Wellington Magazine - Spring/Summer 2013

Wellington magazine

SPRING/SUMMER 2013 | INSIDE: GRADUATION • CELEBRATION • ARTS SENSATION

Dear Friends, The Class of 2013 holds a special place in my heart not just for their amazing accomplishments that I’ve been fortunate to witness as Head of The Wellington School, but also as a father watching his oldest son walk that much closer to his dreams. It is a profound sense of pride that I know I share with all moms and dads of graduating seniors, for it is the goal of all parents on the occasion of their child’s birth to forever more search for the best life has to offer for that child. Wellington has been a great partner in that search.

This class of seniors truly exemplifies our school’s mission to foster a community of learners who excel in academics, the arts, and athletics. It includes a national merit finalist, three athletes pursuing their passion for sports on the college level, and several others majoring in music as well as fine and performing arts. Seniors have also taken on invaluable leadership roles within Wellington that will be remembered long after they leave these halls.

The Class of 2013 will be headed to colleges in settings as varied as the Colorado mountains, the California coast, and the Arizona desert. Some will study in the nation’s capital, Manhattan, or even Scotland. Wherever these bright young minds go, they will be poised for greatness.

The Wellington School has always been dedicated to preparing our students for the future of their dreams, and we were recently honored for doing the same for our employees. Named the #1 Top Workplace by Columbus CEO Magazine and 10TV, Wellington was recognized in April for providing faculty and administration with an innovative environment with which to develop every student’s unique potential. The diverse accomplishments of the student body, though, are truly our school’s greatest distinction.

Thank you to all the parents, students, faculty, and administration for bringing The Wellington School to the forefront of fearless learning. Have a fantastic summer – you’ve earned it!

Warm regards,

Robert D. Brisk Head of School

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Graduation

The Wellington School Class of 2013 Seniors poised for the future of their dreams.

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All School

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Celebrations

Mentorship is Guiding Force at Wellington A sense of family and community make Wellington more than just a school.

One Wellington. One Goal. Achieved.

Fundraising history is made at Wellington.

Fine Arts, Fine Kids, Fine Times Wellington’s 2013 Arts Premiere “Singing in the Rain” includes fun for the entire family.

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ON THE COVER: ERIN O’NEIL ‘13 AND MELEAH MOORE ‘13

Upper School TEDxYouth@WellingtonSchool encourages students to dream big.

Lower School Students learn about science and life on the farm.

Athletics

Meet Lindsey Smith Wellington’s new Athletic Director Lindsey Smith pushes students farther than they could have ever imagined.

Season Highlights A Wellington Roundup of winter and spring sports.

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Division News

Middle School Middle School musical “Honk, Jr.!” teaches a valuable lesson in self-acceptance.

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Alumni

John McCorkle: The Fearless Adventurer Wellington alumnus travels outside his comfort zone.

The Wellington Magazine is published by The Wellington School for all members of its community.

Please send any comments to Yvonne Johnson at communications@wellington.org.

Editor: Yvonne Johnson P ‘25 ‘27 Contributors: Taff Anderson ‘14, Andrew Bankhurst, Leah Buckingham ‘13, Me-chelle Burkhalte, Bob Causey P ‘16, Steve Crossin, Dorene Henschen, David Herrick P ‘23, Darrel Ivy P ‘98 ‘01, Craig Jones, Katie Matney P ‘26, Helen McConaghy, Greg Mexicott, Bill Miller P ‘15 ‘17 ‘21, Bill Mitchin, John Olesik, Stuart Oremus ‘00, Ashleigh Posey ‘05, Monique Sierzputowski P ‘17 ‘18 ‘19, Sally Saeger Stratton, Jeff Terwin, Elizabeth Zimmerman ‘13 Copyeditors: Laura Cooke ‘90 P ‘21 ‘21 ‘24 ‘27, Maryline Kulewicz P ‘13, Melanie Eggleton, Caroline Haskett P ‘19 ‘20 ‘22, Erin Noviski, Sally Saeger Stratton, Lynne Steger P ‘04 ‘09, Jeff Terwin, Jill Webb Photo Credits: Maria Baker, Jonathan Barteldt, Becky Davis P ‘19 ‘14, Melinda Gleissner P ‘20, Mindy Gross P ‘11 ‘13 ‘17, Caroline Haskett P ‘19 ‘20 ‘22, Impact Action Photos, Patricia Kellicker P ‘21 ‘25, Katie Matney P ‘26, Abby Miller P ‘15 ‘17 ‘21, Carol Lynne O’Neil P ‘13 ‘17, Lucy Schmitt, Diane Spagnuolo Photography, Jenna Tugoen ‘13, Laura Trubilowicz P ‘27 Layout: Bluewave Creative

The Wellington School Board of Trustees 2012-13 Mr. Larry Abbott P ‘92 ’00 ‘03 Mr. M. Douglas Anderson P ‘08 ‘11 ‘15 ‘20 Mr. Douglas Aschenbach Mrs. Darla Kay Ball P ‘16 ‘20 Mr. Lyle Brown ‘89 Mr. James Croft, Treasurer P ‘17 ‘20 ‘22 Ms. Michelle Croft P ‘17 ‘20 ‘20 Ms. Dionne Custer Ms. Lisa Edwards P ‘11 ‘14 ‘18 ‘25 Mr. Scott Humphrys P ‘20 ‘22 Ms. Sally A. Hughes P ‘16 Dr. Janette Knowles P ‘12 ‘17 Ms. Nancy Kramer, Chair P ‘07 ‘09 ‘11 Mr. Ted K. Manley, Secretary P ‘21 ‘24 Mr. Paul Morse P ‘09 ‘11 ‘11 ‘14 Mr. Dale K. Perdue P ‘15 Mr. Robert Price, Vice Chair P ‘08 ‘12 ‘16 Dr. Dwan V. Robinson P ‘10 ‘13 Mr. Bryan Stewart ‘95 Mr. Jeffrey D. Swaddling ‘89 P ‘16 Mr. Robert J. Tannous P ‘14 ‘16 Dr. Andrew Thomas P ‘14 ‘16 ‘26 Dr. Caroline Whitacre P ‘03 Professor Christian Zacher P ‘12

SPRING/SUMMER 2013 • 2

HEAD OF SCHOOL ROBERT BRISK P ‘13 ‘15 AND JARED RICARDO ‘13

Graduation

The Space of

Possibility

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he Wellington School Class of 2013 received a poignant sendoff to the first great adventure of their adult lives during Commencement Exercises on June 7 in the Gard Gym.

Head of School Robert Brisk P ‘13 ‘15 opened the ceremony by congratulating fellow parents of graduates for a job well done and thanked them for their vital partnership with The Wellington School in helping their children reach this important life milestone.

Brisk asked seniors to take a moment and reflect on the outpouring of respect and affection they were receiving from the community. “Know that, while this is a great day, it is not an easy day,” he said. “For the past years, we have reveled in your good times. We were thrilled by your victories, as if we had some real part in your triumph. You have

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been there to renew our hope for the future, to help us know that tomorrow will come, and it will be magnificent.”

The Presentation of Lifers was a special acknowledgement of those seniors who had attended Wellington since pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, or 1st grade. The Class of 2013 had a boastful 16 Lifers who were recognized at commencement, as were their parents.

Senior Class President Neale Snyder presented the class gift, which included adding books to the Abbott Family Learning Center and making a donation toward the purchase of new furniture in the Upper School Commons. In addition, the Class of 2013 raised more than $14,000 toward a scholarship fund to provide a Wellington education for a student who could not otherwise afford it.

Editor of the yearbook Meleah Moore announced the 28th volume of The Duke would be dedicated to Facilities Manager Carl Bauer and Maintenance Staff Member Francis Shafer, two members of the Wellington family who retired this year. Moore said The Duke would also be dedicated to Anthony Jackson, a member of the Class of 2009 who passed away the week of graduation this year.

Class speaker Iakovos Anastasakis summarized his Wellington experience with three F’s: food, friends, and family. Food was referred to as a symbol of the choices they had as students, like trying a sport for the first time in Middle or Upper School.

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4 5 Friends were easy to make, he said. “Every person here was able to find that rock, a foundation if you will, to blossom an immeasurable friendship.”

Anastasakis believed that the tightknit nature of Wellington’s small size afforded its students the safety and security of feeling like a family in which they all shared the same defining childhood moments. “We need to be excited about lies ahead. No matter where each and every one of our lives takes us, we have a special bond that unites us. We will all be a part of The Wellington School Class of 2013.”

Internationally recognized multi-media installation artist Ann Hamilton P ‘13 delivered the graduation address. She told the story of American conceptual artist Tom Friedman, who spent 1,000 hours between the years 1992-1997 staring at a blank page before he created a masterpiece that now hangs in the Museum of Modern Art. Hamilton pointed out that it was during Friedman’s creative incubation period that the graduating seniors were born and they, too, were blank canvases on which they could create their best work.

“Everything is in the how. The world needs a lot of ingenious hows,” Hamilton said. “Find elegant and simple solutions to complex problems.

How you follow through on what you imagine. How you choose to use the full page of experiences that you are. This is your work. How you take it on is your life.

PICTURED: 1. RUSSELL FAST ‘13 AND NANCY KRAMER P ‘07 ‘09 ‘11 2. JAHI DIAL ‘13 3. MIRA SYED ‘13, EMILY SOPPE ‘13, AND NEALE SNYDER ‘13 4. TYLER MICHAELS ‘13, JORDAN TUNNELL ‘13, WILLIAM GROSS ‘13, AND SAMUEL TELLER ‘13 5. KAYLA BARTON ‘13, JAIME KLETZLY P ‘13, AND COLEEN KLETZLY ‘13 6. BILLY BRISK ‘13 AND ROBERT BRISK P ‘13 ‘15 7. ERIC THOMAS ‘13

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“Keep the company of the blank page. It may be hard to decipher.

But what’s good to know is hard to learn. That blank page may be empty of words, but it is full of space – which is the space of possibility.”

Upon receiving their diplomas from Board Chair Nancy Kramer P ‘07 ‘09 ‘11, the Class of 2013 was poised to discover the endless possibilities of the world beyond their beloved Wellington.

SPRING/SUMMER 2013 • 4

GRADUATION

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PICTURED: 1. THE WELLINGTON SCHOOL CLASS OF 2013 2. ELIZABETH ZIMMERMAN ‘13 AND LEAH BUCKINGHAM ‘13 3. EVAN KOZLINER ‘13 4. IAKOVOS ANASTASAKIS ‘13 5. ANTONIO PHILLIPS ‘13 AND JAZMINE KEE ‘13 6. DR. JEFF TERWIN, VISHAL SHAROFF ‘13, AND SHAWN MEDDOCK ‘13 7. CHRISTIAN BRADDY ‘13 AND DREW BRAY ‘13 8. QUINTEN HENRICKS ‘13 9. JENNA TUGAOEN ‘13 AND JONATHAN TAYLOR ‘13 10. JEREMY SMITH ‘13 11. HELEN FITE ‘13 AND LAURA GAMBOA ‘13 12. GABRIELLE RAGUSA ‘13 13. DR. DWAN ROBINSON P ‘10 ‘13 AND JONATHAN ROBINSON ‘13 14. NICK MAYNE ‘13 15. LAURA GAMBOA ‘13 16. SHIHONG FAN ‘13 17. ABBY CONGER ‘13 AND ANNIE MILLER ‘13 18. SARAH SNYDER ‘06 19. SAMANTHA SHEPHERD ‘13 AND ALEXANDRIA ARMENI ‘13 20. EMMETT MERCIL ‘13 AND ANN HAMILTON P ‘13 21. ALEX ZALLANTA ‘13 AND ALEX WINKLE ‘13 22. ROBERT BRISK P ‘13 ‘15 AND ALEX SCHILLING ‘13 23. NANCY KRAMER P ‘07 ‘09 ‘11 AND TYLER SHARP ‘13

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SPRING/SUMMER 2013 • 6

GRADUATION

MEET OUR GRADUATES IAKOVOS ANASTASAKIS

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND – MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: I wanted my college experience to reflect that of Wellington.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: It has a safe and embracing environment. Everyone feels comfortable.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Take advantage of every opportunity you get because you may not get it ever again.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Know yourself and everything in moderation.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: Being able to balance academics with extracurricular activities.

Favorite Wellington memory: Winning my first ever varsity match.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Socrates.

ALEXANDRIA ARMENI

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY – HONORS PROGRAM IN ZOOLOGY How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: Made me look at schools with smaller class size.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Limitless opportunities.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Push yourself and you will make it.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Don’t do anything stupid.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: What I was able to do.

Favorite Wellington memory: I couldn’t pick just one. I’ve been here since kindergarten and everything here has shaped me and left me with great memories.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Ava from “Fairest.”

KAYLA BARTEN

UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI – MARKETING How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: It allowed me to pick a school with many offerings.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Small school and good relationship with teachers.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Always apply yourself.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Don’t worry about the opinions of others.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: How much I was able to be involved in different activities.

Favorite Wellington memory: Any time spent with friends.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Professor Snape.

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CHRISTIAN BRADDY

OHIO UNIVERSITY Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Academics.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Be responsible for you and you alone.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Nothing in this world is given. You have to work for everything.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: I can do anything I put my mind to.

Favorite Wellington memory: 2012-2013 Baseball team building day.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Ab-Soul/ Moses.

THOMAS “DREW” BRAY

PARSONS – FINE ARTS How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: Mrs. Althof and the art program.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Classes offered and teachers.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Do what makes you happy.

Favorite Wellington memory: Talking about Lars Von Trier with Mr. Neff.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Alice Della.

BILLY BRISK

UNIVERSITY OF LOYOLA How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: Mrs. Oremus was incredibly helpful.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: The College Counseling program.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Do your math homework!

Best piece of advice from your parents: Try your best and we will love you no matter what.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: I am surprised by everything.

Favorite Wellington memory: My friends (KHL).

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Jason Kidd.

LEAH BUCKINGHAM

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: Showed me the bigger picture outside of the direct impacts of college.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Being ready for the educational aspects of the rest of my life.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Everyone comes from different places. Don’t judge anyone until you understand that place.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Happiness cannot be earned.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: My ability to learn something new every day.

Favorite Wellington memory: Final Four in lacrosse my freshman year and Leadership in Business class.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Jackie Kennedy.

ABBY CONGER

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY – LINGUISTICS, ENGLISH, OR JAPANESE How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: I was introduced to many different schools that I wouldn’t have known about. The guest speakers for the College Counseling Club gave me an idea of what type of school I would want to attend and helped me narrow my decision.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Smaller class size and closer relationships with my friends and teachers. The preparation for college.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Pursue the things that inspire you and continue to push yourself to get there.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Do what makes you happy and spread that happiness around you.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: I never thought I would have the opportunity to attend such unique and interesting classes.

Favorite Wellington memory: Singing in New York with the choir. It was an amazing feeling to sing in front of others.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Audrey Hepburn.

JAHI DIAL

ELON UNIVERSITY – PSYCHOLOGY OR PHYSICAL THERAPY How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: The students that moved from Wellington to Elon were positive role models.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Class structure and openness of the teachers.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Don’t wait until the last minute to do something.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do anything.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: My ability to adapt.

Favorite Wellington memory: Winning the Jaguar Invitational.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Muhammed Ali.

SHIHONG FAN

PURDUE – ENGINEERING OR BUSINESS Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Good study environment.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Never doubt your own choice.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Read more books.

Favorite Wellington memory: Camping.

RUSSELL FAST

TRINE UNIVERSITY – BIOMEDICAL OR MECHANICAL ENGINEERING How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: Wellington’s prestige helped me win scholarships.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: I can type a three page paper in 40 minutes.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Do your work.

Favorite Wellington memory: “It looks like the United Nations in here.” ~ Dr. Allen Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Winston Churchill.

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GRADUATION

HELEN FITE

FURMAN UNIVERSITY – POLITICAL SCIENCE OR PUBLIC POLICY How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: Wellington opened my eyes to schools I never would have found otherwise. I chose a smaller school because I want to feel at home the way I do at Wellington.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: All of my teachers knew me. Wellington truly is a creative and innovative community. Our teachers are brave and always eager to try new things. They never give up on us.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: I can make a difference in people’s life every day. Even just asking how someone’s day is goes a long way.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Anything is possible.

If I work hard, I can achieve anything. They taught me to believe in myself.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: Wellington brought out my sense of leadership and instilled in me that my dreams are within reach.

Favorite Wellington memory: Playing in State Final Four Lacrosse and sophomore camp.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Hillary Clinton.

LAURA GAMBOA

CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF MUSIC – VIOLIN PERFORMANCE How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: Wellington academics opened my eyes to academic colleges.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Prepared me for college selection process.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Start early on college application process.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Reach for your dreams. If you believe in yourself, your dreams can come true.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: How prepared I was for the college selection process compared to friends in other schools. I’m a very good writer thanks to Ms. Zavotka.

Favorite Wellington memory: Going to France.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Clara Schumann and Dr. Allen.

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WILL GROSS

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND – BUSINESS, MATHEMATICS, OR COMPUTER SCIENCE How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: Wellington acclimated me to the small school environment, so that’s the kind of place I was looking for.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Great education. Great friends.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Never give up!

Best piece of advice from your parents: Study what you want in life.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: How much we at Wellington know compared to people coming from other schools.

Favorite Wellington memory: The old playground.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Che Guevara.

QUINTEN HENRICKS

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY – AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: The laid back and small classes. The help that is given for college admissions process. The friends and family atmosphere.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Give your best effort at whatever you do.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Be smart.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: How much I enjoyed a history class.

Favorite Wellington memory: Winning state golf tournament.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Newton.

JAZMINE KEE

MIAMI UNIVERSITY – JOURNALISM AND COMMUNICATIONS Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Small class size and the writing skills I learned.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Business is business. Personal is personal. Keep the two separate.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Be who I am no matter what.

Don’t conform.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: My changes – transitions.

Favorite Wellington memory: Senior Buddies.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Oprah.

COLEEN KLETZLY

WITTENBERG UNIVERSITY – CHILDREN’S PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: The smaller classroom sizes made me want to find a school that provides the same atmosphere, where I have a voice and a name in the classroom.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: The education, without question. It has provided me with various opportunities that I wouldn’t have had elsewhere. It allowed me stand out in the college world.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Never be afraid to find your place in the school. Wellington has so many opportunities to express your talents.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Find who you are and what your academic talents and interests are.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: That I really have a talent for singing. I found my passion for music at Wellington.

Favorite Wellington memory: When I was in pre-k, my mom was a kindergarten teacher here. I used to pretend to be sick just to see her.

But the one day I really was sick, my teacher didn’t let me go and I threw up on her.

EVAN KOZLINER

UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI – COMPUTER ENGINEEERING How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: Wellington taught me the value of real world experience.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Lunch is excellent!

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Study for the SAT a lot.

Best piece of advice from your parents: You’ll never be a good engineer if you can’t make a quick decision.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: I’m actually motivated!

Favorite Wellington memory: Tortilla soup for lunch!

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Steve Jobs.

NICK MAYNE

DUKE – BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: Wellington had a small, diverse community which was what I was looking for.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: The inclusive and tight-knit community.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Don’t procrastinate and be organized.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Be yourself.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: I liked getting involved in clubs and the community.

Favorite Wellington memory: Winning states in golf.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Ben Franklin.

SHAWN MEDDOCK

GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY – POLITICAL SCIENCE How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: Coming from Wellington, I wanted to make sure I went to a school where I would continue to be challenged academically in an active, dynamic setting.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Small size and good teachers.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Challenge yourself both inside and outside the classroom.

Best piece of advice from your parents: To read, a lot.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: My growth as a leader.

Favorite Wellington memory: Playing Wellington baseball. “Happy Halloween, Mrs. Cunningham.”

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Rosencrantz/ Guildenstern.

EMMETT MERCIL

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI – ECONOMICS How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: Wellington allowed me to have choices.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Student relations and student/faculty relations.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Having a strong community around you is the most important thing.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Never count yourself out.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: That I was able to get into so many colleges.

Favorite Wellington memory: Tea rapping.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Robert Frost.

GABRIELA MERSHAD

COLORADO UNIVERSITY BOULDER How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: Creative thinking/laid back.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Personal attention, small size, teachers.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: You’ll get through it.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Keep your head up.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: The small size is nice.

Favorite Wellington memory: New York.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Sylvia Plath.

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GRADUATION

TYLER MICHAELS

THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY – MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Preparedness for college.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Dreams are fulfilling.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Save documents frequently.

Favorite Wellington memory: Toronto.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Joan of Arc/ Cleopatra/Catherine the Great.

ANNIE MILLER

DENISON UNIVERSITY – ZOOLOGY, BIOLOGY How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: I wanted a small school like Wellington.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: You make friends for life while getting a great education.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Don’t be afraid to try new things. Be yourself and put yourself out there.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Drive safely, don’t get a ticket.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: I’m not afraid to reach out and talk to new people.

Favorite Wellington memory: I have too many because I have gone here since pre-k.

MELEAH MOORE

UNIVERSITY OF ST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND – SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: Without Wellington, I probably would have never heard about international schools.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: The small size is nice for having really great relationships with friends and teachers. It’s great knowing everyone I pass in the hall, even in Lower School.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Enjoy every moment here while it lasts!

Best piece of advice from your parents: Make someone smile every day.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: How much I’ve changed, and how I never would have expected to be who I am now. I have the same best friend as I did in pre-k.

Favorite Wellington memory: In 14 years, there are far too many to pick just one.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Andrew Carnegie.

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ERIN O’NEIL

BUTLER UNIVERSITY – INTERNATIONAL MARKETING How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: Wellington made me want a community that will allow me to thrive and be myself.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: A good environment.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Go to the lunch lady on the left, she always gives you more food.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Never give up.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: I can fly.

Favorite Wellington memory: Eating lunch with Mr. Neff and Mr. Neely.

ANTONIO PHILLIPS II

THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY – MUSIC AND ENGINEERING How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: I had more opportunities because Wellington is a strong academic school.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Academics and small community.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Don’t make a hater list.

Best piece of advice from your parents: You get out of something as much as you put in.

Favorite Wellington memory: Too many to decide.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Jackie Robinson.

GABI RAGUSA

MIAMI UNIVERSITY – BUSINESS AND SPANISH How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: It helped me acclimate to certain types of personalities.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Majority of the teachers are willing to work with you until you’re comfortable with your work.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Don’t procrastinate. I’m serious.

Just don’t do it. Really.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Don’t let others dictate your decisions.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: I’m pretty smart.

Favorite Wellington memory: Fifth grade camp.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Lady Macbeth.

JARED RICARDO

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY – GRAPHIC DESIGN AND LITERATURE OR BUSINESS How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: I learned that I didn’t need to go to the best, most expensive school to find what I’m looking for.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Wellington does not hold you back mentally. I became who I am through the time spent inside and outside these halls over the past two years.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Reap the knowledge Wellington offers.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Dance to the beat of your own drum.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: I love poetry, literature, and writing after taking select English electives.

Favorite Wellington memory: Sunny spring days, going to lunch with friends, blasting music in the car.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Meursalt, “The Stranger.”

JONATHAN ROBINSON

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY – BIOLOGY AND PUBLIC HEALTH How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: Wellington enabled me to be successful. It helped me get into great schools.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Academic rigor, small classes, many opportunities.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Prioritize!

Best piece of advice from your parents: Finish with excellence.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: Acing all of my AP classes.

Favorite Wellington memory: First day of 5th grade.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Tommy from “Rug Rats.”

ALEX SCHILLING

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY – ENGINEERING How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: It made me choose a school that pushed my academic ability.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Really getting to know everyone in your grade.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Don’t be afraid to try new things.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Push yourself.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: I can accomplish anything if I try.

Favorite Wellington memory: Winning states in golf.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Tesla.

VISHAL SHAROFF

NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY – BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE/PRE-MED How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: I was encouraged to live my own unique experiences and to never be afraid of different experiences. Wellington also let me discover my interest in my potential major.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Exciting teachers and out-of-the-box experiences.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Don’t take everything too seriously.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Follow your own ambitions.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: I’m pretty good at being creative.

Favorite Wellington memory: Homecoming King. Big soccer games.

Watching fun games. Harlem Shake. World Record breaking.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Ghandi.

TYLER SHARP

MALONE UNIVERSITY – BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND GRAPHIC DESIGN How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: Small class sizes.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Getting to see the lives of people different from me.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Grades do matter.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Don’t do drugs.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: My ability to keep up with the workload.

Favorite Wellington memory: Middle School lacrosse. Basketball in 9th and 11th grades.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Benjamin Franklin.

SAMANTHA SHEPHERD

HARDING UNIVERSITY – BUSINESS, LINGUISTICS, OR MUSIC Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: College prep and learning how to write essays.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Academically, junior year is the most important college wise.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Even though you may not think the work you are assigned is relevant, you still have to do it.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: It’s not that bad here.

Favorite Wellington memory: Dr. Allen’s English class.

SPRING/SUMMER 2013 • 12

GRADUATION

JEREMY SMITH

WITTENBERG – EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: Small environment was good for my intended major.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Family environment.

Personal education.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Apply yourself in every situation.

Best piece of advice from your parents: The only person you can disappoint is yourself.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: I enjoyed getting included with clubs.

Favorite Wellington memory: My Senior Night goal.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Thomas Jefferson/ASAP Ferg.

NEALE SNYDER

UNIVERSITY OF DENVER – CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: Insight on the different opportunities available and narrowing down what was most important to me.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: College prep curriculum.

College counseling. Small class sizes and teachers interest.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: You must work hard for a successful future.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Don’t dwell on the negatives.

Expand on the positives.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: How hard I worked academically and how much of a perfectionist I am. The fact that I could achieve a 3.95 GPA at a college prep school.

Favorite Wellington memory: Every time I had grilled cheese for lunch.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Ghandi.

EMILY SOPPE

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA – FILM STUDIES How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: Ms. Oremus helped me look at a wider variety of colleges and helped me find some to fit my interests. That’s how I found the school I’m attending.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Small class size meant a greater chance to learn and receive more personal attention.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Keep a smile on your face and your big mouth shut.

Favorite Wellington memory: “Jesus Christ Superstar” (2009 Wellington Production).

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Bella Swan.

13 • WELLINGTON MAGAZINE

MIRA SYED

DENISON UNIVERSITY – PSYCHOLOGY/ NEUROSCIENCE How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: I wanted to pick a school like Wellington because this is where I fit in most.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Personalized education.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: We all have something to offer to the community.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Never sell myself short.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: Dreams really do come true.

Favorite Wellington memory: Spirit Week.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Madonna.

JONATHAN TAYLOR

DENISON UNIVERSITY – PRE-DENTAL How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: It made me look for a small college that is close.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Community.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Work hard.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Be a leader.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: If I actually tried, I could do a lot.

Favorite Wellington memory: 2011 State Championship in golf.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Schoolboy Q.

SAM TELLER

OTTERBEIN UNIVERSITY – SPORTS MANAGEMENT How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: It made me want to look for a small college that is close.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Community. Small classes. We’re all family.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Don’t sit around waiting for something worthwhile, go out and make something worthwhile.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Do what you love.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: How dedicated I got to my friends and activities during my senior year, like the Ultimate Frisbee team.

Favorite Wellington memory: Toronto and Philly trips.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Ron Santo.

ERIC THOMAS

COLLEGE STATE UNIVERSITY – CIVIL ENGINEERING Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Great friends.

Favorite Wellington memory: When I ran as a communist.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Muhammad.

JENNA TUGAOEN

UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO – PRE-MED AND COMMUNICATIONS How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: The relationships with teachers befitted my academics and I wanted the same thing through college.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Close friendships and community. Variety of class choices. Small class sizes in which every student gets individual attention.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: You’re responsible for your own success.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Smile!

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: I learned more about my passions that I never would have tried otherwise.

Favorite Wellington memory: When Jonathan Taylor hid in the trash can with the class microphone and was “talking” to Dr. Allen.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Spongebob Squarepants.

JORDAN TUNNELL

COLORADO STATE – ENGINEERING How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: The robotics program got me interested in engineering which then determined my college selection.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: It gave me the confidence to do anything and the opportunity to work on skills not available to the average student, like robotics and programming.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: With hard work, you can do anything.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Hard work often beats raw talent.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: That I accomplished what I did and learned everything that I did.

Favorite Wellington memory: Having fun in the robotics room.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Martin Luther King, Jr.

ALEX WINKLE

THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY – MECHANICAL ENGINEERING How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: Helped me choose my major.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Great faculty.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Keep your heart in it.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: My ability to fit in.

Favorite Wellington memory: Going to Worlds for Robotics.

ALEX ZALLANTA

COLUMBUS STATE, THEN KENT STATE – MECHANICAL ENGINEERING How did your experience at Wellington impact your college choice: I was better educated about my decision.

Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: You’re able to have more than one relationship with the teachers, and they are open to new ideas.

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Don’t feel afraid to make your own decisions.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: My potential if I apply myself.

Favorite Wellington memory: The Philadelphia trip.

ELIZABETH ZIMMERMAN

ELON UNIVERSITY – COMMUNICATIONS AND URBAN STUDIES Greatest benefit of attending Wellington: Small classes. I’ve been able to make strong connections with my teachers. The college counseling office is awesome!

Life lesson learned at Wellington: Don’t walk into school one minute late because you’ll still get written up.

Best piece of advice from your parents: Be bold and don’t do stupid things.

Biggest surprise about yourself as a student at Wellington: My ability to be a leader in several groups even though I’m a pretty shy person.

Favorite Wellington memory: There have been so many! I think most of my favorite memories of high school have been going to school dances and hanging out with friends afterwards. I love seeing everyone get dressed up and bond together at the dances. I also really enjoyed going on an exchange trip to Chile my sophomore year. I got to be really close with everyone on the trip and our Chilean hosts there and it was so awesome to experience the culture by staying with families there.

Literary or historical figure you most identify with: Audrey Hepburn or Hermione Granger.

SPRING/SUMMER 2013 • 14

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PICTURED: 1. MIKE HYZDU P ‘16 2. LEAH BUCKINGHAM ‘13, TAFF ANDERSON ‘14, ELIZABETH ZIMMERMAN ‘13, AND ELIZABETH DVORKIN ‘14 3. JAN FINDLEY P ‘17 ‘17 , PHYLLIS PERDUE P ‘15, ALYSON THOMPSON P ‘23 ‘27, JENNIFER THOMPSON P ‘22 ‘23 ‘26 ‘27, STEPHANIE HYER P ‘24 4. MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS CRISTEN HEALY, HELEN MCCONAGHY, AND BERC BACKHURST PRESENT AT ALL THINGS WELLINGTON 5. FACULTY AND ADMINISTRATION PERFORM AT VOLUNTEER BREAKFAST 6. DALE PERDUE P ‘15, ANGIE PLUMMER P ‘20 ‘22, PHYLLIS PERDUE P ‘15, JILLIAN GUSTIN P ‘21 ‘24, MONIQUE SIERZPUTOWSKI P ‘17 ‘18 ‘19, SUSAN BEGGS P ‘19 ‘21 ‘23, JAN FINDLEY P ‘17 ‘17, RIC SIMMONS P ‘17 ‘19 ‘20, JOHN HUGHES P ‘16, KERSTIN HUMPHRYS P ‘20 ‘22, DR. ANDREW THOMAS P ‘14 ‘16 ‘25, LISA DORAN P ‘14 ‘16 ‘25, DR. JEFF TERWIN, JUDY CHESTER P ‘16 ‘18 ‘20, ROBERT BRISK P ‘13 ‘15

All School

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MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS BERC BACKHURST, MARY POTTER P ‘01 ‘04, AND LISSA WADE P ‘26 PRESENT AT ALL THINGS WELLINGTON.

ALL THINGS WELLINGTON: 6TH ANNUAL CURRICULUM NIGHT

Wellington: Preparing the Fearless Leaders of Tomorrow

A

ll Things Wellington, the school’s annual curriculum celebration, drew record numbers of attendees in January.

Gathering in the Thomas Family Dining Room, Wellington’s community of parents, faculty, administration, and friends joined together in appreciation for how far our school has already come and how much farther we would like to reach as innovative educators for our children.

the walls of the traditional classroom and removing all barriers to fearless learning.

“Not only do I believe that every individual has his or her own unique potential,” Mr. Brisk said. “But that, in fact, Wellington itself has its own unique potential. All Things Wellington is the purest expression of that unparalleled capacity for the extraordinary. So sit back, and prepare to view the future.”

FIND OUT WHAT ALL THE EXCITEMENT IS ABOUT IN THE ATW VIDEOS.

The multimedia presentation included highlights from all three division heads as well as student speakers eager to share their personal experiences at Wellington, where they have been exposed to opportunities in all areas of their individual development.

Head of School Robert Brisk P ‘13 ‘15 gave a stirring address to the crowd about Wellington’s unwavering dedication to breaking down

ERICA RIESEN, GEORGIA EDWARDS ‘22, SAANI BILLAKANTY ‘22, AMER ABDELBAKI ‘22, AND GAVIN O’BRIEN ‘22 SPRING/SUMMER 2013 • 16

ALL SCHOOL

Faculty News Upper School teachers Sara Brdar P ‘02 ‘03, Erin Cornett ‘96, Curt Hansen P ‘12 ‘15, and Chris Robbins P ‘17 ‘22 took a semester length course taught by a Princeton University professor on the History of the World in the Modern Era. Offered through Coursera, the class involved 2-3 hours of online lectures a week and approximately 2-3 hours of reading from the assigned text. “It was a great way to expand our horizons and think about different ways to teach World History,” Hansen said.

Upper School teachers Kara Conley and Michelle Neely, along with Upper School student Gab Smith ‘14 ran the Cap City Half-Marathon in May. Conley also has plans to run the Warrior Dash with fellow Upper School teacher Kelly Zavotka in June, and Neely will ride in an 100K mountain bike race at Mohican State Park in June as well.

Middle School teacher Sean Corey, co-founder of the Columbus Math Circle, will travel to Colorado in June to help start a Math Circle there. The Circle was designed to be a collaborative and supportive environment in which teachers can work with mathematicians to develop the habit of doing mathematics. “Such experiences will enrich and deepen teachers’ views of mathematics as well as their content knowledge,” Corey said.

Upper School teachers Catherine Dison P ‘21 and Curt Hansen P ‘12 ‘15 gave a presentation on POOT (Place Out of Time) Simulation at the ISACS Conference with Dr. Jeff Stanzler from the University of Michigan. Their focus was to encourage involvement from more schools in the program, and it worked. The duo also showcased a major innovation that Wellington had introduced to the simulation, involving Dison’s inclusion of writing classes in what had once been a historybased program.

Lower School teacher Nadine Hinton authored an abstract entitled “Pastor Bonhoeffer’s Story” that was accepted by The World Council for Gifted and Talented Children for oral presentation at their World Conference in August.

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Middle School teacher Jyotsna Sreenivasan was a featured author at the Ohioana Book Festival in May. Her debut novel “And Laughter Fell from the Sky” has been praised as “a witty, timely exploration of the varying definitions of success, belonging, cultural identity, and the human desire to connect” (Booklist).

Sreenivasan has also written two novels for children: “Aruna’s Journeys” and “The Moon Over Crete” as well as several nonfiction books.

Lower School teacher Emily Szabo earned her Masters of Education in Effective Instruction from Ashland University this fall.

Middle School teacher Eric Sulzer P ‘22 ‘24 completed the CrossFit Open this spring. He plans to compete again next year and may enter some local competitions before then. Over 100,000 people from more than 100 countries around the world participated.

French teacher Lissa Wade P ‘26 was awarded a scholarship by the Ohio Foreign Language Association to attend their 2013 conference. As a testament to her commitment to the study and promotion of world languages, the OFLA board awarded Mme Wade this distinction after she wrote a 500 word essay on why she chose world language educations as her profession.

Pre-kindergarten teacher Kathy Yant was awarded the 2013 Gold Apple Award by the Upper Arlington Civic Association in April.

Fond Farewells CARL BAUER Facilities Manager Carl Bauer retired this spring after 13 years of service to our community. While his professional dedication and logistical insight were beyond reproach, it was his terrific sense of humor that will perhaps prove to be his greatest legacy to Wellington.

Never a request granted without a quick-witted quip, Mr. Bauer could solve any problem thrown his way and still manage to find the humor in the subtle absurdities of life.

Asked to recall some his more memorable moments at Wellington, Mr. Bauer didn’t hesitate. “You don’t have enough space,” he remarked. “There was the time a student dropped his time capsule into the crawl space of the old Middle School, and we had to fish it out. I’ll always remember the critter encounters we’ve had over the years with chipmunks, possums, and bats. Not to mention the time a parent locked her keys in the car three times, and had used up her AAA assistance allotment, so I had her pretend to be my wife and use my own membership to get her door open.”

Mr. Bauer’s wholehearted commitment to our community will not be forgotten.

FRANCIS SHAFER Maintenance staff member Francis Shafer retired this spring after 25 years of service at Wellington. When he began working at the school, Ronald Reagan was president and gasoline was under a dollar a gallon. In that time period, Francis saw Wellington change in so many ways and always met those changes with a smile and good humor. Enjoy your welldeserved retirement, Mr. Shafer!

Fond Farewells - continued

Awards Given At Honors Convocation

DARREL IVY After 24 years of extraordinary service to Wellington, Lower School teacher Darrel Ivy P ‘98 ’01 will retire this summer.

“I stayed at Wellington for so long because every year I was offered new challenges and adventures,” she said. “As a teacher I was encouraged to explore, create, and discover what works best and how I can help children the most.”

Mrs. Ivy’s favorite memories of teaching at Wellington included watching children grow and mature from Lower to Upper School students. She was also delighted each time a student asked her if she had read a particular book because it was amazing.

While she is looking forward to spending more time with her grandchildren now, Mrs. Ivy would also like to visit the school to help in the classroom whenever she can.

DEPARTMENT AWARDS THE ELIZABETH RICHMOND ENGLISH AWARD Elizabeth Zimmerman ‘13

CUM LAUDE SOCIETY Iakovos Anastasakis ‘13 Zoe Case ‘14 Alexandria Armeni ‘13 Abby Fleeter ‘14 Helen Fite ‘13 Joshua Roseler ‘14 Quinten Henricks ‘13 Nick Mayne ‘13 Meleah Moore ‘13 Neale Snyder ‘13 Jordan Tunnell ‘13 Elizabeth Zimmerman ‘13 2012 NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM Commended Student: Tyler Michaels ‘13 Finalist: Vishal Sharoff ‘13 THE WELLINGTON PARENTS ASSOCIATION GOOD CITIZENSHIP AWARD Joshua Roseler ‘14 Gabrielle Smith ‘14

DAPHNE MEIMARIDIS P ‘24 AND HEAD OF SCHOOL ROB BRISK P ‘13 ‘15 SHARE A LAUGH

You Are Incredible, Wellington Volunteers!

In May, Wellington faculty and administration extended a very humble thank you to all the volunteers who made this school so wonderful.

After gathering for a delicious breakfast in the Thomas Family Dining Room, Wellington parent volunteers were serenaded by members of the faculty and administration with an impromptu cover of “Singing in the Rain.” With lyrics reimagined by Head of School Rob Brisk P ‘13 ‘15 to include the love and appreciation that Wellington feels for the many volunteers who work tirelessly to make the school great.

Thank you, from the bottom of our rain boots, volunteers!

THE CAROL GOLDSMITH SCIENCE AWARD Nicholas Mayne ‘13 THE ART AWARD Meleah Moore ‘13 THE MUSIC AWARD Laura Gamboa ‘13 THE DRAMA AWARD Erin O‘Neil ‘13 THE SCHOLAR/ATHLETE AWARD Vishal Sharoff ‘13 Neale Snyder ‘13 Gabrielle Berry ‘14 Alexander Winkle ‘13 Elizabeth Zimmerman ‘13 THE FACULTY AWARD Jahi Dial ‘13 Laura Gamboa ‘13 Jazmine Kee ‘13

THE ACKERMAN AWARD Iakovos Anastasakis ‘13 THE MATHEMATICS AWARD Nicholas Mayne ‘13 THE SAM STEWART HISTORY AWARD Shawn Meddock ‘13 THE GEORGE W. STEWART AWARD FOR COURAGE Jordan Tunnell ‘13 THE TENTH OBJECTIVE AWARD Coleen Kletzly ‘13 THE CHAUDHARI MEMORIAL TROPHY Meleah Moore ‘13 THE MINOT TROPHY Abby Conger ‘13 THE HOLLAND FOUNDER’S TROPHY Alexandria Armeni ‘13 THE BROWN FAMILY BROTHERHOOD AWARD Antonio Phillips ‘13 THE CONNECTICUT COLLEGE BOOK AWARD Joshua Roseler ‘14 WILLIAMS COLLEGE BOOK AWARD Lillian Tyack ‘15 THE HARVARD BOOK PRIZE Emily Hammett ‘14 THE PRINCETON PRIZE Emma Steele ‘14 THE RENAISSANCE AWARD Erin O’Neil ‘13 Samantha Shepherd ‘13 THE RUSCILLI AWARD Alex Schilling ‘13 THE BOHM/BLANCHARD AWARD Iakovos Anastasakis ‘13 SPRING/SUMMER 2013 • 18

ABOVE: DR. ANDREW THOMAS P ‘14 ‘16 ‘25 SPEAKS TO PRE-K. BELOW, MIDDLE: ANGIE PLUMMER P ‘20 ‘22 ADDRESSES THE MIDDLE SCHOOL. BOTTOM: AVERY THIELMAN ‘23 WITH MOM CHRISTINE THIELMAN P ‘23 ‘28 AND SISTER AUDREY THIELMAN ‘28

Mentorship is Guiding Force at Wellington

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he Wellington School has always valued the importance of mentorship. It brings the community closer and fosters the strong sense of family that creates a learning environment in which students can feel safe and supported in pursuing their dreams. From engaging parent speakers to students taking time out of their own day to help a younger child, the school continues to nurture fearless learning for Little Jags to Upper School grads.

Dr. Andrew Thomas P ‘14 ‘16 ‘25, medical director for University Hospital and general internist in the Medical Center’s Executive Health Program, visited his son Jacob’s pre-k class to explain what it’s like to be a doctor and some of the instruments involved.

Second graders learned about Chinese New Year from classmate Avery Thielman’s parents Christine and Ron, who brought in a variety of materials and special treats to explain the traditions behind this important cultural event.

19 • WELLINGTON MAGAZINE

Mike Hyzdu P ‘16, a financial planner, talked to Middle School students about the stock market and investing. He discussed the basics behind starting a company and the importance of investors when beginning a business as well as the risk and rewards of being an owner.

Middle School students also heard from Angie Plummer P ‘20 ‘22, executive director of Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS), about the logistical and social factors that are weighed when relocating refugees from around the world.

Plummer challenged students to thoughtfully consider the potentially traumatic circumstances behind each refugee’s experience; empathy being one of the key elements to understanding the world on a global scale.

Introducing the New Sokol Store

ABOVE: RYAN O’NEIL ‘17, JASMINE HARABURDA ‘17, TAYLOR JAMES ‘17 BELOW: CAITI OLBERDING ‘15 READS TO A STUDENT.

“A” is for Altruism

Wellington students Caiti Olberding ‘15 and Matt Conger ‘15 both remember the role that mentorship took in their own lives in Middle School. Teacher Mary Potter was an instrumental guide in their own hard won successes in language arts, and they wanted to pay her kindness and patience forward to other students in need.

They now visit Potter’s 5th grade class twice a week to help students with their reading and writing.

“Ms. Potter was very supportive of me when I was in her class,” Olberding said.

“It was because of her that I want to be a teacher someday. Knowing that I’m really helping someone and making a difference in their life is a great feeling.”

Middle Schoolers have found equal footing as mentors at Wellington as well. A number of 8th graders have helped 5th graders throughout the year with a variety of items including: organization, tech assistance, locker organization, study skills, and tutoring.

Taylor James ‘17 found the guidance of younger students to be rewarding. “I wanted to help out because I knew how hard it was to be a 5th grader,” she said.

“I felt like they really listened because they looked up to us,” Jasmine Haraburda ‘17 added.

Both James and Haraburda want to be doctors some day and found their mentorship experience to be a reaffirmation of what interested them in that career choice.

The 8th graders use their own Jag Time to help the younger students but consider the time well spent. Ryan O’Neil ‘17 looked forward to teaching 5th graders the importance of having an organized locker. “I really liked seeing them do better in school because they were better prepared,” he said. “I always like helping people, but it’s also fun to be able to laugh while you’re doing it.”

The life lessons learned by both the mentor and the mentored of altruism and social responsibility, mixed with good humor, will stay with these students long after they leave Wellington.

GRAYSON, JOHN, JONATHAN, LIZ, AND PARKER SOKOL

As parents of a Wellington 5th grader, John and Liz Sokol appreciate the school’s dedication to fostering fearless learning. Their son Jonathan has attended Wellington since kindergarten and in the last six years has learned French, regularly gone skiing, and even tried horseback riding.

The Sokols have particularly fond memories of Jonathan performing a surprise hip hop routine in his 4th grade “Music Moves Me” program.

“We love that all of that exposure starts early on in the Lower School,” the Sokols said. “From what we’ve seen, kids at Wellington routinely are exposed to people and opportunities that kids at other schools are not.”

Now that Jonathan has entered the Middle School, John and Liz have been even more impressed with the care and attention that Wellington students receive. “The teachers are so outstanding that we feel Jonathan’s tremendous gains certainly will continue.”

The Sokols felt compelled to contribute to Wellington’s enduring mission to foster fearless learning in all grade levels. They made a major gift to the school so that the administration can focus on retaining quality instructors and providing students with the necessary tools to make their dreams a reality.

“We encourage other families to make major gifts,” the Sokols said. “Get the ball over the goal line so that Wellington doesn’t have to be consumed with brick and mortar issues. Let’s afford the school the ability to concentrate on the business of learning.”

SPRING/SUMMER 2013 • 20

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Celebrations

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6 PICTURED: 1. JAMES BECKER P ‘27, CURT HANSEN P ‘12 ‘15, AND KATHERINE LARSON JUDGE AT FIRST TECH CHALLENGE 2. TAMAR APRIKIAN ‘27 3: CELEBRITY SPEED PAINTER TIM DECKER 4. REDD INGRAM ‘17 PERFORMS AT GRANDPARENTS AND SPECIAL FRIENDS DAY PROGRAM 5: GEORGIA EDWARDS ‘22, ANNE TAYLOR ‘18, AND LEXI STONER ‘25 6: KERSTIN HUMPHRYS P ‘20 ‘22 AND JOHN FAHLGREN ‘19 ‘22 ‘22 AT THE ARTS PREMIERE GRAND FINALE

21 • WELLINGTON MAGAZINE

LOWER SCHOOL FAR LEFT: LILLY ‘23, MARY CLAIRE ‘26, CAROLINE ‘27, AND JENNIFER THOMPSON P ‘22 ‘23 ‘26 ‘27 TOP RIGHT: TERRY SANDERS P ‘23 AND STEPHANIE STOVER BOTTOM RIGHT: CAMERON EDMONDSON ‘16

One Wellington.

One Goal.

Achieved.

T

he first ever One Wellington. One Goal. One Day. was a record-smashing success. Our entire community rallied together on May 1 to increase participation in The Wellington Annual Fund, and we surpassed all expectations.

We received 222 gifts totaling $57,770 to make school history in fundraising. The Little Jags played a big part in the day by boasting the highest overall class participation, while the Class of 2015 had the greatest increase in their giving from last year by a whopping 26%. Alumni participation doubled from the previous year with 57 Wellington grads contributing $6,370, and the largest single gift received was $4,000 from an Alumni parent.

Thank you, friends of Wellington, for believing in our school!

Leadership Society

The Leadership Society recognizes those donors who invest an annual gift of at least $1,800 per year to The Wellington School. Members were invited to an exclusive reception in May at the home of Scott and Kerstin Humphrys as a special thank you for their substantial investment in cultivating fearless learners.

For more information regarding the Leadership Society, please contact the Development Office at development@wellington.org.

Founders Society

Members of the Wellington Founders Society gathered at the home of Head of School Rob Brisk P ‘13 ‘15 in May to receive special recognition for being the school’s top annual investors. Families contributing $10,000 or more to The Wellington School are eligible for a variety of special benefits for their dedication to helping students explore their passions.

Founders Society Members include: Larry and Linda Abbott P ‘92 ‘00 ‘03 Anonymous (2) Jim and Michelle Croft P ‘17 ‘20 ‘22 John and Sunny Fahlgren P ‘19 ‘22 ‘22 Hank and Melinda Gleissner P ‘20 David and Mindy Gross P ‘11 ‘13 ‘17 Scott and Kerstin Humphrys P ‘20 ‘22 Barbara Rae and Brian Kelleher P ‘18

Nancy Kramer P ’07 ’09 ‘11 and Christopher Celeste Rick and Sara Mershad P ‘12 ‘13 ’15 ‘17 Dale and Phyllis Perdue P ‘15 John and Elizabeth Sokol P ‘20 Bryan Stewart ‘95 and Jenny Stewart Bob and Marlo Tannous P ‘14 ‘16 Craig and Mimi Taylor P ‘16 ‘18 Geoff and Lisa Webster P ‘24 ‘26

For more information regarding the Founders Society, please contact the Development Office at development@wellington.org.

SPRING/SUMMER 2013 • 22

CELEBRATIONS

ABOVE LEFT: JARED AND TAMARA ZWICK, JACK AND CHASITY KUTTRUS P ‘23, ERIN AND JASON STONER P ‘22 ‘25 ‘26 ABOVE RIGHT: BENJAMIN RIGNEY-CARROLL ‘21, WILLIAM RIGNEY-CARROLL ‘24, BENNETT OBENOUR ‘21 BOTTOM: ARTS PREMIERE COMMITTEE CO-CHAIR ALYSON THOMPSON P ‘23 ‘27 WITH AUCTIONEER JON PETZ

Fine Arts, Fine Kids, Fine Times

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ellington’s 2013 Arts Premiere “Singing in the Rain” was a full day celebration for the entire family that raised more than $175,000 for the school. Now that’s a cloud with a silver lining!

Entirely planned and carried out through the tremendous efforts of committee co-chairs Jen Thompson P ‘22 ‘23 ‘26 ‘27 and Alyson Thompson P ‘23 ‘27 with the help of many other parent volunteers, the day began with the first-ever Family Arts Fest. Kids, parents, and friends strolled through the school marketplace where they could either create their own work of art or purchase one from a student vendor. A student talent show featuring song and dance numbers took place as kids decorated bug jars, memory boxes, and flower pots, with the welcome aroma of cotton candy and popcorn filling the festive air.

The Grand Finale evening event was truly a night to remember. Guests were greeted in the Rotunda with champagne and then ushered into the magically transformed ROHR. Gourmet hors d’oeurvres and drinks were served throughout the evening as friends enjoyed catching up with each other sans children at their side.

Entertainment was provided by nationally-known speed painter Tim Decker who brilliantly created three iconic images on canvas in mere minutes right before the crowd’s eyes. His work was later sold during the live auction along with several other pieces of art created by Lower School students.

The Hoo Doo Soul Band provided the live music that got everyone out on the dance floor. It was an upbeat ending to a wonderful day. All the money raised by Arts Premiere will go directly to funding the fearless learners of The Wellington School as they create the masterpiece that will be their future.

23 • WELLINGTON MAGAZINE

Wellington’s 30th Annual Student Art Show was on display throughout the school during the month of May. The showcased work was pulled throughout the year as individual units of study were completed. Students in all three divisions were encouraged to experiment broadly with multimedia like textiles, paints, photography, and clay to convey their thematic explorations.

Lower School students painted their own impressionist renderings of Monet’s work, constructed collages, knitted with yarn, and created pop art.

Middle School students looked deeply into topics like personal identity and style. They created narrative figures inspired by local artist Juliellen Byrne and painted their own Keith Haring-inspired pieces conveying his trademark frenetic style. Upper School students also explored the theme of identity through photographic self-portraits, drawings, and fiber art.

For the first time in school history, the show was scheduled to coincide with Arts Premiere. With funding provided directly from money raised at last year’s Arts Premiere, visiting artists from the local community were brought to Wellington to work with students in creating permanent installations in the school. Lower School students learned how paper was made and then worked with artist Daniel Colvin to construct raw pulp into a single large sheet of paper. Their completed mural will be a permanent installation piece on display in The Abbott Family Learning Center.

Famed graffiti artist Giovanni Santiago painted a wall mural in the Middle School Commons before students’ very eyes. “We only live once,” Santiago said. “But art lives forever.”

Middle School art teacher Jayne Young was impressed with Santiago’s “message about ‘doing what you love’ and embracing your unique talents and gifts,” she said. “It supports what we try to teach every day at Wellington.”

ARTS PREMIERE CHAIRS Alyson Thompson P ‘23 ‘27 Jennifer Thompson P ‘22 ‘23 ‘26 ‘27 MARKETING CHAIRS Defne Kocak P ‘24 Monica and Eddie Lott P ‘22 ‘24 SILENT AUCTION CHAIR Kristin Trost P ‘23

CHILDREN’S ART CHAIR Gina Jacobs Thomas P ‘24 ‘27 ARTS FEST CHAIRS Stephanie Hyer P ‘24 Tracy Noritz P ‘23 GRANDE FINALE CHAIRS Kim Clark P ‘21 ‘23 ‘25 Erin Stoner P ‘22 ‘25 ‘266

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5 PICTURED: 1.ERIN STONER P ‘22 ‘25 ‘26 PLACES A BID AT THE ARTS PREMIERE GRAND FINALE LIVE AUCTION. 2. MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT ARTWORK 3. JENNIFER THOMPSON P ‘22 ‘23 ‘26 ‘27 AND AUCTIONEER JON PETZ 4. ARTS PREMIERE GRAND FINALE 5. UPPER SCHOOL STUDENT ART WORK 6. YVONNE JOHNSON P ‘25 ‘27 AND VIVIAN JOHNSON ‘27 7. PAM FARBER AND LORI SEITZ P ‘17 ‘19 ‘22

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1. MATTHEW DITTRICK ‘24 WITH ROGER AND MAUREEN GIBSON 2. MARY KENNEDY WITH KATIE HUMPHRYS ‘22 3. MELYNDA LOTT AND SOFIA LOTT ‘24 4. VICKI SHOCK WITH ADDIE SHOCK ‘19 5. LILLIAN SCHRADER ‘27 AND SABRINA LEE ‘27 WITH POLINA LITVAK 6. THOMAS YANKELEVICH ‘23 WITH ELENA GORODOKINA 7. DR. KAMI DARLING AND PRE-K CLASS

Wellington Celebrates Grandparents and Special Friends T

he school’s oldest annual tradition, Grandparents and Special Friends Day was a celebratory day in May designed to include the vital members of our tightknit community who may not be able to visit as often as they would like.

The morning began with a continental breakfast in the Borror Gym followed by a showcase of just a few of the extraordinary accomplishments of Wellington students. Head of School Robert Brisk P ‘13 ‘15 and Student Body President Billy Brisk ‘13 opened the program with an endearing father/son tribute to the school’s mission of fostering of every child’s unique potential. Visitors were then invited back to their students’ classrooms for an insider’s look at a typical day in the most atypical of schools. Unquestionably, The Wellington School would not be what it is without the support of our grandparents and special friends!

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Invention Convention Sensation C

ongratulations to all 66 participants in 1st - 5th grade for their hard work and ingenuity at finding creative solutions to everyday problems in the 2013 Wellington Invention Convention in March.

The placement results for the event were: FIRST PLACE: Caroline Cooke ‘21 and Christine Cooke ‘21 for “The Aqua Compartment” SECOND PLACE: Elowen Conley ‘21 for “The Roller Tray” THIRD PLACE: Adrianna Dolciato ‘22 and Marissa Dolciato ‘24 for “Click n’ Wrap” FOURTH PLACE: Vincent Kerler ‘23 for “The Sound Strap” ALTERNATE: Will Miller ‘21 and Ethan Rayburn ‘21 for “The Aahh Sock” Abby Goldberg ‘21 and Benjamin Rigney-Carroll ‘21 were distinguished as Superior Scholars at the Invention Convention Regional Final Competition at Columbus State in May. They won $50 for their “Slurpa a Straw.”

TOP: RYANN GILTON AND ETHAN PAIDER ‘24 BOTTOM L TO R: CHRISTINE COOKE ‘21 AND CAROLINE COOKE ‘21; CAITLYN GUY ‘23 AND LILLIANA ADKINSON ‘23; ARMIN ZIAEE ‘24

SPRING/SUMMER 2013 • 26

CELEBRATIONS

Columbus Children’s Theatre

Piper Farrell ‘21 was the winner of the Columbus Children’s Theatre’s 29th Annual Child Writing Project.

Her story “Papa’s Candy Sensation” was chosen over 1,000 other entries and among a select few that were staged and performed as part of the company’s professional touring season.

The humorous morality play was also performed at Wellington on May 31 for the whole school. Well done, Piper!

Central Ohio Singing Competition

Claire O’Shaughnessy ‘20 won first place in the elementary division of the annual Central Ohio Singing Competition sponsored by the Columbus International Children’s Choir in March. She also was named a finalist in the Voice of the City contest sponsored by Columbus Children’s Choir, competing with other finalists at Otterbein.

A regular performer in CATCO productions, Claire hopes to one day sing in musicals on Broadway. With her determination and talent, there’s little doubt she will. Bravo, Claire!

MELEAH MOORE ‘13, ANNIE MILLER ‘13, ABBY CONGER ’13, AND QUINTEN HENRICKS ‘13

Jag Spirit Breaks World Record

Spring Spirit Day came to a rousing conclusion in April when students from all divisions attended a pep rally in the Gard Gym and broke the Guinness World Record for Most Mascot Hugs in a Minute. Jag spirit saved the day as students broke the previous record of 48 hugs with their own 62.

Duke definitely felt the love!

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MIDDLE SCHOOL

COOPER BEGGS ‘21, CHRISTINE COOKE ‘21, GRACE KELLICKER ‘21, HAILIE CLARK ‘21, WILLIAM REID ‘20, JAMES EPPS-RAMSEY ‘20, EVAN ADIANSINGH ‘20

WELLINGTON

ROBOTICS Wellington Hosts First Tech Challenge

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n early January, Wellington had the privilege of hosting the FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics central region qualifying tournament in the Gard Gym for the second year in a row.

Wellington Students Excel at National Robotics Challenge

Wellington proved to be a formidable presence at the National Robotics Challenge in April. Of the four elementary schools competing at the challenge, Wellington had 10 teams participating, consisting of 31 students, out of the 15 teams in the Elementary Division of the Non-tactile Robot Maze competition.

Under the expert guidance of math extension teacher Dorene Henschen, three of our teams took the top three awards: GOLD AWARD – Beck Liles ‘22, Amer Abdelbaki ‘22, Anthony Mosca SILVER AWARD – Bailey Farrell ‘21, Piper Farrell ‘21, Carina Dison ‘21

Over 20 teams traveled to Wellington in order to compete for a spot in the Ohio State Championship.

BRONZE AWARD – Aidan Guiou ‘21, Isaac Brown ‘21, Matthew Reid ‘21, William Miller ‘21

After one of the best starts the team has ever seen in the history of the program at the FIRST Robotics Competition Kick-Off in Cleveland the weekend before, the Upper School Robotics team entered the competition feeling confident in their abilities to succeed in the competition.

Three of the ten Elementary Non-tactile maze teams were also at the award ceremony to receive their honors. They swept the Elementary Division in that category.

The team of nearly 30 students was primarily led by Alex Winkle ‘13, according to advisor Dr. Matt Spencer P ‘19 ‘24 who described the senior as the “driving force behind the design of the robot.”

Winkle also led the initiative of organizing and running the tournament at Wellington with help from fellow team leader Gab Smith ‘14. According to many of the tournament’s attendees, it was one of the best-run competitions they had ever been to. It was a huge compliment to the students who were in charge of organizing the event.

Under the leadership of technology teacher Helen McConaghy, the eleven Middle School teams comprised of 31 students did a fantastic job as well. Half of Wellington’s six mini-sumo teams made it to finals of the Middle School MiniSumo event. The 8th/6th grade team of Cyrus Lloyd ‘17, Adam Porter ‘17, and Andrew Davis ‘19 won the Gold Award (1st place) in the Middle School Mini-Sumo Division. In addition, the team of Thomas Richter ‘19, Sean O’Donovan ‘19, and Samari Liggins ‘19 took the Silver Award (2nd place) in the new Bot Ball challenge after taking 1st place in a smaller, earlier competition at ETech in February.

BELOW, L TO R: ARHAM SIDDIQUI ‘17, MATT STRASSER ‘17, WILL SIERZPUTOWSKI ‘17; ANDREW DAVIS ‘19, CYRUS LLOYD ‘17, ADAM PORTER ‘17; SEAN O’DONOVAN ‘19, SAMARI LIGGINS ‘19, THOMAS RICHTER ‘19

Receiving fifth place in the top-ten and eighth in regular play was a true testament to the team’s hard work and perseverance.

SPRING/SUMMER SUMMER2013 2013 • 28

CELEBRATIONS

Lower School Math Students Win First in the Nation

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ellington students in grades 2, 3, 4, and 5 participated in the National Online Math League Contest. The 2nd grade team won first in the nation. Other grade levels also did very well, with 4th grade being third in the nation, 3rd grade being sixth in the nation, and 5th grade being seventh in the nation. That means all participating grade levels were in the top 10 in the nation!

Many individuals also received special recognition. Ethan Samora was the 2nd grade national champion. Fourth graders Grace Kellicker and Declan Unverferth tied for first place in the nation with the 4th grade contest.

ETHAN SAMORA ‘23, MARQUES NANA-SINKAM ‘23, RAHUL RAJARAM ‘23, ERIC ALBERS ‘23, AND ALANA SAYAT ‘23.

The students received medals for their outstanding performance. All the students demonstrated strong problem solving skills in this difficult contest.

Second graders: Ethan Samora, Rahul Rajaram, Marques Nana-Sinkam, Alana Sayat, and Eric Albers.

Third graders: Alex Lott, Dylan Kropp, Clara Evans, Brayden Chawla, Jake Browning, and Rhea Singh.

Fourth graders: Grace Kellicker, Declan Unverferth, Reece Yakubov, Nischal Chennuru, Christine Cooke, Ben Rigney-Carroll, and Jaideep Gaddam.

Fifth graders: Alan Chow, Kath Olsen, Ian Gleissner, Nicos Hill, Claire O’Shaughnessy, Lily O’Brien, Serene Abdelbaki, James Epps-Ramsey, and Nadeen Tantash.

Well done, everyone!

Middle School Students Finalists for FIRST® LEGO® League Global Innovation Award Wellington Middle School students Ben Sierzputowski ‘19, Jacquie Sierzputowski ‘18, and Will Sierzputowski ‘17 had their Lucky is our Dog robotics team named one of three finalists for the FIRST® LEGO® League Global Innovation Award . They have been invited to attend an awards ceremony at the US Patent & Trademark office in June where they will meet with media, industry leaders, government officials, and FIRST executives. The winner will receive $20,000 to be used to further develop the team’s innovation or towards future FIRST programs. The two-runner ups will receive $5,000 each.

In addition, they will participate in an Innovation Ambassadors Event hosted by the US State Department. The team’s idea will undergo a review process by Edison Nation which includes competitive landscape, initial IP review as well as considerations to development, materials, and analysis of cost/value relationship. Lastly, they will be published in a Q&A section of Inventor’s Digest.

The Sierzputowski family was also featured for their outstanding achievement on the NBC4 evening news in May. Terrific work, Lucky is our Dog!

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TOP: WILL SIERZPUTOWSKI ‘17, JACQUIE SIERZPUTOWSKI ‘18, AND BEN SIERZPUTOWSKI ‘19 BOTTOM: MONIQUE SIERPUTOWSKI P ‘17 ‘18 ‘19, WILL SIERZPUTOWSKI ‘17, BEN SIERZPUTOWSKI ‘19, JACQUIE SIERZPUTOWSKI ‘18, AND DANIEL SIERZPUTOWSKI P ‘17 ‘18 ‘19

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Division News 4

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PICTURED: 1. LUCY CABORN ‘14, SAMANTHA SHEPHERD ‘13, LILLIAN TYACK ‘15 IN “OUR TOWN.” 2. REDD INGRAM ‘17, ATHENA VAKALERIS ‘19, EMMA HANS ‘17, JASMINE HARABURDA ‘17, KATE HANS ‘20, CASSIE ROBBINS ‘17, AND MIRANDA JOHNSON ‘17 IN “HONK! JR.” 3. EM HAMMETT ‘14 4. MIDDLE SCHOOL PERFORMS “HONK! JR.” 5. JACK SPICER ‘24, ASHLEY WILKINS P ‘22 ‘24 ‘26, SPENCER WILKINS ‘24, EMMA COOKE ‘24, LAURA COOKE ‘90 P ‘21 ‘21 ‘24 ‘27, BROOKS ADIANSINGH ‘24, MATTHEW DITTRICK ‘24 6. GABRIELLE RAGUSA ‘13 7. GINA SPICER P ‘24 ‘26 AND JACK SPICER ‘24 8. KELLY ZAVOTKA

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DIVISION NEWS

ABOVE: ERIN O’NEIL ‘13 RIGHT: NANCY KRAMER P ‘07 ‘09 ‘11

LEAH BUCKINGHAM ‘13 AND ANNIE KAPP ‘12

TEDxYouth@WellingtonSchool

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enior Alexandria Armeni brought the inspirational speaker format of TEDx to Wellington this spring.

As part of her Senior Independent Project, Alexandria Armeni worked closely with advisor and Assistant Head of School Laura Cooke ‘90 P ‘21 ‘21 ‘24 ‘27 to produce Wellington’s own version of the world-renowned TEDx speaker series.

Armeni organized an impressive lineup of teachers, students, and parents from the Wellington community to share personal life experiences and accomplishments that encouraged audience members to have “Big Ideas.” Speakers addressed such wideranging topics as overcoming fears, embracing technology, and dreaming big. Young entrepreneurs detailed the many ups and downs of starting their own businesses while other students shared their performing arts talents for the crowd.

EVAN KOZLINER ‘13

Former Wellington parent and current Board Chair Nancy Kramer urged students to have the courage to act upon their dreams. “If you can dream it,” she said, “you can do it.”

VIEW TEDX WELLINGTON HERE.

HEAD OF SCHOOL ROBERT BRISK P ‘13 ‘15

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DAWNING WELLIVER ‘14

ALEXANDRIA ARMENI ‘13 AND LAURA COOKE ‘90 P ‘21 ‘21 ‘24 ‘27

Senior Focus

Senior Focus allows students to choose an area of research and pursue that topic in-depth for an entire school year through library research and contact with experts in the field around the world.

The course concludes in May with a portfolio and presentation of findings before a panel of faculty and outside experts.

A sample of this year’s topics included: Vishal Sharoff - What causes athletes to choke under pressure?

Eric Thomas - Is Columbus water “safe”? How would we know?

Erin O’Neil - How is advertising perceived in the Islamic world?

How does western advertising portray Muslim people, and what are the issues that companies might have to study in order to better understand advertising to different cultures?

ALEXANDRIA ARMENI ‘13

Meleah Moore - How do high-end fashion companies consider environmentally sustainable practices?

Helen Fite - Why are women in politics still a minority? What ultimately causes this glass ceiling effect in political parties?

Alex Zallanta - What are the issues surrounding “ecomodernization” of buildings?

Evan Kozliner - In terms of consumer products, what is the relationship between “simplicity” and market success?

Meleah Moore had always been interested in fashion and was curious why so many luxury items were produced in China when it clearly compromised quality. In the course of her research, Moore was shocked to discover the rate at which the planet’s resources were being depleted.

Senior Independent Project

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he Senior Independent Project (SIP) is a culmination of Wellington students discovering, exploring, and developing their passions.

Seniors are encouraged to pursue an area of interest and formulate an essential question around it. They research all aspects of their chosen topic, including primary and secondary sources.

Seniors may choose to spend the whole year working on their projects, and all seniors spend the final two weeks of the school year working exclusively on their SIPs. The Class of 2013 presented their findings to the public on June 5, 2013 shortly before their graduation.

Second place winner receiving the Award of Excellence was Laura Gamboa ‘13 for “Teaching Violin to Kids Who Live in The Dowd Center.”

First place winner receiving the Award of Distinction was Alexandria Armeni ‘13 for “TEDxYouth@WellingtonSchool.”

“Consumer research is important,” she said. “People want to buy eco-friendly goods.”

Moore found Senior Focus beneficial in more ways than one, including her decision to continue studying her chosen topic at University of St. Andrews in Scotland. “This directed me to my major in sustainable development.”

With the benefit of her Wellington education, Moore and the entire class of 2013 are poised to take the world stage.

LAURA GAMBOA ‘13

CHRISTIAN BRADDY ‘13

ABOVE: MELEAH MOORE ‘13 PRESENTS HER SENIOR FOCUS. SPRING/SUMMER 2013 • 32

DIVISION NEWS

PICTURED: 1. JILL WEBB AND DILLON ADAMS ‘21 2. TEDDY KNOWLES ‘17 3. REDD INGRAM ‘17 AND AMI KOUNTA ‘17 4. JAIDEEP GADDAM ‘21, BAILEY FARRELL ‘21, CARINA DISON ‘21, AND CHRISTINE COOKE ‘21 5. MIRANDA JOHNSON ‘17 AND ERIN NOVISKI 6. EMMA RUCK ‘17, MEGAN GROSS ‘17, JORDAN HOLLAND ‘17, AND MADELINE MCCLINCHIE ‘17

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Joy is Everywhere at Wellington

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une 7 was Moving Up Day at Wellington as 4th and 8th graders were ushered into their new school divisions in separate ceremonies in the Gard Gym.

The student driven programs included performances and shared memories of their time in the Lower and Middle Schools.

“Joy can be found everywhere at Wellington,” a student declared at the podium.

Third grade teacher Shelly Bowling ‘19 was presented with the Diann and John Yakscoe Award, and 4th grade teacher Darrel Ivy P ‘98 ‘01 was honored for her 24 years of service to Wellington.

Lower School Head Jill Webb gave a stirring address explaining that each and everyone in the Class of 2021 made an impact at Wellington, citing the ripple effect of the students’ excitement and engagement while learning. She told the newly minted 5th graders that they would continue their ripple effect in Middle School.

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An impressive number of awards were handed out to 8th graders at their ceremony, including: Athletics – Miranda Johnson Arts – Emma Hans and Redd Ingram Academics – Cyrus Lloyd and Neelu Paleti Character – Margaret Meeks and Ryan O’Neil Mission – Kellen Posacki and Cassie Robbins The amazing talents of these 8th graders were on display when Cassie Robbins, Ellora Majumder, Miranda Johnson, and Emma Hans all performed for the audience. Founder Bob Holland presented the class gift, and Head of Middle School Erin Noviski told the Class of 2017 how much she would miss them putting a smile on her face every day.

It was a heartfelt goodbye to one division and a beautiful welcome into the next.

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FALL/WINTER 2012 • 14

ABOVE LEFT: RUSSELL FAST ‘13, SOPHIA CZEKAJEWSKI ‘24, AND KATIE SPENCER ‘24 MIDDLE : IAKOVOS ANASTASAKIS ‘13

UPPER SCHOOL HEAD DR. JEFF TERWIN AT PROM PLEDGE

Prom Pledge

Wellington seniors received a proper prom send off from their 1st grade buddies in April.

A long-standing Wellington tradition, the Prom Pledge brings together the school community to remind seniors of the importance of being safe as they celebrate an important milestone in their lives. First graders dressed up in their finest apparel to give advice to their buddies about how to enjoy the evening responsibly.

Their sage wisdom included: GIVE FLOWERS TO YOUR DATE. DO THE TANGO. DON’T STEP ON YOUR DATE’S SHOES.

HELP YOUR DATE GET IN THE CAR. DON’T SPILL PUNCH ON YOUR DRESS. DON’T GO 100 MILES PER HOUR.

SMILE. DON’T WEAR HEELS THAT YOU CAN’T WALK IN. BE NICE TO YOUR DATE AND HAVE FUN!

Students also heard from faculty parents of 1st graders. Laura Cooke ‘90 P ‘21 ‘21 ‘24 ‘27, Ashley Wilkins P ‘22 ‘24 ‘26, Gina Spicer P ‘24 ‘26, and Matt Spencer ‘19 ‘24 all passed along their own words of wisdom about creating special moments worth remembering.

The 1st graders then lead the seniors in a pledge to make good choices on prom night. It was a heartfelt message just as memorable as the night to come.

ELIZABETH KAZEMI ‘17, MIRANDA JOHNSON ‘17, JESSICA PARTRIDGE ‘17

Celebrating Diversity

a particular country around the world. Their artwork was then displayed on each of the doors throughout the Middle School hallway. All of the participants were winners for having gained valuable insight about people and places from around the world.

The Upper School festivities began each morning with a Skype session from a student’s international relative. With countries like Sweden and India represented, students were able to get a feel for what it was like to live in foreign lands, from the unspoken customs to the priorities of the international youth.

Even lunchtime at Wellington sizzled with the excitement of international flavor. Main courses included special treats like chicken fajitas, bratwurst and sauerkraut, and spaghetti bolognese.

Wellington’s annual International Week is a festive celebration of cultural diversity.

The Middle School took a more hands-on approach. They held a contest in which each advisory group created their own depiction of

Wellington continues to celebrate other cultures in all their complexities.

The respect and tolerance students learn through activities like International Week will serve them well as they enter the future global community.

SPRING/SUMMER 2013 • 34

DIVISION NEWS

Our Town

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he Wellington Theatre Group closed its 2012-2013 season with Thorton Wilder’s “Our Town.” A classic tale of life and death, and the mostly overlooked moments in between, the play centered around the townspeople of the fictional Grover’s Corners.

“This is the way we were,” the Stage Manager said, “in our living and our dying.”

The small cast of Upper School students were versatile in taking on multiple characters within the production as well as conveying a wide range of ages as time passes in the story. Additionally, Thorton’s request that neither scenery nor props be used served to strengthen “the contemplative theme of the play – what is important in life,” said director Eleni Papaleonardos.

The enthusiasm that the young actors brought to the stage was a powerful reminder in of itself of the great promise each life holds at the onset of adulthood. The senior members of the cast, in particular, are now prepared to move beyond Grover’s Corners and Wellington.

They are poised to take center stage in the world.

TOP LEFT: ERIN O’NEIL ‘13 TOP MIDDLE: ANNE HULTHEN ‘14 AND HENRY BACHA ‘15 LEFT: CAST OF “OUR TOWN” BELOW: HENRY BACHA ‘15, JULIA DORAN ‘16, AND ZOE CASE ‘14

Upper School Theatre Night

Fresh Face Award – Anne Hulthen ‘14 Technician of the Year Award – Josh Roseler ‘14 Performance of the Year Award – Zoe Case ‘14 Thespian Award – Samantha Shepherd ‘13

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REDD INGRAM ‘17, LEIA GOLDBERG ‘18, AMELIA WALKER ‘19, NINI ADAMS-JOHNS ‘20, RYAN WISE ‘18, ELLORA MAJUMDER ‘17, NATHAN HAY ‘19

Honk, Jr.!

Wellington Middle School students performed the delightful musical “Honk! Jr.” in May. A hilarious retelling of “The Ugly Duckling” by Hans Christian Andersen, “Honk! Jr.” used singing and dancing farm animals to convey the timeless tale of personal transformation. The musical’s powerful message of self-acceptance served as a perfect complement to Wellington’s own dedication to celebrating the uniqueness of each individual student.

C’est la Vie à Wellington

Upper School students traveled to France this spring to learn history, culture, and cuisine.

They began their trip in Toulouse where they stayed with host families and attended classes at the neighboring high school, one of which involved preparing delicious treats for a party they attended later that night.

From Toulouse, students took day trips to nearby towns like Albi and Carcassone to learn about the history and culture of the region. Then they rode the train to Paris where they visited famous attractions like Versailles, Notre Dame, and l’Arc de Triomphe. They strolled down the Champs Elysees and toured the Louvre where they could decide for themselves what secret lay behind Mona Lisa’s smile. The trip could only be described as magnifique!

SPRING/SUMMER 2013 • 36

DIVISION NEWS

PIPER FARRELL ‘21 AND CARINA DISON ‘21

RHEA SINGH ‘22, LEXIE ROBBINS ‘22, AND KARIN WURAPA P ‘18 ‘20 ‘22

Lower School Family Science Night

The Lower School had STEAM heat as parents and students gathered for Wellington’s annual Family Science Night in February.

Designed as an evening for families to participate in hands-on experiences, nearly 200 students and parents joined in the joy of science through 16 presentations by teachers, parents, and local scientists. All ages were invited to multiple sessions of fun and informative learning about topics as diverse as how Pop Rocks work, the proper aerodynamics behind straw rockets, and variable effects on LEGO robots.

There were also plenty of opportunities to touch and feel giant bugs as well as our scaly, slithery, slimy friends. It was an exciting night of exploration for parents and students alike as they saw firsthand and even participated in the creative process behind the science of some of their favorite things.

4TH GRADERS VISIT THE THOMAS FAMILY FARM

BAILEY FARRELL ‘21 AND PIPER FARRELL ‘21

ATTICUS TRUBILOWICZ ‘27

Lower School Down on the Farm

Wellington parents Chip and Erin Thomas P ‘21 graciously hosted Lower School students on their Dublin farm this June. The visits have become an annual tradition in which kids can fish, take hay rides, enjoy a ride in a row boat, and roast marshmallows around the campfire. It was a terrific time of exploration and adventure in the great outdoors.

Thank you, Thomas family, for sharing your beautiful farm with us!

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ATHLETICS

Athletics

COLEEN KLETZLY ‘13 AND JACK ROSLOVIC ‘15

Education and Athletics without Barriers

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ellington’s dedication to encouraging students to discover their true passions doesn’t stop on Roberts Field or in the Gard Gym. The school also fosters a supportive environment in which outside activities are not only accommodated but encouraged by faculty members and coaches.

TYLER SHARP ‘13

Having played football since the age of 4, Tyler Sharp ‘13 has wanted to play professionally for as long as he can remember. He has also wanted to be a Wellington graduate. Fortunately for him, and the many students like him, Sharp did not have to choose between the two. In addition to playing basketball on the Wellington team, he has also played wide receiver for the Columbus Crusaders football program since the 9th grade.

With three hour practices every day, Sharp credits Wellington for giving him a great foundation of study habits to ensure that he doesn’t fall behind academically as he moves closer to attaining his dream. He will attend Malone College on a football scholarship in the fall.

Senior Coleen Kletzly also came to Wellington with the love of a sport not currently offered through the school’s athletic department. She

began playing volleyball at her previous school and, inspired by a former Wellington athletic director who recognized her passion and wanted to bring volleyball to young Jaguars, Kletzly developed her Senior Independent Project around getting middle schoolers to try the sport.

“The Athletic Department at Wellington always seemed really interested in helping me be successful at volleyball,” she said. “I felt like I stood out here, and that felt good.”

After 12 years and thousands of miles traveled with the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets team, Jack Roslovic ‘15 has been invited to join the National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Michigan where he will train and play as he finishes the last two years of high school.

Roslovic, too, has endured a grueling schedule of three hour practices every day after school as well as Fridays spent outside of the Columbus area to compete on a national level.

“It’s been a lot of work,” Roslovic said. “But the teachers at Wellington have been extremely accommodating. They’ve really helped me a lot with balancing my school workload with my commitment to hockey.”

With plans to perhaps study engineering one day at a college close to Ohio, Roslovic would like to see how far his athletic ambition can take him. He already knows that he would like to study at a small school similar to the environment he found at Wellington.

“I really like the atmosphere here,” he said. “The one-on-one learning at Wellington is very helpful. It’s a fun school.”

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ATHLETICS

MEET LINDSEY SMITH

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ellington is excited to welcome Lindsey Smith as the new Athletic Director.

Having played a multitude of sports as well as performed as a top competitor in the Reebok CrossFit Games, Smith unquestionably will bring her passion and determination to push our student athletes farther than they could ever imagine.

Previously a physical education teacher and coach at Trinity Episcopal School in Austin, Texas and most recently Athletic Director and Department Chair for Physical Education and Health at Columbus School for Girls, Smith has proven herself a true visionary leader in independent schools across the nation.

TOP: LINDSEY SMITH COMPETES AT REEBOK CROSSFIT GAMES. BOTTOM: SMITH WITH HUSBAND WEB AND DAUGHTER ALEXIS. 39 • WELLINGTON MAGAZINE

YOU WERE AN ALL-STATE PLACEKICKER ON YOUR HIGH SCHOOL BOYS FOOTBALL TEAM. WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO JOIN THE TEAM? My junior year I played on a “Powder Puff” flag football team that was coached by the junior class football players. In practice one night before we faced the senior class, the boys, knowing that soccer was my specialty, asked me if I was willing to take on the kicking responsibilities for the upcoming game. I agreed, and succeeded quite effortlessly, having kicked a soccer ball all my life. This ultimately led to the Head Coach approaching my parents and asking them if they would consider allowing me to play with the boys.

When I officially joined the team my senior year, it was as if I had 100 brothers and 15 dads looking after me at all times. Due to their amazing support and an incredibly talented team, I was able to notch 55 point after attempts and 6 field goals in a single season.

As a result, I collected All-Conference, District, and State accolades. And yes, I did get hit, but only once.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU AS AN ATHLETE AND EDUCATOR? As an athlete, I am inspired by the realization that it is within my power to be better tomorrow than I am today. Yes, I am competitive and I like winning, but more importantly I like knowing that I am pushing the boundaries of my own personal limits. For me, this is where the true reward is found.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THE EXPERIENCE? I learned more about what it means to be a teammate in that single season than I did in all my other high school athletic experiences combined. It was amazing to see how my team came together to support me because they were able to recognize that I shared their vision and goal. It also taught me the value of taking risks and the rewards associated with a willingness to accept vulnerability, embrace challenges, and going against the grain. This lesson has manifested itself in my life ever since.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE AS THE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR OF WELLINGTON? My vision for Wellington Athletics is to create an environment where the community feels a great sense of pride in the program.

I envision this will be accomplished through a heightened level of commitment from the student athletes and coaches alike, by developing strong leadership within each respective program, and through supporting and encouraging the athletes to take ownership and pride in their success. My hope is that each and every athlete who comes through the athletic program will leave a more confident and capable individual, willing to take risks, and face challenges head on. I believe these are the intangible qualities that ultimately lead to athletic success and championship caliber teams.

HOW DID YOU FIRST GET INVOLVED IN THE REEBOK CROSSFIT GAMES? My husband was involved in CrossFit long before I was. It wasn’t until I found out there was an opportunity to compete that my interest was sparked. At my first CrossFit competition in 2009, I qualified for the Reebok CrossFit Games and took fifth place overall in the international competition. The sport has evolved a tremendous amount over the past five years, but I consider myself blessed to still be standing among and competing with The Fittest in the World.

As an educator, I am inspired by the opportunity to help students come to a similar realization, as they push the boundaries of their perceived capacity and potential. To see a student set a goal, struggle though the challenges and wrestle with the obstacles life throws at them as they navigate their way towards that goal, and then witness the satisfaction they experience when that goal is achieved is what I love most about working in education. I am passionate about creating strong, confident, and capable young men and women. I’ve found that athletics provide an amazing opportunity for these valuable lessons.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME? In my spare time I enjoy working out, being outdoors, watching movies with my husband, doing something totally girly with my daughter (because that is what she loves), and just spending time with family and friends.

Boys Varsity Basketball

ABOVE: COACH BRIAN MCCANTS RECEIVES RECOGNITION PLAQUE FROM DOMINIC DAVIS P ‘14 ‘19.

BELOW: WELLINGTON BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL TEAM.

Coach Brian McCants Retires

After 12 memorable and rewarding seasons as coach of the Wellington boys basketball team, Brian McCants retired this spring.

His inspiring dedication to leadership in youth sports was at the heart of his retirement party on February 16 where the entire Wellington community came out to celebrate his career at the school. Having led the Jaguars to Division IV district and regional titles in 2003 and a district title in 2005, Coach McCants proved time and time again that hard work and perseverance were rewarding with or without accolades.

“I’ve enjoyed my 12 years coaching at Wellington, but I’m going to look at some opportunities to coach in college or possibly at a Division I or II high school program that’s closer to my home in Marion,” McCants said. “I’m looking to end my career here on a positive note with this great senior class that we have.”

Youth Sports Coordinator Dominic Davis P ‘14 ‘19 gave McCants a plaque at the party in honor of his service. “Brian’s been more than just a coach here,” Davis said. “He’s also been a mentor for a countless number of athletes. His message to his teams has always been about the importance of family and the strength of working together.”

Several players stood out during the season, but the core of seniors lead the varsity boys basketball team both on and off the court to a record of 12-10. Led

by Team Captain Billy Brisk ‘13, Third Team All Central District - Tyler Sharp, Honorable Mention All Central District - Jahi Dial and Jonathan Robinson.

JAHI DIAL ‘13, JONATHAN ROBINSON ‘13, AND BILLY BRISK ‘13 Freshmen Lorenze Gordon-Haynes and Cameron Edmondson contributed valuable minutes in several varsity games along with sophomores Mason McIntyre and Elliot Fite.

The team had an impressive winning streak during the month of January by winning 5 games in a row, including the Jaguar Invitational where they defeated Shekinah Christian in the finals by a score of 72-56. The team finished the season with a record of 12-10.

“The team took pride in winning the tournament and regained some needed confidence and momentum to finish out the season on a high note,” said Coach David Herrick P ‘23.

“The team loses a number of graduating seniors, but that will give the underclassmen the opportunity to step-up to the challenge and carry on the basketball tradition at Wellington.”

Boys JV Basketball

MASON MCINTYRE ‘15, BEN BRISK ‘15, AND CAMERON EDMONDSON ‘16

The team had a number of hard fought games this season before finishing with a record of 5-11.

Highlights include a 34-30 victory over Heath High School in the Grandview Bobcat Holiday Classic, to advance to the Championship game. This was a first for the JV team. The team finished with a 24 point win over Ridgemont High School.

“Even in defeat, the JV Jaguars made a genuine effort to play their best every game,” Coach Craig Jones said.

Sophomore Ben Brisk and freshman Sterling Adiansingh were consistent contributors all season long. Both players have the potential to make significant contributions to the boys basketball program next year.

Boys Middle School Basketball

All of the players on the boys middle school basketball team started in at least 2 games and all scored during the season. Coach Craig Taylor P ‘16 ‘18 was impressed with the players’ drive and determination during two games in particular, hard fought victories against Tree of Life (26-24) and Fairfield Christian (25-24). The season had many ups and downs with winning and losing streaks, but hope was never lost. After losing 3 in a row, the team went on to triumph in their last game of the season, bringing their final record to an impressive 13-4. Evan Yakubov ‘17 and Cyrus Lloyd ‘17 were both Coaches Award recipients this season.

Remembering Anthony Jackson, Class of 2009

HALE EDWARDS ‘18 AND BRAD BIEHL ‘18 SPRING/SUMMER 2013 • 40

ATHLETICS

Girls Varsity Basketball

The girls varsity basketball team overcame the loss of several experienced players to illness and injury to finish their season 6-17. Despite the shortage of players, the team won their first game on the road at Madison Christian 39-27.

“The first win of the season is always special because it reaffirms all the hard work that goes into preparing for the season is well invested,” said Coach Bill Mitchin. “Despite their adversity, the girls approached every game with a positive attitude and played with tremendous energy and effort.”

Helen Fite ‘13 distinguished herself in a strong leadership role as the team’s only senior. Mallory Tannous ‘14 played in the game at Granville Christian despite having spent the morning in the emergency room. Halle Jefferson ‘16 exceeded expectations for a freshman player and both Sydney Snow ‘15 and Abbey Mayne ‘16 played a number of positions out of necessity, showing great flexibility to their games.

Coach Mitchin recalled the joy the team shared in defeating CSG for the second year in a row. “Beating CSG, who is a traditional rival in the Jaguar Invitational, 40-26 was a well-earned highlight to our season.”

DONNETTE COX ‘14, ANNIE STEELE ‘16 , SYDNEY SNOW ‘14, AND ABBY MAYNE ‘16

Girls Middle School Basketball

The Lady Jags played a lot of teams with more experience and older girls all season, but the girls middle school basketball team continued to work hard and get better all season. Macey Shock ‘18 and JaKaysha Williams ‘18 were the point, steal, and floor leaders all season. A season highlight included the team playing Harvest Prep and coming back from being down over 15 points to then lose by just 1 point. The final record for the season was 6-7.

39 • WELLINGTON MAGAZINE 41

ELIZABETH CHESTER ‘18 AND JACQUIE SIERZPUTOWSKI ‘18

Spring Sports Recognition Night

Wellington celebrated its athletes at the Spring Sports Recognition Night Awards this week. It was fun evening in which coaches shared their favorite game memories. There were terrific stories of triumph through adversity, learning patience, and showing heart.

The awards for Spring Sports included: MIDDLE SCHOOL Coaches Award Baseball - Teddy Knowles ‘17 & Ngozi Pinkston ‘17 Softball - Cassie Robbins ‘17 Boys Lacrosse - Kellen Posacki ‘17 Girls Lacrosse - Nia Gill ‘17 & Ami Kounta ‘17 Boys Tennis - Spencer Rieser ‘17 UPPER SCHOOL Coaches Award Baseball - Shawn Meddock ‘13 & Grayson Ashby ‘14 Softball - Gab Smith ‘14 Girls Lacrosse - Neale Snyder ‘13 Track & Field - Keilah Causey ‘16 (Program Revitalization Award) R.O.A.R Baseball - Billy Brisk ‘13 Softball - Abby Fleeter ‘14 Boys Lacrosse - Jonathan Robinson ‘13 Girls Lacrosse - Leah Buckingham ‘13 Boys Tennis - Nick Mayne ‘13 & Will Gross ‘13 Hustle Award Baseball - Elliott Fite ‘15 Rookie of the Year Softball - Zoe Mak ‘16 Teammate Award Boys Lacrosse - Jordan Tunnell ‘13 MVP Award Boys Lacrosse - Jonathan Taylor ‘13 Girls Lacrosse - Helen Fite ‘13 Boys Tennis - Vishal Sharoff ‘13 Softball Central District Awards: Em Hammett ‘14 - 2nd team All Central District Abby Fleeter ‘14 - Honorable Mention All Central District Gab Smith ‘14 - Honorable Mention All Central District Zoe Mak ‘16 - Honorable Mention All Central District

Varsity Softball

Despite experiencing six losses in a row mid-season, the team never gave up and dug deep to start hitting the ball and making easy plays look easy. Coach Me-chelle Burkhalter recalled a particularly memorable game against Millersport in sectionals.

The Lady Jags led through most of the game, hitting and scoring in several 2 out rally situations. “It was great,” Coach Burkhalter said. “We played as a team and made very few errors.”

Players that really stood out included Abby Fleeter ‘14, who pitched consistently great all season, and Em Hammett ‘14, who had a .475 batting average for the season and looked confident at the plate. Junior Gab Smith was a vocal and offensive leader all season, and freshman Zoe Mak was a pleasant surprise in the outfield and at the plate. All four earned All-District Awards this season. The team’s hardwork and dedication pushed them to a season record of 5-12.

The teammates learned to trust each other and to be in the right place at the right time. In each of the last four games the team gained an out at home when our catcher made a blind, flip throw to our pitcher. In the last game, catcher Aquila Simmons ‘19 made two perfect throws to Mackenize Beam ‘19, who was covering 2nd base, to catch opponents attempting to steal.

Middle School Softball

Sophie Haskett ‘19, with the support of teammates, overcame the pain and mental impact of being hit in the back with a fastball early in the season to become one of the team’s best hitters by the end. Camille McCantsSimpson ‘19, Megan Johnson ‘19, and Cassie Robbins ‘18 each had multiple line drive hits to the outfield.

Coach John Olesik credited the Middle School softball team with growing from young, inexperienced, and unsure players (including nine 6th graders) to a team that loved to learn and play together. “Timid base runners became aggressive, smart base runners who loved to slide in the dirt to bases,” he said. “Consistent effort while teammates learned from and taught each other was rewarded with wins in 3 of the last 4 games.”

The last at bat of the season was the team’s best with 13 consecutive batters reaching base including 8 hits (by Jasmine Haraburda, Megan Johnson, Soleil Tibetts-Barnes, Aquila Simmons, Mackenzie Beam, Miranda Johnson, Cindy Spencer, and Amelia Walker). Earlier, Emma Hans made the best catch of the game on a line drive to left field.

Finishing the season with a 3-3 record, the team scored a terrific victory over Hastings with Rose Nandor ‘19 making two excellent defensive plays. The pitching of Cassie Robbins ‘18 was key to each of the wins.

“The players went from playing ON a team to playing AS A TEAM,” Olesik said. “Making the 2013 season an exciting and memorable one.”

SPRING/SUMMER 2013 • 42

ATHLETICS

Upper School Swimming and Diving

The Upper School swimming and diving team broke several school records at districts, including the girls 200 Medley Relay, Jenna Tugaoen ‘13 in the 50 Back, Annie Miller ‘13 for both the 100 and 50 Breast, Matthew Xin ‘16 for the 200 Free, and Michael Haring ‘15 for 11 dives. Ten individuals and 3 relays scored points at districts. The Jags ended the competition with 8 podium appearances, including Michael Haring ‘15 as district champion and Brittany Anderson ‘14 as district runner-up.

Coach Bill Miller P ‘15 ‘17 ‘21 led the team to an outstanding six state qualifiers. Annie Miller ‘13 placed 20th for the 100 Breast. The 200 Medley Relay team of Jenna Tugaoen ‘13, Annie Miller ‘13, Abby Fleeter ‘11, and Kate Miller ‘15 took 23rd place. Michael Haring ‘14 was 11th All Ohio. Brittany Anderson ‘14 finished with an impressive State Runner Up title for the second year in a row.

Middle School Swimming

ABOVE LEFT: BRITTANY ANDERSON ‘14 ABOVE RIGHT: MIRANDA JOHNSON ‘17

The Middle School Swim team truly grew in spirit and stamina as the season progressed. Every single swimmer had a drop in a least one event, and almost everyone had a personal best in everything they swam.

Middle School Coaches Awards went to Jack Miller ’17, Sam Goldberg ’17, Cassie Robbins ‘17, and Miranda Johnson ’17.

Girls Track & Field

Post-Secondary Athletics

We congratulate the following students who will continue their athletic excellence by playing on varsity teams at the next level of competition: ANNIE MILLER: Golf | Denison University | Division III TYLER SHARP: Football | Malone University | Division II JONATHAN TAYLOR: Golf | Denison University | Division III

43 • WELLINGTON MAGAZINE

Freshman Keilah Causey had a consistent season and stayed healthy in all of her competing events. She showed great improvements in technique, determination, and personal development.

Her courage and determination were illustrated in the district meet, while running her 800 meters best split time of the season. Keilah’s leadership and tenacity were on display at the Joe Ramsey Invitational where she scored 18 team points and placed 1st in the Long Jump and 2nd in 800 meters.

Varsity Baseball

The baseball team finished their season with 12-10 record. Grayson Ashby ‘14 threw a two-hit shutout against West High School, recording 17 strikeouts. The team had memorable victories against Granville Christian 11-1, after losing to them the week before, and against Ridgedale High School 8-7, after trailing most of the game. Billy Brisk ‘13, Grayson Ashby ‘14, Zach Kauffman’15, and Elliott Fite ‘15 all earned All-District Team honors.

LEFT: CHRISTIAN BRADDY ‘13

Middle School Baseball

There were several memorable moments in the season that culminated with an ending record of 2-12-1.

Max Wing ‘18 had a diving catch in left field to secure a 7-6 win over Grandview Heights and Teddy Knowles ‘17 pitched the strikeout to end the same game. Connor Weber ‘17 scored a home run in another game with Grandview Heights. The team had a 5 run, 2 out rally in the last inning to force a 7-7 tie vs. Jones Middle School.

Randy Yan ‘18 made a terrific catch in right field to end the season with a win against Bexley Middle School Coach Greg Huffman said, “Even though we went down 7-0 after two innings of our last game of the season vs. Bexley, we stayed positive and scored 11 runs while Connor Weber pitched four shutout innings to give us an 11-7 victory!”

Coach Huffman also wanted to commend the strong leadership of the 8th grade players, including Teddy Knowles, Ngozi Pinkston, Connor Weber, Ryan O’Neil, and Adam Porter.

ELIZABETH CHESTER ‘18 AND AUDREY UNVERFERTH ‘18

Girls Varsity Lacrosse

The Lady Jags had a season record of 3-13. Senior Neale Snyder received the Coaches Award on Recognition Night.

Leah Buckingham ‘13 won the R.O.A.R. award and Helen Fite ‘13 was named MVP. A season highlight included the team winning their first round game of the South/Central Region Division 2 Tournament against Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy 16-6.

Girls Middle School Lacrosse

The girls middle school girls lacrosse season was a lot of fun for the team, comprised of many beginning players who came a long way by the season end. Excited about learning the sport, the Lady Jags worked well together to earn a 3-10 record with four losses coming within one or two goals.

A memorable highlight included playing Delaware for a second time and the opposing team shouting, “We love Wellington. You’re our favorite team.” The girls learned a valuable lesson in the rewards of good sportsmanship.

SPRING/SUMMER 2013 • 44

ATHLETICS

Boys Middle School Lacrosse

The team consisted of a very talented group of athletes who overcame small numbers and pulled through to great victories, finishing the season 12-4 and LINCOLN GREEN ‘18, KELLEN POSACKI ‘17, AND placing 3rd in the State DOMINIC RAGUSA ‘17 Tournament. Seventh grader Lincoln Green stepped into goal with no experience and saved a last second goal with his helmet to defeat Columbus Academy. J.T Seitz ‘17 scored seven goals in one game. Eighth graders Kellen and Chris Posacki had the formidable ability to score on command. Andrew “Candy” Watson ‘18 stepped into the goal for the tournament with no practice and did a great job. Both Nate Goldfarb ‘17 and Sam Kim ’18 also stood out for their contributions to the team.

Coach Andrew Bankhurst recalled that during a tough game against a much larger Marysville, the team was “only winning by one goal and after leaving it up to the kids to continue their undefeated season, they came back in the second half to heavily outscore their opponents and win the game.”

Boys Middle School Tennis

Boys Varsity Lacrosse

Seniors Jonathan Robinson and Jonathan Taylor distinguished themselves as team leaders, winning the R.O.A.R. and MVP awards respectively. The boys finished their season with a hard fought loss to Wooster High School in the 1st Round of Division 2 Tournament play, ending with a 2-16 record.

JONATHAN ROBINSON ‘13, ALEX TOBIN ‘15, AND ROTH DEHLENDORF ‘16

1

With a large turnout and a new coach, the team finished the season with a winning record of 5-4. After losing to St. Paul 4-1 in an early match, the team later defeated them 4-1in a home stretch where they won three of the final four matches. The only loss in the last four matches was to Columbus Academy in a close 2-3 loss which included close matches in all of the team’s courts.

“We lost to Columbus Academy 5-0 in the first match of the season,” Coach Steve Crossin said. “So this was a great match for our team and shows the growth that they had as the season progressed.”

Seventh graders Connor Biernat, Ryan Young, and Kolapo Dairo played first, second, and third singles. Crossin credited these players as the core of the team leading to many of the wins and predicted that they will be the top three middle school players in the area next season as 8th graders.

Boys Varsity Tennis

Boys varsity tennis had an outstanding 11-2 season, winning 10 straight matches. The team was named 4th Best in the District despite the loss of number one player Nick Sweeney ‘15 after week two of the season. Seniors Will Gross and Nick Mayne were named R.O.A.R winners.

IAKOVOS ANASTASAKIS ‘13, VISHAL SHAROFF ‘13, NICK MAYNE ‘13, AND WILLIAM GROSS ‘13.

45 • WELLINGTON MAGAZINE

John McCorkle: The Fearless Adventurer

Alumni L

essons learned at Wellington led John McCorkle ’08 on the adventure of a lifetime through Southeast and East Asia.

McCorkle came to Wellington in preschool and felt very fortunate to spend the 14 years in an environment that encouraged him to try new things. He decided to join the Middle School band on a whim and had so much fun with it that he continued on into Upper School. His confidence in his playing grew with the help of music teacher James Becker P ‘27.

“Mr. Becker asked me to play a sax solo my freshman year. It was a daunting prospect for me in the beginning, but Mr. Becker spent a lot of time working with me and helping me prepare. When it came time to finally perform, I was really proud of how far I had come.”

McCorkle believed that Wellington’s small size, enabling his teachers to give him individualized attention, was a huge factor in his willingness to step outside of his comfort zone. “Many of my friends and I played sports, played in the band, and even got involved in theatre. I can’t think of any other school where that would be possible.”

Both baseball and basketball provided McCorkle with valuable lessons in perseverance and fortitude. He credits coaches McCants, Herrick, and Craig Jones with teaching him the value of hard work and what he can achieve by putting all of his effort into something.

“Senior year, our basketball team won two games in the state tournament to make it to the district final,” McCorkle said. “It was a pretty fantastic experience.”

When it came time to look for a college, McCorkle knew he wanted to find a small school similar to Wellington. He chose Santa Clara University and majored in history after developing a love for the subject from classes with teacher Sara Brdar P ‘02 ‘03.

All of McCorkle’s experiences at Wellington culminated after his college graduation when he challenged himself to journey through six countries in three months. Traveling by himself through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Mylasia, Phillipines, and Hong Kong, McCorkle relished the opportunity to test his ability to adapt to people and places entirely foreign to him.

“My favorite city was Hong Kong because it was so modern,” he said.

“It felt very much like a 21st century world city. My favorite country was Vietnam. It was so completely different from any place I’d ever seen. It was fascinating to know its history and witness firsthand how they are re-building from the war. I also liked how much it challenged you as an outsider because there’s an uncertainty to daily life there.”

McCorkle credits Wellington for giving him the courage to step out of his comfort zone and to try new things. “This school taught me to be open to new ideas. Learning doesn’t just take place in a classroom. You have to keep an open mind to different people and cultures. It’s important to always remember that you really can do anything if you put your mind to it.”

SPRING/SUMMER 2013 • 46

ALUMNI

Ashleigh Posey:

In Her Own Words Lower School learning guide Ashleigh (Gerlach) Posey ‘05 joined the Wellington family in kindergarten and her first teacher was Emily Marsh, later to become Szabo. Now the two are colleagues. What brought this Wellington lifer back to our community as an educator?

The teachers that I had at Wellington inspired me in many ways and strongly influenced my choice to become a teacher. The great thing about Wellington is that it allowed me to grow as an individual and pursue my passions both inside and outside of school.

My favorite lower school memory was skiing. It’s so unique that our students start skiing in 2nd grade. It forced me to take risks and also helped me learn responsibility. I really enjoyed the class trips because they were filled with incredible learning opportunities, and we also had time to get to know our teachers and peers on a more personal level.

One thing that has stayed the same at Wellington is the traditions. Having lower school buddies when I was in upper school allowed me to visit with the younger kids and share stories about my own experiences at Wellington. It’s a great program that still continues today. Another one of my favorite traditions is the holiday sing. I like that is brings the Wellington family all together.

I really enjoy being a learning guide in kindergarten.

I’ve always had a passion for helping others, and I love watching the excitement that children have towards learning. Their positive energy in the classroom makes my job so rewarding. My favorite moments in the classroom are always when the “light bulb” goes on in a student’s mind and their confidence soars!

47 • WELLINGTON MAGAZINE

Alumni News

89

Cara Forester lives in Columbus and works in the Public Affairs Department at Cardinal Health. She is a Business Partner for the Pharmaceutical Distribution Company.

91

Justin Collamore writes that he and his wife Allison saw classmate Matt Bender and his family this past winter. They had a great visit and everyone is doing well. Justin’s company Collamore Built Residential Design and Construction was on the cover of Columbus Monthly Home and Garden Magazine in January 2013 and featured in a 10 page spread of 4 different mid-century modern homes that he designed and renovated. One of the homes featured was Head of School Robert Brisk P ‘13 ‘15 and his family.

Greg Deeds is living in Florida and is the CEO of Technology Exploration Group, LLC. The class of 1991 reports with sadness the passing of Ada Elizabeth “Bettye” Stevenson, mother of Terree Stevenson on Thursday, April 4. Mrs. Stevenson was surrounded by family and friends who loved, admired, valued, and respected her. She is at peace and her soul is finally at rest.

92

Steve Paull is now Partner and Vice President of Consulting Services at Navigator Management Partners.

93

The Class of 1993 reports with sadness the passing of classmate Josh Weisel.

Josh is survived by his wife Kimberly, daughter Desiree, his father and stepmother Dr. Michael and Faith Weisel, his mother and stepfather Dr. Laura Weisel and Dr. Philip Cass, and sister Marisa Weisel ‘02. He was a valued member of our community and will be deeply missed. More information on the Josh Weisel Memorial Scholarship that has been established can be found on page 52.

94

Sara Schwebel is up for tenure this spring in the English Department at the University of South Carolina. She’s looking forward to spending a week at a conference in Ann Arbor this summer, as she will be able to have a long visit with friend and classmate Sarah Voss Wagner.

95

Tyler Bohm and Anisa Gandevivala were married in a civil ceremony on October 19, 2012. They will be traveling to India for their wedding and reception in October 2013.

Scott Lonardo writes that he is married and he and his wife are expecting their 4th child in November. They are parents to Cody (8), Gabriella (5), Eric (4), and now Naomi. He is a lawyer working at a law firm in Northern California practicing intellectual property law. They love California and are doing their best to keep up with their kids’ busy lives!

96

Elizabeth Blount McCormick was married to Herbert Lee McCormick, Jr in the Bahamas on November 4, 2012. Oprah Winfrey was staying at their resort and Elizabeth was able to get her picture taken with her two days before her wedding.

Bice Dolciato graduated in January 2013 with a Masters of Science in Marketing & Communications from Franklin University. She recently moved into a new role as Associate Brand Manager in Healthcare Professional Marketing for Abbott Nutrition.

While on vacation in Florida this winter, Rebecca Spears Hinze got her picture taken with John McEnroe.

They caught him coming off his warm-up at the Delray Beach Tennis Championships. Her husband basically shoved her up there and yelled it was her birthday. Mac (begrudgingly) took a picture.

98

Dana Krull is an Army Chaplain and will be deploying to Afghanistan later this year.

00

Elizabeth Caldwell received a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Oregon last summer. She is married to Jonathan Langseth and they live in Eugene, Oregon.

Kirk Johnston and his wife Melanie welcomed baby boy Jack Heitmann Johnston in January.

Alan Roach graduated cum laude from Denison in 2004. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine in 2008 and completed his residency at Vanderbilt Monroe Carroll Children’s Hospital in 2011. He is currently practicing pediatric medicine. He and his wife Anna live in Nashville, TN.

01

Cliff Cannon is the dining room manager at the newest Cameron Mitchell restaurant “The Pearl” now located in the Short North.

Katie Dickens was promoted in January to Account Director at Ologie, a branding and marketing firm in downtown Columbus.

In this position she manages client relationships and business initiatives for a portfolio of accounts.

The class of 2001 reports with sadness the passing of Bill Gorley’s stepfather John Casey on Thursday, March 14. John K. Casey, age 80, formerly of Upper Arlington, died at his home in Palm Coast, Florida.

Tanya Pirasteh recently got engaged to her boyfriend Nhan, a chemist with Zyvex Technologies. They have yet to set a date, but the wedding is planned to be in California. He proposed at Christmas with her family present. Tanya is living in German Village and doing art consulting at Zen Genius.

SPRING/SUMMER 2013 • 48

ALUMNI

02

Erin Gordon is finishing her first overseas assignment with the State Department as a Vice Consul in Mumbai, India in May 2013. She will be heading to Munich, Germany for her next assignment in early 2014.

Claire Lukeman is now living in Columbus and is a Senior Manager in Business Development for Resource Digital Marketing Company.

The class of 2002 reports with sadness the passing of Josh Weisel ‘93, brother of Marisa Weisel, on February 5, 2013.

03

Tracie Abbott will graduate in 2013 from The University of Denver with a Master’s in Clinical Psychology. The focus of her program is International Study and last summer she had the opportunity to travel with three of her classmates to the city Namakkal in India. Namakkal is a small town with a population of over 1 million, which is considered small by the people who live there! While in India, Tracie and her classmates worked at the Center for AIDS Research and Education. This center runs the medical component of caring for women and children with AIDS and Tracie’s job was to assist in implementing the mental health component of treatment. She also worked with staff on how they can better address their patient’s mental health needs. She was in India for 10 weeks, and when she was not working she took the opportunity to travel as often as she could. At the end of her internship, she spent a week in Sri Lanka for a quick vacation before returning to the states.

She recently was accepted in to the University of Denver Doctorate Program and will begin working on her Doctorate in Psychology.

49 • WELLINGTON MAGAZINE

Robin Baidya was named the undergraduate recipient of the 2013 Diversity Engagement Award at The Ohio State University. He received the award for coordinating a film, lecture, and workshop series this year for the OSU chapter of a national organization called Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (oSTEM). oSTEM aims to provide services, support, education, and networking opportunities to STEM students who identify as part of a gender minority, sex minority, or sexual minority (including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, asexual, and intersex students).

He joined the group two years ago in response to the hostile social environment that he faced as a student in mathematics. Thanks in part to the support that he gleaned from oSTEM, he graduated last year with BS in mathematics from OSU. This year, while he took additional mathematics courses as a continuing education student to prepare for a graduate program in mathematics, he decided to give back to oSTEM by serving as events coordinator. Things just developed from there. Now, he will be starting a PhD program in mathematics and statistics at Georgia State University in sunny, sunny Atlanta this fall!

Tess Emerson graduated from Otterbein University with a BFA in musical theater performance in 2008. After graduation she moved to New York City to become an actress. She wrote the following news update to Wellington:

Two years into my training I got a call from a man named Martin Espana looking for a girl to join his troupe in the circus. I would be doing a motorcycle high wire act and Spanish web in his troupe for The Jordan World Circus on their west coast tour.

I was on that tour for 10 weeks and I believe we did 52 cities in that time. Everyday a new city, new I was on backstage.com or playbill.com looking people, and a new adventure. We probably worked for auditions and came across a listing for an anywhere from 10-18 hours a day. We would do 2 alto saxophone player which happened to be my or 3 shows a day depending on the city. then-boyfriend’s principal instrument. I forwarded him the listing and pushed him to pursue it. After I finished my time with Martin and The Jordan many auditions and interviews he got the job – World Circus in June 2012. After spending a little for Ringling brothers Barnum and Bailey circus! over 4 years in Manhattan, I decided it was time for a change. I didn’t really know what or where When I visited him and saw the show, I was to go so I came back to Columbus at the beginning so impressed with everything and absolutely of November to spend some time with my family. hypnotized by the women on Lyra (a large steel I was able to rig my equipment as well as fellow aerial hoop that spins in the air while women Wellington grad Kyra Wagner’s ‘07 equipment up at do beautiful acrobatics and contortions on it). I Vertical Adventures so that we could keep up with thought it was so beautiful and wanted to learn our practice. how to do it. I returned to NYC and searched for a place to take circus classes. I found a After receiving a call from The Jordan World Circus school called Circus Warehouse in Long Island offering me a year contract to come on the road City, Queens. I have always been very athletic, with them again as a showgirl, I headed off to Las so I thought I would have some of the strength Vegas for rehearsals. required to learn the aerials. Boy was I ever wrong. I couldn’t do anything! But I never gave We opened the West Coast tour in February of this up. I trained…and trained…and trained some year. When I mentioned to the owners that I sing, I more until eventually I started putting my own began opening every show with the “Star-Spangled Lyra acts together around New York City.

Banner.” When the current ringmaster headed out to open the companies east coast tour, I was asked I also fell in love with flying trapeze and started to take his place. I was floored. So I just said yes! teaching classes at Circus Warehouse and then at Trapeze School New York (TSNY).

I am now proud to say that I am the ringmaster of the Jordan World Circus West Coast Unit.

05

11

Kyle Martin has a new job as Sports Information Staff Assistant at Duke University

12

Charles Leeper is working at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory as the lead of collision avoidance for unmanned aircraft (making sure drones don’t hit commercial airplanes).

06

Sabrina Dowd-Abele has moved to Springfield, MO to pursue some graduate level work. She also just got married in December. She thinks that it’s wonderful to hear about all of the changes taking place at Wellington lately. It has really grown since she was a student.

Marty Little has just left for California where he will be attending graduate school in San Diego.

08

After working on renewable energy policy in DC, Brook Kohn decided to join the Peace Corps and will serve in Namibia beginning in July 2013. Before he departs, he will backpack through India to better understand the world’s largest democracy. Connect with him at BrookKohn@gmail.com.

09

Brooke O’Brien is moving to New York City in early June to begin a job with Xerox. She graduated from Georgetown in May. Caroleen Wilkes graduated from The Ohio State University in December 2012 after completing her course of study in Real Estate Development. She is preparing to move to Nashville to begin her graduate school studies at Vanderbilt University in the Fall 2013.

Nick Vasko accepted a position at Los Arboles, a real estate asset management company based out of Seattle, WA. He will be with the commercial real estate group working with the asset managers on a whole bunch of exciting projects. He also decided to graduate a year early so he will be a senior next year!

10

Last summer Jacob Robinson spent 8 weeks as an intern with Banrural Grameen, a micro-finance bank located in Guatemala. The mission of this organization is to combat extreme poverty by providing micro-credit loans to poor women. While he was there he shadowed the Executive Director Alomgir Hossain as well as various field officers who distributed and collected the loan money. Jacob himself conducted 26 interviews with loan recipients and got the chance to write the 2011 Annual Report for the organization. In addition to learning more about micro-finance, it was a great experience for him to improve his conversational Spanish.

While he was in Guatemala, he spent time backpacking around the country and took quite a few salsa dance classes. When he arrived back at Duke in the fall, he auditioned and qualified for the Duke Latin Dance Team called Sabrosura. He has enjoyed being able to continue learning more Latin dance moves since leaving Central America.

His junior year at Duke has been going well and, with Public Policy as his major, he has been taking a lot of courses in education policy and city leadership. He will be in Atlanta working with CNN this summer on the Row desk, which focuses on research and fact-checking.

CJ Hansen has made the Dean’s List his first two quarters at Northwestern.

Kim Roseler is very busy with school, maintaining a full course load, two jobs, mentoring, and serving as a liaison between Wellington and Otterbein. She is still working with her Wellington mentor, Scott Humphrys P ‘20 ‘22, who has continued to be invaluable not only at Wellington but during her time in Otterbein. She recently became the assistant to baseball coaching staff at Otterbein Athletic Department.

Alexa Anderson ‘11 and Mackenzie Danis ‘12 are now sisters! Mackenzie was initiated in the fall as a member of Delta Delta Delta at the University of Denver.

Noah Porschart is doing quite well!

He should end this semester with a 3.8+ GPA and will be at Fisher next year despite having to leave first semester for medical reasons. He is currently pursuing starting up a student-managed hedge fund, having found a couple of investors. He has other projects in the works as well. In addition, his application to the US Treasury for the summer is being considered so he is keeping his fingers crossed.

The Class of 2009 reports with sadness the passing of Anthony Jackson from complications of juvenile diabetes. More information about the impact Anthony made on Wellington can be found on page 52.

SPRING/SUMMER • 50

ALUMNI

Mikaela Howie Guest Lecturer for Carol Goldsmith Series Alumna Mikaela Howie ‘97 spoke to Upper School students on February 1 as part of the Carol Goldsmith Lecture Series.

The series was established to honor Wellington’s first science teacher Carol Goldsmith after her passing in 2003.

Goldsmith’s deep love for the subject she taught and the profound impact she had on her students resonated through the BPAC as Howie addressed the audience.

ADAM ASHBROOK ‘02 ADDRESSES GUESTS AND INTRODUCES FRIEDL BOHM

Alumni Professional Development Spring Lunch ‘n Learn with Friedl Bohm

On Tuesday, April 9, 25 alumni gathered at The Capital Club for the Alumni Association Board’s second Alumni networking lunch. Alumni had the opportunity to network with Friedl Bohm P ‘91 ‘95 ‘98. Friedl Bohm is currently the chairman of White Oak Partners located in New Albany, OH. During their lunch, Mr. Bohm offered advice to attendees by encouraging them to pursue their passion when it comes to choosing a career. He believes that people with different backgrounds and cultures help each other with creating different environments. Guests enjoyed networking with Mr. Bohm and reconnecting with other alumni.

“I loved Mrs. Goldsmith’s biology class,” she said. “It wasn’t the easiest subject for me, and I didn’t get the best grade, but I loved it.”

Now a wildlife researcher specializing in avian research, Howie credited her former teacher for igniting her interest in field study.

Outlining the skills needed to work in wildlife research as well as the good and bad of the job requirements, Howie shared some of her own experiences working in such diverse locations as the wetlands of Louisiana and the Alaskan tundra.

She challenged students to find their passions early in life so they could get a head start on developing the necessary skills to be successful in their chosen field. The requirements she listed for students potentially interested in pursuing wildlife field research could be applied to a great many other professions as well. Keen powers of observation, insatiable curiosity, adaptability, and the ability to enjoy your hard work are all defining characteristics of students at The Wellington School.

51 • WELLINGTON MAGAZINE

LEFT: SENIOR/ALUMNI LUNCH RIGHT: JEREMY SMITH ‘13 AND MIRA SYED ‘13

Alumni Offer Advice About Life After Wellington

On Friday, May 17, 10 alumni came back to campus for the annual Senior/Alumni Lunch held in the Middle School Commons. The event provides current seniors with the opportunity to talk to alumni about “Life After Wellington.” Guests shared their experiences from college as well as offered advice on how to look for a job. Additionally, they encouraged the seniors to utilize the strong Wellington Alumni Association network that is available to help them when looking for an internship or permanent position.

Alumni who attended this year’s Senior/Alumni Lunch were Jacob Becker ‘10, Lyle Brown ‘89, Casey Brown ‘06, Catherine Baker ‘08, J.D. Casto ‘06, Alexis Denton ‘08, Eric Gayetsky ‘10, Isaac Gold ‘09, Swapna Koppera ‘08, and Vasantha Koppera ‘09.

Alumni Give Faculty Gifts of Gratitude for Valentine’s Day

On Valentine’s Day this year Kendra Garrett ‘09 and Greg Davda ‘93 distributed roses and Valentine’s Day cards to faculty. These cards had been given to faculty by alumni who paid $20. Money raised from this year’s Gifts of Gratitude went directly to support The Wellington Annual Fund.

Remembering Josh Weisel, Class of 1993 This winter, The Wellington School and the class of 1993 said goodbye to classmate Josh Weisel who passed away unexpectedly at Riverside Hospital on February 5, 2013.

Josh first came to Wellington as a sophomore from Grandview Schools. Despite having muscular dystrophy, which led Josh to be mobile by using a scooter, Josh was determined not to be defined by his medical condition. At Wellington, he was both challenged and championed by both his peers and Wellington’s dynamic faculty.

“They fanned his flames,” his mother Laura Weisel said.

She explained that attending Wellington gave Josh “the opportunity to do everything that he wanted to do and didn’t limit him by his physical disabilities. While he was unable to compete in sports, Josh ‘played’ in art and in the music world as well as academically. Wellington really broadened his mindset beyond academics.”

Josh graduated from The Wellington School, received his undergraduate degree from Oberlin College, and did graduate studies at both University of Miami Law School and University of South Alabama. He was employed as a Service Coordinator by the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities when he died. Josh is survived by his loving wife Kimberly, his stepdaughter Desiree, his parents Laura Weisel (Phil Cass) and Michael Weisel (Faith Weisel), sister Marisa (Wellington Class of 2003), step-sisters Sarah (Edelson), Rachel (Cass) and Erica (Schneider), and step-brothers Brad and Jason (Mastrine).

Josh’s family has established The Josh Weisel Memorial Scholarship.

This scholarship was created to be awarded to an incoming student with physical disabilities who could not otherwise afford a Wellington education.

ABOVE LEFT: GREG DAVDA ‘93 SURPRISES JAYNE YOUNG. ABOVE: KENDRA GARRETT ‘09 HUGS IT OUT WITH ERIN CORNETT ‘96.

Alumni Reach Out to Alumni

On Wednesday, April 3 Alumni board members got together to call other alumni to update their contact information with Wellington, encourage them to attend upcoming events, and consider supporting the Alumni Annual Fund.

KATIE DICKENS ‘01 CALLS OTHER ALUMNI DURING THE ALUMNI ANNUAL FUND.

Remembering Anthony Blair Jackson, Class of 2009

The Wellington family is deeply saddened by the sudden loss of Anthony Blair Jackson, member of the Class of 2009.

Anthony passed away on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 due to complications associated with juvenile diabetes.

During his time at Wellington, Anthony was an excellent student and athlete. He lettered in varsity basketball during his junior and senior years.

Anthony was also the recipient of the Holland Founder’s Trophy, awarded to that student who, in a position of school leadership, best exemplifies the attributes of the first Duke of Wellington: a sense of personal honor and responsibility, behavior which inspires others to act constructively, and a sensitivity to the needs of his fellow citizens.

Simply put, Anthony loved Wellington and Wellington loved him. We will miss his sense of humor, his caring and loving personality and – most of all – his smile.

SPRING/SUMMER 2013 • 52

ALUMNI

The Class of 1993 – Where Are They now?

This year marks the Class of 1993’s 20th reunion. Wellington took a moment to catch up with our alums by asking them to answer a few questions.

DOUG BARRETT

JOB: I am an Account Manager for Dell Software Group.

COLLEGE: Miami University (Ohio) WHAT WERE YOU INVOLVED IN AT WELLINGTON: LOTS! Lacrosse, senior class president, student council, Booster Club, Adopt-a-School, NOYZ BOYZ (who can forget us??), and many others throughout my years at Wellington.

WHO WAS YOUR FAVORITE TEACHER OR COACH: Coaches – Mr. Blyczarzick for HS lacrosse and Mr. Blanchard for MS lacrosse.

Teachers - I loved them all! I used to love Ms. Myrjevesky’s Spanish class. Mr. Stewart was just awesome. I loved his passion for teaching and his drive to make us better students.

FAVORITE WELLINGTON MEMORY: I have lots of memories since I went there from 3rd-12th grade. Some of my favorites were our weekly ski trips when we were in 3rd - 8th grade, having the ability to do things like play an instrument, perform in plays and musicals, being part of a school where I was able to participate in student council and be part of the school’s decision making process. Lastly, I loved the fact that our classes were so small that we were able to form lasting friendships with all of our classmates. I had a ton of great times at Wellington and feel very blessed to have been part of this school.

SUM UP WELLINGTON IN THREE WORDS: Pretty frickin’ cool!

DENNIS BOURNE

JOB: I am a counselor. I currently work as a program supervisor at a residential treatment facility for at risk youth.

COLLEGE: Kenyon College.

WHAT WERE YOU INVOLVED WITH AT WELLINGTON: I was involved with student government, choir, drama, and Black History Club.

WHO WAS YOUR FAVORITE COACH OR TEACHER: My favorite teacher was Ms. Evans.

FAVORITE WELLINGTON MEMORY: My favorite memory is probably the junior class trip to Boston.

SUM UP WELLINGTON IN THREE WORDS: Learning, family, and fun.

53 • WELLINGTON MAGAZINE

AMY BURGESS

JOB: I do project work for the Senior Vice President of Administration & Planning at Ohio State.

COLLEGE: Vanderbilt University WHAT WERE YOU INVOLVED IN AT WELLINGTON: Student Council, Tennis, Basketball & Lacrosse, Choir, Tutoring @ 2nd Ave Elementary FAVORITE COACH OR TEACHER: Mr. Purpura FAVORITE WELLINGTON MEMORY: Senior Prank & Skip Day SUM UP WELLINGTON IN THREE WORDS: Challenging, Community, Unique.

GREG DAVDA

JOB: Business Development Manager / Senior Associate, Information Technology COLLEGE: The Ohio State University WHAT WERE YOU INVOLVED WITH AT WELLINGTON: Prom Committee, Soccer, Lacrosse FAVORITE COACH OR TEACHER: Mrs. Pinson FAVORITE WELLINGTON MEMORY: School trip to Boston SUM UP WELLINGTON IN THREE WORDS: Outstanding, excellence, family.

GLORIA HORSLEYMEACHAM

JOB: I am a high school French teacher.

COLLEGE: I attended Kenyon College (with buddies Dennis Bourne ‘93, Nicole Brinley ‘93, and Ryan Krasik ‘92).

FAVORITE WELLINGTON MEMORY: Choir, Choir, and more Choir; Black History Club FAVORITE TEACHER: Mr. McLaughlin (8th grade French) and Ms. Evans (11th grade English) FAVORITE WELLINGTON MEMORY: The first Black History Month celebration when Rita’s uncle made peanut soup for the school. Oh, and my dad and I singing together at Cabaret. When I miss him, I still think of it!

SUM UP WELLINGTON IN THREE WORDS: Preparing Youth for the Future.

ALICIA TOSI GEMPEL

JOB: I am home with three boys and work part time as a consultant to Bath & Body Works COLLEGE: Northwestern University and MBA from Duke.

WHAT WERE YOU INVOLVED WITH AT WELLINGTON: Lacrosse, Cheerleading, Tennis.

FAVORITE TEACHER: Mr. Purpura, and the math teachers Mrs. Long and Mrs. Slusser!

FAVORITE WELLINGTON MEMORY: All the time with great friends.

Senior Skip day when somehow we got a car in the Commons. Going to Cliona’s farm after!

SUM UP WELLINGTON IN THREE WORDS: Close-knit. Family.

Memorable.

CLIONA HOWIE

JOB: I am an Environmental Consultant specializing in EU project management.

COLLEGE: Clemson University, BSc Biological Sciences and Oxford Brookes University, Oxford UK, MSc Environmental Assessment and Management WHAT WERE YOU INVOLVED IN AT WELLINGTON: Tennis, Basketball, Lacrosse, Student Council, Student Booster Club, Spanish Club, Band, Habitat for Humanity FAVORITE TEACHER: So many!!! Mr. Stewart, Mrs. Goldsmith, Mrs. Long, Mr. Kruzan, Mrs. Richmond, Miss Donovan (Mrs. Slusser). We were very fortunate students!

FAVORITE WELLINGTON MEMORY: I spent a lot of time preparing Student Booster activities with fellow club members. For example, planning and decorating for homecoming dances, etc. Working as a group and using the appropriate creative talents of each person involved always produced great results. Other memories include big sporting events memories: Reaching the States in tennis with Emily Bay, making the Midwest Lacrosse team with Amy Richards.

SUM UP WELLINGTON IN THREE WORDS: safe, caring and broadening.

PATTY ONDERKO

JOB: Freelance writer/editor COLLEGE: Georgetown University WHAT WERE YOU INVOLVED IN AT WELLINGTON: I was pathetically under-involved! I think I was in Spanish Club?

FAVORITE TEACHER: Carol Goldsmith, Sam Stewart, Mrs. Perencevich, Kevin Purpura, Ms. Evans, Kymberly Moreland (photography) and Nancy Mulick. Honestly, they were all great and I learned so much from all of them.

STEPHEN REASER

JOB: Spent 11 years helping build a small company in educational technology; now I’m on my own trying to start a crowdfunding company -- helping other small businesses raise funds to grow.

COLLEGE: Cornell University WHAT WERE YOU INVOLVED WITH AT WELLINGTON: Lights and other behind-the scenes stuff for music/drama productions… computer stuff… lacrosse.

FAVORITE WELLINGTON MEMORY: I guess when they let me build a whole “room” within the commons for the production of the Odd Couple that Casey and Pete starred in.

SUM UP WELLINGTON IN THREE WORDS: Mostly harmless.

Mostly.

CARRIE STERNER

JOB: Teller Coordinator at Capital Bank in St. James City, FL COLLEGE: Ohio University WHAT WERE YOU INVOLVED WITH AT WELLINGTON: Tennis, Cheerleading, Art, friends.

FAVORITE TEACHER: Mr Purpura, Cathy Pinson (even though she wasn’t my teacher, still my favorite!)

FAVORITE WELLINGTON MEMORY: I would have to say when the whole senior class did our prank and then went to Cliona’s farm after! Also all the dances! I would say the best memories are the moments with my friends.

SUM UP WELLINGTON IN THREE WORDS: Family, creative, inspirational!

DENNIS WANG

JOB: Product Manager at PNC Bank COLLEGE: Virginia Tech and Carnegie Mellon WHAT WERE YOU INVOLVED WITH AT WELLINGTON: Tennis and yearbook.

FAVORITE TEACHER: Mr. Stewart and Mrs. Goldsmith FAVORITE WELLINGTON MEMORY: I remember senior day when Mr. Stewart’s car was in the lobby and there were chairs on the roof.

SUM UP WELLINGTON IN THREE WORDS: In perfect harmony.

ALISON LIEBERT WOOLRIDGE

JOB: I am a stay at home mom with two boys (Andrew 7 and Nicholas 5), I’m also the membership chair with AWARE (Alzheimer’s Women’s Association to Reach and Engage) COLLEGE: University of South Carolina WHAT WERE YOU INVOLVED WITH AT WELLINGTON: Tennis FAVORITE TEACHER: Mr. Kruzan and Mr. Purpura FAVORITE WELLINGTON MEMORY: I had lots of fun being part of the tennis team. It was a great team and a great experience.

SUM UP WELLINGTON IN THREE WORDS: Family, Safe, and Amazing.

SPRING/SUMMER 2013 • 54

3650 Reed Road Columbus, Ohio 43220 614.324.1564 www.wellington.org

The Wellington School is an independent, coeducational, preschool through grade 12, college preparatory day school dedicated to preparing citizens who achieve, lead, and find fulfillment in a global community.

SAVE THE DATE

Back to School Sundae Sunday

August

18 2 - 4 p.m.

Visit classrooms MEET YOUR TEACHERS Meet new students and see old friends ICE CREAM SUNDAES Soccer clinic on Roberts Field