Crossroads FallWinter 2012 The Steward School

crossroads issue 23

Fall/winter 2012

a publication of The Steward School

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

THE CRAMER CENTER FOR THE ARTS 1O-YEAR ANNIVERSARY

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crossroads Administration Kenneth h. seward, Headmaster lisa dwelle, Associate Head of School dan Frank, Director of Upper School chip seidel, Director of Middle School Melanie casper, Director of Lower School sarah Melvin, Director of Development debbie robson, Director of Admissions lori Jobe, Director of Marketing and Communications Publication Staff lori Jobe, Editor sherilyn smail, Designer sydney smith, Kristina Kerns, Meg white’05, rugene Paulette, lynn Zinder, dan Frank, Melanie goodpasture, chris Brown ’05, ginny evans, Janet rice, Contributing Writers natalia Frost, cindy grissom, Kristina Kerns, eric latourelle, rugene Paulette, real life studios, sherilyn smail, Meg white ’05, lynn Zinder, Contributing Photographers Printing total Printing company the steward school admits students without regard to gender, race, color, religion, or national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. the editors have made every attempt to ensure the accuracy of information reported in this publication. we apologize for any inadvertent errors.

The Steward School’s mission is to prepare each child for college and for life. Our core character values are honor, responsibility, and achievement, balanced by caring and respect for oneself and for others. steward is committed to small classes and to small overall size, which allow for discovery and development of each student’s unique talents and passions, while providing more opportunities for individual participation. we believe an environment with a diversity

highlights is Where 1 Home the HeaRT is

A special look into the Paul R. Cramer Center for the Arts 10-year history

We Need is LoVE 26 all Speaker John Franklin Stephens spreads his inspirational message about perserverance and respect

on the 29 Standing Shoulders of Giants A new pilot program that helps Upper School students and faculty pursue their own interests

departments 5 10 24 29 44 44

campusculture finearts classacts teamtalk facultyfocus alumninews steward weBsite www.stewardschool.org

of talents, abilities, cultures, and backgrounds provides the richest and most fully rounded educational experience.

social Media channels http://www.facebook.com/thestewardschool http://www.twitter.com/stewardschool

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“The Arts center will change steward’s relationship with the community by letting people see how much steward has grown . . . i think they will look at steward as a wonderful place to go to school.”

-Keri druMMOnd ’09 (as stated in 2002)

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HOME

is where

the

HEART IS

As The Steward School celebrates its 40th birthday, it is only fitting that a major focus of the festivities centers on the tenth anniversary of the Paul R. Cramer Center for the Arts, Steward’s home to the visual and performing arts. This exceptional building has been the centerpiece of the campus for a decade, during which time it has brought to life exciting JK-12 productions, countless works of art, stunning musical masterpieces, and impressive guest performances. On a daily basis, it remains a school building where classes and after-school activities take place, but in the hearts of those who “live” there, it is so much more.

It’s hard to imagine that at the turn of the millennium the Cramer Center didn’t exist. The arts classrooms were located in what is today the Middle School, along the science corridor. The plays took place in the dining commons, and larger productions were held in the original athletic gym, a bright yellow outbuilding. Each stage set had to be built elsewhere, then broken down, transported, and rebuilt in a matter of days because the rooms were used for so many other activities.

All that began to change in 1997. At the school’s 25th anniversary celebration in September of that year, there was a surprise announcement about an anonymous $15

By Sydney Smith

million gift. At the time, it was the largest single gift ever made to a private day school in the Commonwealth of Virginia. According to original documents, two-thirds of the gift was to be used for a “state of the art fine arts center to be named for Paul R. Cramer, providing students of the school with the best possible opportunities in the performing and visual arts.” With this monumental opportunity, plans were made to transform the campus into what it is today; between 1997 and 2002, Wilton Hall, the Athletic Center, and the Cramer Center all became reality. As Mr. Cramer wrote in -Bonnie Anderson A Story of Success: Lower and Upper School Music Teacher A History of The Steward School 19721997, “The gift would literally transform the School. . . .

Whoever had expressed such confidence in the School, and in its current stewards, was literally in the process of making a dream come true.”

“When we got the building, everything changed.”

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director of information technology shahwar Qureshi ’90 ’90, who began working at steward in 1997, said, “Being here between 1997 and 2002 was challenging because of all the construction. the Colonnade as we know it didn’t exist.” she described how teachers and students had to constantly re-route their paths to get across the growing campus. she is proud of steward’s development and has chronicled -MOniCA MOehring ’95 PerFOrMing Arts teACher its evolution with original drawings, maps, and invitations from the school’s history.

Ms. Qureshi said that steward was like a well-kept secret for most of its first 25 years, but after “the gift,” it became more competitive. “we’ve always been the same school with the same heart; the facilities just got better. it still has the same qualities that i loved as a student,” she added.

“You can teach art anywhere, but this building has given us the ability to do whatever we want.”

when the Athletic Center and wilton hall were nearly complete twelve years ago, and the Cramer Center was in the works, andy Mudd, director of technical theatre, was hired to make sure the plans were carried out. Mr. Mudd credits theatre consulting company tPC with the proper design of the building. “i let them do their job. i think that’s why the theatre is such a beautiful place, not just visually, but functionally,” Mr. Mudd said. “we are very well-supplied; we have everything we need.” rugene Paulette, Visual Arts department Chair, agrees with Mr. Mudd. she was the Fine Arts representative on the Cramer Center committee and said the builders asked, “what do you want?” she loves that the people who worked at steward had a say in the design of the building. For example, Ms. Paulette said that artists want

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north light (which she has) and that the photography classrooms needed to be on the second floor (which they are), because clay dust from the art rooms would ruin the computers in the photo labs.

Like Ms. Paulette, music teacher Bonnie anderson has been at steward nearly 30 years, and she has many memories of the days before the Cramer Center. she kept a sewing machine in the back of her classroom to work on costumes for the programs; she played the piano on the playground for a production of Godspell; and all the performances—from choral concerts to stunt talent night—included the entire student population from kindergarten through twelfth grade. “when we got the building, everything changed,” she said. when music teacher john Mcalister joined steward ten years ago, he created the instrumental music program from scratch. his first band consisted of two acoustic guitars and one clarinet, because those were the instruments his students played. “there’s not a textbook example of what i’ve done here . . . it’s been a lot of trial and error,” he said. he now has so many students playing a multitude of instruments that he often customizes the sheet music so that they can play popular songs. ten years ago, he had to adapt the students to the songs (“stairway to heaven” and “Fire and rain”).

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Clipping of the richmond times-dispatch article on the Cramer Center dated Wednesday, October 15, 2002, that highlights the $15 million anonymous donation that earmarked $10 million to promote arts at The Steward School. [The newspaper article references $16 million because by the time the article was written, the gift grew due to investment of the original amount.]

“When people drive by and see the cramer center . . . they look up and think about how tall, powerful, and beautiful it is. The power is transferred to the students through the activities and programs offered in the center.”

-CLAY FuLK ’07 (as stated in 2002)

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today, he can adapt the songs to the students (“Moves Like Jagger” and “Call Me Maybe”). Mr. McAlister’s classroom is perfectly set up acoustically, and he is very protective of his instruments. As he explained, “that’s why we can do so much.”

Both Ms. Qureshi and theatre teacher Monica Moehring ’95 can appreciate the school from both student and employee perspectives. Mrs. Moehring said one thing that the Cramer Center did not change at steward is the value of being part of groups that incorporate younger and older students together in theatre productions. she found those opportunities to be formative while she was a Middle school student, and she still sees it “click” for the casts of the plays she directs.

Before the Cramer Center existed, there were only four teachers in the Fine Arts department; today, the faculty consists of 11 full-time teachers and one part-time: john alley and amanda anthony (Photography); Cindy grissom, rugene Paulette, and lynn zinder (Visual Arts); Bonnie anderson, sarah Cafazza, and john Mcalister (Music); and Monica Moehring, andy Mudd,

“i cannot wait to stand on the new stage, to paint in the new rooms, to use new art mediums that we haven’t been able to use, and to explore new techniques that will now be available with this wonderful addition to steward.”

-LindseY LeACh ’04 (as stated in 2002)

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and Craig smith (Performing Arts). Mr. Mudd said that he had five students in his only upper school class during his first year at steward, and today he has 24 among three classes. As Ms. Paulette said, “we’ve always had a strong arts program, regardless of the building, but we can offer more now because we planned for the growth.”

The faculty all seem to agree that there is nothing they would want to accomplish artistically that could not be achieved, thanks to the facilities.

the faculty all seem to agree that there is nothing they would want to accomplish artistically that could not be achieved, thanks to the facilities. Mrs. Moehring said, “i’ve never been disappointed about the way something was done or not done. that speaks volumes for the environment i am privy to . . . this facility forces me to think bigger.”

Mrs. Zinder has a similar appreciation. “You can teach art anywhere, but this building has given us the ability to do whatever we want. we’re blessed, and i never forget that.”

with such a magnificent building in place, what’s on the arts faculty’s wish list for the future? Mr. Mudd would like to become more of a service to the neighboring community by including non-steward guests at our music and theatre productions. Mrs. Anderson would love to see a dance program and an orchestra, including string instruments, to develop a classical music program.

Mrs. Moehring would like to see a major production in the blackbox theatre. Ms. Paulette would like to add iPads to her classroom to enhance teaching art history and would like to introduce crafts such as jewelry, enameling, and glass to her classes. Perhaps she sums up the Cramer Center decade best by saying, “As long as the school administration continues to recognize the importance of the arts, we will continue to grow.”

Pictures left to right: Musicians played both inside and out of the Cramer Center during opening night; Paul Cramer with event coordinators Kathy Panott, Mia Norton, and Graham Sellers; the Cramer Center as it looks today in 2012; the opening night program booklet and information sheet

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ARTS

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ArtsFest was held on October 26, 2012, to honor the tenth anniversary of the Paul r. Cramer Center for the Arts. the afternoon was an outdoor party complete with artistic activities, a dedication ceremony, a gallery exhibition, and musical entertainment. it was a true tribute to Paul Cramer, whose love and support for the arts is evident every day at the steward school.

FEST CeLeBrAting 10 YeArs OF the PAuL r. CrAMer Center FOr the Arts By rugene Paulette, Fine Arts department Chair

Along with students in grades K-12, Artist-in-residence steve Prince created a 10-foot, aluminum sculpture titled Open Expressions to commemorate the anniversary and to serve as a visual reminder of not only the fine arts but also the school’s mission. Open Expressions was presented at the beginning of the afternoon, and Mr. Prince explained the nuances of the sculpture and its relevance to the Cramer Center. sixteen art-related words, four music-playing silhouettes, and colorful handmade tiles are all integral features of the sculpture.

during ArtsFest, upper school students organized interactive art project booths: face painters included Meg Trepp, jack sims, andrea schwartz, Cassandra Martinez, susan Mire, Morgan schroder, Braeden glancy, Blair Moring, and Matthew Bice; mask instructors included annaliese Blank, lavinia johnson, ashley leahman, lucy davis, sam Trepp, and Madison Borovatz; spin art enthusiasts included jackson walker and Tyler Miracle; and sun print photographers included dada agbaw, josiah armstrong, Ellie hall, Meredith hughes, Taylor leahy, and harrison vicars. there were also special pottery throwing demonstrations given by Chris leavitt, parent keyser glancy, and rosewood Pottery. the air was filled with continuous musical entertainment as well, coordinated by teachers Bonnie anderson and john Mcalister. Performing groups included the seventhgrade Chorus, the upper school Pep Band, the upper school select Chorus, the upper school spartones, and the Varsity Jazz Band. student soloists included ainsleigh gil, Mackenzie jones, dabney leverty, liza jones, lydia heitman, ana leahy, anna fuhr, Morgan Penberthy, virginia villani, and Chloe staples. two alumni soloists traveled great distances to be part of the celebration as well: katie Perkins ’05 from Charlotte, north Carolina, and stephanie Mann ’93 from Boston, Massachusetts. their visits are a testimony to the importance of steward in their lives, and the school is very grateful for their willingness to participate in this special day. here’s to the next decade of artistic celebration!

Along with the inspiring sculpture, the opening of the Alumni Art exhibit, displayed in the Carolyn r. Brandt gallery, was a part of ArtsFest. Artwork from 27 alumni—from Boston, Massachusetts, to Orlando, Florida—was exhibited in the gallery. the featured artists graduated between 1989 and 2012, which is a testament not only to the continuation of their art interest beyond high school, but also to the emphasis that Mr. Cramer placed on the arts. Along with the alumni, work from all the previous Artists-in-residence and present art students Mariah Montague, Mason Butler, and jack sims was displayed in the gallery. in addition, the fine arts faculty included a display of photographs from the Artist-inresidence program and the department’s philanthropic projects from the last decade (see accompanying article by lynn zinder on page 13).

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PHILaRTHRoPy

By Lynn Zinder, Lower school Art teacher

when i look back on the last 20 years of my career at steward, i find one of the most fulfilling things has been my philanthropic work with our students and the many causes we have helped both locally and nationally. Art is a perfect vehicle to support the needs of others. whirled Peace day became a movement to which we could attach a need. Although this annual event is not billed as a philanthropic day, it has been important in our curriculum to help students recognize peace in many ways. what better way to promote peace than helping people make strides in their own agencies? One of our first themes was “Pennies for Peace,” a cause founded by author greg Mortenson who created an initiative to build schools in Afghanistan. By collecting pennies from school children, he was able to further his cause. A few of our students were able to meet Mr. Mortenson and present him with a check for $600 that we had collected in pennies at our first whirled Peace day. in subsequent years, we have collected money for visiting Artist-inresidence awer Buhl and the “Lost Boys” to build water wells in the sudan, and the James river Association to help with conservation of the James river. Most recently, our whirled Peace day collection was given to Chimborazo elementary school to help start a music program. More than $2,500 was collected for the school and presented to the principal this past fall.

Pictured right: Steward students work on a mural that resides in the cafeteria of Fairfield Elementary for the 2010 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day “Paint it Forward” project. Pictured left: Lower School students work on their “pinwheels for peace” for the 2008 Whirled Peace Day celebration.

sometimes our philanthropy work has been just about art and not money. we were approached by saxon shoes at short Pump town Center to paint a mural, for which we were paid. steward decided to donate the profit to

Art 180, an agency that promotes art in the inner-city schools. Last year, we were asked to help noah’s Children, an agency that helps families of children affected by cancer. Lower and Middle school students created artwork that was auctioned at the noah’s Children gala. we raised money for cancer treatment of dogs when the entire school painted a large dog-shaped steel sculpture that was auctioned at an event for Fetch-A-Cure.

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every Martin Luther King, Jr. day, our students have painted murals, which have been a good way to learn about bringing happiness to others by “decorating” our community. these days have been planned to help schools in both the city of richmond and henrico County, including woodville, Fairfield, highland springs, and Anna Julia Cooper episcopal school. they all now have permanent works of art created by steward students. we hope to “paint it forward” at Chimborazo elementary during Martin Luther King, Jr. day 2013.

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we have also found ways to combine artwork and fundraising. when haiti experienced a devastating earthquake, art students created “haiti houses” on small squares of cardboard, which were sold as pins and magnets. we were able to donate a large sum of money to a haitian relief agency from this simple project, and the students felt a sense of contribution to a much larger cause.

I continue to look for ways that our fortunate artists at Steward can help those in need.

i continue to look for ways that our fortunate artists at steward can help those in need. we are so blessed to be here, and it is important to teach our children to give back—that is the greatest part of a community of care.

Pictured below: Steward faculty and students view the “Haiti House” artwork created by Lower and Middle School students to benefit those affected by the Haitian earthquake of 2010.

Artists-In-Residence The Artist-In-Residence Program began as part of the Fine Arts Strategic Plan in 2005. Since its inception, the program has allowed students in all divisions to experience working with professional artists in a variety of media and techniques unique to the artist. As a lasting result of these visits, numerous pieces adorn our campus every day: a seven-foot clay sculpture, four painted murals, six raku sculptures, three oversized watercolor collages, a fused glass wall, six oil-based wood prints,

a clay tile alcove, and the newest addition, a ten-foot outdoor, aluminum sculpture. Other artsists have introduced Brazilian acrylic on canvas techniques, glassblowing demonstrations, and surface design tapestries.

The performing arts students have had the opportunity to work directly with a jazz musician in the instrumental program, and the theatre students have worked with two visiting directors.

Timeline Ed Trask October 2005 Richmond, VA • Matisse Mural (LS, MS, US) in Paul R. Cramer Center for the Arts • Mural – US Senior Lounge Maralani Casagrande February 2006 Florianopolis, Brazil • Drawing with natural materials from the earth (LS, MS, US)

Sonja Stoeckli January-March 2006 Richmond, VA • “Life,” 8-foot Sculpture in Wilton Hall (US) • Clay Tile Mural (LS, MS, US) in Paul R. Cramer Center for the Arts art hallway Ann Cameron Seaton Braun May 2006 Richmond, VA • Surface Design Tapestries (US) in Headmaster’s Office

Jude Schlotzhauer October 2006 Richmond, VA • “Anything is Possible,” Glass Mural (MS,US) in MS Dining Commons

Parks Duffey 2007 Petersburg, VA • Steward School Landscape in Wilton Hall Ed Trask January 2007 Richmond, VA • Jazz Mural (MS, US) in Paul R. Cramer Center for the Arts • “Journey,” Mural in LS Dining Commons (LS, MS, US)

Awer Bul April 2007 Sudan •A rt Exhibit and Presentation on the Plight of the “Lost Boys” of the Sudan

Dr. Baxter Perkinson, Jr. October-November 2007 Richmond, VA • Watercolor Techniques (LS, MS, US) • Watercolor Collages in Steeber Commons and US Gallery

Stephen Norfleet September/January/April, 20072008 San Francisco, CA • Jazz Instruction (MS,US) • Daytime Jazz Performance (MS, US) Steve Prince February 2008 Hampton, VA • Six Woodcut Jazz Prints (LS,MS,US) in Wilton Hall Library Stairwell • Four Woodcut Plates (LS,MS,US) in Paul R. Cramer Center for the Arts

Susan Sanford Fall 2010 Richmond, VA • Directed Main Stage Production, The Man Who Came to Dinner (MS, US) Neil Duman November 2011 Stanton, VA • Glass Blowing techniques (LS, MS, US)

Stephen Norfleet and Steve Prince April 11, 2008 • “Art Inspires Art,” Concert and Formal Presentation of Woodcut Prints

Foster Soloman Fall 2011 Richmond, VA • Directed Main Stage Production, The Comedy of Errors (MS,US)

Nadya Nieheus Becker October–November 2009

Steve Prince October 2012 Baltimore, MD • “Open Expressions,” Sculpture (LS, MS, US) outside of Paul R. Cramer Center for the Arts

Brace du Norte, Brazil

Walter Wash ’00 November 2007 Richmond, VA • Pottery/Wheel Throwing (MS, US)

Tanya Tyree February–April 2010 Charlottesville, VA • Six Hand-thrown Raku Fired Vessels in Lora M. Robins Theatre

• Multimedia Acrylic on Canvas with Brazilian Fabric (LS,MS,US) displayed throughout campus

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she said the Music and theatre departments “put me on my path.” she was able to make the most of her interests at steward and has continued with both music and fine art for almost two decades following graduation. alison norton ’05 Alison credits rugene Paulette with her success in art. “she whisked me away (to the art program) when she saw me,” Alison said. “Being at steward . . . so much credit, appreciation, and love go toward it.” steward is fortunate to have one of Alison’s masterpieces in the lobby of the Cramer Center, a papier-mache carousel horse.

Steward art alumni:

How Has Steward Inspired you? lindsey leach ’04 Lindsey contributed several works to the Alumni Art exhibit from her “storms” collection. she said she was inspired by last summer’s derecho (a widespread, long-lived, straight-line windstorm that is associated with a fast-moving band of severe thunderstorms), and the result is a series of paintings with movement. since her graduation from steward, Lindsey has remained close with art teacher rugene Paulette. “steward is a wonderful place to be creative,” Lindsey says, “and the exemplary staff is at the heart of it . . . i was lucky to have been here. i wrung every drop out of it.”

Corbin adamson orgain ’96 Corbin is, in her own words, “living the mission of the school. i love being here at steward.” now a steward Middle school science teacher, the mother to two steward Lower schoolers, an alumna, and the spouse of an alumnus, she is well-qualified to vouch for the value of the school. “steward builds the best kid, whatever that is.” she said that other than the Canoeing Club, there was nothing she didn’t try as a student, which ultimately led her to art as well as athletics, theatre, and student government. through those experiences, Corbin said she learned what she was good at, and what she wasn’t, which reaffirmed that “you don’t have to be good at something to enjoy it.” katie Perkins ’05 Katie loved that she was given the opportunity to be an athlete as well as a musician at steward. she was on the field hockey team and competed at the state level. now a music teacher at an elementary school in north Carolina, Katie said that music was “my way of being different.” walter wash ’00 “i don’t think i ever stop learning from this place,” walter said. “Art is enjoying life.” he added that he was guided in the right direction by chaos, because order comes from chaos.

stephanie Mann ’93 stephanie was part of two artistic areas of ArtsFest.

Accompanied by Bonnie anderson, she sang four arias, and she submitted a piece of knitted art for the exhibit.

Lindsey Leach ’04

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Stephanie Mann ’93

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Allison Norton ’05

Pictured above left: Stephanie Mann ’93 performs for the ArtsFest crowd

Corbin Adamson Orgain ’96

Katie Perkins ’05

Walter Wash ’00

Letter from the Headmaster

W

hile sitting at my desk wading through emails, i was thankfully interrupted by charlotte Wallis’s kindergarten class touring the Wilton Hall administration building. Using them as an excuse to avoid going back to my computer, i invited them in to see the artwork in my office.

A spirited conversation erupted while they pointed at the walls, climbed on chairs to get a better look, asked if they could touch the sculptures, and argued about their favorites: paintings, photographs, a wire sculpture of a celloist, blue blown-glass fish, fiber art, chinese scrolls, a wooden sailboat, a soapstone owl. some were drawn immediately to a particular piece as if by some powerful invisible force or loud inaudible voice.

Others studied the options methodically until they had pondered each one.

We talked about what they liked about the pieces that they chose. some were drawn to color, shape, or subject, while others didn’t know why—they just liked it. some were torn, couldn’t decide, or changed their minds.

Each moment at Steward is a moment of discovery—some orchestrated, some spontaneous.

Each moment at steward is a moment of discovery—some orchestrated, some spontaneous. At times, we are keenly aware of the discovery we are making as it takes us over. At others, we are absorbing and responding while remaining blissfully unaware, yet no less affected. some call the spaces around us, our environment, “the third teacher.” What is this powerful yet subtle “teacher” teaching us? How is it affecting us? in the case of artwork, we create it, yet it is creating us right back.

The Paul R. cramer center for the Arts, the Athletic center, the campus, the Bryan innovation lab, even the colonnade are very powerful teachers, shaping who we are and who we are becoming. We want our students to create and to be created by this environment, a dialectical dance between self and surroundings. seeing my office through the eyes of Mrs. Wallis’s students has made me more aware, discovering anew the power and privilege of being in this space. sometimes interruptions provide us the occasion to focus on our most important work. As we celebrate the tenth anniversary of one of our most awesome spaces, the cramer center, i hope your eyes will be opened, as if for the first time, to the beauty in your own surroundings.

Headmaster

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Campusculture

Convocation steward’s annual convocation ceremony to open the school year took place on september 13, and it was a “family affair” in headmaster ken seward’s opening remarks. Mr. seward likened the steward school community to a big family. with that introduction, it was very appropriate that former headmaster Paul cramer’s daughter, susan Cramer Twining ’84, was the convocation speaker. Ms. twining has been part of the school in numerous capacities: student, daughter of the headmaster, alumna, parent, and aunt. with so much of her life connected to steward, speaking at convocation was an emotional experience for her as she recalled memories from her days as a steward student. “we made do with very little (at the school), but my father must have seen something that he liked here and wanted to be a part of it. what he believed in so strongly was the vision, the mission, and the philosophy on which the founders started the school,” Ms. twining said.

From those significant beginnings, she advised the students to remember “where you come from.” she brought the theme full-circle when she closed her speech with the notion that the steward school is what it is today because of its early experiences: “as we move through our lives, we need to remember where we came from and realize that the values instilled in us are at the core of who we are today.”

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Back-To-school social Has Record Attendance hot dogs, music, and more than 800 steward parents and children set the stage for another successful Back-to-school social. despite the impending rain, families celebrated the beginning of another school year and reconnected with old friends.

A record number of new families attended as well, making this the highest attended Back-toschool social ever! Parents Association volunteer Patty Mcdonnell and her committee worked on this event for months, and their dedication paid off with a very special night. sponsored by the Parents Association, the Back-toschool social has become one of steward’s favorite traditions. what a great way to kick off the new school year and welcome our new families!

The 2012 Great Tailgate steward’s eighth annual great tailgate was a smashing success! held in the Lower school parking lot on september 28 with the band Big Boss Man, it was the largest steward tailgate to date. the group with the theme “red solo

Cup,” organized by kelly neale and joan Cameron, won the coveted trophy for “best tailgate.” sponsors for the great tailgate were: graham hickerson, sound & image design; Matson roberts, rVA

Construction; Jesse nutski, excelsior Air; rodney hopkins, innovative turf Application Consulting; todd Callis, the Callis Family; James schreiber, Mass Mutual Financial group; russell Coleman, Cherry, Bekaert & holland, LLP.

Steward Voted one of Richmond’s Favorite Private Schools Local publication Style Weekly recently announced the winners of this year’s “Family Favorites,” the ultimate reader-polled, go-to guide for familyoriented services, outings, healthcare,

and more. the steward school was voted one of richmond’s favorite private schools! Check Style Weekly’s website (www.styleweekly. com) to see the complete listings.

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campusculture Crazy dayz during spirit week in October, students got a little crazy during different themed days. Lower schoolers enjoyed Crazy sock Day and Jersey/College t-shirt day, Middle school celebrated with wacky tacky day and

superhero day, and upper school dressed for holiday day and Pajama day. the entire school ended the week with a Blue & gold day bang! it was a festive week leading up to the fun at spartaFest.

spartaFest the annual spartaFest and Bazaar were a huge hit during the weekend of October 12-13. with games, a hay bale maze, moon bounces, and a bake sale, the kids were happy, and with a plethora of vendors for shopping, the parents were happy. the weekend would not have been possible without the efforts of the parent volunteers and staff who pitched in so enthusiastically!

Thank you to the volunteer team that made this event possible: libby lewis and Corbin orgain, Event Chairs Cindy arrington allyson Brand Mindy dumeer

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lisa french helen landry kris leverty Mim Mares Ellen Mcdonald laurie Petronis alice young

That’s Almost a Ton of Food! with several collection sites throughout campus during september, the school community donated a whopping 1,942 pounds of non-perishable food to the Central Virginia Food Bank. this was more than three times the amount of food collected the previous year. the Food Bank was very appreciative, and the nearly one ton of food will go a long way toward replenishing their shelves.

Grocery Shopping Made Easy with Relay Foods we have partnered with relayFoods.com to make it convenient to eat healthy, fresh, and local foods. From now through June 30, 2013, relayFoods will donate 5% of the steward school pick-up revenue back to the school. relayFoods offers online grocery shopping with pick-up on Friday afternoons at steward. they carry everything from cereals to local produce and prepared foods from

more than 65 richmond farms, artisans, and stores. when shopping, use the code “stewArd” to earn 5% for the school . . . anyone can participate!

Whirled Peace day the steward school has participated in whirled Peace day, an international event, every september since 2007. the school continues to support its cause, worldwide peace, with an artistic celebration and fundraising. each year, steward has chosen a special theme that promotes peace, and this year it was “Music and its effect on People,” because music brings people together.

in anticipation of whirled Peace day, students collected money for Chimborazo elementary school, an inner-city school that does not have funds to establish an adequate music program. with a goal of $2,500, Lower school students made origami cups in their art classes and were asked to bring the cups on whirled Peace day (september 21) filled with spare change to help Chimborazo.

Middle and upper school students

contributed to the effort by charging a $2 fee to wear jeans and a t-shirt to school one day. the school collected a total of $2,500 from the students’ contributions and an anonymous donor. if you would like to offer more help for Chimborazo, please contact art teacher lynn zinder at lynn.zinder@steward school.org.

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campusculture

2012 Ray Tate Spartan Golf Classic Sponsors Event Sponsors: Disco Sports Bob Foley Brad and Kathy Matthews Highwoods Properties Real Life Photography Hole Sponsors: AdvanceTEC, Bryan Phelan BB&T Dan Caldwell KPMG, LLP

Ray Tate Spartan Golf Classic With a new name and a new location, Steward’s annual golf classic was a success. The tournament was renamed the Ray Tate Spartan Golf Classic in memory of alumni parent Ray Tate, the founding president of The Steward School Spartan Club. He established the first Spartan Classic which took place on October 6, 2003, at The Hollows Golf Club in Montpelier. Mr. Tate was a tremendous supporter of the School’s students, coaches, and athletic program and was always available to help and encourage at every level. As a result of his vision, the Spartan Club has enabled many exciting developments to take place in the Athletic Department in recent years, including funding for the outdoor pavilion, scoreboards, the new multi-purpose gym flooring, construction of the baseball field, sponsorship of invitational tournaments in several sports, and new uniforms and athletic equipment. In addition, the Spartan Club renovated the weight room—also named for Mr. Tate in 2000—which is open and available to the Steward community.

In honor of this man who donated so much of his time and energy to athletics at Steward, a portion of the proceeds from the Ray Tate Spartan Classic will be used for a scholarship given in his name.

Due to the fact that this event was renamed to honor a well-loved man, several founding members of the Spartan Club are back on board to help with this annual event. Karla Boughey, who chaired the first five Classics, is back at the helm, and former Spartan Club presidents Kathy Matthews and John Leitch and founding members Robin Edwards and Lee Healey are key members of the golf committee.

The 2012 Ray Tate Spartan Classic was held on October 1 at Independence Golf Club in Midlothian.

Current Spartan Club President Jay Poling announced that the event netted over $20,000.

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Mark’s Lawn Service Meriwether Godsey New World Sports Northside Grille Tracy Poling PreCon RBA Reynolds Holdings, LLC Richmond Corrugated Box, Mark Williams Senator Walter Stosch Taylor & Parrish Construction Team ACP Construction Greg Trepp Wilton Acquisition, LLC, Hank Wilton

Grandparents and special Friends day On October 19, Middle and upper school students hosted grandparents & special Friends day in the Athletic Center. Lunch was served to more than 600 grandparents, special friends, students, faculty, and staff. steward’s very own grandparent, alumni parent, and trustee neil Turnage addressed the audience, and john Mcalister’s

jazz band provided entertainment for the event. At the conclusion of the program, guests were invited into the classrooms to experience our students and teachers in action.

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Finearts

He’s a Boy, a Real Boy!!

What being REAL really means. in mid-October, the theatre department brought the puppet Pinocchio to life with its fall production, The True Adventures of Pinocchio, with a script translated and adapted by Louis Lippa from the novel

by Carlo Collodi. directed by teacher Monica Moehring ’95, all the classic characters were there: Pinocchio, geppetto, the talking cricket, the blue fairy, the deceitful fox, and the crafty cat. Middle and upper school students began rehearsing the first week of school and performed four shows including a special saturday matinee. in addition to steward families, there were many faces in the audience from the richmond community thanks to the hard work of the theatre faculty who marketed the production to neighboring schools. tenth-grader virginia villani tackled the role of Pinocchio and showed everyone that it takes considerable trial and error to figure out what being “real” means.

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Grade 4 Play: The Life and Times of Roald Dahl in October, fourth graders explored author roald dahl’s true childhood experiences and how they influenced his writing. theatre teacher Monica Moehring ’95 directed the students in a play that included dramatizations from dahl’s autobiography Boy and scenes from favorite books including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Witches, and Matilda.

Grade 5 Play: The Raven Fifth graders were dramatically hilarious in the play The Raven, a horror comedy by Monica Moehring ’95 and edgar Allan Poe. The Raven intertwined Poe’s famous poem with the story of feuding magical families, both of whom wanted to reign as leaders of the nevermore society. each class’s scene built on the previous one, and in the end, the audience learned valuable lessons such as “don’t take fruit from weird old ladies, particularly apples,” and “Any speech that begins with ‘People of earth’ is probably not going to end well.”

Thanksgiving Assembly On tuesday, november 20, students, faculty, and staff gathered for a special thanksgiving Program in the Athletic Center. seniors Claire Culbertson and ana leahy were the emcees for the event, and Chip Chapman began the program with an invocation. headmaster ken seward delivered a message about using unique talents, and there were performances by the Jazz Band, the seventh- and eighthgrade ensembles, the spartones, and the spartan select ensemble.

Fifth graders alex wilkerson, Erik Engelke, Charlie

fowler, lilly Brand, Matthew lane, and virginia hopper recited “stopping by the woods on a snowy evening” by robert Frost. thirdgrade students gave a tribute to the men and women serving our nation by singing the song, “i’m grateful.”

A performance by the kindergarteners and an appearance by timothy turkey (played by luna forlano) concluded the Lower school portion of the program.

Middle school representative Connor hughes spoke about

what he is thankful for this year, and upper school student archer Brill recalled some fond memories of thanksgivings past. the finale was a surprise for the students: a flash mob!

All of the faculty and staff donned “Call Me steward” tie-dyed t-shirts and “mobbed” the students to the Jazz Band’s version of “Call Me Maybe.” the t-shirts are available for purchase at the school store, and would be great to wear at basketball games!

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Signed with Honor Middle and upper school students gathered on september 20 to show their commitment to the honor Code by signing the following pledge: Personal honor, personal integrity, and respect in thought, word, and deed toward individuals and institutions are the essential qualities of a student at The Steward School. I will not cheat, lie, or steal. This is my pledge. headmaster ken seward addressed students, as did upper school honor Council president Morgan Penberthy and eighth grader Morgan van davelaar.

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aviation Club Conducts Toy drive On december 8, the Aviation Club congregated at hanover Airport for a much anticipated event: Operation toy Lift. For two months, the club members conducted a toy drive at steward to benefit children of active military and veterans. they collected 237 toys and $80 for gift cards! Organized by a local chapter of the Virginia ninety-nines, an international organization of women pilots, the toy Lift takes place annually on the second saturday in december. Pilots from across the Commonwealth fly the collected toys and gift cards to Chesterfield Airport where they are greeted by soldiers from Fort Lee who transport them to proper agencies.

After loading all the toys onto the aircraft and waiting for clear skies, students boarded the planes. One by one, they took flight with some even serving as co-pilots—nice work, gray Chambliss, Morgan ray, and dan kovach! Members of the club also include g.j. apostle, kristen Cashwell, dada agbaw, anna woodfin, and kara Bright, and we also had Middle school student jill kovach and Marcello Monti from Kindergarten along for the ride!

little Things Make BiG differences to celebrate Veterans day, Lower school held a special assembly on november 8, showing its patriotic spirit with red, white, and blue and usA songs. representatives from Freedom house were on hand to collect the impressive

donation of more than 800 rolls of toilet paper that had been brought in by students. this important mission was organized by Lower school dean of students susan holt and student Council members. At the assembly, Freedom

house’s Veterans Care Coordinator fletcher johnson spoke about the importance of helping others. it was an excellent lesson in learning how not to take little things for granted.

Walking in support of Heart disease Research in the fall, the upper school’s stewardship Club participated in the richmond heart walk sponsored by the American heart Association. the team organized a bake sale and walked three miles to support heart disease research. they were able to donate $225 from their efforts.

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Student Council Elections All three divisions elected student council leaders during the first month of school, a process that included campaigning and pre-election speeches.

Mock Presidential Elections with 2012 being an election year, students in all three divisions participated in a mock presidential election in early november. during the campaign season, the senior Class also participated in a mock presidential debate for the entire upper school. the participants debated democratic and republican stances on several issues including defense spending, the deficit, the job crisis, and the us role in the Middle east. while the debate was in progress, students had the opportunity to respond to survey questions via text message, and the results were projected for the audience to see. democratic participants included Ben zoghby, Christian rennie, Michelle napper, Claire Culbertson, and adele agbaw. republican participants included jack dennis, ryan Burnett, ross Meade, Mark Tharp, and Courtland lyle. ana leahy and Eliza jones served as moderators, and greg lindgren was the audience survey coordinator.

On election day, the results of the popular vote were: MiddLe sChOOL eLeCtiOn resuLts Mitt romney and Paul ryan: 80 Barack obama and joe Biden: 41 Other: 20

uPPer sChOOL eLeCtiOn resuLts Mitt romney and Paul ryan: 100 Barack obama and joe Biden: 46 gary johnson and jim gray: 1 jill stein and Cheri honkala: 5

Lower school students learned about the election process through their mock election, which was organized by fourth grade teacher Chris Tickle. Firstthrough fifth-grade students were able to cast votes for either of the two main party candidates, and Mitt romney won. they learned about the difference between the popular vote and the electoral vote, with each classroom representing a state.

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uPPer sChOOL President: Maclaine Ellis Vice President: Mary leigh white secretary: anna fuhr treasurer: stephanie legg Class representatives: 9th: dada agbaw, danny kovach, and Mason Patrick; 10th: Carolyn deCredico, ashley leahman, allison Mitchell, and jack sims; 11th: anna fuhr, susan Mire, and Morgan schroder; 12th: ross Meade MiddLe sChOOL President: kendall schroder

Vice President: dharaa rathi historian: Bryce Brown secretary: Mary ann neale Class representatives: 6th: Margaux gaeser and alex Poling; 7th: kyle sims and ryan odibo; 8th: will harrison and adam kimbrough LOwer sChOOL President: Mark Carnes Vice President: kennedy Crook secretary: anna luger treasurer: jamie Biggs Class representatives: 4th: Carter fornash, william jones and saara Qureshi; 5th: Cameron jarvandi, anna kilduff, and dabney leverty

Pink out day On October 3, the upper school’s Peace Out Club held its second annual Pink Out day to recognize national Breast Cancer Awareness Month. they asked the entire steward community to wear pink that day and also held a bake sale and raised over $80 for the American Cancer society. More than 75% of the school across all three divisions dressed in pink in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness.

Wilderness Adventure during the last week of October, the eighth grade enjoyed what has become an annual tradition: a week at wilderness Adventure at eagle Landing in new Castle, Virginia. the entire grade, accompanied by six steward faculty members, spent a week at

one with nature (and without electronics!). students experienced mountain biking, hiking, caving, canoeing, rock climbing, zip-lining, and a challenging high ropes course. they returned exhausted but satisfied—and with more appreciation for one another.

the point of the program, coordinated by history teacher Chip Chapman, is for the students to push themselves beyond their comfort zones and to have new experiences of which they are proud. it can best be described as “awesome!”

Field Trip to deep Run Park sixth-grade students ventured to deep run Park on October 24 to develop and strengthen friendships and to enjoy a beautiful fall day with outdoor activities. Advisee groups explored the trails while completing a nature scavenger hunt. Later, Pe teacher Ej watkins led the students in a game of Capture the Flag. students ate lunch at the picnic shelter and later returned to school to watch a movie in steeber Commons.

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Classacts Importance of Compost Eric latourelle’s eighth-grade earth science class got a composting lesson from nina zinn of urban Backyard edibles. Composting offers the benefits of resource efficiency and the creation of a useful product from organic waste that would otherwise have been landfilled. Additionally, she gave the students tips on ways to compost and why it’s important.

Halloween Fun for a cause For halloween, Middle school students were allowed to dress up in costume for a $1 donation, which was donated to a local veterans group. seventh grader gavin Booker dressed up as Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps and won a gift card to starbucks. science teacher natalia frost dressed up like thistle, the Middle school mascot, and was voted best dressed teacher.

Percussionist Shares african Culture Middle and upper school students enjoyed percussionist gustaff Besungu on wednesday, november 7. gustaff is a performer, singer/songwriter, and author from a lineage of drummers.

Born and raised in Cameroon, west Central Africa, he brings to life a unique blend of traditional rhythms with music from around the world, fusing African and Middle eastern techniques. Performing his songs of peace, students clapped and rapped in synchrony with him. gustaff has performed with musical groups in Cameroon, israel, and the united states, and has participated in various musical productions. he travels and shares aspects of Cameroonian and African culture through drumming, singing, dancing, and storytelling. his uplifting voice and captivating spirit provided an enjoyable experience during his visit.

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Counting acorns one By one On October 10, the JK students invited their fourth-grade reading buddies from katherine goodpasture’s class to join them in a fall math activity. the JK class collected a large jar full of acorns from the playground. then they were partnered with the fourth graders, and together they counted the acorns one by one, recording their results. the fourth graders estimated the total number of acorns, and then Ms. goodpasture and JK teacher lyn lunsford tallied the totals using calculators and a hundreds counting chart. they collectively counted 364 acorns!

Spartan Half-Marathon Challenge As a prelude to the bounty of thanksgiving, students in grades one through five participated in an exercise challenge that culminated in a “turkey trot.” the program was designed to stress the importance of staying healthy during the foodoriented holiday. Prior

to thanksgiving, parents were invited to the “turkey trot” to run or walk the final mile of the half-marathon with their children. thanks to Pe teacher Bonny hajek for organizing this great heart-healthy activity to kick off the holiday in a new way!

survival of the Fittest lesson learned while studying natural selection, seventh-grade life science students participated in a lab demonstrating genetic variation using candy. teacher natalia frost devised the clever idea of letting the candy represent a radioactive substance that caused

Halloween Carnival On October 31, Lower school students enjoyed a fun-filled day of activities during the annual halloween Carnival, organized by Pe teacher Bonny hajek. there

were goblins, ghosts, games, skeleton bingo, face painting, and even a halloween safety talk. this is always one of the favorite days of the fall in Lower school!

students to develop new finger “growths” such as spoons, long straws, short straws, and popsicle sticks. the students then had to learn to “eat” with their new mutations. students had to pick up candy and put it into their “stomachs”

(plastic cups) while other circumstances changed, demonstrating the survival of the fittest. the class learned first-hand about natural selection and how mutations can wipe out an entire species.

Meet the Middle School Mascot thistle! the new Middle school mascot, a baby hedgehog, lives in natalia frost’s science classroom.

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Classacts

All We Need is LOVE

by Kristina Kerns

On October 22, the Middle and Upper Schools welcomed John Franklin “Frank” Stephens to speak about “A Life Worth Living” in the Lora M. Robins Theatre. Mr. Stephens, a Special Olympics Virginia athlete and Global Messenger, travels across the country to share his inspirational message about perseverance and respect.

When Mr. Stephens addressed the students, he opened by saying, “My name is Frank Stephens. I have Down syndrome and my life IS worth living.” He explained that people with intellectual disabilities are just like everyone else, they just process information more slowly. They are aware of the snarky comments and the glares that come from across the room. They are not dumb, and they, too, feel pain and loneliness. When referring to himself and others like him with intellectual disabilities, Mr. Stephens said, “We have to find our way in a society that seems to want to leave us behind.”

Mr. Stephens reinforced the necessity for people to rise above first impressions and to simply show love. “You can’t stand tall when you stoop to bullying someone small,” Stephens said.

Many people think it’s okay to use the word “retard” to describe someone who does not have a disability as opposed to using it towards someone who does, but in fact, it’s no different. Every time someone uses the “R-word,” they perpetuate the idea that those with intellectual disabilities are dumb. Mr. Stephens explained that the world may be full of scorpions, but it only takes the courage of one person to stand up, make a difference, and show love. He concluded

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by saying, “This kind of encouragement and friendship is what you at Steward call the ethic of care. When you rise above first impressions, this is how the ethic of care comes alive.”

To say that the students responded with great appreciation would be a vast understatement, as they unanimously gave Mr. Stephens a well-deserved standing ovation. Donna Jackson, Middle and Upper School teacher, said, “Sensational assembly; my Middle School students were so moved by Frank’s speech. During a class discussion today, I was struck by how many students have a relative with an intellectual disability.

“You can’t stand tall when you stoop to bullying someone small.”

-Frank Stephens They had wonderful stories to share.”

Ninth-grader Ashley McCreary said, “Mr. Stephens is incredibly inspiring. He has so much courage, so much more than any of us have, and we aren’t even facing the same kind of obstacles he faces every day. Overall, he is just an inspiration.” The message delivered by Mr. Stephens had such an impact that students wanted to share his story with others beyond the classroom. “Jack came home Monday after hearing Franklin Stephens speak and was just blown away by him. He told me his message was maybe the most important thing he had ever heard,”

Otis Fulton, parent of ninth-grader Jack Fulton, said. After the assembly, many students felt compelled to tell Mr. Stephens how inspiring his message was and how they will never use the “R-word” ever again. Deeply moved by the assembly, tenth-grader Blair Moring said, “Hearing his message, I related to it on a personal level. Frank was an inspiration, and I want to keep his story out there for us to aspire to, as well as give to others the knowledge he gave to me.”

Over the past few months, eleventhgrader Craig McLane had been thinking of various ways to help those with intellectual disabilities. After listening to the message from Mr. Stephens, Craig knew exactly what he wanted to do. “What Mr. Stephens said sparked something within me. He made me want to have my ideas come to fruition. Instead of just thinking about the idea, I now want to act on it,” Craig said. In the spring, Craig plans to organize a baseball game that will allow those with disabilities to learn the sport and compete in an actual game. “I think every kid should have the opportunity to play baseball, and this would give those kids the opportunity.

While the actual event would be intended for them, I feel I would gain even more.

It would make all of us realize just how fortunate we really are,” Craig said. He is just one of many students who were so positively affected by Mr. Stephens’s message that they are seeking new ways to make a difference in the community.

A huge thank you goes to ninth-grader Meg Trepp who helped make the event possible. After hearing Mr. Stephens speak at a University of Richmond basketball

game, Meg knew his inspirational message needed to be shared at the steward school. “i volunteer with people who have intellectual disabilities, and i hear the word ‘retard’ used a lot. i’ve always found it to be very offensive, and i’ve tried numerous times to get others to stop using that kind of derogatory language. i knew, after hearing Mr. stephens speak, that others would start to feel the same way i do. i thought it would make more of an impact coming from someone who is directly affected by the use of the ‘r-word’ every day.” it is because of her compassion that Mr. stephens was able to share his message with the steward community.

“Mr. Stephens is incredibly inspiring.

He has so much courage, so much more than any of us have, and we aren’t even facing the same kind of obstacles he faces every day.

Overall, he is just an inspiration.”

–ninth-grAder AshLeY McCreArY

Frank stephens is well-known for his article “when words wound” published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch in 2008 and now published all across the world. his article is a response to the movie Tropic Thunder that promotes casual use of hate language demeaning to people with intellectual disabilities. recently, he made headlines again after responding to a tweet from Ann Coulter concerning the Presidential debate. On Monday, October 22, Ms. Coulter used the word “retard” in

a tweet referring to President Barack Obama. Mr. stephens responded with an open letter to her regarding her use of the “r-word” and its effect on others. in his letter, Mr. stephens explained that the use of the “r-word” should be seen as a compliment, instead of used to refer to someone who is dumb or shallow. “Ms. Coulter, you, and society, need to learn that being compared to people like me should be considered a badge of honor. no one overcomes more than we do and still loves life so much,” he wrote.

Top Picture: Ninth-grader Meg Trepp with Frank Stephens Bottom Picture: Meg Trepp and Upper School Dean of Student Support Carri Naumann-Monti introduce guest speaker Frank Stephens

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Classacts

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

By Dan Frank, Director of the Upper School

My days, like yours I’m sure, are predictable in many ways, and here’s what it looks like most evenings: arrive home by 7 p.m. with kids, eat with kids, yell at kids to clean up, review homework with kids, bathe kids, hang out briefly with kids, put kids to bed, climb into bed (preferably without kids), look wistfully at the stack of books at my bedside, pass out. Trying to get out of the rut, I recently picked up Swerve by Stephen

(Greenblatt 7). When describing the line between antiquity and the modern world, he reminds us of its complexity: “There were innumerable forgettings, disappearances, recoveries, dismissals, distortions, challenges, transformations, and renewed forgettings” (Greenblatt 6-7). I began the book to force myself to think about something completely new, but in all the right ways I find myself using these new ideas to look differently

. . . as people see what others in the community are thinking about and doing, they will want to talk, join in, share, and collaborate. They will want to do what they are doing better, and in the process they will do something they have never done before.

Greenblatt, and now I find I can read five pages before passing out; at this rate it will take me until next year to finish, but this book about a 15th century Florentine book hunter is strangely exciting.

Greenblatt discusses the resurfacing of an ancient poem and its effect on the modern age. The influence of the poem, both as a document and as embedded ideas before its rediscovery, caused a “swerve . . . an unexpected, unpredictable movement of matter . . . an unforeseen deviation from the direct trajectory”

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at an old problem. Swerve, in fact, is sitting right on top of one of the main ongoing challenges of education: how do we master foundational knowledge (convergent knowledge) while promoting the necessary skills to create new insights, conclusions, pairings, and innovations (divergent knowledge)? Jonah Lehrer (discredited, I know, but still brilliant) quotes economist Paul Romer who says, “[W]hen ideas are shared, the possibilities do not add up. They multiply” (Lehrer 222).

At Steward, how do we create a “multiplier culture?” How do we do all the many things we need to do and master, and still find the time for something new? How do we find the time to create and innovate? I have often described us as atoms moving in set orbits, but I also like to imagine us as particles, traveling freely and excitedly, bumping into other particles, sometimes sticking to form new elements and other times bouncing off in new directions toward new and unexpected possibilities (Johnson). I think we need both kinds of movement in our lives, but I am sure that if we simply travel in safe orbits, we may get As, and we may master that orbit, but we will not create and we will not innovate.

Our pilot answer to that this year is the CAP program, which stands for Choose, Act, and Publish. Roughly six times during the school year, we will have a homework-free weekend during which everyone—faculty and students alike— will use that time to do something they otherwise might not. This is a form of intrinsic engagement; we will pursue our own interests and inspirations, as opposed to being directed to such and such a place in order to accomplish task x and answer problem y. We will each choose something we want to do, actually do it (act), and then we’ll each add a blog entry (publish) to the newly created advisory group blogs.

There are no limits to what people may

DOtoday Something

future self for which your will

thank you choose. They may want to read a book (perhaps more than just five pages?), ride horses, go mountain biking, write poetry, make music, alphabetize their album collection, or play with their children— anything goes! The following week in advisory groups, we’ll look together at the entries so that we can reflect and engage—RECAP. Will this work? I’m not sure, but I am optimistic that it will go viral; as people see what others in the community are thinking about and doing, they will want to talk, join in, share, and collaborate. They will want to do what they are doing better, and in the process they will do something they have never done before. The ideas will multiply.

By providing this freedom of choice, we are creating an opening for authentic, new learning. As Dan Pink points out in Drive, “Control leads to compliance; autonomy leads to engagement” (110). Engagement

is arguably the best outcome we can strive for with kids; if they are engaged, they are intrinsically motivated, they are working for a purpose. It is characterdriven, and the reasons for studying and participating are self-evident for each person. We need these moments in our lives where we are fully engaged, fully absorbed, fully present.

Tina Seelig of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program and author of What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20, says, “We strive to create ‘T-shaped people,’ those with a depth of knowledge in at least one discipline and a breadth of knowledge about innovation and entrepreneurship that allows them to work effectively with professionals in other disciplines to bring their ideas to life” (10). She goes on to compare traditional classrooms to “life after college, where you are your own teacher, charged with figuring out

what you need to know, where to find the information, and how to absorb it” (12). In a post-grad setting, Seelig’s responsibilities are different than those we face here on the ground, so to speak.

Students cannot get out of the box until they know the box they are in. We have a responsibility to help them master the foundations but still set them on course for new discoveries. In a world of exploding information and data, that is an ever-tougher task.

In DIY U, Anna Kamenetz, in arguing for a complete re-thinking of the university system, summarizes the tension between empirical and scholastic learning: “Any time you are learning established information—names, facts, figures, ideas thunk by thinkers before you—that’s Continued on page 36

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Classacts scholastic learning. Empirical knowledge, on the other hand, comes from direct experience and experimentation . . . . The funny thing is that the empirical depends on the scholastic. Last year’s discoveries are this year’s history. It’s essential to learn what’s come before, so that, as Isaac Newton said, you can stand on the shoulders of giants” (6-7). Pink makes a similar distinction between “algorithmic” and “heuristic” tasks: “An algorithmic task is one in which you follow a set of established instructions down a single pathway to one conclusion. That is, there’s

The changes in our curriculum (the Bryan Innovation Lab, transdisciplinary electives, increased technology, and problem-based learning, for instance) combined with ideas like CAP or last year’s design contest are our ways of following what industry has understood for some time. For example, 3M’s flexible attention policy resulted in their 15% rule (workers must spend 15% of the workday speculating on new ideas); Google’s Innovation Time Off program resulted in upwards of 50% of their new products (Lehrer 30); and Pixar’s collaborative “crit sessions” distribute

To survive and compete in our new world, we have to innovate, and in order to innovate we need to know what has come before, have the time to explore and synthesize, be encouraged to do so by having it explicitly valued, and know that risk-taking—and failure—is a fundamental and necessary part of the process. an algorithm for solving it. A heuristic task is the opposite. Precisely because no algorithm exists for it, you have to experiment with possibilities and devise a novel solution (29). Pink, like Seelig, is focused on the implications in the real world. He points out data from McKinsey & Co. that 70% of job growth comes from heuristic tasks and professions, not least because routine, algorithmic work can be automated or sent off-shore; right-brain, creative, empathetic, non-routine work cannot (30). Thus, we see again that it is our job, now, to teach “the basics” while laying the groundwork for a growthoriented, non-routine mindset on which our children will be able to fully capitalize in the near future. In a sense, this kind of innovative sharing and multiplying demands a democratization of leadership— “Leadership is an action everyone can take, not a position few can hold” (Paul Schmitz in Kamenetz 45).

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responsibility across the whole group for finding mistakes, challenging ideas, and seeking improvements (Lehrer 157). In order to get the best work, achieve the highest mastery, and create the most insightful new ideas, we must give our students low-stake opportunities to think and act in novel ways without fear that failure will be some kind of disaster. In fact, failure is a critical part of success.

Translated into school work, risk and its benefits are derived from learning goals as opposed to performance goals.

Performance goals are marks on tests and papers; they test our convergent knowledge, and by their nature, they downplay risk-taking. Learning goals, though, are instrinsic decisions to try something new: “With a learning goal, students don’t have to feel that they’re already good at something in order to hang in and keep trying. After all, their goal

is to learn, not to prove they’re smart” (Carol Dweck in Pink 122). To survive and compete in our new world, we have to innovate, and in order to innovate we need to know what has come before, have the time to explore and synthesize, be encouraged to do so by having it explicitly valued, and know that risk-taking—and failure—is a fundamental and necessary part of the process. Seelig’s best advice is to give yourself permission “to challenge assumptions, to look at the world with fresh eyes, to experiment, to fail, to plot your own course, and to test the limits of your abilities” (Seelig 175). Let’s give our students the tools, time, and opportunities to “unconceal” (Lehrer 73) their thoughts and capacities in this world that is too often too busy, too complicated, and too cluttered to see the connections and the beauty right in front of us. We and our students have an imperative, in fact, to cut new territory and create novel ideas, processes, and inventions. “The well-worn path is there for everyone to trample” (Seelig 52). The trampled path is safe but routine; it will no longer lead us to where we are trying to get. Surely, we are beginning to swerve.

Works Cited Dweck, Carol S. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York: Random House, 2006. Print.

Greenblatt, Stephen. The Swerve: How the World Became Modern. New York: W.W. Norton, 2011. Print.

Kamenetz, Anya. DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs, and the Coming Transformation of Higher Education. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Pub., 2010. Print.

Lehrer, Jonah. Imagine: How Creativity Works. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012. Print.

Pink, Daniel H. Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us. New York, NY: Riverhead, 2009. Print.

Seelig, Tina Lynn. What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20: A Crash Course on Making Your Place in the World. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2009. Print.

“Steven Johnson: Where Good Ideas Come from.”

TED: Ideas worth Spreading. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2012. <http://www.ted.com/talks/steven_johnson_ where_good_ideas_come_from.html>.

The Bryan Innovation Lab Promotes Hands-on Learning

By Ginny Evans

In July 2012, Bryan Lab Program Director Chris Lundberg began a series of special construction classes for students. During classes, students had the opportunity to work with the engineers and architects of the Bryan Innovation Lab, participate in special engineering and architecture hands-on activities, and explore first-hand and on-site how many special features are being incorporated into the design of the lab.

The topics included: • The Engineering, Testing, and Constructing of Foundations • The Geometry and Technology Used to Square a Building • The Science and Testing of Geothermal Wells • The Materials, Forces, and Testing of Structural Engineering Activities in the first class focused on orienting students to the job site, observing the building “footprint,” and learning about how concrete foundations are made and tested. RVA Construction Company engineers Matson Roberts and Mark Gilstrap made a presentation for the students and led them on a walk-through of an “imaginary” Bryan Innovation Lab to review the basic plan for the building.

Afterward, students learned about the basics of making concrete for building foundations in a special Bryan Innovation Lab activity, “Making and Testing Concrete.” Students worked on developing their own special mix ratio of concrete ingredients and then prepared a concrete test sample.

In subsequent classes, students observed the building foundation being dug and poured, learned from the engineers about how the geometry of the building is kept “square,” and participated in a “Square the Building” math and science activity.

Students also tested their dried concrete samples for compression strength to see which student made the best “batch” of concrete!

Top: Chris Lundberg’s students get their hands dirty and learned how to lay brick; Bottom: Construction update - exterior glass panels were installed right before the holiday break

experts on the design, construction, and operation of the Bryan Innovation Lab— from the ground up!

This unique program continued during the fall semester with additional classes on the many unique systems and features that will be incorporated into the building.

Topics covered included passive solar, photovoltaic panels, smart-grid energy monitoring, electrical and plumbing systems, grey water recycling, HVAC systems, lighting systems, and the overall integration of architecture, engineering, and education for the building.

From cement to circuits, by the end of this program all Steward students who complete these classes will become the

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Teamtalk

varsity girls volleyball record: 3-11 steward’s varsity girls volleyball team was led by first-year head coach Cat juson, who had served as an assistant during the previous season. under her guidance, this young spartan team competed hard in every match. “i am proud of this team. we were very young with only one senior returning, so i thought we played pretty strong,” said coach Juson. she recalls how tough steward played in a 3-2 loss to Banner christian. “the team showed up as a team and played their hardest together. it was unfortunate we lost, but it was our most intense game by far,” she said. Junior sarah dickson held the team together defensively as the team’s libero. according to Juson, “sarah had full control in the back row; she had to be aggressive and determined so the ball wouldn’t hit the floor.” senior Morgan Penberthy was one of the middle blockers that pushed her teammates with steward spirit and in strength and conditioning.

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varsity Boys soccer record: 11-5-1 (state tournament Participant) the varsity boys soccer team ended a seven-year drought in the state tournament, as they went 11-5-1 in the fall season, falling in the opening round of the VisAA division ii state tournament to trinity Christian school. “the boys really amazed me this season,” said fourth-year coach Chris green, citing hard work and dedication in the preseason. After losing their first game, the team posted a 10-1-1 record before splitting the last four games.

As the season progressed, “the boys really started to play attractive soccer in terms of ball movement,” according to green. One of steward’s highlight wins was a victory over st. Anne’s Belfield 2-0, a team that defeated steward earlier in the season. Junior Michael Cevallos led the team in goals (18) and points (20). Ben Campbell led the team in assists with six. “By season’s end,” green

added, “the boys proved to me and themselves that they could hang, and often outplay any team.” in addition, seniors andrew Caldwell and david Carl were selected for VisAA All-state soccer teams.

Andrew has been selected for the First team All-state, while david was selected for second team All-state.

Middle school Boys Blue soccer record: 7-4 Coach Ej watkins’s soccer squad was a tough opponent on anyone’s schedule, posting a 7-4 overall record. “i really enjoyed my first season at steward. the players were hardworking and dedicated to improving every day,” he said. the defense was stingy, shutting out the opposition on six separate occasions. watkins credited good ball control, which helped keep opponents off the scoreboard.

“Overall, ball possession improved exponentially as the season went along,” he said. the team opened the season

on fire, winning its first four games by a combined score total of 10-1.

Middle school Boys gold soccer record: 7-1-2 Coach jordan Clark’s first season with the gold team was a success! good offense, stellar defense, and a brick wall on the goal led to a superb overall record. “everything was a total team effort,” said Coach Clark, referring to how well the team chemistry built throughout the season. “we created a family type environment and enjoyed every minute.”

Official Seal Logo racked Although steward up plenty of wins, Coach Clark mentioned one of the signature performances was when the team tied st.

Christopher’s twice. “Although the scoreboard indicated a tie, it was obvious we outperformed our opponent, which set the tone for having a winning season,” said Coach Clark. defenders aaron stein and nick hastings helped anchor a defense that held four opponents scoreless, frustrating teams with physical play. sam Popp and sam hughes helped lead an offense that scored as many as 10 goals in one game.

Tyler steinfatt and robert Marchetti helped the team in transition at the midfield positions, helping move the ball effortlessly to help the offense score. when asked about the future of the team,

Coach Clark smiled and said, “if this team is able to stay together for years to come, the sky is the limit.”

varsity girls field hockey record: 4-8-1 the varsity girls field hockey team was led by first-year coaches Christen fratter and Erin jablonski. under the senior leadership of captains lauren hughes, Macky Marcia, abbey Twining, and Mary leigh white, steward was able to win two of its final three games. As the season progressed, so did steward’s overall game, from spacing to passing the ball in transition. steward’s most impressive performance came in its final win; the team downed longtime rival st. Margaret’s 4-0.

Although the season ended in a close loss, Coach Fratter was quick to praise her team, “After losing to Covenant 6-0 earlier in the season, and then 3-2 in the final two minutes in the second meeting, to come back and challenge them in an overtime setting as well as penalty COntinued On PAge 40

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Middle school Blue volleyball record: 3-6 Comprised of mostly eighth graders, the team fought hard against top teams from other area schools.

Coach andrea dowdy said, “Most importantly, the team improved on playing volleyball together the ‘right way.’ i was impressed with how they started the season playing one contact ‘just get it over volleyball’ to working on a pass, set, and hit.” strokes was an incredible feat.” white, hughes, and her younger sister, Meredith hughes, held a three-way tie for most goals scored, each scoring four. For their efforts this season, white, twining, and both hughes sisters earned All-Lis honors.

Middle school Blue field hockey record: 3-5-3 Coach Christina d’angelo’s squad finished with a 3-5-3 overall record. An early season victory over a strong Fredericksburg Academy squad gave the team confidence. “we improved in many areas, specifically in regard to our confidence. After defeating Fredericksburg to get our first win, our players realized that we could compete and win games,” Coach d’Angelo said. in terms of leadership, captains Caroline laibstain, Caitlin allocca, and andrea lindgren “had a steady intensity that kept the team going.” Coach d’Angelo

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praised the effort of her captains, “every game, they came to play and excelled in their positions. in addition, sarah fuhr dominated the defense, while lily henderson and Missy Mcdonnell controlled the attack.”

jv volleyball record 9-4 the girls volleyball program took a bright step toward the future this past season with several impressive wins under Coach omri Morris ’10. steward started out the season 2-0 with wins over Banner Christian and Lis cross-town rival st. gertrude’s. After giving Collegiate everything they could handle before falling 2-1, steward went on to win seven of the next eight games, defeating opponents trinity and Covenant.

Middle school gold volleyball record: 5-3 the Middle school gold volleyball team was a true middle school team, comprised of players from sixth, seventh, and eighth grades who often took on more experienced teams with mostly eighth graders. when asked about the biggest win of the year, Coach andrea dowdy didn’t hesitate, mentioning the sixth- and

seventh-grade girls’ (from all three teams) hard-fought win (2-1) over their fathers in a father-daughter match. she added, “we had a lot of fun, and i think the fathers realized that the game is a lot harder than it looks.” Although the gold team had three losses, two of them came down to close, two-point, third games against st. Catherine’s.

Middle school white volleyball record: 0-7 the Middle school white volleyball team competed very hard this season.

“Although we did not win any matches, we would have had the season continued; we improved in each game,” said Assistant Coach Teresa latourelle. the record is not indicative of how well the team played, even managing to take games off more experienced st. Catherine’s and Collegiate teams.

Cross Country coach laura akessonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s boys cross country team ran strong this past season, competing in many meets including the 47th annual vis cross country championships at woodberry Forest school. steward placed 18th out of 29 teams with a total time of 1:44:09.59, and an average of 20:49.92 per runner. eighth-grader noah Poling placed 45th out of 282 participants, ďŹ nishing with a time of 19:35.03. also placing in the top 100 was freshman harrison vicars with a time of 20:19:11, placing him 83rd overall. a total of 13 male runners participated for the spartans in the event.

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Steward Golfers Headed to Scotland

By Kristina Kerns

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Sophomore Cameron Bachman, freshman Owen Carter, and senior Jack Dennis have been selected to play in the American High School Golf Championship at St. Andrews from June 23-29, 2013.

This tournament is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for high school-age golfers to compete on some of the world’s best courses. Each year, hundreds of thousands of players from around the world come to play these courses. St. Andrews is, without question, the home of golf.

Owen received his acceptance, he said, “It makes me feel good that I was chosen to be part of the high-caliber golfers chosen to play in this tournament, and I’m really excited to play on another continent.”

Although Jack was accepted to play in the tournament, he is unfortunately unable to participate. “I think it’s cool that Steward was able to even present this opportunity.

At my previous school, I may not have even known about the tournament, let alone been accepted to play,” Jack said.

Held in and around St. Andrews, Scotland, the week-long program consists of playing three rounds of golf on courses where the legends of golf built their reputations.

Tournament eligibility is open to rising freshmen through graduating seniors.

Each year, coaches and other golf professionals have the opportunity to nominate players they feel best exemplify leadership, dedication to the sport, golf professionalism, and overall talent.

Nominated players are then invited to apply for selection, which includes the completion of a golf resumé. Upon submission, an advisory board of golf and event professionals reviews the thousands of applications and determine player selection. “It’s a really good opportunity because it’s very selective. Being accepted to play in Scotland really motivates me because I want to do well and be able to compete to win, but I also want to have fun while doing it. It’s a good goal to work for in order to improve my game by June,” Cameron said. Player selection is based on handicap, courses and tournaments played, community recognition, leadership, and talent. The advisory board only accepts between 75-100 players each year to participate in the tournament. When

It wasn’t until recently that Cameron made the commitment to playing golf on a more regular basis, but his dedication and hard work over the past two years has definitely paid off. With his sights set on a professional golf career, he also hopes to play at the collegiate level at either James Madison University or Hampden-Sydney College. “I’m interested in both colleges and would love to play golf for one of them,” Cameron said. He hopes to receive a golf scholarship, but for now, he’ll settle for playing in the homeland of golf. When asked who his biggest influence is, Cameron didn’t hesitate. He explained that his father is the one who continually encourages and inspires him. “He continually pushes me to get better and was the first one to get me playing golf.

My dad helps me get better when I’m playing badly and can give me advice on my performance,” Cameron said.

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Unlike Cameron, Owen has been playing golf since he was very young. He started playing daily at the age of eight, and his passion for the game has continually grown over time. “I’d really like to play professionally. And if I don’t go pro at an early age, I’d like to play in college at

someplace like Texas, UNC, or Georgia because those colleges have really good golf programs,” Owen said. Last year as an eighth grader, he was selected for the AllState team and hopes to compete at that same level this year. “I really like winning, especially in golf. I just have this constant desire to improve my game, which translates into more wins,” Owen said. He believes hard work always pays off, and is

“I think it’s cool that Steward was able to even present this opportunity. At my previous school, I may not have even known about the tournament, let alone been accepted to play.”

-Jack Dennis ’13

thankful to his dad for helping him keep things in perspective, especially with the mental side of the game.

Jack has also played golf most of his life and started playing competitively during the sixth grade. With unwavering certainty, Jack said his father was his biggest fan and his source of inspiration. “My dad has really influenced me both on and off the golf course. We share a lot of the same interests, and he is reason I want to pursue a career in the financial world,” Jack said. Next year, Jack hopes to go to

Christopher Newport University to major in finance or economics. While golf will continue to be a passion for him, Jack has yet to decide whether he’ll play at the collegiate level.

Aside from the unmatched golf experience at St. Andrews, Cameron and Owen will also have the opportunity to explore the area and take in Scotland’s unique culture. The Championship will give Cameron and Owen the chance to enhance their golf resumés, network with other players, and improve their skills.

“This tournament will give them the opportunity to experience a different type of golf and embrace all the history that this course holds,” Coach Catesby Jones said. Coach Jones will be joining Cameron and Owen on the trip and is hoping to squeeze in a round of golf himself.

When describing the best part of the sport, Owen said, “It’s the feeling when those good shots come along.

Whether it’s a putt or a drive, it’s that feeling right when you hit the ball that you know it’s going to be good. That is a great feeling.” We hope Owen and Cameron both experience “that feeling” during the tournament in June.

Jack Dennis (left) and Owen Carter (right)

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Facultyfocus

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Welcome new Faculty and staff lorie Bartee is the new Middle school Counselor and CAL Liaison. she graduated from VCu with a Bs in psychology and obtained her master’s degree in counselor education from uVA. Prior to coming to steward, Lorie was a middle school counselor at Pocahontas Middle school and a counselor at Varina high school, as well as an instructor at strayer university and a college counselor at VCu. she is a mom to three boys between the ages of 6 and 11 and enjoys taking trips with her family, reading good books, and being outside.

Barbara Coates (not pictured) has joined steward as the Middle and upper school technology teacher and Yearbook Advisor. she earned her undergraduate degree from Villanova university and her master’s from emerson College. in previous positions, Barbara taught at goochland high school, trinity episcopal school, Atlee high school, and Blessed sacrament. in addition, she also worked in retail at the Apple store in short Pump town Center, giving her a great knowledge of all things electronic.

Barbara has also worked at local media stations on the tV production staff and had internships at CNN DC and WGBH/ BBC working on the documentary The History of Rock and Roll. she is married and has a 10-year-old son, and her interests include knitting, cooking, computers, photography, diY projects, and running (the Monument 10K in 2009 and a triathlon sprint in 2010).

Pictured left to right: Kristina Kerns, Kurt Henegan, Natalia Frost, Lorie Bartee, and Corbin Orgain ’96

natalia frost is the new sixth- and seventh-grade science teacher. she’s a 2007 alumna of Virginia tech with a degree in interdisciplinary studies and minors in environmental science and Psychology. in 2011, she graduated from the teacher Licensure Program at the university of richmond with an elementary education license and a graduate certificate. Prior to joining steward’s faculty, she worked at the Mathscience innovation Center and the science Museum of Virginia as a science educator. she also worked as an environmental scientist with an engineering firm in richmond. natalia’s family includes two rescued mutts, a horse, birds, fish, and the science classroom pet, a hedgehog named thistle. her human family includes two brothers and her parents, to whom she gives credit for instilling a love of teaching, travel, and hard work into her life. in her free time, she enjoys offshore fishing, crafting, traveling, riding, and rescuing animals. recently, she spent time in the Florida Keys doing research, and traveling throughout southeast Asia as a volunteer. kurt henegan is a Middle and upper school teaching Fellow as well as the new head coach for boys varsity lacrosse. he graduated from randolph-Macon College in 2010 with a degree in Political science, and is currently pursuing his master’s in education at the university of richmond.

Between college and moving to richmond, Kurt returned home to Arlington, Virginia, where he coached lacrosse at his alma mater, Yorktown high school, for three years. in his spare time, he loves snowboarding, reading, and everything lacrosse.

kristina kerns has joined the administration as the Marketing and Communications Associate. she graduated from waynesburg university with a double major in graphic design and advertising and a minor in marketing. she was previously the director of Marketing for hudson industries, a manufacturing firm in downtown richmond. she also owns a photography business that specializes in portraits and weddings and was a semi-finalist for the 2011 national Portrait Photographer of the Year. Kristina has been friends with music teacher sarah Cafazza since middle school and is active with her church and many local non-profit organizations. in her spare time, she’s “obsessed” with notre dame football, the Pittsburgh steelers, handbags, Christmas music, and primetime tV. she and her husband, Christopher, have two boxers, goober and Peanut.

Corbin orgain ’96 is teaching seventhgrade life science in the Middle school. she graduated from Mary Baldwin College with a degree in psychology and a teaching license. Prior to becoming a mom, she taught middle school math in henrico County schools. her hobbies include reading, diY projects, decorating, and cooking, and she had a painting featured in the recent Alumni Art exhibit. with her husband, also a steward alumnus, and her two children at the school, Corbin says, “we are now a family of stewards, and i couldn’t be more proud to be back at my beloved alma mater teaching the next generation and paying the steward mission forward!” note: Most of our new faculty members were introduced in the summer 2012 issue of Crossroads. those listed here joined steward after that issue was printed.

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Parentsassociation

i

t’s hard to believe that winter is upon us and almost half of the school year is past! it was a busy fall for the Parents Association, and we are looking forward to continued service throughout the remainder of the year.

As we look ahead to our winter and spring events and parent education opportunities, we continue to keep the mission of the Parents Association in mind: to assist in providing a richer, deeper experience for our children as they learn and prepare for success in the future. To fulfill this mission, the Parents Association works to strengthen our community and help our school be a place where our children and parents can flourish. All steward parents are members of the Parents Association and are a vital part of the steward community.

The Parents Association coordinates events that serve many purposes: fostering community building, demonstrating our appreciation for the faculty and staff, raising money to enhance school programs and fund PA efforts, hosting programs for new families, sponsoring parent education seminars, providing a venue for open communication between families and administration, and creating fellowship among steward parents.

Always working toward our mission, the fall was busy with the Back-to-school social, spartaFest, three parent education seminars, and the steward Town Hall. First on the winter agenda is a Middle school parent enrichment seminar entitled “Healthy Relationships” on January 29, 2013. The steward Gala will celebrate the school’s 40th anniversary with a flashback to 1972 at the disco Ball on February 2, 2013, at the country club of Virginia’s James River clubhouse. Faculty Appreciation Week is the week of February 11, and we look forward to showing our faculty and staff how much we cherish them. We hope many steward families will “B-there or B-square” on February 22 for Bingo night and play to win prizes. it will be a great event for the entire family!

We are thrilled to announce that Kathy and Richard Verlander, parents of detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander, will speak at the steward school on February 11. The Verlanders are from Goodchland county and will talk about their experiences in raising a baseball star, and more importantly, about the family values that helped make him successful.

Following their speech, the Verlanders will be onhand for a book signing of their new book, Rocks Across the Pond. Please invite your family, friends, and colleagues to this inspiring event, sponsored by the spartan club, Alumni Association, and Parents Association.

With the opening of the Bryan innovation lab in April and the Parents Association Art show and Auction to benefit the Artist-in-Residence program, the spring is shaping up to be an exciting time.

We will celebrate the waning days of another great school year with the spring social on April 25. i hope that families old and new will join us for this fun-filled evening of dinner and games.

As always, when changes are made to our calendar, you can check the weekly Enouncements for additional information. Thank you to the many volunteers who contribute countless hours, energy, and creativity to make our events exciting and inviting. You are so generous with your time and continually turn ideas into events that make our community stronger. All parents are welcome to attend our monthly meetings, and i encourage you to let us know of your areas of expertise on the Volunteer interest Finder form, which can be found on the front page of spartanet. A Parents Association volunteer will contact you to discuss how you can get involved. i look forward to seeing you at our next event!

Fondly,

Parents Association President

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Parents association Speakers: From Comedy to Control this fall, the Parents Association brought a variety of speakers to campus to enlighten the community. in the upper school, steward father and trustee Tim Burress, a technology guru, shared his words of wisdom with more than 60 attendees, while steward’s own Cori haywood, Middle and upper school Librarian, and robin ricketts, technology Coordinator, gave their versions of how being “plugged in” affects the students. it was such a popular event that tim came back for a second session about getting control of email.

in the Lower school, janet Carter, a parenting coach from Our Childish ways, spoke to 40 parents, faculty, and staff about the pressures that today’s families face. Janet coached the attendees through their challenges and shared survival tips. the Middle school event on the topic of healthy parent engagement is scheduled for January 29 with a speaker from Commonwealth Parenting.

sportz richmond, instructed the attending parents to include humor in their daily lives. through games and movement, she stressed the importance of helping kids learn to fail and then recover by being able to laugh at themselves.

At the november Parents Association meeting, Christine walters, owner of local improv theater Comedy

uPCOMing PArents AssOCiAtiOn eVents fEBruary

fEBruary

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2 11 22 20 25 19

The steward gala will celebrate the school’s 40th anniversary with a flashback to 1972 at the disco Ball.

fEBruary

kathy and richard verlander, parents of detroit tigers pitcher justin verlander, will talk about their experiences in raising a baseball star, and about the family values that helped make him successful.

Bingo night! a fun night for the entire family to play and win prizes.

MarCh

Through aPril

the spring social celebrates another great school year.

the art show and auction benefits the artist-in-residence program.

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Alumninews

Carolyn Brandt alumni Reception Alumni gathered on October 20 to celebrate and thank Carolyn Brandt for her 32 years of service to steward. Mrs. Brandt touched all of them with her patience and guidance through the college application process. Alumni thanked her for her leadership and devotion. Christopher levermore â&#x20AC;&#x2122;88 traveled all the way from California to attend the event and to speak at the reception; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Carolyn Brandt saw something special in each and every one of us, and she helped develop that talent to make us the individuals we are today,â&#x20AC;? Mr. Levermore said. Although Ms. Brandt has retired from her day-to-day responsibilities, she will always be a spartan and will continue to be a part of the steward community.

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ol

ND

chool The Steward S END

K REUNION WEE

, 2011 September 24

Following the great tailgate on saturday, september 29, individual classes held reunions at various places around richmond. special thank you to the organizers: kate graham reynolds organized the Class of 1982 at Portico, delaney Turnage Mescall and kate Porter Murray planned the reunion for the Class of 1992 at the wine Loft in short Pump, ashley vanness Mauck and natalie sweeney Blackwell gathered the Class of 2002 at Capital Ale house in innsbrook, and Monica Casper and katy kasper planned the 2007 reunion at sully’s in the Fan. A good time was had by all, as they got a chance to catch up with fellow steward alumni.

Top Left Photo: The Class of 1982 meets on the patio at Portico. Front row: Bert Duley, his wife Kathy, Marion Bailie, her fiancée Frank Crawford. Back row: Bunt Young , his wife Jeanne, Kate Graham Reynolds, husband Nicholas, and Alison Coppedge Finlayson.

Top Right Photo: The Class of 2007 at Sully’s. Pictured left to right: Mary Taylor Thornton, Lauren Christian, Tim Brinn, Rob Henkel, Kevin Stein, Jack Quinn, Monica Casper, Katy Kasper, and Adam Dawes.

Bottom Left Photo: The Class of 1992 gathered at the Wine Loft in Short Pump. Pictured left to right: Joel Padow, Samantha Aron Foti, Faisal Qureshi, Delaney Turnage Mescall, Kurt Drozeski, Kate Porter Murray, Jimmy Benson, Coleman DeJarnette, Mark Metzger, and Cassel Adamson.

Fifth annual alumni Soccer Game On Friday, August 24, the alumni soccer team came out to play the varsity soccer team in their annual alumni vs. student soccer match. the weather was beautiful for all of the alumni who came back to campus to sit and watch the game. unfortunately, the students won over the alumni, but a great time was had by all!

Alumni players get together for a quick picture before kick off. From left to right: Turner Breeden ’12, Kyle Dennis ’03, Riley Sistrunk ’07, Tucker Dare ’08, Ali Eltom ’08, Will Perkins ’01, Sebastian Vera Brain ’12, and Fabio Villa ’12.

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ClassNotes

’90s sarah hebb wynne and kristen Tyler griffin, both class of 1993 graduates, recently opened errandology, a personal concierge business in richmond. they perform everyday tasks for individuals as well as companies. they run errands, plan parties, shop, and offer personal concierge services.

Michael Maszaros ’99 recently acquired his own interior design firm in Midlothian, Virginia, called Cabin Creek interiors. he looks forward to working with steward families on all their decorating needs!

’00s Carter Eberly ’00 published a short story titled “the Memory hole” in Lucha Gore: Scares from the Squared Circle. this collection of stories was released in september 2012. lucy Mcdougall ’03 had a baby girl, Cypress, on August 1, 2012, at st. Mary’s hospital in richmond.

whitney hajek richman ’98 completed the course program for Board Certified Behavior Analyst and is working with children on the autism spectrum. she has also completed many marathons and ultra-running races. she was the female winner of the Chicago Lakefront 50-mile race and beat the female course record in the hawthorn half-day relay in indiana with 66.6 miles. Congratulations, whitney!

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live in Kentucky, and her husband is stationed at Fort Campbell.

jaclyn smith ’04 married stephen east on October 20, 2012, in roanoke, Virginia. jeremy karmolinski ’04 is a Property specialist on the national Catastrophe team for nationwide insurance. he deploys to national catastrophe zones to help people who are affected by a disaster and helps them find a place to live while their homes are being rebuilt or repaired by nationwide. sara lunsford kohen ’04 welcomed a daughter, talia Jane Kohen, on October 18, 2012.

allison strickland worley ’03 and husband, Captain Kelsey worley (us Army) welcomed their first child, Peter “Bennett” worley, on October 18, 2012.

Allison and her family

austin Carter ’05 married rob hyatt on saturday, October 6,

2012. the couple honeymooned in st. Lucia and now resides in richmond, Virginia. katy kasper ’07 will be moving to dallas, texas, as part of a corporate rotation program to join Capital One’s Auto Finance human resources team in January 2013.

After spending a year and a half with Capital One in richmond, she is excited for this amazing opportunity! leonardo diaz ’08 is living in Puerto rico and playing professional basketball for Atleticos de san german. Last summer, he had an offer to play in Canada’s professional league.

Peter howard ’09 studied abroad during the fall semester and took classes in Foreign Affairs and history in Barcelona, spain. this past summer, he completed a 29-day leadership course for Army rOtC called ‘LdAC.’

’10s navid Mahban ’11 has been a disc jockey since his graduation. his trade name is “dJ dropical smoothie,” and he specializes in all types of music including pop, hip-hop, rap, dubstep, electro, house, and dance.

Christine Craig ’09 is a senior biology major and president of united for sight at Virginia tech. she has been accepted to the southern College of Optometry (sCO) in Memphis, tennessee, and will begin classes in fall 2013. in addition, she has been awarded the Virginia endowed scholarship by sCO.

Boyd Chambliss ’12 helped reggae/rap artist Matisyahu film a holiday music video. the name of the song is “happy hanukkah,” and Boyd helped scout locations in Chicago to shoot the video. Look for him in the video!

The 2012-2013 Annual Fund annual Fund Steering Committee Members ron Johnson, Lower School Chair stephanie hudnell & Carrie McAllister, Middle School Co-Chairs deb & Bob Farlow, Upper School Co-Chairs Chris tickle, Faculty Chair Chris Armstrong Chuck Arrington Lindsay Chambliss Keyser glancy

iT’s for us!

celeBrating 40 Years oF success and PhilanthroPY!

Jeff harrison roger Kasch Cathy Kirchmier Jeremy Leahman Jonathan Lyle todd & donna Mitchell Frazer Orgain ’95 Aimee & Mike Patrick sam Proctor edie ragan Carter thompson david wright

The Heritage Society donors who make documented planned gifts to the steward school are recognized as members of the heritage society. For more information on making a planned gift or joining the heritage society, please contact sarah Melvin in the development office at 804-565-2306.

Crossroads

Fall/Winter 2012

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Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Richmond, VA permit No. 895 Our passion is helping students discover theirs.

11600 Gayton Road Richmond, Virginia 23238 www.stewardschool.org

Please give to the 2012-2013 Annual Fund.

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