and socially to a new environment. She feels she gained so much from being a part of all the theater productions at ODA.

Dana Saltz Since Dana’s time at ODA, she enrolled at Northeastern University, where she was fortunate enough to spend her first semester exploring Europe and studying in Greece. Of her experience at Out-of-Door, Dana said, “My experience prepared me to step outside my comfort zone and take on the challenge of studying abroad for my first semester of college. I do not think I would have been bold enough to take such an untraditional path if I didn’t have the Out-of-Door experience.”

Together We Give, Together We Grow Each year current parents, parents of alumni, grandparents, friends of the school, volunteers and our faculty and staff rally together to show their support of our mission by making charitable contributions to the Annual Fund.

The Annual Fund supports all the extras that make Out-of-Door OUTstanding.

For more information and to make your gift in support of our students, visit:

www.oda.edu/AnnualFund

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID Permit No. 1422 Manasota, FL

444 Reid Street | Sarasota, FL 34242

Thor challenges Sophia Gardinier ‘17 on the track