Tower Hill Bulletin | Fall 2022 Education today, learning for the future Power of humanities and breadth of choice Lower Schoolers define their experience with new book clubs ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
2 Tower Hill COMMUNICATIONSBulletinOFFICEAmySchreiDirector of Communications and Marketing Kayla Martell Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing Kirk Smith Marketing Specialist ADVANCEMENT OFFICE Kristin Mumford Director of Advancement and Enrollment Management Laura DiVincenzo Director of Advancement Services Julie Donohue Director of Annual Giving Linda Ogden Administrative Assistant Melissa Pizarro Associate Director of Advancement AmyPHOTOGRAPHYKirkSmithLAYOUTSchreiandKirkSmith The Tower Hill Bulletin magazine is published twice annually to share how alumni, faculty, staff and students embody the school’s motto Multa Bene Facta Many Things Done Well. Send Class Notes to thsalumni@towerhill.org with a high-resolution photo. TOWER HILL SCHOOL 2813 W. 17th Street Wilmington, DE 19806 302-575-0550 towerhill.org HEAD OF SCHOOL Elizabeth C. Speers 2022-2023 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Benjamin duPont ’82, Chair Jack Flynn, M.D., ’81, Secretary Marna Whittington, Ph.D., Treasurer Suzanne Ashley Kimberly Wright Cassidy, Ph.D. Régis de Ramel Robert DeSantis Heather Richards Evans John Gavenonis, Ph.D. Laird Hayward ’02 Henry IsabellaKennethDavidCatherineMellonMillerNowland’85LisaA.Olson’76MattPlumbA.SimplerGenelleTrader’70SpeakmanTimon ’92 Carmen Wallace ’93 Gina Ward Earl Ball, Ed.D., Emeritus Tower Hill School does not discriminate in its educational, admissions and personnel programs and policies or activities on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, age, religion or religious creed, sexual orientation, gender identity and/ or expression, disability or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state or local law. On the Cover Students learn about beekeeping in the “Life Amongst the Bees” Tower Term course. Read more on p. 36. On these pages, Lower Schoolers cheer on the girls’ swim team state championship at the Multa Bene Facta celebration. On the back cover, student grown vegetable garden in the Experiential Outdoor Classroom. In This Issue Advanced NewGreenFacultyGraduationChemistryFocusSummitBoardLeadership14 22 38 42 44 TowerBULLETINHill FALL 2022
Tower Hill’s enrollment has never been stronger, and as you will read within the annual report, our finances are well managed and our budget is balanced. Tower Hill’s momentum and success is largely due to the incredible talent of our teachers, the investment of our families, trustees, alumni and friends. Thank you for your extraordinary support as we surpassed both our annual fund goal and our campaign goal for Tower Hill 100 by nearly $5 million!
Eric Norman, CFO Anthony Pisapia, Assoc. Head of School Eduardo Silva, Asst. Head of Upper School Tim Weymouth, Head of Middle School Molly Elton, faculty Melinda Martin, faculty Harry Neilson, faculty Mary Taylor ’09, faculty, parent Rodney Morrison, parent Jea Street ’95, parent, PAATH chair Leyna Bidic ’23 Marty Coyne ’23 Cameron Haskins ’23 Will Miller ’23
There are great days ahead for Tower Hill and plenty to accomplish this year. Our Strategic Planning Committee will ensure continued progress while also leaving room for creative, new ideas and vision— “humble confidence,” as we ensure the very best future for this wonderful school—forever green!
STRATEGIC PLAN PROCESS Inquiry,
It is no coincidence that the theme of this Bulletin is indeed academic excellence. We expect nothing less at Tower Hill and yet, what constitutes rigor today is predicated upon confident humility—students’ confidence to work harder than they thought possible and humility to consider new knowledge and points of view. You will read within that the humanities, STEM fields, including Cheryl Mitchell’s article on Advanced Chemistry, for instance, will always be part of a Tower Hill education, but our teachers and academic leaders are always asking themselves how to teach and learn in innovative ways. We know more about how the brain works, and we understand that for students to develop agency, they must be choreographers of their own learning with their teacher as a partner. Tower Term offers our students real world experience that intersect with academic areas. Our own Hannah Zhao ’22 began Tower Hill’s debate team. Our Beekeeping Tower Term course, featured on the cover, enables students to travel to the University of Delaware apiary and apply their knowledge of chemistry, art, biology and environmental studies. You will read about Tower Hill’s inaugural Green Summit held last year attracting over 150 educators from around the Thereregion.aremany Tower Hill alumni engaged in the education field, and you will read about two within this Bulletin whose careers enable them to understand how exciting and dynamic this time in school communities is. Modeling innovation and learning in experiential ways, the entire Tower Hill faculty began the 20222023 academic year by meeting at world renown Longwood Gardens where we engaged in sessions on Research & Community
Planning
StrategicStrategicKeySurvey/ListeningEngagementSessionsFindings,Insights&StrategicPlanningRetreatPlanDevelopmentPlanAdoptedandAnnounced
In Adam Grant’s recent book, Think Again, he contends that “confident humility” is “having faith in our capability while appreciating that we may not have the right solution or even be addressing the right problem. The humility to reexamine our old knowledge and the confidence to pursue new insights,” are critical skills for success. I reminded our seniors at graduation last spring that Adam Grant referenced a study of American presidents, assessing what trait predicted “presidential greatness.” It turned out that traits such as “friendliness, forcefulness, ambition, wit, poise or polish” did not matter very much. What set great presidents apart was their “intellectual curiosity and openness. They read widely and were eager to learn about developments in biology, philosophy, architecture and music as in domestic and foreign affairs. They were interested in hearing new views and revising old ones.”
Education offers us the opportunity to open our minds, reconsider our point of view and listen to others. Academic institutions are most excellent when they assume a posture of “humble confidence.” This is what we have done well at Tower Hill over the past several years. For example, our department chairs meet regularly led by Associate Head of School Anthony Pisapia and Dean of Teaching and Learning Andrea Glowatz to consider what learning is all about today. You will not want to miss reading within this issue of the Bulletin, Dean Glowatz’s top 10 insights about What Exactly is Learning Today?
From the HEAD OF SCHOOL
Michelle Shepherd, co-chair Genelle Trader ’70, co-chair Leilani Brown, consultant Amy Schrei, administrator Ben duPont ’82, Board Chair Laird Hayward ’02, trustee Dr. Eric Johnson, trustee Ken Simpler, trustee Isabella Timon, trustee Sarah Baker, Head of Upper School Amy Bickhart, Head of Lower School Amy Cuddy, School Psychologist, former parent, Andrea Glowatz, Dean of Teaching and JosephineLearningHarrington, Dir. of Athletic Operations
Planning Committee
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Sincerely, Elizabeth C. Speers Head of School
Dr. Natasha Murray-Everett, Dir. of Social Justice
Kristin Mumford, Dir. of Advancement and Enrollment Management
As you enjoy reading Monty Hayman’s ’87 extraordinary remarks to our seniors at Senior Dinner, and glance at the list of amazing colleges and universities to which the Class of 2022 was admitted, it is worth mentioning the strength of our College Counseling team as they work with our seniors and families all year and well before senior year. Our campus was busy over the summer with our own summer camps as well as other community partners, including Rodney Street Tennis Association. As the 104th year at Tower Hill begins, I am excited about our goals, initiatives and all the energy and strength that our teachers, students, families, alumni and trustees bring us. I have been fortunate to work with outstanding and wise board chairs. Most recently Dr. Eric Johnson finished his term as Board Chair, and we honored him at graduation with a bench in his name and the newly established Johnson Teaching Award, which will be given in honor of Dr. Johnson to a Tower Hill teacher who excels at embedding and infusing the school’s core values around inclusivity, DEI and social justice through their curriculum. Being a board chair is a labor of love, and we are fortunate to have Mr. Ben duPont as Board Chair.
nature journaling, place based learning and strategic vision work. We are committed to being a school of Wilmington and the world and we are fortunate to have wonderful opportunities for partnership right here in our own city and the Brandywine River Valley that provide unique learning venues.
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In celebration of Women’s History Month,
“Many Things Done Well”
Tower Hill hosted a Zoom conversation about STEM with Anne Casscells ’76, CEO of Aetos Investments; Mona Yezdani Gillen ’01, Urologist; Amy Ripka ’89, CEO of Lucy Therapeutics; Tracey Twyman ’85 Project Manager for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA); and Marianna Wickman ’90, Director of User Experience for Google. The conversation was moderated by Tower Hill students Brianna Chi ’23 and Charlotte Langlois ’23
Sea Turtle Bake Sale
In April, Tower Hill convened as a whole school on DeGroat Field to celebrate “Many Things Done Well,” including the state championships of our robotics, girls’ swimming and boys’ basketball teams; recent performances by several Middle and Upper School students in the All-State Choral, Band and Orchestra Ensembles; Scholastic Art and Writing Awards won by several students; and many other amazing accomplishments and achievements that happen every day at Tower Hill.
Tower Hill hosted 25 students and two teachers from Rungsted Gymnasium in Denmark. The partnership between the schools was established through a connection with alumnus Soren Kjaergaard ’76 who attended Tower Hill as an American Field Service (AFS) student during his senior year of high school. We plan to create an exchange opportunity between THS and Rungsted students. International Trips Upper School students enjoyed Tower Hill’s first international trips in two years. Students in Costa Rica participated in service opportunities, learned about sustainability and tackled local environmental issues. Students in Spain toured the southern region’s most famous cities—Granada, Cordoba and Sevilla— and learned about the history and diversity of people who have shaped this region, all while enjoying the region’s food and culture.
CelebrationAround SCHOOL
Latin Day
Former NASA astronaut Colonel Terry Virts shared his stories from space and his unique perspective with the Upper School as part of the Forum Speaker series. The theme of the year’s Forum was The Future: Fast Approaching. The Forum was established in 1998 by the Rappolt family.
School Exchange
Forum Speaker Series
The Tower Tots raised close to $500 with their Sea Turtle Bake Sale. The funds supported The Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton, Florida.
Tower Hill’s seniors won the chariot race at the annual Latin Day. The Tatnall School hosted this year’s events that included various athletic competitions between students from Tower Hill, The Tatnall School, Upland Country Day School, The Independence School and Sanford School.
Women’s History Month
game kicks off a love of coding and programming that develops a fantastic new technology, or the essay is the first of many film critiques, and the weather report the moment when a young scientist realizes the impact of extreme events on the people of the world. By allowing students to follow their passions, we start them on exciting paths that lead to places we might have never dreamed were Anotherpossible. hallmark of education today is the necessity of collaboration. Modern workplaces and society require greater teamwork than ever before, and often times this teamwork is done with people who have a tremendously different life experience from yourself. Regardless of these differences, we know that the most successful teams are those that use their diverse strengths and experiences to their advantage, rather than allowing themselves to be divided by them. Recognizing this reality of the modern world, I work to create a classroom where students are able to learn about and from each other, and create a culture where differences are celebrated and everyone’s strengths are valued. In order to achieve this goal, I always like to start by highlighting historical heroes whose success was not always guaranteed. For example, figures like Winston Churchill and Wilma Rudolph serve to teach young people that there is no one path to success, but instead that determination and courage are necessary precursors to success in a variety of fields. In addition, we read lots of picture and chapter books about different types of people and try to imagine what the world might be like from their vantage point. Our AMAZE classes help us learn about the world and people around us, and the importance of getting to know each person as an individual, rather than a stereotyped group. Finally, we spend lots of time working in groups and giving and receiving feedback on our teamwork skills. Students take turns being both the student and the teacher, and develop an appreciation for the unique talents and abilities of each of their classmates. While fourth grade is just one year of many on their path towards their future, I always hope that the students in class will remember each other fondly and remind themselves that there was more to their classmates than they initially thought was possible. Our modern world provides us with an endless number of challenges, each of which we hope to improve upon in the future. The good news is that the next generation is full of amazing potential, ideas and solutions that can truly help transform our world. Tower Hill is a place where students and teachers truly collaborate to solve problems and make for a better tomorrow, and I am so excited to be a part of a school that allows such innovative and transformative teaching to take place.
What is learning, and how is it different today than it was in previous generations? As a fourth grade teacher, I cannot pretend to know the answer to these big questions, but I can share some of my wisdom gleaned from my 11 years of classroom experience. The world is changing more quickly today than it ever has before, and we are living through a technical revolution that will drastically alter the way the world works. While not knowing exactly what the future will look like, we do know that our students today will need certain skills in order to succeed in the future, regardless of what path they take. I believe that learning today is both passion-driven and collaborative, and I work to create a classroom that gives students many opportunities to develop these critical skills.
A fundamental part of learning today is recognizing that the ability to simply recall information is not as critical as it once was, thanks to the advent of the internet, smartphones and other technologies. Instead, innovators today face the question of what to do with their knowledge and need to create new ways to apply and share what they know. In my classroom, this is where passion driven instruction becomes critically important, as I find that students are able to use and apply information in creative ways when they are able to explore their passions. Allowing students as much choice as possible in what they learn, how they learn and the way in which they demonstrate their learning leads to incredible results. Students have been able to create Scratch games to teach classmates about the Revolutionary War, write persuasive essays about how the original Mary Poppins far outshines the remake, and complete research projects on earthquakes and tsunamis. While these examples highlight the fun we have in fourth grade, I also see them as potential precursors to exciting futures for these children. Perhaps the Scratch Program empowering faculty to develop new experiential learning opportunities
BY
ANNA ELLIOT, FOURTH GRADE TEACHER What Today?Learningis
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technology supplanted pencil and paper assignments. Today, great schools bear in mind that just because our computers process information at warp speed doesn’t mean learners’ brains can do so. One of my favorite quotations from educational philosopher John Dewey explains that we do not actually learn from our experiences; we learn from reflecting on our experiences. Great schools, great teachers and great learners pull the reins to build in time for reflection, which deepens understanding and strengthens memory.
True learning is transferable. In the 21st century, the age of information, both time constraints and the dynamic evolution of ideas and facts preclude teachers from covering extensive banks of content. It is therefore important that lessons and assessments teach and tap the skills needed to evaluate, understand and apply information. If a student is able to transfer the skills they learn in the classroom to a task that requires big-picture synthesis, then connections are made, and learning at a high level has taken place. Great schools give students opportunities to transfer learning in and beyond the classroom. Learning transcends the classroom. This may seem self-evident, but when students leave their classroom spaces in order to learn or extend their learning, engagement is often heightened, thus resulting in deeper learning. The COVID-19 pandemic and our pivot to distance learning showed us how critical the social foundation of learning is and reinforced the fact that students and teachers benefit from sharing a physical space. That physical space, however, does not necessarily need to be the classroom. The school environs (i.e., corridors, common spaces, learning centers and school grounds) and local parks offer opportunities for students to develop independence and accountability. Furthermore, students tend to be more attentive once they return to the classroom after an activity or lesson outdoors. Field trips to museums and institutions, or better yet, field work experiences, help students make real-world connections to the curriculum. A prime example would be the long standing Middle School streamwatch project that makes students investigators of the Delaware River. The Teaching and Learning Center (TLC), established in 2016, equips students and teachers with tools, strategies and opportunities to learn about learning so that they may build repertoires, excel and nurture the mindsets needed for continuing education.
WHAT EXACTLY IS LEARNING TODAY?
Learner-centered methods are essential to instruction, because students grow dendrites for exactly the same thing they are practicing. If they passively listen or watch while problems are solved, they grow dendrites for listening or watching. If they actually solve the problem themselves, they grow dendrites for solving. The more practice they have, the more those dendrites are strengthened with myelin, a layer of fatty insulation. Yes, that’s correct. We actually want fat in our brains! That myelin coating keeps the dendrites strong and protects the dendrite, much in the same way an iPhone case protects an iPhone.
BY ANDREA GLOWATZ DEAN OF TEACHING AND LEARNING Let’s bypass the obvious, shall we? The discourse herein will not define what it means to acquire new knowledge or skills, nor will it eschew laymen’s terms and bombard you with esoteric neuropsychological jargon about the learning process. This column about learning is a straight-up discussion of what makes learning today complex and what programmatic factors truly stoke the learning enterprise.
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The following “Top Ten” list, with an affectionate nod to David Letterman, contains points that are illustrative of learning today, thanks to ever-increasing knowledge about brain science and the human condition. Friends, I give you: The top 10 concepts that great schools bear in mind today as they prepare students for tomorrow The brain loves CUPPERS. That’s the acronym I use to remind myself that we constantly vie for connection, uncluttered input, patterns, positive reinforcement, emotional input, repetition and sensory input. The younger the students are, the more evidence of CUPPERS we can find in their learning spaces and programs. To heighten the quality of instruction in later years, great schools make efforts to incorporate CUPPERS regularly, especially repetition, which is an element that can fall by the curriculum wayside in the interest of covering more content. Why is repetition so important? Repetition causes the brain to physically change. If learning is the formation of new synaptic connections, then repetition of that learning maintains those connections. It takes a lot of practice for dendrites (i.e., branched extensions of brain cells that receive communication from other brain cells) to grow. This is why a reasonable amount of homework benefits students, and this is why trying to cram content before a test is often futile. Faster does not translate as room for more When we pack a massive amount of content into a course and speed through it like the building’s on fire, that’s not learning. Learning takes time to process. Speed is the enemy of learning. And when distress is added to speed, we have the assassin of learning. Great schools acknowledge that we ask students to know, understand and process more today than we did 30 years ago, before computer
Learning is active, not passive. The most engaged classrooms shift the focus of activity from the teacher to the students and change the mode from one of covering content to uncovering content. Doing so creates norms in which students play active roles answering questions, finding multiple ways to solve problems, applying principles and evaluating ideas together.
The Learning for Life (LfL) fund was created at Tower Hill School in 2021 to support teachers in implementing innovative, engaging curricular enhancements that meet the specific LfL program criteria: student agency, partnership, extended timeframe, experiential learning, problem solving and/or interdisciplinary studies. Thanks to this program, several teachers who have been awarded grants have added field work, technology, community outreach and design thinking to their curricula. Tower Term in the Upper School is a departure from the general curriculum to make room for experiential learning that doesn’t necessarily require desks, books and pencils. The aim to be “a school of Wilmington and the world,” the global scholars program and the opportunity to travel abroad all reveal the extent to which Tower Hill prepares students for “full and creative engagement with a dynamic world.” Great schools are more than mere classrooms of learners; great schools are communities of learners. Focus on the future is an imperative While it’s exciting to fantasize about the Jetsons-style features that may appear in the schools of tomorrow, the mundane reality is that we cannot predict what kind of new-age tools people will wield in 10, 20 or 30 years’ time, and more importantly, how those tools will impact ways of thinking and doing. Great schools today, therefore, focus on cognitive flexibility, the ability to shift thinking and behaviors in response to new knowledge or situational evidence. How do we prepare today’s students to be mental gymnasts of tomorrow? We decrease the number of tests that require regurgitation of facts and increase instances in which students apply, analyze, evaluate and synthesize information. We challenge students to solve problems with technology. Note the semantic ambiguity in such an objective. Solving problems with technology can imply that students need to competently troubleshoot when problems arise with their technological devices—and it also implies that students need the space to practice solving garden-variety three-dimensional issues with
And the #1 thing that great schools bear in mind today as they prepare students for tomorrow… We must “Maslow” before we “Bloom.” This is an expression educators use to emphasize the importance of meeting fundamental needs for safety and belonging before introducing academic challenges. Coined for psychologists Abraham Maslow and Benjamin Bloom—I must admit that I enjoy using nouns as verbs to convey unique information and enrich communication with imagery—this phrase reminds great schools that academics are secondary to physical and mental wellness, and the pull to incorporate mindfulness practices and mental health awareness in schools is both grounded in science and necessary for effective learning to take place. We know that emotions affect learning and memory. Cortisol makes it hard for neurotransmitters to carry messages across synapses in the brain, and this is why, for example, students can “blank out” on a test. Endorphins make us feel calm. Our bodies produce endorphins when we relax, exercise, laugh or learn new things. If we practice producing calming hormones, the body will have a memory for such production when under stress. If we ensure that every student’s identity is affirmed, that every student can see positive likenesses of themselves in the curriculum, and that every student has a sense of belonging to the school community, the road to learning has a much smoother surface to tread on— for all Schoolsstakeholders.thatarefocused forward, like Tower Hill School, are evolving to cultivate intellectual, wellness and soft skills along with “reading, writing and ‘rithmetic.” Essentially, learning today is what it was yesterday—what it has always been—and if this discussion were boiled down to its trace elements, the residue would underscore one simple fact: Knowing better today means doing better today.
10 Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022 tools that are available to them. Finally, to focus on the future without the luxury of a crystal ball, great schools today provide instruction in information literacy. With the seemingly never ending debates about data, opinions disguised as facts and hundreds if not thousands of sources with hidden agenda and biases, becoming a smart consumer of information is critical to a free society. Redos are required—not only to assess learning, but also to assess growth This one is quite simple. There’s a great deal of learning that can occur—and dignity to preserve—when schools have students revise and resubmit their work. Diverse classrooms need diverse methodology, so to calibrate instruction and assessment according to a student’s individual pace is where we get the term individualized learning. Those “mulligans,” if you will, ensure that students have foundational strength before moving on. Great schools nurture cultures where individualized instruction as well as personalized instruction (i.e., giving students agency in designing learning paths) are infused into the learning program. Focused and diffuse modes of thinking must be intertwined. The modern world has stolen much of our down time. Break times often find us checking our screens for more information, leaving us in a perpetual state of focus. Children’s schedules generally preclude any opportunities for boredom to tiptoe in, especially as students move into Middle and Upper School. Brain science, however, reminds us that consolidation, problem-solving and creativity are often born from our breaks from focused attention. Providing periods when diffuse or unstructured thinking can occur benefits our students and thereby justifies tech free intervals between classes and periods to relax, innovate and connect with others. Diffuse modes of thinking, known to some as the default mode network of the brain, is not just another way to emphasize the importance of mental health. When we deviate from a focused mode and the conscious mind stops putting forth effort to concentrate, the brain actually continues to process and ponder—which, in turn, helps students connect new ideas with existing ones and develop innovative solutions. Great schools provide and promote times of digital detox, because they are aware that learning today depends on it. Smart comes in many forms, some of which cannot be assessed with tests and quizzes. The notion of an amalgamated intelligence that has been confirmed by a specific metric, such as an IQ test, simply does not align with contemporary ideas about intelligence. Great schools know empirically that intelligence comes in many forms, and what’s really necessary to help students become those “productive members of society” that mission statements tout is to help students make their unique intelligence apparent in the context of function, performance and experience. Students take approximately 1,000 tests during the time between grades 4 and 12, and while tests have a number of benefits, including firm internalization of content, they are much less frequently found in real world contexts. Strong communication skills as well as flexible thinking and the ability to collaborate are strong markers of intelligence that traditional tests do not measure. Great schools not only celebrate the functional aspects of “smarts” but also create opportunities for students to develop soft skills that are indicative of brainpower.
As an avid student of all things schools and schooling, I have heard and read many theories and quite a few quips about what education really is and what it really should be. One irresistibly pure and humble statement on this subject that has always resonated with me came from the then Head of Sidwell Friends School Bruce Stewart, who quoted Friends’ Central School teacher Cyril Harvey, as follows: “Education is about one human being talking to another human being about what it means to be human.” In the Upper School, we believe that this is so. We believe that this is at the core of all good work in every classroom each day, but nowhere more centrally or more obviously than the Humanities classrooms.
It is the philosophy of the Upper School at large that students are served by exposure to as many and as diverse fields of study as possible in their formative years. High school is a time when students’ intellectual energies should be devoted to discovering what lights their intellectual fires. And while some may believe that survey courses are the best route to this end, we would disagree. Instead, our experience in the classroom has demonstrated that learning with a teacher who has training in and a passion for a more highly specialized topic enables the sort of depth and vigor that cultivates authentic engagement in students and makes them want more. We specialize so that our students may dabble and dabble well. When I speak with parents who are looking at Tower Hill for their children and indeed, often, when I speak to the children themselves I can be certain that the breadth of our Humanities offerings will be among the first items the family mentions as a distinguishing feature of the school. Having done their homework by reviewing our course guide, those who seek to be students at Tower Hill are often wide-eyed in the face of a curriculum that reads a bit more like that of a small liberal arts college than it does of a very small independent school. Indeed, time and again, parents lament that they themselves cannot enroll in or at least audit courses that seem so fascinating.
As we enter the 2022-2023 school year we are building on a strong foundation in the Humanities with a spirit of intellectual adventure. The English department has a tradition of excellence that has been rooted in
Chair of the History Department Mrs. Tara Fletcher, who also oversees our Social Sciences program, echoes this approach when she describes the main goal of her department’s elective program as “creating experiences that allow for student-led inquiry.” And indeed, many of the offerings currently presented by the department were born directly out of student interest and in response to student demand. Electives currently offered, which were designed to meet student interest are four in number: Epidemics in Society: The Impact of Disease Patterns in World History, Psychology: Human Development and Society, Introduction to Business and Microeconomics, and Macroeconomics and Financial Markets. As she looks forward to the coming school year and beyond, Tara has set a goal to work with Director of Service Learning and Mindfulness Mrs. Andrea Sarko to ensure that the curriculum affords students access to opportunities for activism and service.
As is the case in English, our Social Sciences program is expanding its offerings in the 2022-2023 school year. We are thrilled to add a World Religions class, taught by Mrs. Jessica Douglass, Dean of the Class of 2024 and previously a learning specialist in the TLC.
Language Department Chair Dr. Anna Miller shares that her department’s elective offerings “reflect the diverse passions of our faculty and their love of sharing what makes them excited about language study with students.” French, Spanish, Chinese and Latin students explore these languages through a variety of media and cultural artifacts and through immersive study that aims at accessing the languages and cultures from a diversity of perspectives. Titles of these courses include such enticing offerings as Paris in Film and Literature, Culture and Conversation in the Spanish-speaking World, and Current Affairs in Chinese. In 2022-2023, Latin students will pursue a brand new course developed by veteran teacher and trained archaeologist Dr. Harry Neilson entitled The Eruption of Vesuvius: Then and Now and Spanish elective students will have a new opportunity to study short stories from Spain and Latin America. Anna indicates that this Spanish course specifically will allow students to “deepen their conversation skills through debate.” She calls the department’s offerings “truly exhilarating!” One of the goals of the division as we move out of we dearly hope an era dominated by COVID-19 concerns is to increase the interdisciplinary connections between departments across the division. The umbrella label “Humanities” exists because the individual studies are enhanced by studying all of the disciplines as one interrelated system. Learning happens best when artificial walls that the infrastructure of the modern institution have erected where the classical academy never did fall away. Even as we strive to grow outward, we reflect actively on the need to grow inward as reflective practitioners who rely upon each other’s gifts humbly and with a mind open to the continual learning that we hope to inspire in our students.
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the rigorous, analytical study of literature. Under the leadership of its Chair Mrs. Rachel Ashbrook, the department will continue to focus on what Rachel calls the “quintessentially human skill” of “peering into the life of another to reflect more deeply on ourselves.” Yet, the department will also lean on the gifts of a few remarkable new colleagues and the talents of a strong returning faculty to expand the scope of its offerings to courses in Creative Writing and Journalism. In doing so, the hope of the department as articulated by Rachel is that: Students will have the opportunity to see themselves not only as consumers of literature but as creators.
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HUMANITIES OFFERINGS
WHAT IS EDUCATION, WHAT SHOULD IT BE? BY SARAH BAKER HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL
Jessica writes the following about her course: “I’m really excited to bring a World Religions class to Tower Hill. This semester-long class will focus on religious literacy and will help students develop habits of mind outlined by the Harvard Divinity School Religion and Public Life program. Beginning by recognizing their own subjectivity, students will study religious traditions to develop their capacity to engage in challenging conversations with an empathetic and historical perspective. In my mind, this is the purpose of and the beauty in the study of Humanities: grappling with who we are as humans requires exploring both uniqueness and connection, a process that ignites a drive for justice and cultivates a propensity for the challenging and emotional collaborative work in the fight for equity and peace.”
Students will submit their findings for facultyreviewed publication in the The Journal of Emerging Investigators, a science journal publishing research by middle and high school scientists.
Riley Brinsfield
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ADVANCED CHEMISTRY STUDENTS EMBARK ON INDEPENDENT RESEARCH BY CHERYL MITCHELL UPPER SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHER
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The amitraz analysis was performed in conjunction with biology teacher and beekeeper Lauren Helfgott’s ninth grade biology students’ research on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in honeybee hives. Students Georgia Sarko ’25, Alex Okenczyc ’25, A.J. Hehir ’25, Lorenzo Santos ’25 and Jon Dong ’25 learned about the importance of IPM with a focus on the evolution of miticide resistance in Varroa mites when only one type of chemical treatment is used. They then conducted field studies in Mrs. Helfgott’s backyard apiary from October 2021 to March 2022 and learned how to quantify mite infestation in beehives using an alcohol wash. Mite infestation is a good predictor of honeybee survival over the winter; the higher the mite count the less likely the hive is to survive through the winter. After evaluating mite counts in each hive, two of five hives were treated with fresh ApivarTM, two with expired ApivarTM and one with no ApivarTM (the control). In March 2022, it was evident that one of the hives treated with fresh ApivarTM did not survive the winter, but the other four did, including those with expired ApivarTM. Students came to the conclusion that expired ApivarTM used with early fall mite counts near or slightly above a 3% threshold is NOT associated with colony collapse and may be an economically and environmentally friendly option for beekeepers.
Three Advanced Chemistry students, Riley Brinsfield ’23, Charlotte Langlois ’23 and Steven Wolhar ’23 conducted research last spring, both in the Tower Hill chemistry lab and at Advanced Materials Technology in Wilmington, DE (owned by Langlois’ father). They first learned about Varroa destructor, a mite that is a parasite of the common honeybee, Apis mellifera These mites are thought to be the leading cause of colony collapse disorder, as they feed on honeybees and transmit the deadly Deformed Wing Virus. The students learned that beekeepers use a variety of methods to keep the Varroa mite population under control, and then focused their research on one of the most common miticides, ApivarTM strips. ApivarTM contains a chemical called amitraz as the active ingredient. Beekeepers must purchase new ApivarTM frequently. The manufacturer states that sealed ApivarTM should be discarded after 24 months, and once opened it is only good for up to two weeks. Due to the high cost of ApivarTM, the students set out to first research methods to quantify the amount of amitraz in fresh and expired strips. They then carried out procedures to extract and analyze amitraz from several samples of ApivarTM strips. The intention was to determine if it was necessary to discard expired ApivarTM strips or if beekeepers could save money and use expired strips and still keep their hives healthy. Their teacher and research supervisor, Cheryl Mitchell, also a beekeeper, helped students extract and purify amitraz from plastic ApivarTM strips in the school chemistry lab. Students then analyzed the amount of amitraz present in the samples using HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) at Advanced Materials Technology. Stephanie Schuster, Ph.D., senior director of the chemistry lab at Advanced Materials Technology, was instrumental in teaching students the basics of separating chemical mixtures via HPLC and the consequent analysis of the results. This dovetailed nicely with some of the concepts they learned in Advanced Chemistry focusing on different methodologies of separating mixtures. Students ultimately concluded that there was not a statistically significant difference between ApivarTM samples from 2019, 2020 and 2021, suggesting that beekeepers could use their “expired” samples to tackle the problem of Varroa mite infestation in their hives while saving money with a more environmentally friendly outcome.
“I’m so grateful to Ms. Mitchell for providing Charlotte, Steven and me the opportunity to work on a research project. We’ve learned so much about how chemical research is conducted by taking multiple trips to Advanced Materials Technology and working with their amazing chemists. We learned about their HALO® columns and used HPLC to examine the ApivarTM concentration in expired vs fresh ApivarTM strips. It’s been so rewarding to see the results of our research, and I’m looking forward to writing our report and hopefully getting published!”
We teachers have this lovely dream of students being so taken with their lessons, so engaged in their learning that they seek to continue it on their own. In this vision, students come to us with ideas and plans, and we grownups step to the sidelines and just help make it happen. This dream became a reality when a few second graders and a third grader came to us this year with plans to start a poetry club and book club, respectively. With goals, practicalities and, of course, snacks outlined, their detail and investment made us giddy. It took a little time and some scheduling somersaults, but these clubs became official in early Secondspring! graders, Zoe Byrnes and Annie Belger, became avid poets during their first grade poetry unit. They fell in love with Eloise Greenfield and her work, and when they wrote to her last summer, their new mentor wrote them back. The girls continued to write and share poetry and decided to take it to the next level. They initiated a meeting with me and shared their club plans. With their friend Cady Buonocore, they made sign up lists to recruit members and mapped out agendas. They promised to help with prep and organization. Our charter Second Grade Poetry Club met every Friday afternoon after school. Up to 16 students attended, bringing favorite and original poems each week. Brandon Shields shared a photograph from a NYC field trip and his family’s worn copy of The Dream Keeper by Langston Hughes, another favorite poet. Several members brought beloved books from home Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends was always a hit and shared their favorite poems. Classic or contemporary, rhyming or free verse, somber or silly, these young poets embraced them all with such zeal and insight. I offered some new selections and
ACADEMICS
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The students don’t realize they made teacher dreams come true, yet they certainly seemed to take pride in their club membership and agency. It’s also a wish granted for me to collaborate with colleagues who encourage and celebrate students’ ideas, help them recruit their peers and make time and adjustments to pull it Congratulationsoff. to the club founders and members. What a joy for us to observe your accomplishments and nurture your ideas!
NO SPOILERS!
Town Hall was an ideal opportunity to share their poetry love with a larger audience. Fifteen proud (and definitely excited) second grade poets took the stage to perform four poems: Dream and Poem by Langston Hughes, Sick by Shel Silverstein, and It’s Summer, an original by the Poetry AlthoughClub. she was new to Lower School, Anya Brooks had a big plan for her fellow third graders. She wanted to launch a book club and made her case with a 10 point document. Of course, she had me at hello, so we started brainstorming books. Weird Little Robots by Carolyn Crimi became our first selection, and 18 third graders purchased the book and came to Anya’s first meeting. We read together, talked about the characters and their traits, and made predictions. My favorite part was wandering around the room eavesdropping as these third graders discussed, cited passages and made connections with their peers. Maybe it was the voluntary membership, the less formal setting or even the yummy snacks, but the students’ ideas and insights seemed less inhibited. Comprehension, vocabulary and fluency instruction were definitely happening even though I was not the one taking the Stickinglead. to the assigned chapters no spoilers! was probably the biggest challenge. Some friends told me they read all next week’s chapters right away; some decided to wait until the weekend to keep it fresh. Yet they all came back eager to jump back in. Our numbers grew and the fantasy genre offered the most universal appeal, so we landed on The Silver Arrow by Lev Grossman for our next book. Its protagonists and their uncle’s gift of a magical animal train took us on a grand adventure, offered suspense and showcased ordinary kids doing brave and slightly disobedient things (for the greater good, naturally). I understood when one student told me he was, “saving the last chapter because it was so good.”
Top to bottom: Zoe Byrnes ’32, Annie Belger ’32 Anya Brooks ’31 and Ellen Ellis.
the enthusiasts talked them over, read them chorally, even gave them an original spin. They experimented with the line breaks and continued to delight with the onomatopoeia. Collectively, they wrote a parting
NEW LOWER SCHOOL POETRY AND BOOK CLUBS BY ELLEN ELLIS LOWER SCHOOL LITERACY TEACHING AND LEARNING SPECIALIST
Thepoem.end-of-year
At Tower Hill, we hope to give students the tools to make the most of their time in college, however they might personally define success. Perhaps navigating the college admissions process might also redefine their notion of success. Finding Purpose College essays prompt our seniors to reflect on their background and experiences, what is important to them and their hopes and goals for the future. The value of this exercise goes beyond writing an awesome essay that might boost their application. It requires them to think deeply about their interests and what they truly enjoy.
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Lucy Nace ’22, entering her first year at Georgetown University, shares “For each essay, I had to determine what I wanted the admissions office to learn about me. Many pursuits I had done without a thought, but when crafting my essays, I recognized how closely tied my personality was to those activities that brought me joy.”
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
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In college counseling, we challenge students to think deeply about what they would like out of the process, and hopefully they will take this additional step to think deeply about what they would like to get out of college. Success in College “Success” in college is defined in many ways, whether it be achieving in academics, learning more about yourself, finding balance and happiness, or securing a fulfilling career opportunity upon graduation. Two of our recent graduates give compelling, and slightly different, definitions of success. Ella Shepherd ’22, who is headed to American University this fall, shares, “Tower Hill taught me that success as a student travels far beyond what can be seen on paper. I learned that success is more than simply a letter grade or an award, instead, it is putting one’s best effort into everything they do. Tower Hill taught me that Multa Bene Facta does not mean being the best at everything, rather, it means not limiting oneself and taking advantage of all opportunities presented. This lesson will surely motivate me to be an active and engaged student on campus in regards to academics, social life and Ella’sextracurriculars.”classmate
I believe there is too much pressure placed on our students too early to know exactly what they want to do with their lives. Some certainly do, but others need more time, space and experience. What is important is that we give them all the opportunity to pursue their interests and challenge them in a supportive
Whether a student writes about a family experience, finding joy in a chemistry lab or developing an unexpected love for theater, it can help that student recognize or even find meaning and purpose.
Weenvironment.hopetosend adaptable, confident and curious Tower Hill graduates off to college and into the world. Their connection to purpose and ability to handle uncertainty, skills developed in high school and throughout the admissions process, will help them to thrive.
Delaney Leonard ’22 offers her own perspective on how she defines what a successful college experience might look like, “I feel prepared for college, because Tower Hill is an environment where the world is truly your oyster. Whatever it is you want to be involved with you will be supported enthusiastically, and if it doesn’t exist in the way you want it to, you can create it to fit what you want. Going into college, I feel ready to get involved in what I’m passionate about and also take the initiative to curate my college experience to my liking if what I desire isn’t already present.
As Archit Kambhamettu ’21, a sophomore double majoring in math and computer science at University of Maryland, says, “Tower Hill was great because I gained experience in a lot of areas that I wouldn’t have otherwise, but while I was writing my essays I really understood which activities I truly enjoyed.”
Building Confidence Through Connections Tower Hill’s culture of support is a critical aspect in preparing our students for college. Knowing when and having the confidence to ask for help is an important skill, particularly when facing new challenges in college and building additional support systems. As Olivia Langlois ’21, a sophomore at Johns Hopkins University, says, “There is nothing that could replicate the close connections I created with my teachers at Tower Hill, but those connections definitely made me more confident to actually reach out to professors and get the help I needed.”
The college admissions landscape is constantly changing, and students, families, college counselors and admissions officers are constantly adapting to the changes. In my 15 years in college admissions at Yale University, I saw sweeping moves in financial aid, application timelines, equity and access, testing requirements, the arrival of social media, athletic recruitment, and of course, huge increases in applications. Since joining Tower Hill’s College Counseling Office two years ago, there have again been major shifts in admissions trends due to the pandemic and resulting changes to virtual resources, test optional policies and once again, rising applications. Our students have been able to successfully navigate these challenges with the support of their home and school communities, curious and confident minds, and resilience built over time. I would like to spend space in this article letting the students’ words speak to the lived experience of the process. One of the true highlights of our job is to hear recent graduates reflect on their path through Tower Hill and college applications. They have gained the perspective that acceptance is just one part of the journey, and that perhaps a denial to a coveted school was helpful in building resilience that is so important to their future success and happiness.
Aditi Wadhwa ’21, currently in her second year at University of Pittsburgh, agrees, saying, “Due to the small class sizes and community at Tower Hill, I was close with all of my teachers. I learned that it is not intimidating to speak with them, and how much they want to help their students. The same goes for college professors.” Students slowly gain these skills by developing relationships with teachers, advisors and coaches and having these trusted adults help them through challenging times. Student-Led Process In group programming and individual conversations, our office places a high emphasis on students taking ownership of their own college admissions journey. It can be difficult to wade beyond the rankings, media frenzy and society’s obsession with highly selective admissions to get to the heart of the issue a strong match for every student.
HOW STUDENTS NAVIGATE THE CURRENT LANDSCAPE BY LINDSAY ACEVEDO ’95 DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE COUNSELING
Delaney Leonard ’22 articulates the crux of our philosophy when she shares, “Where will I feel happiest or fulfilled? Where will I feel comfortable? Where will I feel supported, even if my typical support system isn’t around? I feel like focusing on those questions helped me ultimately decide on Howard, which has been my dream school since sophomore year, but thinking about those things helped solidify the baseless aspirations into firm conviction to attend.”
21Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022 CLASS OF 2022 OMAR ANWAR Wake Forest University YASEEN NewHAAROONUniversityREBECCARutgersDEANWoffordJOHNUniversityBORollinsLAURENTheAUDREYHaverfordISABELLACarnegieSARAHDukeJACOBUniversityMAXWELLUniversityGRACEJamesMADILYNUniversityJULIANandVirginiaSYDNEYatUniversityJACQUESTempleCONNORElonWILLTheMARIAHUniversityTATERochesterELLADartmouthSTANLEYSarahPEYTONUniversityMATTHEWWashingtonDAVISGeorgetownMEREDITHGettysburgBELKADICollegeBEYERUniversityBLANDCollegeBROWNofDelawareBROWNLawrenceCollegeCHENCollegeCLEVENSInstituteofTechnologyCOLARIKofLouisvilleCOLLAZOUniversityofTampaCUCUZZELLAUniversityCUDDYUniversityDERAMELofNorthCarolinaChapelHillDEBAECKEPolytechnicInstituteStateUniversityDIEHLofDelawareDONLONMadisonUniversityDUPONTofDelawareFELIXofDelawareFRIETZEUniversityGANOMellonUniversityGATTUSOCollegeGILBERTUniversityofTexasatAustinGILBERTCollegeGRAVUERofDelawareGRAYCollegeHAMMODUniversityHANKINSofCambridgeHAYATYorkUniversity BRENDAN Sewanee:CAROLINEBucknellISABELLAJamesAISLYNNUniversityLINDSAYRutgersANANYANewREVATIDrexelSAGEMiddleburyHICKEYCollegeHOFFMANUniversityIYENGARYorkUniversityKAKKILAYAUniversityKALISHofMinnesotaKATORMadisonUniversityKIMBIRISUniversityKIRTLEYTheUniversityof the South KAYLEY KNACKSTEDT Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University LAUREN KULDA Elon RochesterSEATTLEUniversityKYLEInstitute of Technology DELANEY LEONARD Howard University EMMA LIAO Emory CaseKATIEElonMICHAELUniversityLIUUniversityLUWesternReserve University DOROTHY MARTIN Cabrini ALEXANDERUniversityMCCLENDON JR. University of Delaware CADE MCPEAK Elon University JAY MEHTA The Pennsylvania State University (University NortheasternABIGAILCornellJACOBUniversityCAROLINESouthernJACKGeorgetownLUCYTheKENYONBerkleeRACHAELSwarthmoreJALYNJohnsBENJAMINPark)MIAOHopkinsUniversityMILLERCollegeMORRISONCollegeofMusicMOTLEYCollegeofSaintRoseNACEUniversityOGDENMethodistUniversityPANKOWofNotreDamePENAUniversityPIERCEUniversity TUCKER POFF Cornell University MIRA PUDIPEDDI New York University AIDAN SouthernTHOMASNorthwesternHANNAHUniversityZOEYGeorgetownZHENLINGTuftsPAIGEVanderbiltCAMPBELLDukeWILLIAMUniversityJACKRenssalearALEXANDERFloridaEMILYAmericanMARISSABostonOLIVIAUniversityMORGANRenssalearMILESUniversityMALCOLMWashingtonCHRISTOPHERClarkKAMARIAOberlinMOSSAmericanELLAGeorgeMARKTheALEXANDERUniversityJAMESColbyROHANVanderbiltBENJAMINSyracuseQUIGUniversityRACAPEUniversitySAJJACollegeSAUNDERSofDelawareSCHLERFUniversityofTampaSHEEHANWashingtonUniversitySHEPHERDUniversitySHOROKEYCollegeSIMMSAtlantaUniversitySIMON&LeeUniversityTHOMASofDelawareTHOMASPolytechnicInstituteTINNEYofPittsburghVALERAUniversityWASHBURNUniversityWEIStateUniversityWILLIAMSPolytechnicInstituteYODERofDelawareZAKIELARZUniversityZEHNERUniversityZHANGUniversityZHANGUniversityZHENGofPittsburghZHOUUniversityJACKSONZUNGAILIAMethodistUniversity
You’ve proven the big moments are going to come. Living through countless historical events, tragedies and day-today catastrophes, you’ve shown your ability to weather the big moments. You’ve proven that your love for learning and your love for one another are your greatest strengths. It’s because of this, and all those lessons, you’ve taught me that this world is yours for the taking; you need only reach out and grasp it.”
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— Elizabeth C. Speers Head of School “ “ have never seen a grade truly embrace the responsibility of being the leaders of the schools like we have, the Class of 2022. As this year progressed, we took on more responsibility starting with more senior voices in Morning Meeting which, much to my chagrin, showed how awful my humor is as I would regularly be bested by the funnier puns of my peers. This leadership and confidence spiraled into the creation of the spirit club and the huge leaps we took as a school to increase our school spirit. Although we are one of the smaller private schools in Delaware, I believe that our fans, led by our senior leaders, had the most passion and ultimately, led us to many victories including our first basketball state championship win. I hope that the following grades can maintain this legacy that we left as a grade.”
— Michelle Wramble English Faculty Member
The importance of being open and willing to have new experiences is clear. Our younger, curious spirit is one we should embrace and never take for granted. Discovering who you are and your uniqueness couples directly with leaning into life’s uncertainties. It’s impossible to discover something new about yourself or life if you remain in the realm of what you know.”
— Jalyn Miller ’22 Class of 2022 Elected Speaker I urge you to care more about inclusivity than exclusivity, reject elitism and embrace equity, always take the high road, as your integrity will be the very bedrock of your success and remember that love is the most reliable muscle of human transformation.”
Video Extra Watch the 2022 Graduation at towerhill.org/graduation
Opposite from top: Head of School Bessie Speers addresses the Class of 2022; Omar Anwar ’22 SGA President addresses the class; Jalyn Miller ’22 Class of 2022 Elected Speaker delivers her speech. Above from top: seniors in the Upper School Concert Choir; Michelle Wramble shares words of wisdom with graduates; Malcom Thomas ’22 processes into graduation; 2022 classmates Sage Hoffman Revati Iyengar, Ananya Kakkilaya and Ella Clevens; Theater Department Chair Matt Kator presents the diploma to his daughter Aislynn Kator ’22 Bessie Speers, Michelle Shepherd former Board Chair with her daughter Ella Shepherd ’22 and Dr. Johnson.
2022GRADUATION
— Omar Anwar ’22 Student Government Association President “
22 Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022 23Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022 GRADUATION EXCERPTS FROM T HE 102ND COMMENCEMENT SPEECHES JUNE 10, 2022
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At the Alumni Council Senior Dinner on May 4, keynote speaker LaMontz Hayman ’87 addressed the Class of 2022. Hayman is a Senior Loan Originator at PrimeLending in Montchanin, DE. He is also the assistant coach for boys’ varsity basketball and father to Courtney ’14 and Brooke ’15 Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable I am a Tower Hill class of 1987 graduate, and the parent of two graduates, Courtney ’14 and Brooke ’15. I also have been a coach for the boys’ football team and the boys’ basketball team since 2016. At this point, I basically bleed Green and White, that’s how closely I hold our school to my heart. But that wasn’t always the case. In fact, far, far from it. The fact that I am here today, with these experiences, is so very far away from where I started. I was just an “Average Joe” from the other side of the tracks in Wilmington, who happened to be lucky enough to attend Tower Hill—something I never even imagined would be possible. I took an enormous leap of faith and entered a world I did not understand. I found myself in positions where I was uncomfortable most of the time. Those experiences have made me the person and father I am today. I learned along the way to truly embrace that discomfort. I’m hoping that at the end of this, you will consider embracing the uncomfortable in your lives. In 1982, I really didn’t know what I was getting into when I came to Tower Hill. But, I did get to know what being uncomfortable felt like in a very big way. I was one of many students caught up in a turbulent time. We faced desegregation at the time; good in spirit, not so much in practice. That year I earned my first two failing grades in my life. My mother worked three part-time jobs to make ends meet as best she could while trying to raise five kids. It would “take a village” even then, and thankfully my mother had the help of my grandmother, aunt and uncle. I had two sisters who had added to the statistics of inner city kids becoming teenage mothers by the age of 15 and a brother soon to follow at 16. At the time, I seemed right at home in this environment. Challenges from the places I lived seemed to just roll off of me as they were my “normal.” But my mom knew she didn’t want the same for my younger sister and me. She knew this was a pivotal point in my life, so she reached out to a friend who happened to know a teacher at Tower Hill School. She was trying to save us from the same outcomes as our siblings.
In my first semester of my first year, I was getting ready to take my math final. I came into the lecture hall fairly confident; actually, I was supremely confident. I sat down thinking, “How quickly can I finish so I can go to the Student Union to play or watch others play spades?” Everyone had found their seat and were ready for the test to be handed out. The professor came to me and put his hand on my shoulder and said, “Young Man, you can go.” I was confused! I hadn’t done anything wrong! I was on time. What did I do? Why are you embarrassing me? I thought. He said, “You can get a zero on this exam and still get an A. You haven’t missed an answer all Isemester.”collected my things and walked out strutting. You would have thought I had won a state chip for the first time in the school’s history.
Looking back, names are forgotten, faces are blurred. Many of those friends are dead or incarcerated. I know now, he saved my life. I became “untouchable,” because I had this opportunity, and with jail or death being the alternative, it became clear why he did what he did. Yes, I was still made fun of and picked on, but that in hindsight was fine by me. Thinking of it now makes me stop for a moment to realize, you never know who will be the person or persons who shifts your path. My life at Tower Hill started shortly thereafter with summer school to set me up for success as opposed to failure. Like many of you, I started not as a lifer, but rather as an eighth grader, matriculating (a word I didn’t even know at the time) into a very small and visibly different group of people than what I was used to. I was coming from Conrad Middle School, where gangs and race played a role as to how your day would go, to then enter the Class of ’87, which had 37 boys and 17 girls. It was not for the faint of heart. My neighborhood was constituted of row homes with mostly Purchase of Care, and my school at the time had forced integration. I was smart so I was in the honors classes, 36 students in a class at the time. I was one of four Purchase of Care. So even though much of the school looked like my new place, it was really far from it. Being uncomfortable was an understatement; culture shock was more like it! I wasn’t a “richie,” I was actually a scholarship kid, which was uncomfortable as well. I thought I didn’t belong. I realized I was getting a top-notch education so I initially put my head down and barreled through, trying not to be at the bottom of the class. But it was extremely difficult. I learned a lot along the way—more on that later. But it was hard both academically and socially. Outside of sports, I felt that I had not made an impact, and that the place was not for me. In fact, I left THS with my closest friend saying, “I’m never coming back to this Iplace.”entered college without looking back. I was poor and struggling to afford books for my classes. I was stressed, but realized that, in fact, I was well prepared for my classes. In fact, I did very well, considering I didn’t have access to the books much of the time.
SENIOR DINNER
My sister and I started a process that we knew nothing about. I was just getting into a “group” who seemed to make all the wrong choices. But I was starting to feel accepted. At that age, it didn’t matter to me that I was somewhat uncomfortable being around and seeing illegal activities on a daily basis; I turned a blind eye. One day I was trying to act tough for the group. I tried to show off a bit and act like I didn’t appreciate my mom’s efforts of redirecting my life. I let them know that I had been accepted at Tower Hill School. Many of them had questions about it—not having any idea what it was and where it was located. The eldest of the group who played the alpha male role pulled me aside and told me to leave and to go home. He also told the others to not interact with me or allow me to spend time with them anymore. I didn’t quite know what was going on; it felt strange. I recognized the significance when I realized I was just kicked out of the group by the person who knew it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up; he did what he could to protect me from them and myself. It was obvious what lay ahead if I had not made a change. I remember hearing something to the effect of, “when you make it out, we all make it out.”
2022GRADUATION
MONTY HAYMAN ’87 SHARES ADVICE AT ALUMNI COUNCIL SENIOR DINNER
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“Two things you get every day are a CHANCE and a CHOICE. You have been afforded the opportunity, the chance of a lifetime, which has only come around once in THS basketball history—to be champions. You have earned your right to be here. Now the only thing that’s left is for you to CHOOSE how you will be remembered. Will you be remembered as the 2022 champions or will you be remembered as just another year? You are almost there. You’ve been given the CHANCE, the opportunity to be in the class of greatness. Success is measured by the opposition you’ve encountered and the courage maintained against all Remember,odds. every champion was once a contender who refused to give up.”
2022GRADUATION
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Preceding the Alumni Council Senior Dinner, the Class of 2022 visited the path outside the Alumni House to see bricks labeled with each if their names and graduation year. The class also heard remarks from Alumni Director, Matt Twyman ’88
CHOOSE who you want to be right now—another class or the 2022 champions.*** I’d argue those words equally apply to each of you as you graduate from here very soon. You all have shown by your grit, your moxy, your class and your talent that you have chosen to be a champion, never refusing to give up. I, and we, welcome you to the list of greats, as a THS alum. Now go get comfortable with being uncomfortable, and you too can accomplish great things—more than you ever thought possible. Thank you.
I realized that Tower Hill had, in fact, prepared me for this level, and maybe I was too harsh on my experience there. Having gone to Hampton University, where I was around wealthier people, the majority of them black, I learned quickly I was the same person there that I was at THS. I was still poor. But being smart, nerdy even, helped me. Imagine the movie Hitch. I was Hitch. And much like Hitch, it didn’t hurt for me to learn that girls like nerds with confidence in college and in life after college, too. I had instant study partners going forward and with that came access to the books I needed. The funny thing about that exam was that I learned a group of guys were ticked off, because they had set up an elaborate plan to copy my answers and share with each other. I was oblivious. It turns out that was a bad idea for them. One place you won’t be too uncomfortable in the next 12 months is college, school and work. Tower Hill totally prepares you. Your hardest year of school, period, and for the rest of your lives was 11th grade or senior year. One story about being prepared stuck with me. I remember a time in English class we had to write a descriptive paper. I was not prepared and made a fool of myself. My Tower Hill friends, still to this day, have never let me live it down. They remind me of the words I said that day and just how pathetic I looked. I appreciate them for it, and they each had their own embarrassing stories as well—we were in this together. It is a reminder that failing to prepare is… well, you know the rest. THS has done its part to prepare you for the next step. Trust in yourself and lean on your friends when you can. For many of you, you will get much of your life back, with only two or three classes per day. No one to wake you, no sports practice to get to; that will be awesome for some of you, I’m sure. But, with that comes responsibility; make good decisions! Choose to be good Whereverpeople.you matriculate for your future studies there will be new people. It was that transition to college that was initially the hardest for me. I eventually found my way. THS prepared me for the academics, but the “bubble” at THS may not have prepared me socially. You may or may not know the world you have lived in for the last few years has been pretty sanitized. It was pretty consistent and pretty stable. There is nothing wrong with that. It gives you a great base or foundation for your judgment of “normal.” I challenge you to explore and chase the uncomfortable. I did to an extent and I am far better for it. *** While the next four years for some of you will be easy in many ways and challenging in others, your lifelong Tower Hill friends will be there for you. They will be there sharing in the same or similar experiences, laughing about the times at THS. Believe me, every story gets a little more embellished as time passes on. You have a base of people to trust and depend on and lean on. I personally didn’t realize how many relationships I had developed while at THS. Some of my best friends now are alums. It is with these connections that I relive stories. Some of those stories never get old. To be candid, I have a few regrets about this time when I was in your shoes, about to embark on the next level. I could have pushed even harder if I had just trusted myself and my abilities. Everything was new to me so there was a lot of discomfort, but I didn’t push the envelope. I could have tried more things, met more people, had tough conversations and just stepped outside of my comfort zone. I implore you to not do the same thing I did. Try something new! Try to be cast in the school play, join student government, be a resident’s assistant, try to play club sports if you aren’t playing for your school already. Meet new and different people and be your authentic self. Be a good person; we dearly need good people now more than ever. Trust me, you will stumble and be uncomfortable along the way—that is fine—it is good! You can’t practice getting up if you aren’t willing to get knocked down. You can’t learn what not to do, if you aren’t willing to try something new. You can’t experience all that life has to offer if you just stay glued to what you’ve already done. I have come to know this thing called “life” begins when you step outside your comfort zone. Living in a comfortable bubble is just existing. You are not built to just exist. You have been given the finest education possible; don’t settle for what is easy. You have been given the best of opportunities, so make a difference. You have been given much, so much is expected. This shouldn’t be a big deal for you, because you will take the road less traveled. You will seek out differences in lieu of similarity. You will have an experience that will change your life and will lead you somewhere or to something you never would have expected.
Lastly, I wanted to relay a recent story that I think is particularly timely. Many of you know the coaches speak to the teams before heading out of the locker room to compete. I was given the honor of speaking to the boys’ basketball team last year, prior to taking the floor before the state chip game. I usually spoke just before Coach PK, but this time, Coach let me go last. I won’t give the total speech, as some of the words would be too salty to say here today, but I feel most of the words capture this moment:
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Katherine Ann Darnell Multa Bene Facta Award Emani Larkin Haon Award in Art Lucy CertificateZhangof Honor - Sage Hoffman Certificate of Honor - Ella Clevens David E. Scherer Dramatics Award
-
Stanley
8TH GRADE MOVING UP DAY
Hankins Stanley Chen William J. Carveth Music Award Lauren CertificateGilbertofHonor - Paige Zhang Certificate of Honor - Ananya Kakkilaya Cover Tower Term Leadership Award Ben Jordan The Tower Hill School Community Service Award Lucy Nace Green and White Club Awards Matthew Brown Michael Liu Stanley Chen Cade McPeak Will Cucuzzella Jalyn Miller Connor Cuddy Kenyon Motley Jacques de Ramel Lucy Nace Julian Diehl Abigail Pierce Madi Donlon Mark Sheehan Bo Gravuer Campbell Zehner John Gray Paige Zhang Brendan Hickey Hannah Zhou Caroline Kirtley Home and School Association Athletic Awards Lucy BrendanNaceHickey Spiller Achievement Award Ella Shepherd Trustees’ Award for Service Jalyn Miller Alison Arsht Leadership Award Omar Anwar
Seniors
Paige Zhang Zhenling Zhang
Paul Mulvena and Subhi Yadav ’26 Tim Weymouth
Connor CertificateCuddyofHonor - Caroline Pankow Certificate of Honor - Revati Iyengar Hugh Atkins Award in English Olivia CertificateValeraof Recognition - Delaney Leonard Laurel Society Jake OliviaPaigeFrietzeZhangValera Algard Mathematics Award
Katie
Revati
Rebecca
Ceremony:
Benjamin Miao
Elam Muscelli received the Tower Hill Humanitarian Award, given to the eighth grader who, in the opinion of their classmates, has been the best friend to all. Kennedy Haskins received the Alumni Association Achievement Award for demonstrating particular growth in citizenship and scholarship. Sarita “Subhi“ Yadav received the Cecile M. Buckles Award, given to the eighth grade student who best exemplifies enthusiasm, effort, cooperation and energetic involvement. Congratulations to the Class of 2026!
Rebecca
Lucy
Sage
Wiz Applegate ’79 and Elam Muscelli ’26 Matt Twyman ’88 and Kennedy Haskins ’26
28 Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022 29Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022 RECOGNITION
Lucy
Rebecca Hankins P. Edward Hughes History Award Hannah CertificateZhouofHonor - Ella Shepherd Oliver Crichton Science Award
Lucy Nace
Tower Hill recognized the eighth grade class at the annual Moving Up Day ceremony on June 9. Family, friends and faculty gathered to hear advisers share insights about each student’s accomplishments and contributions to the class. In addition to the three awards presented, Head of Middle School Tim Weymouth noted the many talents of the eighth grade as a class.
SarahJacobJacquesConnorChenCuddydeRamelFrietzeGano Isabella Gattuso John BenjaminRevatiRebeccaGrayHankinsIyengarRacapé Rohan HannahCampbellWilliamSajjaZakielarzZehnerZhou
CUM LAUDE INDUCTION (pictured below) inducted at the end of their junior year: Omar Anwar
Ben CertificateMiao of Honor - Ben Racapé Certificate of Honor - Rebecca Hankins Frank C. Ashby Language Award
DAYUPMOVING
Ben Racapé Audrey Gilbert Will Zakielarz Hankins Zhang Ben Miao Hannah Zhou Seniors inducted at the Senior Awards Meredith Beyer Lu Stanley Chen Nace Jacob Frietze Caroline Pankow Hoffman Zhang Global Certificate Scholars Iyengar Sarah Gano Lucy Nace Class of 1966 “Of Wilmington and the World” Award
Paige
National Merit Finalists - These students placed among the top 1% of more than 1.6 million who entered the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program competition and fulfilled additional requirements.
National Merit Commended Students These students placed among the top 5% of more than 1.6 million who entered the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program competition.
Fourth graders were challenged to design their own pizzas with the perfect distribution of toppings to learn about fractions. Catherine Henry’s winning pizza design was recreated by SAGE Dining and served for lunch. Her recipe included white cheddar and mozzarella cheese, pesto, sausage and honey.
WEEK OF THE YOUNG CHILD
Seventh graders participated in a human-to-human interface experiment, which allows brain signals from one person to stimulate the muscles of another. Athletic Trainer Brandon Slawson also gave a demonstration using electronic muscle stimulation (EMS) and discussed how it’s used by athletes.
SERVICE LEARNING
Congratulations to the seventh and eighth graders who earned medals and certificates in this year’s National Latin Exam awards. Margaret Weymouth, Everett Bradle, Leanna Geerts, Johnathan Zhang, Micheal Waesco, Thatcher Flynn and William Holt.
SCIENCE OLYMPIAD Tower Hill’s Science Olympiad team finished third in the state competition once again this year!
Fifth graders created robots using LEGOs and decorations. The robots were tested and performed in THE Hub.
In April, the Lower School celebrated the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s “Week of the Young Child,” an annual celebration focusing attention on the needs of young children and the teachers who work so hard to meet those needs.
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SCIENCE FAIR WIN Veer Pahwa ’24 won the New Castle County Science Fair for the Behavioral and Social Science category for his project “Behavior Profile Migration and Attitude towards Economic Expectation, Investment and COVID.”
ACADEMICS
LATIN AWARDS
Third grade and 10th grade students collaborated on this year’s Soup for Souls project, assembling dried bean soup jars to be donated to Lutheran Community Services.
BATTLE OF THE BOOKS
ELECTRIC FEEDBACK
Our fourth and fifth graders won this year’s Battle of the Books! Wilmington area independent schools competed in the friendly reading competition that spanned the entire school year and culminated in a trivia battle. Tower Hill teams earned seven of the top 10 places. Congratulations to all our winning readers!
4TH GRADE FRACTION FUN
5TH GRADE ROBOTS
LIFESCHOOL
“Debating really teaches you how to fake it ‘til you make it because you might not necessarily agree with it,” she explains. “You have to be able to convincingly argue for both sides of the argument because it’s not set in stone which side you’re going to be defending.”
“It can also help with developing different perspectives, and maybe even empathy because if you’re a good debater, you have to be able to see the argument on both sides,” she says. “And it’s likely you can be less polarized in your ideas and perspective because being a debater forces you to see arguments from both sides and know how to defend on both Zhou,sides.”
Zhou says the future of the team is bright.
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It would be impossible to overstate the key role that Hannah has played in creating the team, recruiting its members, and acting as the team’s leader and role model. But for her effort, I doubt there would be a team.”
Zhou discovered her love for debate during her middle school years at Shanghai High School International Division, an all-Englishspeaking 1-12th grade school in China. During her years there, she participated in numerous in-person debates, learning debate skills that served her in good stead regardless of what side she preferred.
This year I did things a little differently. I focused on just coaching. That way, I could be more present to help other students when they needed help. I think that teaching it has actually been a lot more rewarding than just debating by itself.”
“It would be impossible to overstate the key role that Hannah has played in creating the team, recruiting its members and acting as the team’s leader and role model,” Coach Baker says. “But for her effort, I doubt there would be a team.”
HANNAH ZHOU ’22 ON DEBATING SKILLS, COACHING AND A BRIGHT FUTURE BY MAURA CICCARELLI FREELANCE WRITER
— HANNAH ZHOU ’22
As a result, there’s development of critical thinking skills along with a positive twist.
who plans on studying psychology and behavioral economics at Northwestern University in the fall, worked with Upper School Head Sarah Baker, who had been a student debater herself, to recruit a debate team coach for the first time. Stephen Baker, who is Sarah Baker’s dad, had been a lawyer for many years and previously led the mock trial program at The Episcopal Academy in Pennsylvania.
— STEVE BAKER, DEBATE TEAM COACH FOUNDER
LOOKING AHEAD WITH DEBATE TEAM
“Although our team this year was mainly composed of underclassmen, we were able to see amazing results,” says Zhou, who ran the team with co-captains Lucy Zhang ’22 and Sarah Gano ’22. “We won first place in two tournaments: the USA Canada India Winter Invitational and the PF World 1 Championship, with Joey Zhu ’25 and Jon Dong ’25 placing first in both.”
Critical thinking, crafting persuasive and powerful arguments, and helping fellow teammates improve their debate skills. These are some of the reasons why senior Hannah Zhou wanted to start a debate team when she got to Tower Hill three years ago.
“Most of our debaters were freshmen and the fact that they have seen such good success this year, I think it’s a really good sign for the debate team,” she says. “Even though they’re really young, they are already really strong debaters. They’re going to be leading the club hopefully to even more victory in the future.”
“It’s like making a PowerPoint that controls all the cues for the lights,” he says. Next, he took his programmed design through its paces with the director, the stage manager and other crew as well before live run-throughs.
“I like to spend a lot of time to make something work perfectly,” he explains, adding that he spent a few 10hour days getting everything just right. Figuring out how to choose the lights to use, what focus and settings they should have, and how to group together lights and modes to run on different channels in the lighting system is “like a puzzle.”
With the dynamic interplay of different kinds of lights, colors, timing, patterns and more, theater lighting design has the power to make a show come alive. But, before it can do that, it’s a puzzle that has to be mapped out and programmed to make the magic That’shappen.the challenge
He began working on the lighting design after helping build the show’s set. First, he learned how to use the design software (which was new to him) to create a file that runs the entire show’s lighting through the duPont Theatre’s lighting console.
He worked with a wide variety of lights, including front lights, top lights, multicolored patterned lights and lights that were moved to track characters entering from the back of the auditorium. On stage,
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Ben Jordan had this spring as lighting designer for Tower Hill’s Upper School production of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown!
Working on the lighting gave him the chance to learn from Theater Department Chair Matthew Kator.
Other team members included the stage manager, who read the script and called out the lighting cues, while an assistant stage manager operated the light
DESIGN: PIECES OF A PUZZLE BY MAURA CICCARELLI FREELANCE WRITER 34 Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022
lights at the tops and bottoms of five large fabric panels let Jordan adjust colors to correspond to the characters or change for a new scene.
“The saddest part was that I had to go into my show file and delete all of the show-specific stuff to build a regular file for morning assembly,” he says.
“I’m definitely a tech nerd,” Jordan added. “Afterwards, I was like, okay, I can’t wait for the next show.”
At the last two run-throughs, he sat in the audience and made notes about what needed to be changed.
“For the actual show, I just sat in the house and enjoyed watching it,” he says.
“That involved riding the Genie Lift up to the lighting system at the top of the theater and crawling on the catwalks to adjust the lights to how we wanted them,” Jordan explains.
“I’ve always loved doing tech for shows, but lighting lets you be a bit more expressive,” says Jordan, who came to the school at the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year. “With sound, people usually only talk about it when it’s not good. But, with lighting, people say, ‘that’s nice lighting.’”
Despite the many hours of work to create the programming to control the many duPont Theatre lights, the junior says it was a fun challenge with an art he’s loved ever since he first did it in sixth grade.
BEHINDLIGHTS theLIGHTING
In addition, Dave Marshall A/V Tech Support, helped with the physical adjustments of the lights.
Whenboard. the programming file was finalized, Jordan’s job was done. The stage manager advanced through the show’s cues, and the lighting plan was successfully
Theoperated.show ran for three days, including Sunday matinee. Afterwards, Jordan and the stage crew tore everything down, leaving a completely blank and empty stage.
“He was a mentor to me,” Jordan says. “He taught me how to run a lot of the system and create the design. He also gave me advice about all the lights we had to play with.”
LIFE AMONG THE BEES
Most people are scared of being stung by a bee. It can be painful, startling and can even cause an anaphylactic reaction for those who are allergic. Bees get a bad rap. Throughout my week spent in “Life Amongst the Bees,” a Tower Term course, we learned that bees are a fascinating species and are extremely essential for the ecosystem. Bees are friendly creatures who adapt and mirror human behavior. For example, if an individual approaches an active bee box with a calm attitude, the bees will remain docile. Conversely, if individuals are aggressive, excited or scared, the bees will sense that emotion and respond in aggressive defense. During our course, we learned about basic hive equipment, staying properly safe amongst active bees while inspecting a hive and how to identify the queen bee. Additionally, we learned how to identify a healthy versus unhealthy hive and how to care for varying types of bees considering the many changes that come throughout the year.
drones, you can look for a larger body without a stinger. Drone bees tend to live for only around three months, and commonly die from starvation. The numbers of male bees are very minimal within a hive. Queen bees often live for three to four years, however, the other types of bees live for shorter periods of time. Although each type of bee has a different laborious and important task, they evolve throughout their life and can be helpful in many different aspects. Bees are essential for the ecosystem in many different ways that are not evidently acknowledged. Bees are prominent pollinators because of their extensive time collecting pollen; the collection of pollen allows for the growth of trees, flowers and plants that are important for the release of oxygen for humans and other animals and insects. The tasks of bees allow for numbers of other nutrients to be created and other organisms in habitats to co-exist. Additionally, bees also help in maintaining the food supply for us. Before our adventures each morning, we would gather together as a team in the Hayward House for a honeythemed breakfast. We were lucky enough to try many different unique breakfasts that involved the use of delicious honey. Some of the breakfasts we enjoyed were biscuits made by Mrs. Glowatz’s husband, yogurt parfaits topped with honey, and even crêpes with honey cinnamon butter spread. All of these delectable meals allowed us to start off each day right. Throughout the week-long course spent amongst healthy and active hives, we were lucky enough to engage with a variety of hives throughout the greater Wilmington area. On the first day of our course, we traveled to West Chester, Pennsylvania, alongside two of our Tower Hill teachers and local beekeepers’ hives, Mrs. Helfgott and Ms. Mitchell. Splitting into two groups, each and every one of us were able to experience special hands-on time to break down the hives, while constantly looking for evidence of the queen bee. During this process, we would work together in using frame tools to pull out the frames and look for proper evidence. On the second day of the course, we were lucky enough to travel to University of Delaware and speak with a devoted entomologist, Mr. Menz. Throughout our visit, we were able to discuss and learn about mating habits between bees along with depictions and the importance of bees’ features. During the second part of our visit, we were able to visit Mr. Menz’s beekeeping lab. In that special room, we were able to work hands-on with bees. Some of the activities included holding a worker bee on your hand and marking it with a paint pen, dissecting various types of bees under a microscope, identifying mites from a hive, along with picking apart brood and identifying evidence of larvae and eggs. On the third and fourth days, we remained in Wilmington and visited Mr. Boyden’s hives and stayed on campus to observe the Tower Hill hives. On each and every day, we made sure we were safe amongst each other and the bees. As a team of just 11 students and four adults, we guided each other to stay protected so we could avoid getting Onstung.the final expo day of our tower term, we set up a room filled with interesting facts about bees, a guessing game about who got stung, a slideshow with pictures of our week, and a honey product tastetesting station. Our setup and plans allowed us to show the other Tower Hill students what it was like to engage with bees for the first time for many of us. During this course, I am certain that all of us as junior beekeepers learned so many lessons about bees and their importance. At the end of the week, all of us were able to receive our junior beekeeping certificates. Beekeeping is extremely important and something I could never imagine myself doing before taking this course. With even just a small group compared to other Tower Terms, we were able to enjoy it on so many different levels, along with becoming friends with some of the people I had never met before. The most important takeaway I grasped while in this class was that beekeeping allows you to live in the moment. When you’re focused on such an important and sometimes stressful task, it allows you to simply focus on only that.
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A TOWER TERM EXPERIENCE BY ALEXANDRA SIMON ’25
Throughout our week-long adventures of calmly endeavoring through active bee hives, we explored the different components and levels of a hive along with signs of healthy and unhealthy mating habits. A hive stand is the closest thing to the ground, to elevate the hive off the ground. Above that is the bottom board, which allows bees to enter and exit the hive. Next is the hive body, which are wooden boxes that are the living quarters for the colony. This space can hold from eight to 10 frames where the queen lays her eggs and workers store their progress. A frame is a slim wooden insert that sits inside of a medium or deep super, which stores honey or brood, and larva or eggs. We used certain tools like a frame tool and a smoker in order to loosen the frames and pull them apart to inspect. The smoker is a tool used to make the bees feel calm as we would work our way through their home. Next is the queen excluder that allows the queen to safely lay eggs in specially clean frames and restricts her from laying eggs in the hive body. The honey super comes next, which holds all of the honey above the hive body. The inner cover helps provide extensive space for the bees and lastly the beehive cover helps protect the hive from weather conditions. We would approach the hive on an appropriate angle that would continue to safely allow the bees to enter the hive. While depending on the infamous singular queen bee in a hive, the varying numbers of worker and drone bees help in aiding the survival of a healthy hive. The queen bee’s main task in her life is to mate and lay eggs. Identifying and marking the queen bee within a hive is very important and can be done so by finding a larger bee with an extensive abdomen. The queen bee leaves the hive once as a virgin queen in hope to mate with a drone, and then later lives in the hive adapting to the genetic qualities within a hive. Worker bees, which are non fertile females, make up the majority of a bee’s population within a hive. Worker bees evolve throughout their life span and begin as nurse bees, where they prepare brood cells and feed larvae. Nurse bees also take care of the worker bees by cleaning and maintaining the hive to be healthy. Drones, male bees, on the other hand, have a shortened life expectancy and are primarily used to mate with the virgin worker bees to create fertile offspring then shortly after, die. To identify
“Eighthday!”
Her teaching approach starts with her lessons backward by beginning with an interesting activity and matching content to it.
“Then, I say, what kind of learner am I reaching with this activity? Because not every kid loves to get up and do it,” says Campbell, who holds a bachelor of science in speech pathology from Bloomsburg University and a master of science in educational leadership from Neumann University. “I try to engage them so they don’t quit before they start. Maybe we can get that light bulb Teachinglit.”
FACULTY FOCUS
As a Middle School math teacher, Kristie Campbell works hard to bring math to life… and make it fun, too. Not getting which way the decimal point moves when dealing with percentages? Use a baseball as the decimal point and use the catcher, pitcher and runner on second base to show where the point should be. Is the long division process too complicated? Creating a metaphorical mathematical multi-step “meal” with the chef-wannabe rat Remy from the Disney/Pixar film Ratatouille can help.
• Are you ready to try your best?
• Are you ready to accept mistakes?
• And, most importantly, are you ready to have fun?
Making math count
“They can give me their answer or their neighbor’s answer,” she explains. “A student who maybe started out the activity with nothing to say now at least has something to say.”
Many times in her career, Campbell has heard kids (and adults) say they don’t like math. “I say, what don’t you like about it,” she says. “They say it’s hard.” She then works with them to pinpoint where math feels hard. That gives them a place to start and build understanding from there—a philosophy firmly couched in lifelong learning, which Campbell strongly believes in. She especially enjoys the challenge of working with students who try to “hide”—getting through class without admitting they don’t understand something.
graders who I used to teach still stop by and say, ‘I hope you’re having a high-five day!’ It’s just a beautiful thing,” she says. “It’s a mindset. I tell the parents about it. The kids just embrace it. Everything is positive.”
High five days Whether she’s teaching math or coaching volleyball or lacrosse, Campbell starts with the same ritual she developed a few years ago: high five days.
• Are you ready to learn?
MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH TEACHER KRISTIE CAMPBELL BY MAURA CICCARELLI FREELANCE WRITER
By this time, everyone’s five fingers are splayed out, and they do high fives while cheering, “Have a high five
LIFESCHOOL
every student means not relying on one method to achieve an answer. It may not be her own preferred way, but Campbell will use it even if just one kid needs it. Connecting students with math concepts and terminology by tapping into their interest in sports, films or other things can make a big difference. She also uses coaching and mentoring techniques with her classes. Instead of putting a student in the spotlight to answer a question, she has her students turn to their neighbor and discuss the answers before sharing them.
“Wehelped.celebrate mistakes, because mistakes help everyone learn,” Campbell says. “I think that’s why I love math— you are able to make errors and find your mistakes.”
• Are you ready to make good choices?
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“Ever since I was little, I just wanted to help everyone and anyone, in any way I could,” says Campbell, who joined Tower Hill two years ago and teaches sixth and seventh grade algebra and geometry. “I knew that I wanted to do something where I had students and was Sinceteaching.”2007, she’s taught kids from first through eighth grade at a number of private and public schools. She’s developed grade specific curricula and taught reading as well as math, which has always been her biggest love. Her teaching style was heavily influenced by her own favorite teachers, who were high energy and very creative in their lessons and activities. Creative teaching strategies
Everyone holds their hands up in a fist. She asks five questions, and they answer “I’m ready” after each one:
Adopting a growth mindset through her lessons really
ANDREA SARKO MIDDLE SCHOOL HISTORY TEACHER, DIRECTOR OF SERVICE LEARNING AND OF MINDFULNESS
thoughts and making mental and physical space for stillness, students have more agency in their day to day experiences. Mindfulness practices give students ownership over recognizing their emotions and making choices that increase ease and joy; offering a calming effect on the nervous system and allowing the brain to function optimally. Mindfulness is a component of our Lower School wellness program, taught in conjunction with Dr. Amy Cuddy and Nurse Lexy as a comprehensive physical, mental and social health program year long. Students jump at the chance to understand how their brains work and why they may be experiencing a range of emotions and thoughts. I created 10 minute brain science assemblies in Middle School highlighting the magical Middle School brain and all that it is capable of achieving during these years! Mindfulness tools allow them to learn about their brains and increase agency over how they think, feel and respond to the world around them. The heartfulness side of mindfulness practices include growing empathy and connection to others, inspiring service leadership. Cultivating a citizen of the world begins much closer to home. Through practices that encourage connection and reflection, students grow their capacity for understanding their power to affect change and make life better for themselves and others. Integrating service learning into our curriculum offers a powerful pedagogy by linking the academic experiences with real world experiences. A study from UCLA in 2000 indicates service learning tied to school curriculum outweighs the benefits of extracurricular community service done on a student’s own time and absent from the connections to academic content. This same study found that an increase in critical thinking, writing skills and GPA were associated with over 66,000 students who participated in the study and either participated in service learning or community service activities. Alongside those academic increases was a growth in the inclination of students to participate in and lead service projects into adulthood.
As a Middle School teacher, I have never assumed I have my students’ full attention! Students are affected by absolutely everything around them. A look or word from peers in the hallway outside my classroom, or a conversation at lunch, or an argument with family members at home may “flip their lid.” The “stuff” of life is important to all children and can take up space in their minds. In order for me to make more room for learning, mindfulness is a tool that helps them process and if needed let go of whatever is on their minds when they enter the classroom. Taking a minute to arrive, body and mind, makes a difference in their ability to be focused and ready to engage in learning. This mindful moment at the start of class is a simple and efficient way to bring attention to the task at hand. It also creates the space for self study. Students notice where their attention is and realize that they have the power to choose where to place it.
In the world of education today, there are a multitude of perspectives on teaching and learning. Educators, students and parents are in the middle of one of the worst crises in educational history. Historically speaking, while the pandemic has waged war on education worldwide, this is not the first nor will it be the last crisis in education. It is from these crises that educators can seek opportunities to improve the educational experience. This idea is not new, it harkens back to the 1950s and the impact of Sputnik on our education system reforms that spurred more investment in science and more funding for lowincome schools. The COVID-19 pandemic is just another one of the “focusing events” for education. The challenge for us as members of a school community is to be conscious that we have a choice in how we view our current situation. Yes, this crisis includes the great resignation, learning loss, a rise in school shootings, a mental health crisis for teachers and students, and as always, funding issues for our public schools. Yet, it also includes exciting new research in brain science, teaching and learning, new platforms for student voice, community engagement and a focus on wellness and safety. It’s a matter of what we choose to focus on.
At Tower Hill, we were privileged to return in person to school in the fall of 2020 while many other schools were virtual for the entire year. In order to emphasize safety and connection, we practiced focusing on relationships and working together on campus and in our community. We trained underused or new muscles in the areas of mindfulness and community service to build a culture that supported each individual as well as the entirety of the school to move forward in a positive direction together. While the 2021-2022 school year progressed toward more normalcy, the impact of the pandemic was obvious to educators around the country. Social distancing affected students’ social and emotional skills development and therefore their learning. While we returned to an increase of teaching in content areas this past school year, we are taking a closer look at the areas that generated so much possibility in 2020-2021. As educators, the task is to balance academic rigor with wellness, community connection and student agency as keys to successful learning experiences for all 1children.Corbett,2011; Mrazek, Franklin, Phillips, Baird, & Schooler, 2013; Napoli, Krech, & Holley, 2005; Zenner, Herrnleben-Kurz, & Walach, 2014 2 Broderick & Metz, 2009; Huppert & Johnson, 2010; Waters, Barsky, Ridd, & Allen, 2015 Despite the challenges, this is an amazing time to be an educator. We have more research and tools at our fingertips than ever before. Mindfulness is one of those tools. Mindfulness in education took root in many large urban cities about 20 years ago beginning with school psychologists and counselors and a few teachers. The practices stem from the work of John Kabat-Zinn’s MBSR program, developed in 1979 as a way for patients to manage chronic pain in a hospital setting. Today, research supports the importance of these practices in schools. Recent well controlled studies have shown that interventions designed to augment mindfulness in students have enhanced cognitive abilities relevant to academic achievement, including reading comprehension and working memory capacity1. Additionally, research has documented the value of mindfulness-based interventions for enhancing social–emotional wellbeing2. Research in the field of mindfulness in education is ongoing, and what we are seeing in classrooms at Tower Hill supports much of what is discovered through research.
In my Lower School classes, I often ask students, “Who is in charge of your attention?” Their response is usually an enthusiastic “You are!” They are thrilled to discover that the answer is them! By practicing moving attention, noticing when it wanders, the quality of
LIFESCHOOL
At Tower Hill School we offer a variety of extracurricular opportunities for students to participate in or create their own service projects. Some service efforts are linked with our Global Scholars program and focus on service leadership as well as cultural proficiency. Our school wide service efforts support food insecurity in Wilmington. In the 2020-2021 school year the Tower Hill Community had its largest food, clothing and school supply drive for local nonprofit organizations including Lutheran Community Services, Ministry of Caring and Mom’s House. As we navigate creating a balance between academic rigor, wellness and student agency, the school looks to maximize the expertise of its community members to bring wellness, community connection and student agency.
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BY MAURA CICCARELLI FREELANCE WRITER
FACULTY FOCUS
42 Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022 43Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022
BY
GrowingGreener
Each year, Tower Hill establishes institutional goals to focus on for that school year. One of the three goals for 2021-2022 was Tower Hill Green. We established this goal to engage in conversations and programming to educate ourselves and the entire community about our commitment to environmental stewardship. Our goal is to grow our individual and collective investment in becoming a greener and more environmentally responsible school.
bottle caps. Tower Tots raised close to $500 with their Sea Turtle Bake Sale. The funds supported The Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton, Florida. Fourth graders performed the play My Planet, Your Planet.
Ten Upper School students went to Clayton Hall on the University of Delaware Campus to attend the Delaware YES! Youth Environmental Summit. In addition, Advanced Chemistry students hosted a mock debate discussing the subject of nuclear energy with students representing a variety of perspectives such as coal miners, environmentalists and the American Nuclear Energy Society.
LIFESCHOOL
TOWER HILL’S FIRST GREEN SUMMIT AMY SCHREI DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING
The Green Summit Growing Greener, An Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability Summit for Independent School was held on Earth Day, April 22, 2022. Tower Hill created the Green Summit to learn from schools who are excelling in sustainability. We invited educators from around the region to share inspiration and actionable ideas for incorporating green initiatives in their curricula, operations and school life.
The summit drew about 200 attendees from a wide range of area schools and industry experts who led 26 different sessions, including several of Tower Hill’s own teachers. We heard from inspirational keynote speaker Darron Collins, President College of the ThisAtlantic.spring, students created projects and engaged in lessons related to the environment. In preschool and kindergarten students made art using recycled
Middle Schoolers watched and reflected on a series of short films as part of the traveling Wild and Scenic Film Festival 2022. The goal is “further expanding the minds of our youth to be more grounded and connected with this small yet mighty planet.”
The whole school was mesmerized by an enclosed observable bee hive that spent that day in THE Hub. Teachers and students in all divisions used the bees for lessons, such as Middle Schoolers learning Spanish vocabulary and grammar about bees and beekeeping.
The Green Summit was just one step in our green journey, and we look forward to holding a similar event in the future with students being the focus. Students are passionate about the environment, and their idealism, along with their abilities to think critically and creatively, will shape the future. Schools have the responsibility to provide the space and resources for students to actualize and implement their ideas on campus and in the larger community.
DR. JOHN GAVENONIS
LIFESCHOOL
DuPont is the co-founder and managing partner at Chartline Capital Partners, a Venture Capital Fund. Chartline makes investments in enterprise and industrial technology companies working to make core industries more efficient, reliable and sage. Their aim is to enter after a strategic inflection point and help founders and management teams realize the full potential of their business.
With Gratitude
44 Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022 45Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022 NEW BOARD LEADERSHIP
Dr. Johnson currently practices with First State Orthopaedics. He attended Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, where he also completed his internship and residency. Johnson completed an orthopaedic trauma surgery fellowship at Cooper/University of Pennsylvania and currently serves as the associate chief of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. Johnson is also an adjunct associate professor in the physical therapy program at the University of Delaware. He has two children who are proud graduates of the Tower Hill School— Spencer ’16 and Malcolm ’18 “It has been a true honor to partner with Eric Johnson. His deep loyalty and commitment to what education truly stands for has been a gift to Tower Hill. Tower Hill is fortunate to have an incredible board and Ben duPont’s leadership will ensure the school continues to thrive,” said Head of School Bessie Speers.
MR. J. MATHIEU “MATT” PLUMB
W. Whitfield Gardner joined the board in 2010. From 2015-2018, he served as chair of the Buildings and Grounds Committee. Following that term, he was chair of the Investment Committee until 2022. During his time as chair of the Investment Committee, he was instrumental in helping grow our endowment, which has nearly doubled under his watch to $52M at the end of this fiscal year. He will continue to consult with the Investment Committee. “Whit has a true passion for Tower Hill, and he has been a champion for access ensuring that the school has the resources to provide financial aid to smart, deserving students who otherwise would not be able to attend,” said Head of School Bessie Speers.
WELCOME NEW TRUSTEES
Matt is a competitive auto racer, driving the #46 Porsche GT4 and GT3 for TeamTGM in the IMSA series and #16 Toyota GT4 in the Blancpain GT4 America series for Hattoria Motorsports. Prior to this he drove for Mclaren team based out of Toronto after spending 10 years as driver and general manager for Rum Bum Racing LLC. He holds a BA in History and Economics from the University of Virginia. His parents are J. Michael Plumb and H. Donnan Sharp ’56 . Both were Olympic equestrian riders. He is the great-grandson of THS founder Hugh Rodney Sharp, Sr. and THS parent of Wardrop “Wilkie” Plumb ’26 His oldest son, Bayard, attended THS but now attends boarding school. Matt is Board member and Co-treasurer for Historic Odessa Foundation and on Board of visitors for St. George’s School.
John is currently the Vice President and General Manager of the Supplies Division of Agilent Technologies. Prior to Agilent, he worked at DuPont for nearly 14 years with his last position as General Manager. He graduated from MIT in 1998 and received his Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from UC, Berkeley in 2003. John also has a Certificate in Leading Strategic Growth from Columbia Business School. He has over 40 publications, patent applications, and presentations at national and international science and engineering conferences. John is a member of the THS Advancement Committee, is a grade parent captain for the Annual Fund and has spoken at THS Parents’ Nights advocating for the Annual Fund. He also has served as a member of the MIT Alumni Association Board of Directors. He is a THS parent of John ’29 and James ’33
DuPont is a 1986 graduate of Tufts University where he earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering. He currently resides in Wilmington, Delaware and enjoys spending time with his wife, Laura and his two children Ben ’20 and Janie ’24 His external board experience includes service to Longwood Gardens, DuPont Country Club, GigSky, Zip Code Wilmington and UrbanBound, the first tech-based relocation platform that provides a comprehensive relocation experience for transferring employees, recruiting talent and managing interns.
Eric Johnson, M.D. served as the Board Chair since 2019 and will continue to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees. Johnson joined Tower Hill’s Board in 2013 and has held a number of leadership roles over the last nine years.
The Tower Hill School Board of Trustees names Ben duPont ’82 as the new Board Chair. DuPont joined the Board of Trustees in 2007 and has served in several leadership positions over the last 15 years. Most recently, duPont served on the Governance Committee assisting in the plans for leadership succession and beyond. He has also served as the Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee and on the Investment Committee, offering guidance and insight for the school’s investment portfolio.
BEN DUPONT ’82 TAKES THE HELM AS BOARD CHAIR
• I believe the expansiveness of human experience is beautiful, and we have systems and structures in place that diminish and erase the multitude of perspectives and lived experiences of people… that limit and diminish people from being their authentic selves by forcing them into boxes… that takes away the humanity of people. Social justice work does the opposite. It allows people to be their authentic selves and allows us to see their humanity. Social justice is stripping away the systems that exist so we can make space for people to lean into, to live and be their true selves as they want to be seen and exist in the world What do you think is the biggest challenge for belonging in schools?
• When people don’t see themselves in a space/ community… otherwise what’s the reason for them to be there? What personal achievement are you most proud of?
Ms. Josephine Finamore Harrington has been named to the newly created position, Director of Athletic Operations. Ms. Harrington joins Tower Hill with extensive athletic management and administrative experience, and she understands Tower Hill as a member of the Class of 1999. Ms. Harrington will work collaboratively with Athletic Director Mr. Caccavillano and oversee various aspects of our athletics program. Ms. Harrington served as Deputy Athletic Director at American University since 2008 where she lead the dayto-day operations of a Division I athletic department. She holds a M.B.A. from Fordham University and a B.S. in Marketing from University of Maryland, College Park.
Mrs. Alyssa Worrilow has been named Lower and Middle School Admission Officer. Mrs. Worrilow joins Tower Hill with over 10 years of experience in admission, enrollment operations and recruitment at Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Most recently Mrs. Worrilow served as Director of Enrollment Operations for Ursinus College where she managed the online application reading process and the touchpoints that followed, ensuring accurate processing of applications with great detail. Mrs. Worrilow holds a B.A. in Business and Economics from Ursinus College.
LIFESCHOOL
• Sense of family and community that I felt when interviewing.
• Sitting on my hammock on my sun porch getting lost in a good book.
What key attribute do you believe a school must maintain in order to create a welcoming and inclusive learning environment?
DR. NATASHA MURRAY-EVERETT
• Othering. This happens when we don’t elevate the voices who are most marginalized... they won’t don’t seen, heard or valued. The opposite of belonging IS othering.
• The buzz and hum of people wanting to do good work. Why are you passionate about social justice?
As a teacher you have provided immeasurable lessons to your students. What is something your students have taught you?
• That they are brilliant! And curious.. they ask great questions and they have a lot to say!
DR. NATASHA MURRAY-EVERETT
• Way too many to count. So many different books have had different impressions on me at different stages/ moments in my life and informed different parts of my identities.
MATTHEW TWYMAN ’88 Matthew Twyman has been named Tower Hill’s next Director of Upper School Admission and Financial Aid. Since his start at Tower Hill in 2016, Mr. Twyman has served as Director of Alumni Relations, Associate Director of Admission and a member of the Financial Aid Committee and Upper School Admission Committee. His six years of experience and his attention to students and families make him the ideal candidate for this critical role. We are fortunate to have Mr. Twyman’s dedication and commitment to Tower Hill and its student body as we continue to attract exceptional students at this key entry point.
Q&A WITH AMY SCHREI DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING
• That we must do groundwork… and you must learn the community together in order to make changes. What do you find most promising about today’s youth?
JOSEPHINE FINAMORE HARRINGTON ’99
• Their sense of social awareness.
Dr. Natasha Murray-Everett, Ph.D. has been named Director of Social Justice, the position formerly held by Dyann Connor. Dr. Murray-Everett joins Tower Hill with extensive experience in diversity, equity, inclusion and justice gained from an array of experiences in educational institutions from public elementary schools to universities. She is a former school teacher, dialogue group facilitator and professor and teacher educator. Dr. Murray-Everett earned several degrees including: Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Curriculum and Instruction (Education); M.A.T. from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore in Elementary Education; and B.A. from The Pennsylvania State University in Human Development and Family Studies.
JULIE DONOHUE
Mrs. Julie Donohue has been named Director of Annual Giving. Mrs. Donohue joins Tower Hill with extensive experience in strategizing and executing large scale digital and direct mail fundraising. She comes to Tower Hill by way of the University of Delaware where she has built a career since 2014. Most recently she served as Associate Director of Development and Alumni Relations where she spearheaded the implementation of the notorious I Heart UD Giving Day, raising over one million dollars from upwards of 6,000 donors. Mrs. Donohue holds a M.A. in Interaction Design and a B.F.A. in Visual Communications from the University of Delaware.
ALYSSA WORRILOW
• Schools must create spaces where you can actively speak along lines of difference and really engage in generative conflict… conflict that moves from conflict for the sake of conflict to conflict where we can stand in our truths. Where the space is representative of all who make it the space. It’s a space to process and learn.
You have worked with students of all age ranges. What is the one takeaway you hope each of your students has gained from their interaction with you?
• A collective sense of responsibility and purpose.
• Commitment to students of Color and those of marginalized identities to be fully a part of the community.
• They also want (and demand) the truth from us.
WELCOME NEW ADMINISTRATORS
• Traveling! • Chauffeuring my four year old to all of his social activities (teeball, swim, soccer, birthday parties and playdates). He has more of a social life than I do!
NEW DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL JUSTICE
• Their advocacy and organizing. I’m amazed by their capacity to advocate for themselves and others. Their “I can do” mentality. And the beauty in the way they do this. What interested you most about Tower Hill? The commitment to social justice.
• That they view me as a resource and a source of support.
• Again, they are brilliant and they have a voice. They care about our society and want the world to reflect that care and love for everyone.
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• That they are seen as worthy and that when they are seen, they speak and feel empowered to use their voice.
• Having my son and being a mom.
• Obtaining my Ph.D. (Less than 2% of the population have one, and of those that do, less than 6% look like me). What book left the strongest impression on you?
• Why are all the Black Kids Sitting together in the Cafeteria by Beverly Tatum. And The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children by Gloria Ladson-Billings. I felt seen, heard, valued reading them. They both informed my career decisions and my desire to be an educator and do this work. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
• That they want us (teachers, teacher educators, parents, others) to see them as people outside of the classroom with opinions, thoughts, etc.
YEARS OF SERVICE RECOGNITION
1. Mary Jane Martin, Lisa Somers, Luisa Sawyer, Penny Rodrick-Williams, Jessica McIntyre, Victoria Healy, Megan Quinlan, Alex Osorio-Hernandez and Daniel Pratt are recognized for five years at Tower Hill.
2. Matthew Coyle and Patrick Kaiser ’02 are recognized for 10 years at Tower Hill. 3. Tara Fletcher is recognized for 15 years at Tower Hill. 4. Stacy Palmer and Michelle Coulter are recognized for 30 years at Tower Hill. 5. Kathryn Reese is recognized for 25 years at Tower Hill. 6. Theresa Shorey is recognized for 20 years at Tower Hill. 7. Linda Ogden is recognized for 25 years at Tower Hill.
The first ever Middle School LEAD Conference and Upper School Symposium were created under Ms. Connor’s leadership, as was the faculty SEED training program. With Ms. Connor’s help Tower Hill became the host site for the MCRC/ADVIS regional conference, and many nationally renowned speakers have come to Tower Hill, thanks to her outreach. Most recently, Ms. Connor led the school’s Social Justice Task Force, resulting in strategic and pragmatic recommendations that continue to make Tower Hill a stronger community. In 2019, she also assumed the role of Dean of Recruitment, and her care with candidates, with a focus on diversifying our faculty and staff, has made a significant impact on the school. Ms. Connor has worked with students, parents, faculty and administrators, including being an essential member of the Administrative Council. She has also supported our DISTINCT and PAATH parent groups with programs and gatherings. Ms. Connor has been a respected leader in the field, often receiving calls from other schools to learn more. She has helped design continued professional development for Tower Hill faculty and staff as well as offering support to practitioners in the region. We will all miss Ms. Connor’s kind and thoughtful approach and gentle sense of humor. Ms. Connor has a passion for education and justice that has enabled us to grow as a school community.
LIFESCHOOL 1 2 3 5 6 7
DYANN CONNOR DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL JUSTICE RETIRES AFTER 14 YEARS Well Wishes
4
Faculty and staff were recognized in May for their years of service to the school at an annual event hosted by the Tower Hill Board of Trustees.
Director of Social Justice Ms. Dyann Connor retired from Tower Hill at the end of the 2021-2022 school year. Ms. Connor has been an integral and important part of Tower Hill since 2008, and the school is especially grateful for her contributions to our Ms.community.Connor has been a Lower and Middle School Teacher, Lower School Reading Coordinator and was appointed as Tower Hill’s first Director of Social Justice in 2016. Ms. Connor’s leadership inspired us to bring the AMAZE anti-bias literature program to our Lower School, and the Middle and Upper School Community Conversations were created to enable honest and respectful dialogue on real world topics.
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Head of School Bessie Speers said, “Dyann was a true partner in transforming the culture at Tower Hill. I will always remember our work together fondly.”
Congratulations to the boys’ track and field team for winning the DIAA 4 x 800 M Relay. The team included, Fin Maroney ’23 Colby Twyman ’25, Mark Sheehan ’22 and Josh Hall ’23 RELAY TEAM WINS DIAA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
Congratulations to the boys’ tennis team on winning the state championship for the third year in a row! Singles player Constantine Moutsatsos ’23 and doubles pairs Matthew Heinle ’23 and Demetrios Moutsatsos ’24 and Jack Allen ’24 and Samuel DeSantis ’26 all won state championships in their respective events. The varsity boys’ tennis team went 11-1 in regular season matches, including an 8-0 record in the conference to win the DISC team title. Their only regular season loss came in their first match of the season vs Charter. However, the team was able to avenge that loss in the DIAA Boys Tennis Championships, as they beat Charter to win the team championship for the third straight season and fourth time in the last five seasons.
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CHAMPSSTATE2022 | ATHLETIC SPRING SEASON
BOYS’ TENNIS WINS DIAA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW!
BOYS’
L-R: Coach Klose, Samuel DeSantis, Demetrios Moutsatsos, Michael Dignazio, Drew Allen, Matthew Heinle, Jack Allen, Constantine Moutsatsos and Coach Chilton
S. DeSantis D. Moutsatsos M. Dignazio D. Allen M. Heinle J. Allen C. Moutsatsos
GIRLS’ TENNIS
BOYS’ LACROSSE
GIRLS’ LACROSSE
TRACK AND FIELD
BASEBALL
The varsity baseball team finished the regular season 13-5, including an 8-0 record in the conference to win the DISC team title. The team earned the 11th seed in the DIAA Baseball Championship but lost a tough game in round 1 vs Laurel.
The varsity golf team finished with a 7-8 record in regular season matches this season. The team qualified six golfers for the DIAA Golf Championships, which is the maximum number of golfers one team can qualify for the event. Overall, they placed 4th in the state. Avery McCrery ’25 finished in 3rd place overall for girls, while Michael Dignazio ’24 finished tied for 9th place overall for boys.
The varsity girls’ soccer team finished the regular season 8-7 but fell just short of earning a postseason berth. Only graduating two players, the team is poised to succeed next year with so many young players returning with varsity experience.
GOLF
Congratulations to our student-athletes who will continue their athletic careers in college!
Yaseen Belkadi - Gettysburg College - Swimming Davis Bland - Washington College - Basketball Sydney DeBaecke - Virginia Tech - Swimming Bella Gattuso - Haverford College - Lacrosse Brendan Hickey - Middlebury College - Lacrosse Lindsay Kalish - University of Minnesota - Crew Caroline Kirtley - Sewanee - Equestrian Jalyn Miller - Swarthmore College - Volleyball Kenyon Motley - College of Saint Rose - Baseball Tucker Poff - Cornell University - Crew
The varsity boys’ and girls’ track and field teams competed in a number of highly competitive invitationals throughout the regular season amongst the very best in Delaware, which included our boys’ team winning the team title at our Inaugural Bob Behr Invitational.
The varsity boys’ lacrosse team finished the regular season 9-6 as they battled through a rash of injuries that plagued the second half of the season. The team earned the 8th seed in the DIAA Boys Lacrosse Championship but ultimately fell in round 1 vs Wilmington Friends.
ATHLETICS
GIRLS’ SOCCER
The varsity girls’ tennis team finished with a 7-6 record in regular season matches this season. The team qualified players to compete in all five events of the DIAA Girls Tennis Championships. Doubles pair Ella Shepherd ’22 and Bridget Heinle ’25 fell in the semifinals to the eventual champions, while singles players Anna Schiltz ’24, Meghan Mumford ’24 and Lily Leung ’26 all advanced to the 3rd round before being eliminated in the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, doubles pair Grace du Pont ’22 and Deren Kesen ’24 were forced to default in their 2nd round match due to illness.
The varsity girls’ lacrosse team finished the regular season 12-2 and earned the 4th seed in the DIAA Girls Lacrosse Championship. The team advanced in the quarterfinals vs Dover in a high-scoring game before losing in the semifinals to 1st seeded and eventual champion Cape Henlopen in a hard-fought game. Congratulations to Bella Gattuso ’22 who scored her 200th career goal this season, making her the first Hiller to ever eclipse that mark.
SPRING SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS
• Boys’ 4 x 400m placed 3rd • Vincent Grillo ’23 placed 3rd in shot put • Brady Koch ’24 placed 5th in the 3200m • Jalyn Miller ’22 placed 4th in the 800m • Reagan Squire ’25 placed 5th in the high jump
GRANDPARENTS’ AND FRIENDS’ DAY 6341 PHOTOSINTHS
54 Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022 55Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022 TOWER DAY 1 2 3 4 5 76
Tower Day is a tradition introduced by Head of School Bessie Speers in 2016 where the entire school enjoys a surprise afternoon in Rockford Park celebrating spring and Hiller history. 1. Seniors Malcom Thomas and Paige Zhang pose with Head of School Bessie Speers. 2. Seventh graders Sophia Anthony and Kelsey Mathu 3. Everyone has a great day in the beautiful weather. 4. Even the white tiger enjoyed the day. 5. Students cheer on their classmates during the relay games. 6. Assistant Head of Upper School Eduardo Silva, Athletic Director Steve Cacciavillano and Head of Upper School Sarah Baker enjoy the afternoon in Rockford Park. 7. Lower School students play together.
52 More than 400 visitors came to campus and joined students via Zoom for a wonderful Grandparents’ and Friends’ Day on April 14! Visitors received an update on teaching and learning at Tower Hill by Head of School Bessie Speers, followed by musical performances and classroom visits. 1. Seventh grader Jamar Taylor poses with his grandmother. 2. Middle Schoolers share a math lesson with visitors. 3. The day included virtual visits to connect with friends near and far. 4. Lower School activities were fun for all! 5. Head of School Bessie Speers greets Paulette and Rick Deadwyler as they spend time with their grandson, Zachary Deadwyler ’29. 6. Gia Delle Donne ’32 smiles with her grandmother, Joan Delle Donne.
PHOTOSINTHS
5
Upper Schoolers enjoyed a variety of experiential learning for the fifth annual Tower Term in June. 1. Students created a three course meal for selected faculty in the Food Babies course. 2. A large group of students chose to go Backpacking in Shenandoah. 3. Hannah Hunt ’25 and Sofya Menta ’25 joined the Mischief Managed Tower Term with a Harry Potter theme. 4. A group of students excelled on their bikes on the Camping and Cycling in New Castle County Tower Term. 5. Ryan Beyer ’23 shows off his skills. 6. Students visited Painted Sky Alpaca Farm to see how yarn is made in KnitChat 2.0.
TOWER TERM 3 4 6 1 2
56 Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022 57Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022 TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK 5 46 31 2
Teachers and staff were treated to a delicious, homemade lunch and raffle items on behalf of Home and School in recognition of Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week in May. 1. Teachers Anna Elliot and Asha Smith. 2. Teachers and staff check out the raffle items. 3. There was a delicious spread of desserts. 4. Rich Pierce and Julia Saunders help themselves to a fabulous lunch. 5. A Home and School volunteer serves faculty and staff. 6. There was an amazing assortment of raffle items.
1. A Middle School student works on a collage. 2. A Lower Schooler is making a fish print. 3. An Upper School student creates a sculpture in ceramics. 4. A Lower Schooler paints a portrait. 5. A Middle School student works on a project.
7-9. The Annual Evenings of the Arts celebration took place in April. 10. Pre-K students performed The Friendly Llama an original musical created by Lower School music teacher Sara Bush. 11. The fourth grade show was My Planet, Your Planet 12. The eighth grade show was Many Things Done Super Well 13. The cast of the Upper School musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown!
THE ARTS 712 10 11 13 89
THE ARTS 35 4 1 2
PHOTOSINTHS
7. Members of the Class of 2022 cheer on younger students. 8. Danielle Soleye ’26 Tate Poff ’26, Michael Waesco ’26 and Ella Vanni ’26 carry the flags with pride. 9. Elizabeth Spagnolo ’28 of the Green team in mid competition. 10. PE teachers and coaches cheer on students..11. The Green team celebrates their win. 12. Yahya El Majdi ’33 hustles with the hula hoop.
3 6 8 10 11 129 PHOTOSINTHS
7
100TH FIELD DAY 1 2 4 5
1. Lower and Middle Schoolers cheer on the Green team, which won the 2022 Field Day. 2. Julie Sharrar, Lower School PE teacher cheers on the students with Deb Kaiser, former Lower School PE teacher and coach. 3. Adam Cai ’26 jumps the hurdles. 4. The White team celebrates a strong performance. 5. Lucia Tello ’32 goes all out in the relay race. 6. Caitlin Smith ’23 Jordan Harmon ’23 and Kenyon Motley ’22 lead in tug-o-war.
Next, she became director of enrollment management at The Hill School in Pottstown, PA, before moving to Agnes Irwin, where she served as assistant head of school for enrollment and external relations and director of admission and financial aid. She served as head of the Montgomery school in Chester Springs, PA, for six years. In July 2020, she became the 14th head of school at Agnes Irwin.
influence was her 10th grade math teacher, Cameron Griffin, who taught at Tower Hill for 16 years. “Mrs. Griffin helped me develop confidence in math,” Keidel explains. “She invested time in me to help me really understand the material that we were learning [so I could] be successful in something that I hadn’t always felt was my forte.”
PROFILEALUMNI
THE INFLUENTIAL IMPACT OF TEACHERS AND INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS BY MAURA CICCARELLI FREELANCE WRITER
’88
“He has been a professional mentor to me my whole career,” she notes. “We didn’t overlap a lot in my time [at Tower Hill], but the way he supported me early in my career was one piece that kept me tied to Tower Hill.” He did that by checking in with her periodically. “He gave me unsolicited advice but good advice,” she notes.
“Our class was small enough [that] she really got to know me.”
Contributing to the future
“I think we have a tremendous opportunity and responsibility to contribute to the future,” she says.
The role educators play in people’s lives is pivotal, she notes. They help students master an academic discipline, develop a confident personal voice and know they can learn even more by engaging with the educators in their lives.
Griffin also took a personal interest in Keidel and was able to offer helpful advice exactly when it was needed. “I think that’s one of the tremendous benefits of independent school teachers,” she notes.
“[We can] develop people who know how to think, not what to think—and people who can write well, who can think through things critically and who can listen to understand before developing their own opinions. There’s so much that we need as a country and a world, and they are foundational skills that schools like Tower Hill and my current school do— and do very well.”
A later mentor was Tim Golding, who became Tower Hill’s Head of School when she was in 11th grade.
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From teaching to leading After Tower Hill, Keidel earned her BA in French from Dickenson College, which included a year in SheFrance.went on to teach French at Chatham Hall in Chatham, VA, which included serving as assistant director of admission. In the next eight years, she was associate director of admission at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, VA. There, she no longer taught French but did run the girl’s dorm, which she explains “was teaching, but just in a different way.”
Tower Hill’s faculty had high expectations for her and pushed her to do her best because they could see that she had the potential and capacity for it. That drive carried over into her own professional life, contributing to the choices she made about college and her career. As a result, she says she had the confidence to take on tough challenges, like studying abroad in France and taking on increasingly higher levels of responsibilities at independent schools.
Confidence. Courage. Becoming adept at subjects that aren’t a natural strength. These are some of the lessons Sally Keidel ’88, head of school at The Agnes Irwin School in Bryn Mawr, PA, learned during her six years as a student at Tower Hill School. Influential teachers She got her early education in public school, arriving at Tower Hill in sixth grade. Her love of the French language came from her Upper School French teacher Colette M. Cotter, who taught at Tower Hill for 25 years. “I became a French major in college because of her,” Keidel says. “And, I had the courage and the confidence to study abroad because of my experience at Tower Hill in general.” Wanting to teach the language also fit in with her earliest career aspirations. “From the time I was probably five years old, I had a classroom set up in the basement, and I taught my invisible students,” she remembers. “I knew early on that I wanted to be an educator, but I was definitely influenced by Anothereducators.”big
SALLY KEIDEL
• Math teacher Jack Smith.
A CAREER IN EDUCATION, INSPIRED BY TOWER HILL
BY MAURA CICCARELLI FREELANCE WRITER Douglas H. Lagarde ’80 has nearly four decades of experience as a teacher and administrator and has been head of Severn School in Severna, MD, since 2006. When Douglas H. Lagarde ’80 got his A.B. in economics from William & Mary, he fully expected to go onto a career in finance. A year as a mortgage broker changed his mind.
“Every independent school has its own kind of history, its reason for being, its physical space, culture, attitude and spirit,” Lagarde says. “It’s that spirit [of Tower Hill] that has stayed with me.”
He started his academic career as a math teacher and wrestling and football coach at Landon School in Bethesda, MD, for six years. He was hired by Landon’s head, Malcolm Coates, who he’d known when Coates was Tower Hill’s head of school until He1976.earned his M.Ed. from Harvard Graduate School of Education in 1991, and that fall, he moved to the University School in Cleveland, OH. In his 15 years there, he taught two sections of calculus and served as director of enrollment, coach, dean, assistant director of college guidance, head of the upper school and associate head of the entire school. He became Severn’s head of school 16 years ago. “I do what I do because of the people at Tower Hill and the relationships my mom and dad had there,” he says. “As a faculty child living on campus, you get an inside view of the school, kind of like lifting up the hood and looking at the engine [of] the relationships getting formed between faculty and kids. I knew a number of faculty members in a different, deeper way simply because of the relationships my parents had with them. They were over my house, we were over their house.” Today, in his leadership role at Severn, he says his priority is to make sure that the closeness remains between faculty and students. “The relationships between faculty and students are the lifeblood of any good community and what we’re really trying to do is create a wonderful community,” Lagarde adds.
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• Harry Beatjer, Middle School history teacher and varsity football coach. Spirit of a school Thinking back about his time at Tower Hill, Lagarde says its impact remains strong.
• English teacher Bob Behr.
•particular:SteveHyde, head football coach and history teacher.
DOUGLAS H. LAGARDE ’80
When alumni come back to the school and start talking about the teachers who influenced them the most, Lagarde knows that they’re the ones who developed a relationship beyond the classroom that allowed that student to grow.
Instead, the Tower Hill School lifer became a math teacher and coach and found his true calling in a career in education. He’s had nearly four decades of experience as a teacher and administrator and has been head of Severn School in Severna, MD, since 2006. Education in the family Lagarde literally grew up at Tower Hill. His family lived on campus, because his father was an Upper School math teacher who coached football and wrestling, his mother was the Lower School librarian and his older sister enrolled there before he did. His summer job for eight years was working for the school’s maintenance department. “The whole campus was my playground, my work and where I went to school,” he says. “It was a great place to grow Asup.”a result, he got to know the campus—and the people who worked there—very well. Those relationships led to opportunities in academics that he never thought he was interested in. “With my mom and dad in education, I don’t know if I was pushing [a career in teaching] away” when he chose to study economics, he says. “But, the draw to work with young people and teach and coach them is what brought me back.”
Teaching as a calling Ideally people choose a career in education to serve, says Lagarde. That’s a commitment he wants to hear in the teacher candidates he’s interviewing. “If they’re keenly interested in their discipline, that’s wonderful but they need the other excellence of wanting to help kids grow up within their discipline,” he says. “You want to make sure that they have the other service mission to help the kids grow up.”
PROFILEALUMNI
Which teachers does Lagarde remember as having a positive impact on his future? He says it would be hard to list them all but he wanted to note several in
• His father, Howe Lagarde, who taught him math in Upper School and was his wrestling coach.
In order to do that, he says, the work has to extend beyond just the classroom. “The one thing that really deepens [the relationships is] working with kids as an advisor, on the athletic field, on the stage or in mock trial,” he says. “In any of those activities the adult and the student have a shared goal. If we have shared goal, it tends to deepen our relationship.”
3 p.m. Varsity Football vs Archmere (DeGroat Field)
ALL DAY Art Exhibit - Founders’ Gallery (Main Building)
7 p.m. 50th Reunion Dinner for Class of 1972 in Kullman Dining Commons
FRIDAY, OCT. 14
12:30-2:30 p.m. Picnic Lunch under the Homecoming Tent (Next to Alumni House)
12 p.m. Varsity Boys Soccer vs DMA (DeGroat Field)
67Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022 Classes ending in 2 and 7: It’s your reunion year! 20 22 Mark your calendar—you won’t want to miss the fun-filled weekend! OCT. 14-15 :30 HOMECOMING & REUNION 2022 SCHEDULE
5:30-7 p.m. Alumni Reunion Reception for Classes Ending in 2 and 7. All alumni are invited to attend. Group class photos will be taken throughout the evening. (Hayward House lawn tent)
5:30-7 p.m. Alumni Tailgate before Varsity Volleyball game vs Tatnall (Timothy B. Golding Alumni House)
Check towerhill.org/
SATURDAY, OCT. 15
11-12:15 p.m. State of the School and Alumni Association Annual Meeting and Presentation of Distinguished and Young Alumni Awards (Pierre S. duPont Theatre)
1:30-2:30 p.m. Schoolwide Founders’ Day Celebration and Pep Rally (DeGroat Field)
3 p.m. Boys and Girls Cross Country (Bellevue State Park)
11:30- 12:30 p.m. College Counseling Today: A Discussion with Director of College Counseling Lindsay Phelps Hobbs Acevedo ’95 (THE Hub)
4 p.m. Thirds Girls Volleyball vs Tatnall (Weaver Gym)
5:30 p.m. JV Girls Volleyball vs Tatnall (Weaver Gym)
10 a.m. JV Boys Soccer vs DMA (DeGroat Field)
10 a.m. Student-led school tours - Beginning at W. 17th St. entrance
11 a.m. Varsity Field Hockey vs Tatnall (Richardson Field)
12:30 p.m. JV Field Hockey vs Tatnall (Richardson Field)
homecoming for updates
4 p.m. Thirds Boys Soccer vs Delcastle (Nitsche Pitch)
7 p.m. Varsity Volleyball vs Tatnall (Weaver Gym)
• Capital gifts (non-annual fund) totaled $1.2 million;
Fiscal Year Results for the Year Ended June 30, 2022
The financial results exceeded the budgeted net operating income as revenues were 4% or $900,000 over the original budget (and 7.75% higher than last year), driven primarily by higher net tuition from increased enrollment as well as improved auxiliary (aftercare, summer programs, bookstore) revenues and improved interest income. Operating expenses were 2.3% or $485,000 higher than budget (and 4.8% higher than last year) led by increases in technology, food, health insurance and numerous other areas that experienced inflation in the second half of the year.
Non-operating Financial Highlights Included:
Finally, the endowment stands at $51 million as of June 30, 2022 reflecting the challenging investment markets this year, and the endowment draw (supporting operations) was lowered to 4.05% of the average market value as part of a 5-year plan to get to a 3.75% rate. We will continue to work with our investment advisor to ensure asset allocation, manager selection and our investment policy maximizes our returns while minimizing downside risk. We are exploring the capabilities of other advisors. We hope this provided a good snapshot of where we stand after last year and headed into a new year!
Facilities came in under budget as utility rates (gas, electric) were locked in with long term contracts, saving significant dollars. In short, while inflation and choppy investment markets have dominated the headlines in 2022, we were able to realize stronger revenues that more than offset the increases in expenses, yielding a better that budgeted bottom line from operations.
The operating budget once again projects to have a positive gross margin for the year. The school expects modest growth in both enrollment and the annual fund, which will help offset inflationary pressures that it will see across all of its operations, as well as provide funds for some growth in staffing. This year’s increase in enrollment will be in the Lower School, versus last year’s in the Upper School. The coming year will have its challenges as the labor market remains incredibly tight, the stock market continues to be volatile and overall economic growth is contracting; therefore, we will closely monitor our targets and assumptions and adjust if we see significant variances from Forexpectations.thiscoming year, the capital budget increased, giving us additional funding for more projects. The largest project is the renovation of the duPont Theatre (seats, carpets, painting). We are also completing a number of security projects (card swipe access, blue light towers, security cameras) and athletic projects (bleachers, live-streaming from fields, storage shed, gator). In addition, we updated our campus master plan that was approved by the Board in April 2022, identifing a number of significant potential projects while also calling out items than can and will be addressed within the confines of our capital projects.
68 Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022 69Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022 FINANCIAL OVERVIEW NARRATIVE ON FINANCE AND FACILITIES - SUMMER 2022 BY ERIC NORMAN CFO Budget Overview Each year, the school develops a detailed operating budget that is based upon a number of parameters and assumptions made for significant areas such as enrollment, financial aid, the annual fund, compensation and benefits, operational and instructional costs, and endowment returns. Those parameters are the primary drivers of a long range financial model giving us multi-year projections that ensure each annual budget is part of a future focus on financial sustainability. Our budgets also include debt service requirements and capital expenditures from the resultant cash Theflow.composition and trend for our operating revenues and expenses are as follows: Net EndowmentTuition Draw Annual Fund Dining Fees Auxilary Revenues Other•••••• Core Compensation & Benefits DepreciationMaintenance/FacilitiesFundraisingAdvancementGeneralInstructionAdministration•••••• Operating Revenues Operating Expenses $20,000$20,500$22,000$22,500$21,500$21,000$19,500 FY 18/19 FY 19/20 FY 20/21 FY 21/22 FY 22/23 Net Tuition Per Student Annual Fund Per Student $1,540 $1,500 $1,400$1,450 $1,200$1,300$1,350$1,250 FY 18/19 FY 19/20 FY 20/21 FY 21/22 FY 22/23 We have been able to steadily grow our net tuition and annual fund per student, which has been critical in order to support our expanded academic and extracurricular programs, particularly in this rising cost environment.
• Preliminary endowment returns are negative 15% that yielded an $8 million negative return;
100HILLTOWER
• Capital expenditures for the year were nearly $3.5 million; and • Debt of $8.9 million continued to amortize at favorable all-in average interest rates of 2.78%.
Operating Budget/Projection for the Coming Fiscal Year
During this past fiscal year, we completed construction of THE Hub in Sept. 2021 at $2.8 million, installed an HVAC system in the 1919 Auditorium, new hallway carpet through the main floor of the school, opened up the JR Café and relocated the School Store.
Mr. and Mrs. H. Murray Sawyer, Jr. Judy and Joseph Setting Sharp Foundation Ms. H. Donnan Sharp ’56 Mr. H. Rodney Sharp III ’53 Mr. William M. W. Sharp ’59 Mr. and Mrs. David M. Shepherd Mr. and Mrs. John Sheppard
Mrs. Elizabeth Prince de Ramel Mr. Régis A. de Ramel Mr. and Mrs. Joseph DeSantis Robert and Suzanne DeSantis
The Curran Foundation Mrs. Nickie Julian Currie ’90 Mr. and Mrs. William H. Daiger, Jr. Mrs. Phoebe Brokaw Davidson ’97 and Mr. Charles B. Davidson
The Edward E. Ford Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Richard E. Franta, Esq. Mrs. Amanda Walker Friz ’92 and Mr. Robert W. Friz Mr. W. Whitfield Gardner ’81 and Mrs. Cynthia H. Gardner Ms. Elizabeth A. Garrigues ’45* Dr. John Gavenonis and Dr. Sara C. Gavenonis
Mr. and Mrs. Harry N. Baetjer III Mrs. Sally Beck Baker ’62 Dr. Laurence H. Beck ’58 Dr. William W. Beck, Jr. ’57 Mrs. Georgina Miller Bissell ’38* Mrs. Joan Ross Bolling ’47 Mrs. William A. Bours III* Ms. Margaretta S. Brokaw ’95 Mr. Thomas C.T. Brokaw ’64 and Mrs. Margaretta Bredin Brokaw ’66 Mr. John Buonocore, Jr. Mr. Todd Buonocore ’87 and Dr. Allison D. Kolody Buonocore Dr. G. Mark Bussard ’90 Dr. Christopher D. Casscells ’71 and Mrs. Susan Warren Casscells Dr. Kimberly Wright Cassidy Wilhelmina Laird Craven ’34* Crystal Trust CSP Foundation Dr. Anthony R. Cucuzzella ’82 and Mrs. Lucinda Cole Cucuzzella
The Hon. and Mrs. Kenneth A. Simpler
David F. du Pont ’52 Trust* Mr. Charles J. Durante ’69 and Mrs. Janice F. Durante
Mrs. Stacey H. Bacchieri
Heather Richards Evans
Anonymous (3) Mr. Ashley R. Altschuler ’90 and Mrs. Shoshana M. Altschuler Mr. Nicolas Jafarieh and Ms. Suzanne E. Ashley Aware Foundation
Drs. Robert and Rachel Heinle Mr. Samuel I. duP. Hyland ’89 Mr. Michael A. Jenkins ’80 and Mrs. Ann Kallfelz Jenkins ’80 Dr. and Mrs. Eric T. Johnson Mr. and Mrs. Thomas S. Johnson Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Keith Mrs. Loring Weaver Knott ’08 Dr. Kris A. Kowal and Dr. Wen Liu Mr. David R. Kullman ’12 Mrs. Ellen Jamison Kullman ’74 and Mr. Michael E. Kullman Ms. Margaret O. Kullman ’08 Mr. Stephen J. Kullman ’12 The Laffey-McHugh Foundation Mr. James W. Laird* Mr. and Mrs. Timothy J. Langlois The Lemole Family Charitable Trust Mr. and Mrs. Christopher R. Lemole
Mr. Robert M. Silliman, Jr. ’96 and Mrs. Kelly Silliman
Ms. Samantha M. Lemole Marmot Foundation, Inc. Mr. Whitney M. Maroney ’87 and Mrs. Katharine Fisher Maroney Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Henry C. S. Mellon Mr. and Mrs. Jay R. Miller Mr. James W. Morris ’73 Mr. and Mrs. Michael R. Nestor Mr. David T. Nowland ’85 and Mrs. Cathleen C. Nowland Ms. Lisa A. Olson ’76 and Mr. Roger S. Hillas, Jr. Dr. Mehmet C. Oz ’78 and Mrs. Lisa Jane Lemole Oz Ms. Aleni M. Pappas ’96 and Mr. Anthony G. Kyriakakis Mrs. Zoë S. Pappas Mrs. Neela Patel Dr. and Mrs. Nisheeth R. Patel Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Pettinaro Ms. Tucker T. Pierson ’93 and Mr. Travis J. Elliott Ms. Christine Kane Plant ’69 Mr. and Mrs. J. Mathieu Plumb Mrs. Logan Weaver Read ’10 Ms. Elizabeth H. Richardson Sage Dining Services Dr. Christopher J. Saunders ’80 and Mrs. Alice M. Saunders Dr. Jonathan N. Saunders ’75 and Mrs. Charlene Stegura Saunders
100HILLTOWERThank You
Mr. and Mrs. David A. Soleye Speakman Family Foundation Mrs. Stephanie du P. Bredin Speakman ’64 The Rev. and Mrs. Thomas G. Speers III The Starrett Foundation Dr. John D. Statler ’86 Mr. and Mrs. Michael L. Steiner Stratus Foundation Mrs. Edna M. Sutton* Mrs. Isabella Speakman Timon ’92 and Mr. Philip C. Timon Tower Hill School Alumni Council Tower Hill School Class of 1966 Global Studies “Of Wilmington and the World” Fund donors Tower Hill School Faculty Fund to Aid Students (FFAS) Centennial Commitment Tower Hill School Home & School Association Ms. Genelle S. Trader ’70 Mr. Randolph W. Urmston ’62 Geoff and Ellet Kidd Veale Ms. Anne A. Verplanck ’76 Mrs. Susan Wood Waesco ’90 and Mr. Kevin M. Waesco Mr. Carmen M. Wallace ’93 Mr. and Mrs. William L. Wallace Mrs. Susan Hill Ward ’54 and Mr. Rodman Ward, Jr. Mr. Rodman Ward III ’83 and Mrs. Gina Farabaugh Ward Mrs. Tracy Anne Graham Wenzinger ’86 Anthony E. Weymouth Foundation, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas D. Whittington, Jr. Mr. John L. Williams ’94 The Windfall Foundation Mrs. Marilyn Morrow Woodhouse ’49 Yaverland Foundation Mr. Yaosong Zhang and Mrs. Dan Wang deceased Tower Hill 100 is a comprehensive campaign that includes the Annual Fund. The full list of donors is included in the Donor Honor Roll on page 73.
Mr. Adam Gould and Ms. Nicholle R. Taylor
Mr. and Mrs. Anthony P. Hankins Mr. and Mrs. E. Thomas Harvey III Mr. Bradford L. Hayward ’04 Mr. Laird R. Hayward ’02 Mrs. Nancy L. Hayward ’60 Mr. Pierre duP. Hayward ’66 and Mrs. Martina Combs Hayward
Henry R. Evans Imogen M. Evans William G. Evans Mrs. Beverly Wild Finch ’59 Dr. John M. Flynn ’81 and Mrs. Mary Flynn
70 Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022 71Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022 ANNUAL REPORT $1.1M$5.5M$7.7M$9.2M$24.17M Total raised for Capital and Program Support Total Endowment dollars raised for Financial Aid Total Annual Fund dollars raised during Tower Hill 100 Centennial Campaign Total raised toward our Tower Hill 100 Centennial Campaign goal of $19.19 million TOWER HILL 100 RESULTSCAMPAIGNCENTENNIAL ANNUAL FUND RESULTS Alumni: 527 Parent: 270 Former Parent: 180 Current Grandparent: 102 Student: 89 Friends: 83 Faculty/Staff: 83 Trustee: 20 Organization: 11 •••••••• Total Endowment dollars raised for Faculty Support DONORSHIP 169$1.1MCONSTITUENCYBY 69%1,113Total raised for the Annual Fund New donors gave to the Annual Fund Total donors of parents with 4th grade students gave to the Annual Fund TOP REUNION GIVING from Classes ending in 0 and 5 26% CLASS OF 1960 from Classes ending in 1 and 6 36% CLASS OF 1971 On behalf of students, families, faculty and staff, thank you to all who invested at a leadership level of $10,000 or more in the strategic priorities of the Tower Hill 100 Centennial Campaign.
Mr. Christopher R. Donoho III ’87 and Mrs. Erica Reedy Donoho Mr. Benjamin F. du Pont ’82 and Mrs. Laura Lemole du Pont
Ms. Louise E. Cummings-Lewis
Your
gifts make a difference in the lives
our
Mr. and Mrs. Anthony P. Hankins
Mr. Pierre duP. Hayward ’66 and Mrs. Martina Combs Hayward
The Starrett Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Michael R. Nestor
Mr. Charles J. Durante ’69 and Mrs. Janice F. Durante
The 2021-2022 Donor Honor Roll comprises Tower Hill alumni, parents, former parents, grandparents, trustees, faculty and staff who contributed to the successful fundraising year for both the Tower Hill 100 Centennial Campaign and the Tower Hill Annual Fund, which surpassed the $1 million dollar mark for the fourth consecutive year. Thank you for your incredible support and belief in Tower Hill and for answering the call to enter the next century committed to our mission and invested in our students and teachers.
Mr. and Mrs. Richard E. Franta, Esq. Mr. W. Whitfield Gardner ’81 and Mrs. Cynthia H. Gardner Dr. John Gavenonis and Dr. Sara C. Gavenonis
Mr. and Mrs. Michael L. Steiner
Dr. Everett T. Dickerson ’97 and Ms. La’Shawn Waters
thank
Dear Tower Hill supporters, Thank you for your support of Tower Hill School this year. It is with our heartfelt gratitude that we share with you that we have successfully closed the Tower Hill 100 Centennial Campaign. Tower Hill 100 is the largest comprehensive campaign in the school’s history, which honors Tower Hill’s longstanding tradition of academic and teaching excellence by investing in the three priorities of the strategic plan: faculty development, building an engaged and diverse community, and providing the most exhilarating educational experience to our students. Thanks to your generosity, we have invested in our students, faculty and programs at the highest level.
Mrs. William A. Bours III * Mrs. Margaretta Bredin Brokaw ’66 and Mr. Thomas C.T. Brokaw ’64 Ms. Margaretta S. Brokaw ’95 Mrs. Phoebe Brokaw Davidson ’97 and Mr. Charles B. Davidson Mrs. Elizabeth Prince de Ramel Robert and Suzanne DeSantis
On behalf of the students, families, faculty and staff at Tower Hill School, you. generous of students. INCLUDING THE ANNUAL FUND
With sincere gratitude, Kristin B. Mumford Director of Advancement and Enrollment Management Special thanks to the ADVANCEMENT COMMITTEE David Nowland ’85, Chair Ashley Altschuler ’90 Suzanne Ashley Robert DeSantis John Gavenonis, Ph.D. Lisa A. Olson ’76 Régis de Ramel Logan Weaver Read ’10 Isabella Speakman Timon ’92
72 Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022 73Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022
THS Alumni Council Mr. John L. Williams ’94 Tower Hill Fellow $10,000 - $14,999 Dr. G. Mark Bussard ’90 Dr. Anthony L. Cucuzzella
Mr. Christopher R. Donoho III ’87 and Mrs. Erica Reedy Donoho Dr. John M. Flynn ’81 and Mrs. Mary Flynn Ms. Elizabeth A. Garrigues ’45* Mr. Thomas J. Hanna ’91 and Dr. Lynne A. Hanna Dr. Robert Q. Miao and Dr. Jenny Zhang George and Alexia Moutsatsos
Mr. and Mrs. John Sheppard Mr. Rodman Ward III ’83 and Mrs. Gina Farabaugh Ward
Mr. and Mrs. Alexis S. Flint Mrs. Amanda Walker Friz ’92 and Mr. Robert W. Friz
Mr. Adam Gould and Ms. Nicholle R. Taylor Grail Sports, LLC Mrs. Nancy L. Hayward ’60 Mr. and Mrs. Christopher P. Heck
Mr. Laird R. Hayward ’02 Mr. Michael A. Jenkins ’80 and Mrs. Ann Kallfelz Jenkins ’80 Dr. and Mrs. Eric T. Johnson Mr. and Mrs. Timothy J. Langlois Mr. and Mrs. Christopher R. Lemole Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Pettinaro
JULY 1, 2021–JUNE 30, 2022 Cornerstone Circle $50,000+ Crystal Trust
The Bear Gulch Foundation Mr. Robert M. Bird III ’62 Mrs. Joan Ross Bolling ’47 Mr. Eric J. Brinsfield and Dr. Martha Lynn Brinsfield Mr. John Buonocore, Jr. Dr. Christopher D. Casscells ’71 and Mrs. Susan Warren Casscells Ms. Anne Casscells ’76 Mrs. Nickie Julian Currie ’90 Mr. and Mrs. William H. Daiger, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Delle Donne Mrs. Katie Arrington D’Emilio ’97 and Mr. Matthew P. D’Emilio
Mr. and Mrs. E. Thomas Harvey III
Mr. William M. W. Sharp ’59
Donors by Giving Circle ALL FUNDS
Donor2021-2022Roll
Mr. Régis A. de Ramel
Mrs. Ellen Jamison Kullman ’74 and Mr. Michael E. Kullman Ms. Samantha M. Lemole Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation Mr. and Mrs. J. Mathieu Plumb Sharp Foundation Ms. H. Donnan Sharp ’56 Mr. H. Rodney Sharp III ’53 Mr. and Mrs. David M. Shepherd
Mr. Bradford L. Hayward ’04
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas D. Whittington, Jr. Yaverland Foundation Mr. Yaosong Zhang and Mrs. Dan Wang Multa Bene Facta Circle $25,000 - $49,999 Anonymous (2) Mrs. Ellet Kidd Jones Dr. and Mrs. Nisheeth R. Patel Mr. and Mrs. H. Murray Sawyer, Jr. W.A. Speakman Family Foundation Mrs. Isabella Speakman Timon ’92 and Mr. Philip C. Timon Founders’ Circle $15,000 - $24,999 Mr. Nicolas Jafarieh and Ms. Suzanne E. Ashley
From the DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT
Mr. Benjamin F. duPont ’82 and Mrs. Laura Lemole duPont David F. du Pont ’52 Trust* Heather Richards Evans ’80 Mr. William G. Evans ’11 Mr. Henry R. Evans ’16 Ms. Imogen M. Evans ’14
The Hon. and Mrs. Kenneth A. Simpler Mr. and Mrs. Rodger D. Smith II
The Tower Hill 100 Centennial Campaign closed at $24,168,987, almost $5 million above the $19.19 million goal. Tower Hill 100 was publicly launched almost three years ago on Sept. 21, 2019, when we celebrated our Centennial together, under a beautiful tent on a gorgeous evening. The Tower Hill Centennial celebration was not only a memorable weekend and gala; it served as a call to action to affirm Tower Hill’s mission and a commitment to ensure an exhilarating educational experience that is second to none. The Tower Hill community certainly stepped up to answer the call. We are incredibly grateful to all who have contributed to Tower Hill 100, which has been a deliberate investment in Tower Hill’s most valuable assets—our students and faculty. Your investment in the Tower Hill 100 Centennial Campaign has made a significant impact and will enhance the student experience for generations to come and continue the tradition of excellence of Tower Hill School into its second century.
Mr. Randolph W. Urmston ’62 Mrs. Susan Wood Waesco ’90 and Mr. Kevin M. Waesco Mrs. Susan Hill Ward ’54 and Mr. Rodman Ward, Jr. Trustees’ Circle $5,000 - $9,999 Anonymous (1) Mr. and Mrs. Vincent T. Abessinio Mr. Ashley R. Altschuler ’90 and Mrs. Shoshana M. Altschuler
Dr. and Mrs. Paul D. Biery
Drs. Robert and Rachel Heinle
Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. Vanni Dr. and Mrs. Peng Wei Mrs. Tracy Anne Graham Wenzinger ’86 Dr. Tarra Boulden Winchell ’01 and Mr. Kevin M. Winchell Dr. and Mrs. Roger D. Wu Mr. Ding Zhang and Dr. Lan Li Hannah Y. Zhou ’22 Mr. Jim Z. Zhou and Mrs. Hong Huang Head of School’s Circle $1,000 - $1,918 Mrs. Lindsay Phelps Acevedo ’95 and Mr. Michael Acevedo Mrs. Sally Beck Baker ’62 Mr. Richard H. Bayard ’67 and Mrs. Josephine M. Bayard Dr. Laurence H. Beck ’58 Mr. and Mrs. J. Matthew Belger Mr. and Mrs. Paul Bickhart Dr. and Mrs. Leif-Erik Bohman Mr. Brooks J. Bowen ’67 Mrs. Tabitha Rust Bradley ’91 Mrs. Anne M. Brinsfield Dr. and Mrs. Matthew Brooks Mr. Todd Buonocore ’87 and Dr. Allison D. Kolody Buonocore Mr. Lalor Burdick ’58 Dr. Gordon A. Bussard ’61 and Mrs. Patricia Margraf Bussard Mr. and Mrs. Peter Cappelli, Jr. Mrs. Carroll Morgan Carpenter ’59 Mr. W. Timothy Cashman III ’79 Dr. Kimberly Wright Cassidy and Mr. Bart Cassidy Dr.CommonfundKieranConnolly and Dr. Chantel I. Connolly Joseph A. Cooke, Jr. and Cristina Bonilla-Cooke Mr. and Mrs. Martin Coyne Mr. and Mrs. Robert T. Crouch Ms. Louise E. Cummings-Lewis Ms. Laura de Ramel Mr. and Mrs. Derrick M. Deadwyler, Jr. Mrs. Andrea I. Debold Ms. Andrea L. Dickerson and Mr. Glenn Snelling Mr. Clarence E. DiSabatino III Dr. Deepak Doraiswamy and Dr. Kelly Ann Hunter Doraiswamy Dr. Laurence J. Durante ’71 Dr. and Mrs. John R. S. Fisher Mr. Gerald G. Forney ’67 and Mrs. Irene Ludwigh Ms. Elizabeth M. Fortunato ’02 Ms. Kathryn F. Fortunato ’02 Dr. and Mrs. Churchill C. Franklin Mr. and Mrs. Kevin M. Gallagher, Esq. Mr. and Mrs. Alexander K. Garnick Mr. and Mrs. Timothy B. Golding Mrs. Penelope Harris Dr. Richard T. Hart ’71 Mr. and Mrs. Arthur P. Helmick Mr. and Mrs. Scott W. Henry Mrs. Judith Carpenter Herdeg ’57 Mr. and Mrs. Robert M. Hewes IV Mrs. Elizabeth Taylor Hirsch ’71
Mr. and Mrs. Todd C. Schiltz Scholarship America Mr. Thomas M. Schorn Mr. H. Rodney Scott ’66 and Mrs. Andrea Martz Scott Dr. Hosakere K. Sekhar and Dr. S. Chandra Sekhar Mr. Joseph E. Sheridan, Jr. ’03 Mr. and Mrs. Bryan A. Shinn Dr. Andrew D. Sparks ’91 and Mrs. Laura Q. Permut Sparks ’93 Mrs. Violeta Castro Stolpen ’05 Mr. and Mrs. Paul C. Svindland Dr. Ernest F. Tark III ’73 Ms. Genelle S. Trader ’70 Mr. Matthew T. Twyman III ’88 and Mrs. Carmen Morris Twyman
Mr. Benjamin F. du Pont, Jr. ’20 Mr. John S. Edinger, Jr. ’78 and Mrs. Laurie Edinger
Mrs. Erica Bickhart Berger ’08
74 Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022 75Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022
Mr. Richard L. Bender and Ms. Alison Frost
ROLLHONOR
Mr. Scott L. Hunter ’72
Mr. Richard R. Joyce, Ph.D. ’61 Mr. and Mrs. Francis Julian Mrs. Jeanie Cucuzzella McCuskey ’89 Mr. and Mrs. Frank H. Nickel III Mr. Anthony R. Pisapia and Dr. Allison M. Pisapia Mr. John E. Riegel, Jr. ’90 and Mrs. Amanda Golding Riegel ’94 Dr. and Mrs. Jonathan S. Russ Mr. Robert M. Silliman, Jr. ’96 and Mrs. Kelly Silliman Society for Science - Regeneron Science Talent Search
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew C. Rose Dr. and Dr. Scott I. Rothbart Mrs. Beth Carney Salter ’82 and Mr. Dennis M. Salter Mr. Anthony J. Salva ’94 and Mrs. Mandy J. Salva Dr. Jonathan H. Salvin and Dr. Karen J. Lefrak
Mr. and Mrs. Hamid Belkadi
Mrs. Roberta Bussard Whiting ’65 and Mr. William B. Whiting
Mr. John C. Coombs Ms. Selene Costello
Dr. Xudong Cheng and Ms. Maggie Qian
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Vella Dr. Philip L. Verplanck ’77 Mrs. M. Abbigail Keller Wagner ’93 and Mr. Benjamin B. Wagner Mr. and Mrs. Cong Wang, Ph.D. Mr. Yu Wang and Mrs. Yinqing Hu
Mrs. Caroline Glaeseman
Mr. and Mrs. Matthew T. Rice Mr. and Mrs. Blake K. Rohrbacher
Mr. Barron U. Kidd
Mrs. Michele du Pont Goss ’59 Mr. Marc L. Greenberg ’81 and Mrs. Nancy Ann Greenberg Mrs. Joan F. Gummey ’61 Mrs. Mary Grover Hagan ’81 and Mr. David B. Hagan Mr. Scott T. Hattersley Mr. and Mrs. Kurt A. Heister Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Herbein Dr. Stephen L. Hershey ’59 and Mrs. Betsy Hershey Mr. Justin M. Hicks ’09 Mrs. Stephanie Hinson Mr. and Mrs. David P. Hogan Mr. Edward P. Hughes ’69 Mrs. Claire M. Ikeda-Thew ’96 Mr. and Mrs. Joseph W. Janssen, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Jerry A. Johnson Jostens Eastern Shore Mr. Abdullah L. Kesen and Mrs. Sebnem Kesen Ms. Jill Kolody Mr. Robert J. Krapf ’69 and Mrs. Jean A. Krapf Dr. and Mrs. Jag Kumar Miss Tillie Page Laird ’63 Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Laksin Mr. and Mrs. Tom M. Laskas Mrs. Kathleen Joyce Lofstedt ’63 Mrs. Alice Flaherty Long ’65 and Mr. John R. Long Mr. William Lucas Maryland Skin Care Center
Mr. John Hynansky Dr. Mehdi Jadali and Dr. Bahareh Assadi Mr. and Mrs. Gregory J. Koch Mr. Whitney M. Maroney ’87 and Mrs. Katharine Fisher Maroney Mr. C. Ronald Maroney ’59 and Mrs. Eleanor Silliman Maroney Mr. and Mrs. Henry C. S. Mellon Mr. and Mrs. Jay R. Miller Mr. and Mrs. Garrett Moritz Mr. James W. Morris ’73 Mr. David T. Nowland ’85 and Mrs. Cathleen C. Nowland Ms. Lisa A. Olson ’76 and Mr. Roger S. Hillas, Jr. Mrs. Neela Patel Ms. Christine Kane Plant ’69 Ms. Elizabeth H. Richardson Dr. Christopher J. Saunders ’80 and Mrs. Alice M. Saunders Mr. and Mrs. David A. Soleye The Rev. and Mrs. Thomas G. Speers III Dr. John D. Statler ’86 THS Home & School Association Mr. Carmen M. Wallace ’93 Wilcox Landscaping The Windfall Foundation St. Amour Society $2,500 - $4,999
Dr. Mona G. Yezdani ’01 and Mr. Peter Gillen Dr. Zugui Zhang and Dr. Fang Fang Chen Mr. Yu Zhu and Ms. Lei Zheng
Mrs. Jane K. Wood
Mr. Lewis S. Black III ’95 and Mrs. Nicole A. Black Mr. David C. Blickenstaff ’86 Mr. Chadd E. Boulden ’97 Mrs. Barbara Bours Brady ’66 Mrs. Margaret Savage Brownell ’75 Mrs. Alisha Wayman Bryson ’91
Ms. Tracey D. Twyman ’85 Mrs. Andrea Trippitelli Valentine ’89 and Mr. John Valentine
Dr. and Mrs. Andrew M. Barrett
Mr. D. Stephen Hyde ’59 and Mrs. Alice W. Hyde Ms. Leah X. Hynansky ’86 Mr. Douglas R. Jamieson ’73 Ms. Paula S. Janssen ’91 Mrs. Ann Lunger Jones ’58 Ty V. Jones Mrs. Tiffany A. Kator Steele
Dr. Jun Bai and Dr. Xiaolan Song Mrs. Sarah Baker and Mr. Scott A. Adams
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Coyne
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen A. Caffrey Dr. Anthony R. Cucuzzella ’82 Mr. and Mrs. Joseph DeSantis Dr. David M. Fink and Dr. Maria E. Soler Mr. and Mrs. Tomas Gordon Mrs. Katherine Carol Hughes Halpern ’75 and Mr. John D. Halpern Mr. John V. W. Harvey Mr. Tarik Haskins and The Hon. Natalie J. Haskins Mr. Liang Huang and Ms. Di Yang Mr. Donald N. Isken Mr. and Mrs. M. Roy Jackson Mr. and Mrs. Jason Jowers Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Keith Mr. and Mrs. Zhuo Li Mr. Jeffrey Liu ’84 Mr. Tao Luo and Ms. Wei Xu Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Martelli Modern Controls, Inc. Mr. C. Dimitri D. Pappas ’93 and Mrs. Stephanie M. Pappas Ms. Tucker T. Pierson ’93 and Mr. Travis J. Elliott Mr. and Mrs. Andrew R. Remming Mr. Peter E. Rothschild ’92 Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Saunders Judy and Joseph Setting THS Green & White Club Mrs. Sara Toner Mr. Edward J. Tucker and Mrs. Gaozhen Hang Dr. Anthony W. Vattilana ’89 and Mrs. Patricia Conomon Ms.VattilanaAnneA. Verplanck ’76 Mr. and Mrs. William L. Wallace Whiting-Turner Contracting Company Mr. David N. Williams ’53 and Mrs. Elisabeth O’Hear Williams Mrs. Marilyn Morrow Woodhouse ’49 1919 $1,919Society-$2,499
Benefactors’ Circle $500 - $999 Anonymous (1) Mr. Kurt M. Anstreicher ’74 and Ms. Jane L. Van Voorhis
Dr. Charles L. Hobbs ’65 and Mrs. Sandra K. Hobbs Dr. Matthew Jordan and Dr. Trisha Jordan
The Hompe Foundation Mr. Joseph C. Hoopes, Jr. ’61 and Mrs. Lesley Bissell Hoopes ’64 Hord Coplan Macht, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Kim Mr. Lawrance Kimmel ’97 Mr. and Mrs. Lee Knackstedt Mrs. Loring Weaver Knott ’08 Mr. and Mrs. Demetri Kyranakis
Mr. Philip D. Laird III ’65 Mr. and Mrs. Joseph O. Larkin, Esq. Mrs. Leslie Harvey Lemonick ’75 Dr. Daniel A. Leung and Dr. Claire A. Coggins Dr. Wei Chen and Dr. Chengyu Liu Mr. and Mrs. TainXing Liu, Ph.D. Lockton Companies, LLC Mr. and Mrs. Alan M. Majewski Mrs. Sheila Cavanagh Marshall ’63
The Hon. Michael N. Castle ’57 and Mrs. Jane D. Castle
Mr. Randolph Barton, Jr. ’59 and Mrs. Margaret Barton Dr. William W. Beck, Jr. ’57 BPGS Construction LLC Dr. and Mrs. Drew A. Brady Ms. Ellen Cannon ’72 Mr. Barrett J. Cobb ’69 Mr. and Mrs. Stephen B. Craft
Mr. Jonathan H. Marvel ’65 Mrs. Antonia Bredin Massie ’73 Mrs. Diana Wardenburg Maxmin ’55 Mr. and Mrs. Matthew B. McGuire Mrs. Mary Lunger McKay ’66 Mrs. Gale Pierson McNish ’61 and Mr. Douglas McNish Ms. Elizabeth L. Mell ’85 Mr. and Mrs. Eric J. Monzo Mr. Henry E. Nickle ’76 and Mrs. Anne Nickle Mr. Ruijie Niu and Dr. Lihua Wang Mr. and Mrs. Paul L. Okenczyc Mr. and Mrs. Thomas G. Otto Ms. Hannah M. Pachalis ’21 Dr. Munish Pahwa and Dr. Anjala Pahwa Mr. and Mrs. Nello M. Paoli, Jr. Dr. Thomas W. Parkinson ’71 Mr. and Mrs. Fred P. Phillips IV Dr. Patricia G. Quinter ’94 Mr. and Mrs. Srinivas M. Raju Mr. Randy J. Rasmussen and Mrs. Emma A. Blair Mrs. Logan Weaver Read ’10 Mr. Thomas B. Rice and Mrs. Cynthia M. Mahaffey-Rice
Mrs. Carla A. Wasniewski
Mr. Robert W. Crowe, Jr. ’90 Dr. Amy Cuddy and Mr. Brian Cuddy Ms. Lisa D. Daudon ’75 The Dean Foundation Mr. Matthew D. Dinneen ’02 and Mrs. Meredith C. Dinneen Dr. Robert C. Director ’67 and Mrs. Deborah Director Mrs. Yolande Brown Dobbs ’62 Mrs. Alice Warner Donaghy ’58 Mr. Willis H. du Pont ’54 Ms. Mary Fitzpatrick Mrs. Elizabeth Noseworthy Fitzsimmons ’91 Mr. K. Cole Flickinger ’94 and Mrs. Tonya Norris Flickinger Mr. Michael J. Flynn ’91 and Mrs. Melissa W. Flynn ’91 Mrs. Lisa Harrington Foote ’72 and Mr. George B. Foote, Jr. Mrs. Kim F. Fortunato
Mrs. Alice Kitchel Fulweiler ’72 and Mr. Peter C. Fulweiler Mr. Millard G. Gamble IV ’61 GBH Foundation Trust Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Gerrity Mr. and Mrs. Richard J. Giacco
Dr. Irfan M. Hisamuddin and Dr. Laetitia N. C. Charrier
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis S. Black, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Steve Boyden
Mr. and Mrs. William A. Goeller
Dr. Erica Edell Bernfeld ’92 Mrs. Renee Dobbs Biery ’88 and Mr. Brandon P. Biery Ms. Dianne Metzger Blane ’62 Mrs. Rebecca R. Blickenstaff Mr. Kunle Bolarinwa and Mrs. Kemi Adeleye Mr. Martin W. Bond ’74 and Mrs. Mary W. Fuller Bond ’76 Ms. Christina M. Borrelli Mr. and Mrs. Josh Boughner Mr. and Mrs. Keith A. Boulden Mr. Rory N. Boulden ’99 Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bowes Mrs. Emily Ernst Branscome ’51 Nicholas V. L. Brokaw, Ph.D. ’66 Mrs. Heather Hering Brown ’78 Mr. Kenneth Brown and Ms. Kerry King-Brown Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Bryan Mrs. Tracy Godfrey Buchan ’89 and Mr. Christopher A. Buchan, Sr. Mrs. Darragh Homsey Burgess ’81 Ms. Faith A. L. Burns ’12 Mr. David H. Burt ’76 and Mrs. Audrey Whiteside Burt ’78 Mr. Christopher W. Byrne ’74 Mr. Stephen Cacciavillano III Lt. Col. Michal Carlson, USMC ’89 Mr. Jeffrey A. Carney ’94 Mr. James M. Cartmell ’04 Dr. and Mrs. Charles G. Case, Sr. Mr. W. Timothy Cashman II Mrs. Catherine Owens Castello ’01 Ms. Susan H. Cates ’69 Mr. Andrew Cercena ’17 Mr. and Mrs. Michael D. Cercena Dr. and Mrs. John J. Chabalko Mrs. Sarah Smith Chapman ’90 Mrs. Jeanne T. Checkel Mr. Jimmy C. Chong ’96 Dr. Cantwell Clark V ’73 Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. Cloud Mr. Andrew T. Cloud ’99 Mrs. Debbie Coates Dr. Michael Cohen ’76 Edward Cohen, Ph.D. ’78 Ms. Deborah E. Colbourn ’92 Mr. Willis S. Colburn ’58 Mr. and Mrs. Brian B. Conaty Dr. and Mrs. Thomas P. Conaty III Mr. and Mrs. Thomas P. Conaty IV Mr. Peter Conn ’91 Mr. and Mrs. Hank Connor Mr. James E. Conover, Jr. Mrs. Alison Cashman Contento ’84 Mr. and Mrs. George F. Conway, Jr. The Hon. and Mrs. Richard R. Cooch, Sr. Mrs. Susan Chase Corkran ’55 Ms. Kasa Lowndes Cotugno ’61 Steve and Michelle Coulter Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cover Mark and Kara Coyle Ms. Katelyn A. Craft ’20 Mr. Christian Craig Mrs. Ruth M. Cromwell Dr. Dave R. Cundiff ’70 Mrs. Sarah Crittenden D’Alonzo ’74 and Mr. William F. D’Alonzo Mr. and Mrs. Chaitanya Damle Mr. Marc D. Daudon, Jr. ’73 Mr. Warren H. Dean ’75 and Mrs. Elizabeth Dean Mr. and Mrs. Michael D. DeBaecke Mr. Marc E. Dennis and Dr. Erika F. Dennis Mr. Robert L. Dewey ’71 Mr. Corbin R. Director ’03 Mr. Stanley M. Diver ’74 and Mrs. Martha Allin Diver Dr. and Dr. Meidui Dong Mr. and Mrs. Thomas M. Donlon Mrs. Linda Lagarde Drapeau ’78
Mr. Jan J. Kratky ’86 and Mrs. Susan M. Kratky Mr. Jeffrey A. Kreshtool ’73 Dr. Lakota K. Kruse ’81 Ms. Margaret O. Kullman ’08 Ms. Erika Kurtz Mr. Douglas H. Lagarde ’80 Mr. William O. LaMotte III ’61 Mr. and Mrs. Karl Langlois Mr. David C. Larned, Jr. ’95 Mr. David L. Larson ’74 Ms. Carolyn B. Law ’86 Mrs. Deborah S. Layton
Mr. John A. Hughes ’78 Mr. Michael W. Hyde ’87 Dr. Vijay Iyengar and Ms. Sucharita Iyengar
Mr. and Mrs. Frederick S. Freibott Ms. Mary Candler Fulweiler ’02 Mr. Scott H. Gakenheimer ’82 Mr. and Mrs. T. Patrick Gamble Mr. and Mrs. Paul Gano Mr. Robert F. Gardner ’84 Mr. and Mrs. Guido Geerts Mrs. Tucker Ranken Giddens ’67 and Mr. Howard R. Giddens, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Michael S. Gilbert, Sr. Mr. and Mrs. Paul J. Gillerlain Mr. Alexis E. Gillespie ’78 and Ms. Elizabeth Koch Ms. Donna Gleason Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Glowatz Mrs. Rochele Glowatz Ms. Amy S. Gordon ’85 Ms. Joanna S. Gore Mr. Timothy J. Gouge ’16 Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Gouge Shanna McCann Gowen, Esq. ’96 Mrs. Karen Graham Mrs. Victoria Maxmin Gravuer ’86 Mr. Augustus C. Griffin ’78 Ms. Mary Cameron Griffin ’71 Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Griffin Mr. and Mrs. Vincent J. Grillo, Jr. Grillo Homes, Inc. Richard A. Hammond, Ph.D. ’70 Mrs. Nancy B. Harvey Hanna Mr. Edward A. Harrington ’72 and Mrs. Ashley Riegel Harrington ’78 Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Harris, Jr. Mr. Edward H. Hawfield ’66 Haaroon Hayat ’22 Ms. Meg R. Haydon ’76 Mr. LaMontz M. Hayman ’87 Dr. David A. Hehir and Dr. Amanda J. Shillingford
Mr. and Mrs. Rob Jorgensen Mr. William D. Kahn and Ms. Jane A. Irving Mr. John E. Kaliski ’74 Mr. Stephanos Karakasidis ’96 Mr. and Mrs. Mark J. Kator Dr. Kiran M. Kattepogu and Dr. Kaveeta V. Kumar Mr. Gregory S. Kaufmann ’96 Mrs. Sarah Bugbee Keidel ’88 Mr. and Mrs. John R. Keim Mrs. Mary Ellen Jornlin Keyes ’71 Mrs. Hae S. Kim and Mr. Han B. Kim
Mr. Gerrit A. Fedele and Dr. Vickie T. Fedele Mr. Ronald S. Felix ’62 Mrs. Elizabeth Hoopes Field ’63 Mrs. Gina Bahr Finn ’81 Mr. Akil K. Fisher ’81 Mr. John C. Fisher III ’83 Mrs. Tara M. Fletcher Flowers by Yukie Mr. Daniel B. Flynn ’89 and Mrs. Amy Flynn Dr. Blair Wardenburg Fosburgh ’82 and Mr. James H. Fosburgh Ms. Mary W. Foulk ’87 Ms. Eleanor Oldach Francis ’64 Ms. Kathryn Franklin Ms. Elise Bayard Franklin ’97 Mr. and Mrs. Robert Freeze
76 Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022 77Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022
Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Eliot Mrs. Ellen Ellis Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Elton Mr. and Mrs. Charles R. Erhardt, Jr. Mr. Thomas B. Evans III ’81 Mrs. Moley Karas Evans ’94 Mr. Craig F. Everhart ’70 Mr. John C. Falcone Ms. Baily A. Faller ’20 Mr. and Mrs. Kurt Faller Ms. Nicole Fanandakis
ROLLHONOR
Mr. Lammot du Pont III ’50 Ms. Jane Edell ’96 Mr. Michael D. Edison ’84 Mr. Rodman W. Edmiston III ’86 Mr. Jim L. Ehret ’75 Mr. Jeff Eissinger and Mrs. Sabrena Sinanan
Dr. Robert C.W. Jones, Jr. ’63 Mr. and Mrs. John Jordan
Mr. Robert C. McCoy ’54 and Mrs. Elizabeth McCoy Mrs. Jane Edwards McKinstry ’53 Mr. Desta Mideksa and Dr. Maedot Semo Mr. and Mrs. Anwar L. Miller Ms. Leslie Patten Mr. William T. Pease ’69 Mrs. Carol Raiber Powell ’76 Dr. Margaret Boyer Proctor ’72 Mr. and Mrs. Spencer J. Qualls Mrs. Sally du Pont Quinn ’71 Mr. Edward I. Richards ’90 Ms. Cynthia Sardo Dr. Jonathan N. Saunders ’75 and Mrs. Charlene Stegura Saunders Mr. Thomas L. Savage ’78 Mr. Owen N. Sellar ’59 Mrs. Heidi Hunter Siegrist ’76 Mrs. Alice Woodcock Smith ’59 Dr. Jorge M. Soares and Dr. Elizabeth B. Bayley Stamford Screen Printing Mr. Sibo Sun and Mrs. Hao Li Mrs. Patricia Godfrey Swigart ’71 Mrs. Lindsay Wise Tonderys ’96 Mrs. Mary Griffenberg von der Luft ’79 and Mr. Christopher A. von der Luft Mr. Ning Wang, Ph.D. and Mr. Yue Qiu, Ph.D. Dr. Ellis A. Wasson Ms. Elizabeth A. Way ’79 Wayman Fire Protection, Inc. Mrs. Patricia T. Wells Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Welshmer Ms. Cynthia A. Williams ’73 Mr. Wenoao Yang and Mrs. Ji Jin Mr. and Mrs. Zachary A. Zehner Mr. and Mrs. Hong Jun Zhao Forever Green Circle $100 - $499 Mr. and Mrs. Dan Abercrombie Mr. Henry H. Abernathy, Jr. ’62 and Mrs. Pamela Mendolia Abernathy ’62 Mrs. Fleming McCoy Ackermann ’90 Mr. and Mrs. Javier Acuna Mrs. Evelyn E. Aird Mr. and Mrs. Christopher F. Aitken Grace J. Aitken ’23
Dr. Richard L. Hehir Ms. Meghann L. Helmick ’00 Dr. and Mrs. Robert L. Hickok, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. John F. Holloway Mrs. Elizabeth Homsey Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Houston
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas A. Jeanson Ms. Elizabeth A. Jenkins ’79 Mr. Feibo Jiang and Mrs. Zuwei Gu Mrs. Hilary C. Johnson
Mr. and Mrs. Robert King Mr. William L. Kitchel III ’77 and Mrs. Elizabeth M. Kitchel Mr. Robert L. Kline III ’77 LTC Robert E. Knotts, USA (Ret.) ’74 Mr. and Mrs. Trevor M. Koenig, Sr. Mrs. Anita Kohli Mr. Johnny Korn and Dr. Jennifer Creed Dr. Kris A. Kowal and Dr. Wen Liu
Mr. and Mrs. Roger A. Akin Dr. and Mrs. Aristides C. Alevizatos Mrs. Marjorie E. Altergott Mr. Michael A. Alvarez ’06 and Mrs. Natalie Alvarez AmazonSmile Foundation Mr. William C. Amos ’67 and Mrs. Josephine Eccel Mr. Phil Anderson Ms. Grace E. Anderson Mrs. Margaretta Stabler Andrews ’75 Mr. Christopher J. Arntzen ’88 Mr. and Mrs. Owen G. Ashley, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Randall M. Attix Mr. Carl Backman ’85 Mr. Patrick B. Baetjer ’99 Dr. and Mrs. Earl J. Ball III Mr. Robert A. Bank ’78 Mr. and Mrs. Jody C. Barillare, Esq. Mr. Eddie Barksdale Mr. and Mrs. William B. Barlow Mrs. Elizabeth Bynum Barr ’83 Mr. Douglas R. Barr, Jr. Mr. Peter A. Barry ’72 Judge and Mrs. J. Albert Barsamian Mr. Joseph M. Barsky III ’67 and Mrs. Frances C. Barsky Mr. and Mrs. David R. Batman Ms. Louisa Bayard ’02 Mrs. Margaret Moyer Bennett ’57 Mrs. Victoria A. Bennett
Mr. Leslie Leach and Dr. Kathleen Leach Mr. and Mrs. Miles Lee Ms. Phyllis Lefrak Mr. Jay Russell Lewis ’01 Mr. Raymond D. Lewis ’04 Mr. and Mrs. Jerome R. Lewis Dr. and Mrs. George P. Liarakos Mr. Garrison du Pont Lickle ’72 Mr. and Mrs. Bing Lin Dr. Mary A. Lincoln ’68 Mr. Edmond L. Lincoln ’67 Mrs. Sandra Loving Linder ’58 Mrs. Julia Johnson Lindquist ’58 Dr. Lauren S. Lineback and Mr. Brian R. Selander Mr. William H. Lockwood, Jr. ’57 Mr. John A. Lockwood ’60 and Mrs. Nancy T. Lockwood Dr. John P. Lorand ’54 Ms. Evelyn deHaven Lovett ’84 Mrs. Heather Weymouth Lowry ’97 and Mr. Matthew M. Lowry Mrs. Eugenia S. Lowry Mr. and Mrs. Michael Lu Mr. and Mrs. John Lucian Mr. H. David Lunger ’62 and Mrs. Gerrie A. Lunger Mr. Knut H. Lykke ’57 MAC Rentals LLC Mr. Malcolm P. MacDougall, Jr. ’63 and Mrs. Judy MacDougall Mr. Barton L. Mackey, Jr. ’78 and Mrs. Jennifer M. Mackey Ms. Emily M. Mackey ’09 Mr. and Mrs. Don MacLeod Mrs. Dolores Mahaffey Mr. and Mrs. Colin Malone Mr. William H. Marmion, Jr. ’60 Mrs. Ann Traumann Marsden ’84
The Rev. Richard L. Ullman ’57 Mr. and Mrs. Brian T. Urbanek Dr. Thomas H. Valk ’65 Mrs. Patricia Reese Vanderwarker ’62* and Mr. Richard D. Vanderwarker, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Charles T. Vest Mr. Tyler A. von der Luft ’11 Ms. Lindsay D. von der Luft ’13 Mr. and Mrs. Bruce M. Vrana
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph P. Quig
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph J. Zakielarz IV Ms. Ashley L. I. Zetlin ’08
Mr. and Mrs. Frederic J. Racapé Dr. Lawrence Rasero, Jr. Mrs. Lindy Savage Recht ’71 Mr. and Mrs. Barton Reese Mr. John C. Reese ’56 August C. Richards ’35 Mrs. Carolyn Lewis Richmond ’58 Mr. Mark W. Bristowe and Mrs. Julie A. Roca-Bristowe Mr. and Mrs. Alexander M. Roe Ms. Diane L. Rohman Ms. Rhonda L. Rombach Mr. Frederick B. Rose ’66 Dr. Melissa B. Rose ’91 Mr. Anton H. Rosenthal and Ms. Ruth E. Ganister Mrs. Deborah Komins Ross ’89 Mr. Jeffrey L. Rothschild ’89 Mrs. Courtney Rouke-Karres ’86 Mr. Walter S. Rowland, Sr. ’57 and Mrs. Beverley Wellford Rowland ’56 Mr. and Mrs. Graham J. Russell Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Salvin James R. Saunders ’22 Mrs. Alexis A. Saunders ’10 Mrs. Janet Saunders Mr. Michael M. Sawyer ’75 Mrs. Judith Eastburn Sawyer ’55 Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey A. Sawyer, Jr. Ms. Carol W. Sawyer-Porter ’72 Mrs. Allegra Hamman Schmidt ’73 Mr. H. Konrad Schuermann ’59 Mr. H. Wesley Schwandt ’86 and Mrs. Michelle A. Schwandt Mr. Brewster N. Scott ’97 Ms. Mary Beth Searles ’87 Mrs. Melissa Bennett Sebel ’96 The Hon. Collins J. Seitz, Jr. ’76 Dr. Robert J. Sepelyak Mr. and Mrs. Kevin M. Severance Mr. John W. Shackleton, Jr. ’63 Mr. and Mrs. Chester E. Sharrar II Mr. and Mrs. Chester E. Sharrar Mr. C. Russell H. Shearer Ella C. Shepherd ’22 Mrs. Joyce Pierson Shepherd ’57 Mr. Alden K. Sherman ’73 Ms. Jill M. Shotzberger ’00 Mrs. Karen Hancock Shuler ’86 Dr. Brian J. Smigielski ’98 Mr. and Mrs. Joseph J. Smigielski Wade H. B. Smith, Ph.D. ’62 Mr. Craig B. Smith ’62 and Mrs. Charlotte Smith Mr. Dana S. Smith ’67 Mrs. Kristin Phillips Smith ’05 Dr. Andrew A. Smith III ’87 Judge Thomas P. Smith ’60 Mr. Andrew A. Smith, Sr. ’59 and Mrs. Sarah C. Smith Mrs. Melva Carveth Smith ’72 and Mr. Jack Smith Ms. Moira K. Smith ’01 Mr. Merwin A. Soash ’58 and Mrs. Margaret Soash Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Soltow Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey F. Somers Dr. William Sommers and Ms. Kathryn E. Lee Mr. and Mrs. Marshall Soss Ms. Georgeanna M. Spagnolo
Mr. Hunt Stockwell ’58 Mrs. Isabel G. Strasser
Mr. Xin Zhou and Ms. Leah Yang Mrs. Jennifer Zuck Loyal Hillers’ Circle Up to $99 Anonymous (1) Mr. John D. Abbott ’87 Mr. Tyler T. Akin ’02 Mrs. Lucinda Anderson Mr. and Mrs. David Anthony Dr. Muhammad U. Anwar and Dr. Erum Jamil Omar U. Anwar ’22 Mr. and Mrs. Michael W. Ashbrook Mr. Richard C. Attix ’18 Ms. Ariane E. Attix ’15 Ms. Elena B. Attix ’18 Mrs. Ann Kaiser Ballinger ’86 Ms. Lisa H. Barsky ’70 and Mr. William Blauvelt Mr. Randolph Barton III ’89 and Mrs. Louise A. Barton Yaseen Belkadi ’22 Mr. R. Hugh F. Bender ’03 Ms. Laura Fulton Bennett ’72 Meredith A. Beyer ’22 Mr. and Mrs. David L. Black Davis K. Bland ’22 Ms. Elyse Blank Ms. Brooke A. Bovard ’78 Box Tops for Education Dr. Walter W. Brayman ’58 Mr. Rory M. Britt ’18 Mr. Douglas R. Brown ’85 Ms. E. Talley Brown ’81 Peyton O. Brown ’22 Matthew L. Brown ’22 Mr. and Mrs. Richard B. Bush Mr. Richard C. Byrne, Jr. ’72 Mrs. Bethann Hobbs Canada ’76 Mrs. Patricia Carlozzi Mrs. Lisa Keil Cartwright ’84 Stanley Chen ’22 Ms. Jessica V. Chen ’20 Ella Clevens ’22 Mr. H. Ronald Cohen Tate P. Colarik ’22 Mrs. Theresa F. Collurafici Ms. Louise T. Conaty ’17 Ms. Nicole J. Crivelli ’21 Mr. Carter R. Cucuzzella ’16 Ms. Cameron G. Cucuzzella ’18 Will C. Cucuzzella ’22 Connor G. Cuddy ’22 Mr. and Mrs. James C. Curtis Mrs. Holliday Trentman Day ’53 Jacques H. F. de Ramel ’22 Mr. and Mrs. Derrick M. Deadwyler Sydney E. DeBaecke ’22 Ms. Elizabeth W. Del Duca ’89 Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. DeMuth Mr. John F. DeSantis ’19 Mr. Peter A. DeSantis ’19 Mrs. Doris Harvey Dickerson ’47 Julian M. Diehl ’22 Mrs. Eleanor Griggs Diemar ’62 Ms. Laura DiVincenzo Madilyn J. Donlon ’22 Mr. and Mrs. Mark Donnelly Keelan Donnelly ’24 Ms. Donna K. Donoho Mrs. Annette Bush Doolittle ’56 Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Douglass Mr. Ford B. Draper, Jr. ’60 and Mrs. Brian D. Draper Grace A. du Pont ’22 Mrs. Raisa Shulkov Dunton ’06
Dr. Harry R. Neilson III Mr. Scott C. Nickle ’07 Ms. Elizabeth A. Nickle ’02 Mrs. Robin Fulwiler Nohe ’77 Mr. and Mrs. Eric Norman Mr. Robert Norris and Dr. Deborah Hess-Norris Ms. Barbara Noseworthy
Mrs. Anjali Rao Martin ’91 Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Martinez Ms. Carmen Martinez-Flores Mrs. Katie Cavanagh Maslow ’61 Mr. Benedict Mathu and Ms. Miriam Ndola Dr. Diane Bankert McCarthy ’86 Mrs. Sandra Jellinghaus McClellan ’53 Mr. Thomas F. McCoy ’62 Mr. Albert J. McCrery IV ’00 and Mrs. Megan C. McCrery Ms. Judith F. McGeorge ’73 Mr. and Mrs. William B. McMillan Mr. and Mrs. Stephen McPeak Ms. Carolyn Meadows Mr. Michael Mersic and Mrs. Qiong Wang Mrs. Robin Chamberlin Milburn ’75 Ms. Ellen P. Minor ’78 Mrs. Jennifer Jewett Misra ’98 Mr. R. Rhett Mitchell ’91 Mrs. Linda Mitchell Mr. Timothy D. Mohr ’76 Mr. and Mrs. John T. Mongan, Sr. Mr. Monty Montague ’55 and Mrs. Barb Moore Montague ’56 Dr. Daniel K. Moon ’96 Mrs. Jennie L. Moore Mr. and Mrs. Albert Moretti Ms. Alexandra Vest Morris Mr. Paul F. Morris ’86 Col. and Mrs. Curtis Morris, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Rodney Morrison Mr. R. Gary Morrow ’71 Ms. Alice H. Morse II ’66 Mr. John B. Morton III ’85 Mr. Matthew D. Moyer ’05 Ms. Deborah M. Moyer Mr. and Mrs. Mark Mumford Mr. and Mrs. Richard Mumford Drs. Ananth and Sunanda Nabha Dr. Arben Nace and Dr. Nevila K. Nace
Mr. and Mrs. Richard B. Pierce Mr. and Mrs. Derek A. Pizarro Mr. Andrew A. Pogach ’97 Dr. Lee Moffett Preininger ’98 and Mr. Jeffrey R. Preininger Mrs. Elizabeth Johnston Preston ’44 Mrs. Caroline Gee Prezzano ’97 Mr. William L. Prickett ’81
The Rev. Donald B. Wahlig ’81 Mr. Lambert R. Walker III ’71 Ms. Moira E. Walker ’80 Mr. Min Wang and Mrs. Li Zheng Dr. Michael Wang Ms. Katherine S. Ward ’62 Mr. David B. Warren ’55 Mr. and Mrs. D. Neil Washburn Mr. Robert S. Watson ’81 and Mrs. Christine H. Watson Mr. Daniel P. Weinstein ’92 Dr. Daniel L. Weintraub ’76 Mrs. Mary Jane Weldin Mr. Bede W. Wellford ’72 Mr. Charles M. Weymouth ’56 Dr. Katharine Lopez Weymouth ’94 and Mr. Timothy B. Weymouth Dr. Krishna White and Mr. Daniel White Ms. Sarah I. Whittington ’00 and Mr. Tanard E. Nixon Ms. Mary C. Wiggin ’86 Mr. Patrick L.M. Williams ’58 Mr. and Mrs. Jack W. Williams, Jr. Mr. Michael T. Wilson ’03 Mr. David M. Wilson ’71 and Mrs. Beverly Wilson Mr. and Mrs. Jay Winchell
Mr. and Mrs. James Strickland
Mr. and Mrs. James D. Stroud Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey Stroud Mr. John L. Sullivan ’89 Mrs. Christina Checkel Sweet ’84 Mr. Tsuyoshi Takahaski Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey M. Taschner
Ms. Laura M. Taschner ’18 Mr. Andrew P. Taylor ’76 and Mrs. Robin L. Taylor Mrs. Elizabeth Hutchison Taylor ’73 Mr. Ronaldo I. Tello and Ms. Maria N. Tello Bernabe
ROLLHONOR
Mrs. Susan S. Speers Mr. D. Corbit Spruance ’97 and Mrs. Kathryn Jackson Spruance Mr. W. Halsey Spruance ’56 and Mrs. Gretchen Vosters Spruance Mr. W. L. Stabler III ’71 Mrs. Katherine M. Stack Mr. Stanley R. Stager III ’58 Ms. Susan L. Stephenson Mr. Matthew F. Stetson ’83 Mr. Richard W. Stevenson ’62
Mr. John B. Tepe, Jr. ’65 Dr. Susan B. Thayer ’59 Mr. Douglas A. Thomas ’79 Mr. and Mrs. Shamichael Thompson Mr. D. McCarty Thornton IV ’65 Mrs. Cynthia du Pont Tobias ’68 and Mr. Terrence A. Tobias Mr. and Mrs. Jason E. Toy Mr. Pierre C. Trepagnier ’65 Mrs. Gail Rothrock Trozzo ’60 Mrs. Edith Fenton Tuckerman ’60 Ms. Marcia Layton Turner ’83 Mr. Robert E. Tuzun ’82 Mrs. Margaret Cist Ughetta ’78
78 Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022 79Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022
Dr. Raymond W. Petrunich and Mrs. Judith R. Ventura Mr. and Mrs. Doug C. Phaup
Mr. and Mrs. Rudolph R. Wagner Mr. David Wagner and Ms. Madonna McGrath Mrs. Ann Beh Wagner ’78
Mr. H. Alex Wise ’64 and Mrs. Wendy Ward Wise ’68 Mrs. Lisa Cronin Wohl ’60 Ms. Wendy L. Wojewodzki ’88 Mrs. Barbara Johnston Woodhouse ’47 Dr. Wei Yang Ms. Madelyn Baetz Yelton ’71 Drs. Khaja and Vijaya Yezdani Jack A. Yoder ’22 Ms. Christine D. Young ’70 Mr. and Mrs. Gary S. Yovanovich
Mr. and Mrs. Edward T. Novak Ms. Lucy E. Nutting ’10 Mr. and Mrs. Ryan O’Donnell Mrs. Janelle Wright Okorie ’96 Mr. Misael Gonzalez and Ms. Megan O’Neill Mr. and Mrs. Donald G. Oren Mr. Daniel N. Oren, USN ’99 Mr. and Mrs. Brian Orsetti Mr. Richard Orsetti and Ms. Sue Rinehart Mr. Charles A. Page ’93 Mrs. Frances Heckert Pane ’57 Mrs. Susan Bissell Parker ’60 Mr. and Mrs. Amruthbhai Patel Mr. Christopher H. Pechin ’60 Mr. R. Paul Peddrick ’84 and Mrs. Monica R. Peddrick Mr. Edmund R. Pennock ’67 and Mrs. Carole Cates Pennock ’67 Mrs. Amy Porter Peoples ’51 Dr. and Mrs. Michael B. Peters, Jr. Dr. and Mrs. Morris Peterzell
’98
IV ’00
80 Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022 81Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022
Grace M. Gonzalez ’24 Mrs. Caroline Stetson Goulding ’87 Brody M. Gravuer ’25 Conrad B. Gravuer ’22 John D. Gray IV ’22 Mr. Phillip B. Gudaitis ’69 Mrs. Elizabeth Levy Gula ’88 Mr. Eric G. Hall ’90 Mr. and Mrs. Ronald A. Hall Dean Hammod ’22 Mr. Robert L. Hampel Ms. Kimberly K. Hamstead Mr. Xiangdong Han and Mrs. Jianan Wu Mrs. Margaret L. Hancock Rebecca G. Hankins ’22 Mr. John B. Hannum, Jr., Esq. ’61 Ms. Alice Harkness Ms. Bonnie L. Harper Dr. Steven Harris Ms. Jessica Hart Mr. Shameem Hasan and Dr. Fawzia K. Hasan Mrs. Justine Neff Hawley ’63 Ms. Aileen D. Heiman ’00 Mrs. Clotilda Brokaw Heimbuch ’71 Mr. and Mrs. Riley H. Herbein Ms. Susan A. Herrmann Brendan P. Hickey ’22 Mr. Anthony M. Hidell ’03 Mr. and Mrs. John Hilyard Sage L. Hoffman ’22 Mr. R. Maurice Holden ’85 and Ms. Wooja Chung Holden Ms. Ruth S. Hoopes ’65 Mrs. Barbara A. Hoover Mrs. Catherine Sullivan Horner ’92 Ms. Kathleen M. Hyde ’92 Mr. Edmond M. Ianni and Mrs. Ann Marie Johnson Ianni Revati C. Iyengar ’22 Mr. Alan T. Jewett and Dr. Marilyn K. Lynam Dr. D. Randolph Johnson ’60 Deborah L. Jones, Ph.D. ’66 Mr. Aidan D. Jones ’63 Mr. John D. Jornlin ’76 and Mrs. Janet S. Jornlin Mr. Patrick J. Kaiser ’02 Ananya Kakkilaya ’22 Lindsay P. Kalish ’22 Mr. Rajasekhar Kancharapu and Mrs. Usharani Annepu Aislynn I. Kator ’22 Ms. Kalee G. Kennedy ’15 Mrs. Kathryn Smolko Kiec ’95 Isabella Kimbiris ’22 Dr. Jennifer Cloud King ’94 Dr. Kathryn Sepelyak Kirsch ’05 Caroline S. Kirtley ’22 Ms. Janet Kline Kayley N. Knackstedt ’22
Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Richards Mrs. Jane Savage Riley ’74 Mr. Douglas C. Roberts ’71 Ms. Penny Rodrick-Williams and Dr. Chris Williams Ms. Nicole R. Roeberg ’96 Ms. Grace E. Rovner ’14 Mrs. Meriwether Hagerty Rumrill ’55 Mr. Spencer B. Rumsey ’71 and Dr. Jane L. Gudaitis ’72 Mr. Stuart S. Rumsey ’76 Ms. H. Cheryl Rusten ’73 Rohan Sajja ’22 Ms. Luisa Sawyer Alexander P. Schlerf ’22 Mrs. Nancy Schomburg Mrs. Amy Schrei Mr. and Mrs. William M. Scott III Ms. Tasha A. Seago-Ramaly ’85 Mr. Charles W. Sharon III Donald M. Sheehan ’22 Mr. Brandon D. Shields and Ms. Diamond Howell Mr. and Mrs. Leslie B. Shorey
’80
’86
Zhang ’22 Zoey Zheng ’22 Thomas
’22 Young Alum Second Century Circle Last 5 Years: 2017-2021 - $100 Last 10 Years: 2012-2016 - $250 Last 15 Years: 2007-2011 - $500 Mrs. Erica B. Berger ’08 Ms. Kathlyn A. Craft ’20 Mr. Justin
“Lucy” Zhang ’22 Paige
’69
Josie R. Shorokey ’22 Mr. Eduardo Silva Sophia E. Silverman ’28 Kamaria E. Simms ’22 Christopher W. Simon ’22 Mr. Stuart E. Smith ’90 and Mrs. Karen G. Smith Mrs. Louise Schoonover Smith ’59 Mr. and Mrs. William Smith Mr. Mark J. Smolko ’93 and Mrs. Jennifer Geddes Smolko ’93 Mr. and Mrs. John A. Snyder Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Sopko Ms. Camille M. Spagnolo Mr. and Mrs. Matthew M. Spagnolo Mrs. Elizabeth McMillan Splaine ’86 Ms. Marjorie Bradford Stanford ’70 Dr. John R. Steinfeld ’60 and Mrs. Henrietta Steinfeld Dr. and Mrs. Michael A. Stemniski Mrs. Helen Gunn Ruppe Stevenson ’73 Mrs. Jacqueline P. Stine and Mr. John Carragher Mr. and Mrs. Jea P. Street Ms. Deborah Stuebing Mr. and Mrs. Patrick M. Sullivan Mr. Tom M. Swartz ’68 Mrs. Alice Spruance Talbot ’62 Mrs. Mary Hobbs Taylor ’09 Mrs. Brooke Doherty Thaler ’92 Miles M. Thomas ’22 Malcolm M. Thomas ’22 Mr. Lawrence L. Thornton ’68 Morgan K. Tinney ’22 Mrs. Laura LeRoy Travis ’85 Dr. Kiley E. Trott ’05 Olivia M. Valera ’22 Ms. Hilary A. Walmsley ’79 Marissa N. Washburn ’22 Mr. Kurt O. Wassén ’47
Mr. Nathaniel A. Webster ’94 Emily Y. Wei ’22 Mr. Robert C. Wellford Mr. Andrew M. Weymouth Mrs. Carolyn T. Weymouth Mr. Donald E. Williams Alexander R. Williams Mrs. Judith Herdeg Wilson Mrs. Amy Wolf Mr. William T. Wood III Mr. Gary J. Yovanovich and Mrs. Joseph J. Zakielarz M. Zakielarz E. Zehner Zhenling Y. J. Zungailia M. M. M.
Mr. John C. Pierson III ’87 and Mrs. Heather R.B. Pierson Tucker W. Poff ’22 Ms. Sarah W. Poston ’83 Mr. Daniel J. Pratt and Ms. Amy Samperisi Mira Pudipeddi ’22
Dr. Jesse M. Ehrenfeld ’96 Mr. Nabil El Majdi and Mrs. Fatima Ezzahra Sabre Mr. Eric R. Epstein ’82 Mrs. E. Brooke Bryan Farkas ’55 Ms. Karen D. Farquhar ’65 Maxwell R. Felix ’22 Ms. Stacy Fennimore Mr. Bradley D. Finch ’91 Mr. Malcolm M. Fleming ’61 Rev. Katherine Franta Jacob A. Frietze ’22 Sarah Gano’22 Ms. Christina Garvan ’74 Isabella O. Gattuso ’22 Mr. and Mrs. John Gavenonis Mrs. Meredith Keller Giacco ’99 Audrey E. Gilbert ’22 Lauren J. Gilbert ’22 Mrs. Gwendolyn Marrs Gillies ’93 and Mr. James T. Gillies
’92 Mr.
’William
’22 Campbell
’22
Hicks ’09 Ms. Laura
Mr. James H. Kramer ’62 and Mrs. Judith Kramer Mrs. Tracy S. Kramer Ms. Sarah L. Kreshtool ’08 Mr. and Mrs. Bret Kroeger Dr. Lisa B. Kronfeld-Harrington ’80 Mr. and Mrs. James E. Kulda Lauren A. Kulda ’22 Grayson N. B. Kyle ’24 Mr. David H. LaMotte ’72 Ms. Olivia A. Langlois ’21 Mrs. Blakely Ashley Larrabee ’06 Mrs. Nancy Keith LeFevre ’53 Delaney I. Leonard ’22 Yizhou “Emma” Liao ’22 Mr. and Ms. Renhua Liu Michael A. Liu ’22 Mrs. Margaret P. Lounsbury ’37 Mrs. Robert S. Lovett Dr. Pin Lu and Dr. Y. Lynn Wang Katie Lu ’22 Ms. A. Rosalind Lynam ’04 Ms. Meghan E. Lyons ’09 Mrs. Eugenie Lewis Mackey ’55 Mr. John S. Malik and Ms. Diane Batoff Mariah Mangini-Collazo ’22 Ms. Mary Jane Martin Ms. Melinda J. Martin Dorothy J. Martin ’22 Mr. Steven T. Martinenza ’01 Mr. and Mrs. Harold A. Matsanka Mrs. Gail Morris Mazzei ’74 Mrs. Kelly McAndrew Mr. Alexander D. McCausland ’97 Alexander D. McClendon, Jr. ’22 Mr. and Mrs. Kevin J. McGuinness Ryan McGuire ’30 Mr. Jim McKay ’71 Mrs. Elisabeth Webster McLane ’97 Mrs. Maureen Morgan McLaughlin ’94 Cade McPeak ’22 Jay R. Mehta ’22 Benjamin J. Miao ’22 Jalyn M. Miller ’22 Ms. Nancy Miller-Baiz Mrs. Annie Saunders Mingle ’78 Mr. and Mrs. Joe Minnich Ms. Hollister L. Mitchell ’85 Mr. Evan M. Mitchell ’13 Ms. Martha R. Mitchell Mr. and Mrs. Gabriel Moaikel Mr. and Mrs. Stephen C. Modzelewski Mrs. Kathleen B. Moody ’11 Ms. Natalie Moravek Mrs. Owen Morris, Jr. Ms. Talia Morris and Mr. Michael Saull Rachael Morrison ’22 Kenyon E. Motley ’22 Mr. Paul Mulvena Mr. Robert E. Naylor III ’82 Mr. William E. Neff, Jr. ’65 Mr. and Mrs. John E. Newlin III Mr. Charles B. Nutting ’06 Mr. and Mrs. William V. Nutting Mr. and Mrs. John O’Donnell Ms. Linda M. Ogden Jack B. Ogden ’22 Mrs. Francesca W. Pabon Mr. and Mrs. Donald R. Palmer Mr. Roland C. Pamm ’74 Caroline Pankow ’22 Ms. Leizel Mosquera Parks ’90 Mrs. Renis Siner Paton ’51 and Mr. William K. Paton Jacob M. Pena ’22 Mrs. Madalyn Schultz Petit and Mr. George D. Petit
Taschner ’18 Mr. Andrew
Cercena ’17 Ms. Baily A. Faller 20 Mrs. Loring Knott ’08 Mrs. Logan Read ’10 Mr. Benjamin F. duPont, Jr. ’20 ROLLHONOR
The Rev. Margaret Kay Pumphrey ’63 Aidan J. Quig ’22 Mr. Harrison F. Quimby ’17 Mr. Charles E. Quimby ’17 Mr. Christopher Quinlan Mrs. Megan M. Quinlan Benjamin Racape ’22 Ms. Marion Grover Radin ’80 Ms. Elizabeth Dougherty Raskob ’66 Dr. Radharaman Ray and Dr. Prabhati Ray Mr. Robert D. Reis ’68
’22
Abigail M. Pierce ’22
Tower Hill is fortunate to receive gifts to endowed funds each year, which are vital to keeping the budget in balance and maintaining the quality and breadth of the school’s programs. Tower Hill is most appreciative to the generous donors who have established these funds and to those who continue to contribute to them. Please note that gifts to endowed funds cannot be credited to the Annual Fund or other capital programs and are restricted for the purposes noted.
Ruth J. Davis Financial Aid Fund
William L. Kitchel II Faculty Chair Established and endowed in 1979 by the Trustees in memory of William L. Kitchel II ’47, Tower Hill Trustee 1971-1978.
Diversity Financial Aid Fund
The William W. & Mary Y. Beck Memorial Fund
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Arthur F. DiSabatino Financial Aid Fund
Elizabeth A. Garrigues ’45 Financial Aid Fund Established in 2006 and endowed in 2013 by Elizabeth Garrigues ’45, annual income supports one or more financial aid awards for students enrolled in the Lower School. Hyde Family Scholarship Fund Established in 1990 with an initial gift from Mrs. George A. Hyde, this endowed fund honors all members of the Hyde family who attended Tower Hill School. Annual income supports one or more financial aid awards for students enrolled in grades 7 through 12.
The Chip MacKelcan ’67 Scholarship Established and endowed in 2011 with a gift to Tower Hill School to honor alumnus Chip MacKelcan for his years of dedication and service as an independent school educational leader.
This endowment was established in 2005 by William W. Beck. Jr. ’57, Laurence H. Beck ’58 and Sally Beck Baker ’62 in honor of their parents, William and Mary Beck. The proceeds of this fund are used to award, annually, need-based financial aid to one or more Tower Hill students enrolled in prekindergarten through grade 12.
This endowment was established in 2019 by the Tower Hill Class of 1969 in honor of their 50th reunion celebration. Income is awarded annually to a student who demonstrates “talent and moxie” and would not otherwise have the opportunity to attend Tower Hill.
FINANCIAL AID African-American Scholar Endowment Fund Established in 2016 with gifts to Tower Hill School by alumni, parents and grandparents in support of the outstanding opportunity that Tower Hill provides to students. Income will provide financial assistance for one or more African-American students entering Tower Hill in grades 7 through 12 who demonstrate academic excellence and ambition with an aptitude in athletics and the arts.
The fund, established and endowed in 2014, was inspired by the sacrifices made by Frances and Jimmy Flynn, both Delaware school teachers, to give their children (Jack THS ’81, Jim WFS ’82, Terry THS ’85, Tracey SMHS ’86, Dan THS ’89, Michael THS ’91) extraordinary educations. The goal of the Flynn Family Scholarship Fund is to pay forward on their vision: That a Tower Hill education should be in reach for those willing to make it a priority. The fund will assist with tuition for students entering or continuing in the Upper School at Tower Hill who have demonstrated academic excellence and ambition, with promise in athletics, music or the arts.
David C. Altrock Memorial Fund Established in 2000 with a bequest from Joan Roberts Altrock, this endowed fund was given in memory of her husband, David C. Altrock ’42. Each year, income from the fund is used to award financial aid to students attending Tower Hill School. Alumni Association Financial Assistance Fund Established in 1996 by the Alumni Association with proceeds from Tower Hill’s golf outing. Annual income supports one or more financial aid awards for students enrolled in grades prekindergarten through grade 12.
This endowment was established in 2002 with an initial gift from Margaret Aspril Boyer ’33, to promote ethnic diversity among students. Annual income supports one or more financial aid awards for students enrolled in prekindergarten through grade 4.
Established in 1976 by Mr. and Mrs. Clarence E. DiSabatino Jr., this endowed fund is in memory of their son, Harry ’73. An award is made each year to the boy or girl in the Middle or Upper School whose all-around qualities of enthusiasm, energy, concern for others, and athletic interest and ability would reflect Harry’s qualities.
This award was established in 1996 in memory of Ruth Jo Davis ’75, with an initial gift from her husband, Robert J. Schmitt. Income is used to award financial aid to a female student in the Upper School who has demonstrated proficiency in mathematics and/or the sciences.
This endowment was established in 2002 in memory of Arthur F. DiSabatino, father of David ’83, Steven ’85 and Timothy ’93. Income is used to award financial aid to a student (or students) enrolled in prekindergarten through grade 12 who demonstrate high moral character and genuine compassion toward his or her peers.
FACULTY SALARIES
Charles H. Arrington III Faculty Chair in Science Established and endowed in 1989 with a grant from the Regenstein Foundation in memory of Charles H. Arrington III ’63 for Science Department faculty salaries. Faculty Salary Fund Established and endowed in 1987 with a grant from the Longwood Foundation. Timothy B. Golding Faculty Chair in English Established and endowed in 2005 by the Trustees in honor of Timothy B. Golding, Tower Hill Headmaster 1986-2005.
Grace Houck Margraf Scholarship Fund Established in 2018 by Mark Bussard ’90 and his family in honor of Mark’s grandmother Grace Houck Margraf. This fund celebrates Grace’s love for family and friends by providing qualified students with limited means the opportunity to benefit from a Tower Hill education. Income from this fund will be awarded each year to a student who shares Grace’s warmth, kindness, sense of humor and love for the outdoors.
Class of ’57 Financial Aid Fund Established by the Tower Hill Class of ’57 in celebration of their 50-year Tower Hill Reunion in 2007. Income to be awarded, annually and in perpetuity to a Tower Hill student (or students) “as a sign of our gratitude for the fine education, the friendships and other deep gifts we received at Tower Hill School near the start of our life’s journey.”
Flynn Family Scholarship Fund
The Rosa ’34 and Ellice McDonald Endowed Scholarship was established and endowed in 2019 with a generous gift from the Ellice and Rosa McDonald Foundation. Income will be awarded annually to an exceptional student who demonstrates financial need and academic promise enrolled in grade 9 through 12.
James W. Williams Faculty Salary Fund Established and endowed in 2005 in memory of James W. Williams, Tower Hill faculty 1934-1952, by Mrs. James W. Williams, Carol C. Williams ’55, Patrick L.M. Williams ’58 and Ruth W. Cornelison ’61. Income is to be used to support salaries of Tower Hill School faculty.
John Buonocore III Memorial Financial Aid Award This endowment was established in 2004 in memory of John Buonocore III ’83, with gifts from family and classmates. Income supports one or more financial aid awards for students enrolled in grades 9 through 12 who demonstrate athletic ability.
Class of 1969 Scholarship Fund
John E. Newlin Jr. and Barbara C. Newlin Endowed Fund Established and endowed in 2008 with an initial gift from John E. Newlin Jr. and Barbara C. Newlin. Annual income is used for financial aid awards.
Unrestricted Endowment Income from Tower Hill’s unrestricted endowment fund is used each year to help support operating expenses. Unrestricted Financial Aid Fund Income from Tower Hill’s unrestricted financial aid fund is used each year to help support students in need of financial assistance.
THE INFLUENTIAL IMPACT OF TEACHERS AND INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS
Rosa ’34 and Ellice McDonald Endowed Scholarship
Harry E. DiSabatino Financial Aid Fund
Cartmell Fund Established and endowed in 2000 in memory of Terry Cartmell, mother of Katie ’02 and Jamie ’04, for the Spanish language program.
The merit-based scholarships are awarded to newly admitted 9th grade students for their demonstrated commitment to excellence, community involvement and service, and athletics.
Spiller Financial Aid Fund
William L. Wild Financial Aid Fund
Buckles Fund Established and endowed in 1986 in memory of Cecile M. Buckles, Tower Hill faculty member 1926-1965, for the program of instruction of English language and composition and the Buckles Award. Carolyn Ackart Bussard ’39 Faculty Fund Established in 2018 by Mark Bussard ’90 and his family in honor of Mark’s grandmother Carolyn Ackart Bussard ’39. Selfless, generous, and altruistic, Carolyn loved Tower Hill. She rarely missed an opportunity to cheer on one of Tower Hill’s athletic teams or to participate in the school’s Tree Trim. Income from the fund will provide funding for teachers and coaches to pursue graduate studies and/or participate in professional development opportunities.
The Dwayne Hicks ’86 Memorial Student Assistance Fund was established by the Class of 1986 in 2021 in honor of their 35th reunion and in memory of their dear friend and classmate, Dwayne Hicks. This permanently endowed fund helps Tower Hill families who receive financial aid cover the additional costs of books, athletic equipment and technology needs, enabling these students to participate in all aspects of student life.
Class of ’56 Library Fund This fund was established by Tower Hill’s Class of ’56 in celebration of their 50th reunion in 2006. Support from it, provided annually and in perpetuity, will enable the Lower School library to buy books and audio/visual supplies. The fund is given “in gratitude for Tower Hill’s nurturing us all to read for both learning and pleasure.”
Hughes Fund Established and endowed in 1992 in honor of P. Edward Hughes, Tower Hill faculty member 19581992, by his children for the Hughes History Award.
Jennings Fund Established and endowed in 1990 in memory of Lorie S. Jennings, mother of Elizabeth ’97 and Pam ’01, for Lower School activities and programs. Library Book Endowment Fund Established in 2003, the fund offers an opportunity to honor or remember a special person or group. For the acquisition of new books in an area specified by the donors.
Charles S. Sutton ’31 Memorial Scholarship Fund Established and endowed in 2017 with a gift from the Edna M. Sutton Trust. Income will be awarded annually for need-based academic scholarships to one or more Tower Hill students enrolled in prekindergarten through grade 12.
The Whittington Family Financial Aid Fund Established in 2019 by Marna Cupp Whittington, Ph.D. and Thomas D. Whittington, Jr. Annual income supports financial aid awards to a student or students enrolled in prekindergarten through grade 12.
PROGRAMS AND AWARDS
The Robin Adair Harvey Endowed Coach for Field Hockey Created in 2019 by Thom Harvey, the Robin Adair Harvey Endowed Coach for Field Hockey honors Robin Adair Harvey, who taught physical education and coached field hockey for 29 years at Tower Hill School. Dedicated, hard working and passionate about coaching, Robin’s success on and off the field has inspired students and colleagues of all ages. She is a role model for all in the Tower Hill community, showcasing the importance of teamwork, persistence and sportsmanship. Income from this fund will support the stipend of the Varsity Field Hockey Head Coach position in perpetuity.
NEW - The Hankins Sustainability and Innovation Award
Dwayne Hicks ’86 Memorial Student Assistance Fund
Established and endowed in 2004 by the Tower Hill Home and School Association. Annual income is used to provide professional opportunities for faculty.
Established in 2020 by Murray and Randy Sawyer in honor of the Sawyer family legacy at Tower Hill School. This scholarship fund celebrates the Sawyer family’s commitment to the value and power of education by providing a qualified student with very limited means the opportunity to benefit from a Tower Hill education. Income from this fund will be awarded each year to an incoming Middle or Upper School student who resides in the city of Wilmington and who exemplifies the school’s motto, Multa Bene Facta, in all facets of student life.
Gretchen Hupfel Art Fund Established and endowed in 2004 in memory of Gretchen Hupfel ’82, by family, classmates and friends. Annual income is used for the acquisition of art for Tower Hill School’s permanent collection and to support lectures held in conjunction with art purchases.
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Established and endowed in 2005 with gifts to Tower Hill School in memory of alumnus James W. Straub ’62 and Tower Hill faculty 1989-2005. Income will be awarded, annually, by members of the Faculty Fund to Aid Students (FFAS) to a male athlete in the Upper School.
Sawyer Family Scholarship Fund
This fund was established and endowed in 2004 by a Tower Hill family whose child was inspired by Corinne C. Bailey, Tower Hill faculty member 19792004, in honor of her retirement. Annual income is used to provide professional opportunities for English Department faculty.
James W. Straub Financial Aid Fund
Bythewood Fund Established and endowed in 2000 in memory of Barbara H. Bythewood, Tower Hill faculty member 1988-1999, for the reading program.
The William L. Wild Financial Aid Award was established and endowed in 1991 with gifts to Tower Hill School in memory of Bill Wild, long-time member of the faculty 1937-1975. An award is made annually to a student enrolled, or who wishes to enroll, at Tower Hill who has demonstrated academic ability.
Class of ’66 “Of Wilmington and the World” Fund Established and endowed by Tower Hill’s Class of ’66 for their 50th reunion as a way to recognize and honor a Tower Hill student in the Upper School who has demonstrated through superior academic work and extracurricular pursuits, that he or she is an engaged citizen of the world, with a strong interest in and commitment to the world outside of Tower Hill.
Algard Fund Established and endowed by the Class of ’59 in memory of Harry E. Algard, Tower Hill faculty member 1942-1958, for the Algard Mathematics Award. Arsht Fund Established and endowed in 1981 by Mr. and Mrs. S. Samuel Arsht in memory of their daughter Alison Arsht ’61 for the Arsht Leadership Award. Baetjer Fund for Faculty Development Established and endowed in 2017 to honor Harry Baetjer for his 47 years of service to Tower Hill. The fund supports faculty through professional development and stipended summer opportunities.
Gifts to Tower Hill School in memory of Paul and Judy Spiller and their sons Harvey and David, were used to establish this endowed fund in 1989. Each year, an award is made to a Lower School boy or girl deemed especially noteworthy as a school citizen and student.
The Hankins Sustainability and Innovation Award, established in 2022 by the Hankins family, celebrates their daughter’s commitment to science and to recognize the support she received from the science and math faculty at Tower Hill. Each year, it honors a 9th, 10th or 11th grade student or students who, individually or as a team, develop a proposal for a STEM project, which focuses on (but is not limited to) the environment and sustainability. Award winners will receive grant money to develop and implement their project and/or continue it through travel, the purchase of materials, or similar.
John C. Pierson Jr. ’59 Scholarship Fund
Established by John C. Pierson III ’87, Corbin Pierson Woods ’89 and Tucker T. Pierson ’93, in memory of their father John C. Pierson Jr. ’59, Tower Hill School alumnus, teacher, coach and parent 1968-2009.
Ehret Fund
Home and School Faculty Development Fund
Haon Fund Established and endowed in 1991 by Anne Haon Cook ’47 and Harry J. Haon III ’52 in memory of their father Harry J. Haon Jr., Tower Hill Trustee 19431955, for the Haon Art Award.
Rosenthal Modern Language Fund
Established and endowed in 2003 by Ruth Ganister and Tony Rosenthal in recognition of the Tower Hill education received by their son, David J. Rosenthal ’03. For the acquisition of materials, other than textbooks, to aid in the teaching of modern languages.
Established and endowed in 1982 in memory of Lisa O. Ehret ’72, for an annual art scholarship and the Ehret Art Award. English Department Faculty Development
CLASS NOTES
The Student Assistance Endowment Fund was established in December 2019 through a generous grant from the Laffey-McHugh Foundation. This endowment helps to provide the full Tower Hill experience for students receiving need-based aid, allowing them to participate in all aspects of student life. Annual income supports non-tuition costs for items such as books, athletic gear and equipment, and technology needs—specifically personal computers required for seventh through 12th graders.
NEWSALUMNI
Kyra Caffrey ’19 has been elected Student Body President for the 2022-2023 school year at Franklin & Marshall. ’20s Kirit Minhas ’20 will be writing for Delaware State News as a journalist.
The Dr. Ellis Wasson Fund for Faculty Development was established and endowed in 2021 by the Tower Hill Class of 1996 in honor of their 25th reunion celebration and the profound impact that beloved History teacher Dr. Wasson had on Tower Hill School and his students during his tenure 1991-2014. Annual income from this endowment will provide funding for teachers to participate in professional development opportunities.
The Walter S. & Beverley W. Rowland Historical Awareness Award Endowed Fund Awards a 7th grader who writes the best essay on the subject: Why historic preservation is important to me and my community. The winning student receives a prize certificate and a gift certificate for the purchase of books. He or she also reads the essay at the Middle School Awards Assembly. An additional amount is donated to the Middle School History Department that may be used either to fund a visiting lecturer or to increase the library holdings in the history field.
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Tower Hill Forum
Established and endowed in 1998 by the Rappolt family to honor Gabrielle ’93, Sarah ’96 and Bill ’99 and in recognition of the dedication, scholarship and professionalism of the Tower Hill faculty. Annual income is used to bring experts and scholars to Tower Hill to speak to students about themes related to history, citizenship and international affairs.
William R. Smith Endowed Fund for FFAS
The Sandy Weymouth ’60 Fund for Wellness was established in 2018 by the Anthony E. Weymouth Foundation and in honor of Anthony ’Sandy’ E. Weymouth ’60. Selfless, generous and compassionate, Sandy loved Tower Hill and his experience at the school. Income from the Sandy Weymouth ’60 Fund for Wellness will provide funding for institution-wide training and programs each year at Tower Hill that support the physical, emotional, social and intellectual development of its students and parents. Income from named and endowed funds is generated annually and in perpetuity. Income is restricted to the purposes specified. Additional contributions to such funds are welcomed at any time, and you can give online at www.towerhill.org/giving.
The award was established in 2000, with the endowed fund instituted in 2006.
The William R. Smith Endowed Fund for Financial Assistance was established and endowed in 2009 to honor one of its Faculty Fund to Aid Students (FFAS) founding members, William R. Smith. This endowment provides continual support to FFAS and is a reminder to our community of the commitment to Tower Hill School—its values and ideals—that Bill Smith and other faculty members, past and present, maintain.
Jasmine Minhas ’18 is a recent graduate of Bucknell. She will be interning with the Sikh Coalition and then joining the ACLU of Delaware as a paralegal.
The Dr. Ellis Wasson Fund for Faculty Development
’50s Judith Herdeg ’57 authored a book with her husband The Stories They Tell... from the Herdeg Collection. It is a story of certain objects in their antiques collection and about the dismantling of their derelict house, moving the pieces and rebuilding it. ’60s Stephen Davis ’64 has joined the Board of Directors of the U.S. Alliance to End the Hitting of Children, dedicated to outlawing corporal punishment at home and in schools to guarantee all children the safe and non-violent childhood they deserve. Davis has written a novella about the link between corporal punishment and our horrific school shootings #NeverAgain - A Real Solution. He also writes the quarterly newsletter for The Alliance Jim Travers ’66 published a book, Departing Delmarva, in March. All three Delaware counties, plus seven in Maryland and two in Virginia are included in the area of concentration. This is volume one in a series, Exploring Our Visual History on the Peninsula. Travers is also the author of New Castle (Arcadia Publishing, 2005, Images of America Series). Ed Mongan ’69 was named #35 in the News Journal’s list today of the 100 most accomplished athletes in University of Delaware history. Jay Remer ’69 published a book, The 6 Pillars of Civility, in October. The book is a collection of short essays that provides the reader with an opportunity for selfreflection. Remer has been in the hospitality, protocol and etiquette business for 50 years. He has aimed the book, he says, to “anyone committed to creating a more balanced life in a chaotic world.” ’70s Christine Young ’70 retired from teaching in the Biomedical Visualization Graduate Program at University of Illinois at Chicago and received the department’s Emil Hospodar Award for Excellence in Teaching as well as the Association of Medical Illustrator’s Brödel Award for Excellence in Education this past summer. She continues to work in preproduction for medical animations and loves having more time to paint. ’80s Orin Kerr ’89 is a professor of law at the University of California at Berkeley, where he teaches courses in criminal law and procedure. He was recently awarded an endowed chair, the William G. Simon Professorship. ’90s Paige Akin Mudd ’96 was named Lee Enterprises’ local news director for the east region. In her new role, she will oversee 26 daily news operations in seven states— Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Alabama—including The Times-Dispatch, The Roanoke Times, The Buffalo News and The Press of Atlantic City among others. ’10s Brooke Kelly ’11 accepted a job at North Shore Country Day, where she will be teaching fifth grade English and possibly coaching field hockey. She writes, “My experience as a lifer at THS played a key role in my attraction to NSCD, a prekindergarten through 12th grade school.”
Sandy Weymouth ’60 Fund for Wellness
Student Assistance Endowment Fund
CONDOLENCES
GOLF
The Annual Golf Outing was held at DuPont Country Club on June 14. 1. Matt Twyman ’88 Bessie Speers and Kristin Mumford. 2. Tomas Gordon and Chris Keith enjoy the day on the links. 3: Shawn Hill, Fallon McClain, Andrea Squire and Carmen Twyman pose as a team. 4. Christian Craig and Monty Hayman ’86 watch David Soleye play his turn. 5. Ashley Altschuler ’90 (R) and his teammate give a big thumbs up! 6. Leigh Giacco ’05, Nolan Bacchieri ’11 Laird Hayward ’02 and Lucy Nutting ’10 enjoy reuniting on the green. 7. Tournament sponsor, ModernControls, proudly show off their logo before playing on. 8. Faculty Bret Kroeger smiles as he follows his ball.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 NEWSALUMNI
88 Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022 89Tower Hill Bulletin Fall 2022 WEDDINGS & FAMILIES
Patricia Marshall in Remembrance
OUTING
Patricia “Patty” Emilie Marshall passed away unexpectedly on May 21, 2022. Patty worked at Tower Hill School as a physical education teacher, coach and assistant athletic director for over 40 years before retiring in 2010. She was recognized during Tower Hill’s Centennial Celebration as “a gifted teacher who was able to foster skills such as character development, good sportsmanship and teamwork. With an easy positive approach, she was able to teach her students to be risk takers and believe that through effective effort they would find success.” She led Tower Hill’s 1979 girls’ basketball team in their undefeated run to the state championship game. Throughout her years at Tower Hill, Patty led many teams and taught hundreds of students in her unassuming humble way. Her family asked that in her memory, donations may be made to the Baetjer Fund for Teaching at Tower Hill.
Gail Patricia White Landon ’56 passed away on June 4, 2022. Gilbert Yule ’57 passed away on Feb. 3, 2022. William Robertson ’58 passed away on April 24, 2022. Alice Beasley Hupfel ’58 passed away on May 27, 2022. Paul Milus, Jr ’59 passed away on Feb. 3, 2022. Anne Carpenter Kennedy Theobold ’59 passed away on May 19, 2022. Patricia Reese Vanderwalker ’62 passed away on March 23, 2022. Illena Clifford Takahashi ’81 passed away on August 18, 2021.
Justin Hicks ’09 married Lyndall de Klerk on March 2, 2022, in South Africa.
Beth Sackovich Striepe ’02 and her husband, Kevin, welcomed their daughter, Avery Martha Striepe, on Feb. 10, 2022. Avery joins big brothers Arthur (3) and Andy (1).
Tower Hill School 2813 West 17th Street Wilmington, DE 19806
