Wakefield Epistula Winter 2007

Epistula

Partnerships Between Divisions, between countries, with community members and with local organizations—Wakefield enriches its programs by building the ties that bind.

Wakefield School

Winter 2006

welcome Epistula is the magazine of Wakefield School. Its mission is to report on the school and its students, teachers, and alumni, and to make a twice-yearly examination of the question, “What is Wakefield School today?”

Epistula is published in February and June by Wakefield’s Office of Publications. We welcome ideas for articles, submissions for publication, and letters in response to previous issues, as well as alumni news.

Inquiries, comments, and letters may be sent to Tutt Stapp-Harris, Publications Director, at tharris@ wakefieldschool.org. Alumni news may be sent to Ann-Charlotte Robinson at arobinson@ wakefieldschool.org.

Currently, one of the most compelling answers to the question, “What is Wakefield School today?” is that it is a place of partnerships. From collaborations between individual students to those with local educational groups, from the United Nations Building in New York to the African American Historical Association in The Plains, Wakefield is embracing a growing number of opportunities to allow students to experience how much more people can accomplish when they exchange, support, and cooperate.

In this issue of Epistula, devoted to exploring the role of partnership in the School today, you will read about the ninth grade’s correspondence with a research expedition in the the Antarctic, about Middle School students who spend one activity period a week working with the Kindergarten, about the Conservation Club’s new partnership with the Fauquier County government. You will read about an athletic team that spent ski week in New Orleans doing relief work, about student/faculty collaborations in the performing arts, and about how it is that the work of more than 20 Upper School art students happens to hang currently in Bulgaria.

Partnership is not new to Wakefield. But the recent exponential growth of this idea in every corner of the School is an exciting development, and one that testifies to Wakefield’s enduring vitality. We may be classical, but we are hardly static!

Tutt Stapp-Harris Publications Director

cover story

Wakefield School 4439 Old Tavern Road P.O. Box 107 The Plains, VA 20198 www.wakefieldschool.org

Dr. Angela Sailor and her son, Clay, listen with Middle School students as 7th grader Vendarryl Jenkins reads during Wakefield’s celebration of African American Read-In Chain 2007, a day dedicated to celebrating African American literacy by sharing the words of African American authors. Dr. Sailor’s mother, Dr. Jerri Scott, was one of the founders of the international event, now in its eighteenth year.

see page 5

contents A Picture’s Worth...

4

Faculty & Administration

6

Kudos

8

Athletics

14

Campus Buildout

20

Academics

22

The Arts

30

The Larger World

35

Development

40

Alumni News

42

English Department Chair and Senior Thesis instructor Matt Zontine helps his students manage the logistics of any number of essential collaborations on the road to their Senior Theses—students confer with him, with each other, with faculty advisors and outside advisors, and then present their work to a number of different audiences at the projects’ completion. Visit the workings of this year-long process that has come to define the Wakefield senior year.

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A Picture’s Worth...

S

eniors spent the morning of the PSATs in one of the year’s earliest nods to their new status--the Pumpkin Bowl.

Clockwise from above: Where is it?; Harrison punts; same old same old; eight seniors, each slightly off balance; JP gives some love to her team.

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akefield marked its second participation in the AfricanAmerican Read-In Day with readings from students, faculty, and staff, and as well as Wakefield parent Dr. Angela Sailor.

Readers, clockwise from above: Chelsea Hunter; Dr. Sailor, with son Clay; Harry Wruck and Nico Benitz; and Josh Gravett

Winter 2006

Faculty & Administration

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A New Face and a New Direction for College Counseling Though Mr. Matt McDonough, Wakefield School’s new Director of College Counseling, majored in Business Administration as an undergraduate at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, he says, “I found I really didn’t want to sell anything but education.”

“In college at St. Mary’s I gave tours to prospective students as a work-study program,” he says, “and I saw some of how the whole admission process worked. I thought that college admissions would be rewarding work, but I was always more interested in the high school side of the equation than in the college side.”

To enter that career, he felt he would have to spend a few years gaining experience in an actual college admissions office.

This realization was the first step on the path that led him from his business degree, to an M.A. in Higher Education Administration and Student Development from Boston College, then to Roger Williams University in Rhode Island for three years as an Assistant Director of Admission, and eventually back to Hebron Academy in Maine, where he had graduated from high school, to serve as Director of College Counseling.

Returning to Hebron seemed to be a perfect outcome—especially because the vacancy that he would be filling was that of his own college counselor when he was a student there, a man who had been in the position for 30 years.

“I learned from him,” says Mr.

Mr. Matt McDonough, Wakefield’s new Director of College Counseling

McDonough. “He was incredibly organized, and I learned organization from him. But he was still working on a typewriter!” Mr. McDonough took on the task of matching his mentor’s dedication and success, but also bringing Hebron’s counseling program into the 21st century.

“I worked at Hebron for six years, and I thought I would probably retire from there,” he says. But at that time his future wife, Sarah, also came to work at Hebron, and, he says, “When Sarah decided that she was going to Boston College for graduate school, I knew I was moving to Boston, too.”

Mr. McDonough then returned to Roger Williams University in 2003 as its first Director of Graduate Admission. And, happily for Wakefield, he and Mrs. McDonough chose Virginia as their destination when she graduated. The rest, as they say, is now in the process of becoming history.

“Wakefield is a perfect fit for me,” says Mr. McDonough. “I’m doing what I love, and the school feels familiar to me [because of my background]. And, once again, I am taking a program and helping to build it, formalizing Wakefield’s goal of an integrated college counseling program for grades 8 through 12.”

Mr. McDonough stresses his own goals of improving communication with parents, making sure they know when and how their children are being educated about the admission process through letters, emails, the website, and the College Handbook he wrote last summer especially for Wakefield.

“Last summer was a lot of file reading,” he says, “and just learning about Wakefield,” visiting the website and, especially, reading Noctua.

“I read Noctua all last spring,” he says. “The kids on Noctua really helped me learn about what my job would be.”

Winter 2006

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Dr. Fontaine, Author Middle School Head Dr. Dorothy Fontaine now has another moniker to attach in front of her name— Middle School Head and published author Dr. Dorothy Fontaine.

Dr. Fontaine’s new vocabulary self-help book, Increase Your Word Power, is now in print, and she has even had her first book signing—possibly the only vocabulary-book author ever to be so honored. The event took place at Books and Crannies in Middleburg.

Increase Your Word Power is based on the theory of multiple intelligences introduced by Dr. Howard Gardner in 1983. Intended for use by a student seeking vocabulary enrichment he or she can undertake unassisted, the book is divided into eight sections, each devoted to one

Middle School Head Dr. Fontaine

of Gardner’s intelligences.

Each of the eight sections opens with a brief discussion of the characteristics of a person with strength in that intelligence, followed by suggestions for vocabulary study methods that might prove effective for a person with that strength. Five chapters follow, each of which introduces and develops 25 new words via

a narrative containing all 25, and then definitions and example sentences for each. The chapters all end with an objective quiz on the words and a writing exercise to help the student lock in the meaning by using the new words right away.

The lively, interlocking narratives that comprise each section, the innovative study tips, and wellcrafted example sentences all make for an appealing tool for students.

Most useful of all, though, may be the book’s affirmation that a student can, on his or her own, both discover and play to strengths and firm up “non-strengths,” all by following non-technical, common-sense approaches. Here’s to initiative—both Dr. Fontaine’s, and that of the many students who will benefit from this accomplished piece of work.

It’s Official: February 1, Mr. Enoch Day Just when you think there’s nothing new under the sun, a Wakefield teacher goes and gets a holiday named for him, and by the only arbiters who matter—his students.

As a salute to Mr. Enoch, his fifth grade students made up a special holiday for him: February 1, Mr. Enoch Day. The theme of the newlycoined holiday is different ties, because he is famous for his collection (so that is why the pictured students are in such disarray).

Complete with flowers and confections to celebrate with, the day was a total surprise to Mr. Enoch, who claimed particular amazement owing to his having been, according to him, a particularly demanding teacher of late. Apparently, his students either do not agree, or do not mind.

C\IIJ8IOOIIIlUles Be Considerate BeKtnd

Kudos

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Seniors Boast Five AP Scholars, Five NMSC Commended Students

Suzanne Gendreau, Elena Stock, Lyndsey Morgan, Julia Petty, and Chris Collins.

Not pictured: Harrison Fischer and Jennifer Nicolaisen.

Five Wakefield students earned the designation of AP Scholar by the College Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement Program (AP) Exams.

The AP Program offers students the opportunity to take challenging college-level courses while still in high school, and to receive college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the AP Exams. About 18 percent of the more than 1.3 million high school students worldwide who took AP Exams performed at a sufficiently high level to merit the recognition of AP Scholar.

Seniors Julia Petty and Elena Stock, as well as Class of 2006 alumnae Laura Prahlad and Rachel Squire, qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Exams, with grades of 3 or higher.

Senior Jennifer Nicolaisen qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award, by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.

In addition, five seniors were named in October 2006 as Commended Students for their results on the PSAT tests administered in fall of 2005. Commended students represent approximately 5% of the juniors who take the PSAT nationwide each year, and the designation is considered a significant honor. Wakefield’s small senior class of 25 makes five Commended Students an unusually high percentage.

Receiving the Commended Student designation for the Class of 2007 were Chris Collins, Harrison Fischer, Suzanne Gendreau, Lyndsey Morgan, and Jennifer Nicolaisen.

Talisman and Amulet Receive Columbia Honors Again The 2006 Talisman and Amulet racked up an impressive 945 out of 1000 points in the judging categories of Organization, Content, and Design, earning once again a Gold Medal from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. This standing keeps Talisman in the upper echelons of the nearly 2000 schools that compete every year, a status it has maintained for over 20 years.

The judge that reviewed the magazine commended the staff’s use of color and images, giving them an “Outstanding” rating on “Images serve an editorial purpose and communicate information and emotion” and “Images are presented so as to create a strong visual impact on the reader.”

Variety of content was also noted: “Good job on getting more non-fiction than most schools…You do a very good job of getting lots of contributions.”

Talisman Editor-in-Chief for 2006 was Kelly Davidson. Amulet’s 2006 Editor was Julia Petty, who is currently hard at work as the 2007 Talisman Editor-in-Chief. The 2006 faculty advisor was Ms. Michelle Paine.

Winter 2006

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Junior Wins in Veterans’ Essay Contest

Junior Gillian Douple won fourth place in the American Veterans Center essay competition this year.

History Department Chair Carolyn Wyrsch had been looking for someone to enter the competition, which involved writing a 300 word essay on a person, famous or not, who contributed to World War II. When Mrs. Wyrsch announced the contest again at the Monday assembly on October 16, Gilly came forward and said that she would like to participate—but she had PSATs the next day so could not start right away, and the essay was due to the Veterans Center on October 20.

Undeterred by the time crunch, Gilly found a person she was interested in writing about—Lillian Kinkela Keil, a flight nurse who flew in 425 evacuation missions—and wrote the paper in one night, delivering it to the contest in time. Asked why she took on this challenge when time was so short, Gilly simply answers, “Mrs. Wyrsch said, ‘Please.’”

Gilly won $300, and she and

Two Wakefield Cappies Critics Published Two members of Wakefield’s team of Cappies theatre critics had their reviews selected for publication in area newspapers in November.

Chosen for publication for their reviews of Annandale High School’s production of Dracula were Wakefield senior Julia Falcon and junior Ian Revere.

Cappies is a nationwide program in which theatre students who also share a love of writing participate by attending the theatrical productions of other member schools and writing critiques of the performances. All critiques are forwarded to the member school, and selected reviews are forwarded to area newspapers for publication.

According to Beth Ocheskey, Chair of the Cappies of Kansas City, “It’s all about the students.

Their growth through the year as critical viewers, skilled writers, and thoughtful performers is terrific to watch unfold.”

Wakefield participates in the National Capital Region’s Cappies Program, which includes 56 schools in its network. Wakefield’s spring Cappies production will be Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing on March 9 and 10. her parents went to the dinner on November 11 in Crystal City to receive her award.

“It was really exciting, actually, and they had really good food!”

Gilly says. “And there were lots of famous people there, and lots of really nice clothes!”

It would be hard to say who

“In designing the set, Mike Farmer did well to distinguish between the wide variety of settings that take place, from bedroom to doctor’s office…

The lighting, designed by Rob Siler, effectively isolated parts of the stage so that the scene was confined to an area more appropriately sized for the scene than lighting the whole stage with action only taking place in one corner.”

–review by Julia Falcon, published in the Washington Post, Fairfax Extra.

“From the Count’s castle in Transylvania, to the suburbs of London, there is an air of fear and death—just as there is throughout Annandale High School’s performance of John Mattera’s Dracula. The production has doctors, scientists, the insane, and of course the undead.”

–review by Ian Revere, published in Times Community Newspapers

was more pleased, Gillian or Mrs. Wyrsch. “This is the kind of example we need,” said Mrs. Wyrsch.

“Gillian ‘accepted the challenge’ of writing the essay, and look what happened!”

The win is Wakefield’s fourth in this annual competition.

Kudos for Firsts!

T

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he Junior Class’s bold pioneering effort in hosting a Talent Show as the entertainment complement to their annual Lasagna Dinner fundraiser was a rousing success, an unsinkable, beautifully-run celebration not only of talent, but of camaraderie and community. Throughout a wide variety of performances—from almost all Middle and Upper School grades and featuring two faculty/student music collaborations, a gymnastics routine, and a yo-yo performance—the support of the huge audience was overwhelming, genuine, and invigorating, and the perfect beginning to the holiday season.

Another pioneering effort that won overwhelming approval—the home-made lasagna!!! Prepared by Chef Brian Pellatt of The Ashby Inn, it was exemplary, like the rest of the wonderful event. Thanks to the entire Junior Class and their advisors, Ms. Paine and Mrs. Beller.

Clockwise from above: Ellerie Williamson; Khalil Davis; Michael Heim; Dr. Ranade and Matt Warner.

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Winter 2006

akefield School held its first annual Middle School Vocabulary Bee in the lower gym! Middle School students had all participated in a written vocabulary bee in their English classes the previous week, and five students from each grade advanced to the second round.

The double-elimination competition was tense and exciting in the formal setting established in the gym by contest organizer and seventh grade English teacher Mrs. Nancy Martin. The cheers of classmates in the bleachers was deafening as the correct answers were revealed after each question, with some competitors remaining in and some being excused after their second incorrect answer.

Sixth grade winner Jackson Zyontz and seventh grade winner Jennifer Keltz-Lambrecht eventually emerged, but a tie persisted between the final two eighth graders, Hannah Mormando and Lilly Tolley.

When Mrs. Martin resorted to the “Tie Breaker #2” questions, a sufficiently hard question finally emerged to break the deadlock in Lilly’s favor.

Wakefield’s three grade-level winners moved on and took an online test on January 5 to compete at the State level. The School will be notified at the end of February if any of our students will advance to the next round.

“This was a great opportunity for us to participate in something that we already stress in our curriculum and for the students to get recognition for something that Wakefield students are generally very good at!” said Mrs. Martin. Good luck, Jackson, Jennifer, and Lilly!

Above and right: Jackson Zyontz, Hannah Mormando, and Lillian Tolley in the heat of competition. Top right: Dr. Fontaine and the relaxed winners, Jackson, Jennifer Keltz-Lambrecht, and Lilly.

Kudos

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Making History Happen

Twenty area historians share their expertise on History Day Wakefield School’s History Department held its History Day on Thursday, December 7. Students in grades 6 through 10 participate in this annual event, this year presenting projects that reflected the theme “Triumph and Tragedy in History.”

A panel of judges from various local historical associations volunteer their time each year, to assess student projects and give professional feedback to young historians in their research and presentation. This year featured an especially large and distinguished panel (see box, page 11).

The 1st and 2nd place winners in each category will advance to the regional History Day held at George Mason University in March:

Junior Individual Exhibit: 1st: Great Depression, Margaret Boozer 2nd: On the Homefront, Grace White Junior Group Exhibit: 1st: Religious Persecution, Shanelle Ausmer-Gaskins and Sarah Hontz nd 2 : William the Conqueror, Lauren Revere and Mariah Fairfield Junior Group Documentary: 1st: Civil War, Emily Callahan and Haleigh Boone 2nd: Catherine the Great, Samantha McClaugherty and Hannah Zontine

Junior Individual Documentary: 1st: Titanic, George Steensma Senior Individual Exhibit: 1st Place: Oil Spills, Diane Leggette 2nd Place: 509th Composite, Will Fraser Senior Group Exhibit: 1st: Recovery and Rebuilding, Simon Fraser and Anna Clem 2nd: San Francisco, Stephanie Eybers and Olivia Smith Senior Individual Performance 1st: Harry Truman and the Atomic Bomb, Chris Stone Senior Historical Paper: 1st: Japanese and World War II, Ian Fontaine

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Winter 2006

The following individuals are from off-campus organizations who volunteered to be judges. “We essentially couldn’t offer a History Day without them!” says Department Chair Carolyn Wyrsch.

• Gerry Landis, Former Supervisor of Fauquier Co. Social Studies • Bill Landis, former history/social studies teacher, and former substitute at Wakefield School • The following are associated with the Mosby Heritage Area: Judy Reynolds Rick Gillespie Helen Christian Margaret Littleton Jay Zeiler Don Woodruff (he is at Hill School) Tracey Gillespie (she is also at Morven Park) • Ellen-Percy Miller, Director of Turn the Mill Around, Broad Run • The following are associated with the George Marshall Center, Dodona Manor in Leesburg: Rachel Thompson, Education Director—oversaw David Geiger’s project from her end Jan Vallone Alisa Soderquist • Erika Castillo, currently a PhD student in history, but formerly with the Loudoun Museum • Ms. Sam Newton, historian and associate of Erika Castillo • Mr. Howard Paine, formerly of National Geographic, friend of Wakefield, and dad of Michelle Paine!

• Mrs. Mary Ann Gibbons, former teacher, and neighbor in The Plains • Dr. Emily Richardson, one of Mrs. Wyrsch’s colleagues at NVCC, history professor • From the African American Historical Association in The Plains: Karen White, Director Jane Butler, assistant

Earth First! (and Fauquier County—and the Middle School, Too) MS Conservation Club forges cooperative recycling plan with Fauquier County

Kiely MacMahon, Rachel Martin, and Maddie Sacripanti recycle happily.

Yes—it’s true. The Wakefield community may bring its home recycling (sorted in clear bags!) to the school’s recycling dumpster, and Fauquier County picks it up, along with the school’s recycling, for free. And everyone wins: the County by conserving landfill space and avoiding overflow at the community recycling station, the school by getting to model good habits with no overhead, and the students, who just plain enjoy the process (see illustration at left).

Wakefield parent Eileen Anselmo’s company donated the $500 worth of bins, faculty member Amanda Gonczi oversees, the kids haul, and the County spirits it away.

Athletics

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Girls’ Volleyball Captures DAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships, Finishes Season Tied for Fifth in the State The years—and years—that the Girls’ Volleyball team members have been playing together showed brilliantly again this fall, as they completed their 2006 season as both local heroes and State contenders.

Though their September 13 loss at home to Highland was not how they had wanted to begin the school year, the payback was sweet: they avenged the loss at Highland on October 18, and with the win, clinched the DAC regular season championship.

September also featured a huge win in the Flint Hill School Invitational Tournament, when they defeated a strong Flint Hill team 2-0.

The girls marched through the DAC Tournament with wins over RMA, 3-1, and SVCA 3-2. Alex Barrett was named Co-MVP of the DAC, and was joined on the All-DAC First Team by Lilly Withers. Ashley Marchi and Sky Cushman won spots on the All-DAC Second Team. Congratulations, Girls’ Volleyball!

Top right: the glee hop.

Bottom: Ashley sends it over.

Above: Self-explanatory!

Winter 2006

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Girls’ Tennis Is DAC Runner-Up in Another Successful Season With only one team they could not beat this season, the Girls’ Tennis team finished second in the DAC for 2006, with strong wins and outstanding growth all season and couldn’tbe-closer, 3-4 finishes in their only three losses, all to Highland. Two of the defeats came in the regular season and one in the DAC Championship finals.

The team showed its depth throughout the season, especially when called upon to play in a format that required “no-repeat” play, against Flint Hill on October 4.

“This [was] a huge win,” said Coach Kristal Breeden. “We won 3

out of 4 singles and 1 of 3 doubles.

Laura Halley gave a valiant effort against their #1, who is ranked 19th in the girls 16’s in the Mid-Atlantic section. She lost but played a great, tough match! Sarah Lindner was down 3-6 and managed to turn it around to win the next 7 games for a 10-6 victory! Then Catherine Farr frustrated her opponent for a 10-4 win, and Mina Pirasteh won handily at #4 singles at 10-1... [In doubles,] I have to give a lot of credit to Suzanne Gendreau and Maggie Miller at #2 doubles and Kathryn and Liza Wood at #3 doubles. Neither team has played much together, let alone

competitively. They each lost their match, but played their best for the team and did a great job for what I asked. Annie Olimpi and Madi Lee played #1 doubles and were behind the entire match, then started to get it together towards the end of the match, when it really counted. Once they tied it up at 7-7, they were on fire and never looked back. They won the deciding match 10-8 to put us at a 4-3 win. Great job girls!!”

Catherine Farr, Laura Halley, Sarah Lindner were named to the All-DAC team.

Top, left to right: Laura Halley; seniors Suzanne Gendreau and Laura; Sarah Lindner. Bottom: Catherine Farr; Catherine and Madi Lee with Coach Breeden.

Athletics

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Soccer The Fighting Owls Boys’ Soccer team grew in strength and skill in 2006, in a season characterized by close and hard-fought games. An early season rout of Massanutten 51 was an exception: “Wakefield’s offense scored a season high 5 goals against MMA because of their abil-

“The Golf team continues to show major improvement as they work to become one of the top teams in the DAC,” said Coach Scott Barron. While his comment came the day after Notre Dame had dealt the varsity team a defeat at a tough Stoneleigh course, 166-185, the defeat had left Coach Barron undeterred, as on the previous day at Bull Run the Owls had shot their lowest score in two years, defeating Seton School by three strokes and Emmanuel Christian by a large number. Brad Bahnson shot a 47, Nick Lamb a 44, and Connor Perez a 41.

The team ended its winning season at 8-7, with seniors Nick Lamb and Harrison Fischer earning spots on the All-DAC Second Team, and 9th grader Jake Vartanian and 8th grader Connor Perez each receiving Honorable Mention.

ity to work the ball into the corners and cross the ball into the top of the box,” said Coach Obed. “Wakefield’s defensive line and goalkeeper stymied Massanutten’s offensive threats throughout the match.”

The Owls played to three subsequent ties, against Wakefield Country Day and Steward School in Richmond, and in a Homecoming re-match against MMA. “Boys’ Varsity played a very intelligent soccer match at Steward School,” Coach Obed said.

“Wakefield controlled situations defensively.

Full back Matt Bohn

proved to be a workhorse especially denying Steward chances off the rush...Goalkeeper Ryan Plummer, a strength all season, earned his first shutout of the year while making a number of great saves.”

Plummer and Bohn were both named to the All-DAC First Team, while Joey Rose earned an Honorable Mention.

Left, Kevin Nicolaisen prepares to receive the pass; above, Russell Davidson takes a shot.

Golf

Above, Connor Perez watches and waits; top left, Nick Lamb watches and waits; bottom, Brad Bahnson watches and waits!

Winter 2006

Page 17

Field Hockey The Field Hockey team went into Homecoming’s first annual Columbus Cup Tournament on October 7 with two season wins so far against Tandem School. Despite the cold and wet day, the Tournament could not have been more exciting. The Owls secured a 2-1 morning win over Christchurch School with a goal in the final moments, to advance to the

Championship game against Tandem Friends. Both teams fought hard the entire contest, and the score was still a 0-0 tie at the end of regulation play.

But Tandem’s offense was eventually the one to put in the game’s only goal, giving the Owl’s the second place trophy and fans a fabulous day of field hockey.

Wakefield’s Field Hockey team is a member of the Melville Church Athletic Conference, and Erica Eickhoff and Maria Boylan were both named to the All-MCAC Team.

Left, Morgan Vandermast being assertive; center, Erica Eickhoff in control; above, Caroline Shaw battles with support from Kate Ludin.

“Every member of the Cross Country team had a great race for the DAC Championship despite cold and rainy weather,” said Coach Sarah McDonough. “Highlights included Brenton Lewis finishing 10th with a personal best time of 19.47, followed closely by John Patton in a personal best of 19.52. Senior and team leader Ryan Sullivan battled illness and the weather to finish 3rd for Wakefield in a near-best time of 20.25. The middle runners, David Geiger, Alex Daly, Andrew Ringer, and Alex Lamb, each beat his previous best time by minutes, not seconds, allowing Wakefield to finish only several points out of 4th position. The Wakefield boys rounded out the last meet with more personal best times from Ian Revere, Jordan Boland, and Chris Collins (who dropped nearly 2 minutes from his previous season best).

Cross Country “On the girls side Killian Boland went out hard and held her position in the top 5 throughout a very exciting and hotly contested race.

Killian finished in a very respectable 4th place in the DAC. Wakefield’s other female entrant, Elena Stock, ran her best race of the season to finish 22nd in a season-best time of 28.22.

Congratulations to EVERY member of the Wakefield team!”

In addition to this exciting fi-

nale, Wakefield also placed four runners on the All-DAC Team: Killian Boland, Ryan Sullivan, Brenton Lewis, and John Patton.

Left, Brenton Lewis and Ryan Sullivan in the thick of things; right, Elena Stock and Killian Boland get a round of applause from Coach McDonough.

Athletics Girls’ Hoops

Coach Sipes was quietly optimistic about this season following his team’s 37-9 performance over Fredericksburg Academy on November 29. (The game marked his 200th career victory!).

“I think these girls play well together. Our leadership this season is excellent and that is key. Lilly (Withers) and Ashley (Marchi) are leaders by example and through their fearless approach to the game.” Marchi led all scorers with 13 points in the game. Lilly Withers added 6 points, while freshman forward Anna Clem chipped in 5 in her varsity debut.

The team had highs and lows as the season progressed, with a notable December high coming when the Lady Owls, in unfamiliar turf, down

Page 18

to one sub and with three starters playing hurt, pulled off an amazing 29-16 win over Bancroft School from Worcester, MA at the Flaxie Roberson-Fletcher Memorial Tournament.

But it was in January that some magic began to happen for the Varsity girls.

By 1/12 the team had won three in a row, four of their last five, and five of their last seven games, the last of which was a stunning win over Quantico when illness and injury had left them with a single sub.

By the end of January, which ended with a thrilling come-from-behind win

over WCDS at home, the Lady Owls were 5 and 2 for the month, and for the season, 3 and 3 in DAC play and 7 and 4 overall in area play. And the season isn’t over yet!

Boys’ Hoops

Top, the duo of Marchi and Withers at it again. Above, Eric Wilson on the fly.

The excitement of Wakefield’s Life and Breath Tournament—with the Varsity Boys’ win in the first round followed by a narrow and well-contested loss to Word of Life, 53-55—was only the beginning. The team came back from the winter holiday ready to do business, and turned in an exciting January of both improved play and improved results.

They started the second half of the season in a positive fashion on January 5 by jumping out to a large, early lead against Fredericksburg Academy and never looking back, winning 46-21 and led by Eric Wilson’s 28 points. On January 9 the team earned a nice road win at Shenandoah Valley Christian Academy, with the Owls scoring their season high in points to win 69-52,

this time paced by Tim Oakes’ 27 points and Ryan Plummer’s 15.

Even the interruption of exams, did not phase the Owl’s New Year determination: they picked up two more wins on the following two Friday, defeating Quantico 71-16 and Woodberry Forest 44-39.

The team’s trip to New Orleans to help with the rebuilding effort (see story on page 34) was an amazing follow-up to this streak. Though the month ended hard, with a heartbreaker one-point loss to WCDS at home, the team and their coach are eager for the rest of the season to continue the trend established.

The team is positioned now with the chance to tie or break the School record for wins in a season.

Go Owls!

Winter 2006

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Swimming

Wakefield’s Varsity Swim team is again composed almost exclusively of Middle School students, and they continue to give the DAC’s other varsity teams exciting competition.

In a meet against Massanutten Military Academy, the team, in the words of their coach, Mr. Brad De

The Boys’ Upper School Squash team began practices in early November. Four times in November and December and once in January, the group traveled to World Gate in Herndon leaving school at 2:10 and returning at 6:45; other practices were at a local, private squash court as in years past (well, not that many years past—the team is in its third season

Haven, “showed MMA what it means to really swim!” Highlights included wins in the 200 medley by Rachel Cole, Tatiana Duchak, Bridgette Boyd, and Allison Kennedy, and in 200 individual medley by Tatiana; 1st and 2nd places in the 100 back by Alison and Rachel; and five placings in breast stroke, with sixth grader Chris Crapco winning for boys, Tatiana winning the first heat for girls, and Kate Weimer, Haleigh Hutcheson, and Brooke Robinson taking 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the girls’ second heat. In the team 200 free, Andrew Boyd,

Wally Covington, Bobby Breeden, and Chris swam a very close race, losing the lead at the very end. And in the individual 200 free Chris, according to his coach, “blew the varsity swimmers out of the water!”

Congratulations to this young and talented team, both on the present and on a very sunny rest of the season!

Left, Andrew Boyd up for air; right, Tatiana and Coach DeHaven confab.

Squash of competition).

Wakefield’s team opened the season against Woodberry Forest on December 8. On the ladder, #1 Matt Bohn won both matches 3-0 while #2 Robbie Bohn won both his matches 3-1. The team’s #3 player, Catzby Pitzvada, pulled the tie by splitting his matches 3-1, 1-3.

Wakefield’s players showed significant improvement in consistent play displaying sound shot making throughout their matches. Cesar Peralta and Ivan P o w e r- K r o n i c k played well in their losses, and the day ended as a 5-5 tie.

In another season highlight on February 2, in a combined Middle and Upper school effort, Wakefield Squash defeated Madeira 8 matches to 4. Matt and Robbie Bohn and Catzby Pitzvada each won 2 matches to secure the win. Freshman Ivan Power-Kronick and seventh grader Carson Craig each won close matches for their first-ever squash wins.

Seventh grader Logan Rose also competed well but fell short in his matches.

The team looks forward to the rest of the season and the chance to keep pushing its clear development to the next level. Go Owls!

Coach Obed checks Catzby Pitzvada’s technique.

Campus Buildout

T

he men with hardhats inside and the stonemasons outside were still hard at work when the new library had its debut performance, for the gala WPA Holiday Book Fair. The moving of the science labs soon followed, in many stages.

But the splashy move was the library move, completed by the Middle and Upper School students in a single day, in an effort that combined the courage of David facing Goliath, the logistical wizardry of a Superbowl halftime show, and the frustration factor of an attack of red ants for cheerful Wakefield librarian Cathy Clemency.

When a student with an armload of transferred books told her he feared some of them had gotten mixed up, Ms. Clemency’s reply was, “Don’t worry! This really isn’t about books. This is about living a dream—it’s about seeking the challenge!”

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ome partnerships that make Wakefield what it is are less visible than others. And as with much of the world’s work, we sometimes see the results after the people who made them happen are long gone.

No one can help noticing the magnificent stonework along the outside of the new building.

But probably few in the Wakefield community ever really noticed the men under the blue tarp in the parking lot—nor realized that what they were doing under there was chipping away (not a figure of speech) at 80 tons of raw sandstone, delivered in blocks up to three feet across, to create by hand each and every stone on the face of the building.

If you are imagining a machine of any kind—forget it. Not even a sledge hammer—way too crude a tool for this fine work. Small, heavy hammers, chisels, little wedges the thickness of #2 pencils, and a whole lot of muscle, finesse and patience—those were the only tools in use for the more than 24 weeks of the project.

The men who have done this work—Paul Kline, Brian Lapp and his brother Brad Lapp, Ronnie Blankout, Roberto Morales, Chuck McBee, and about seven others off and on—were led by Jim Brown, who has been doing stone work for 29 years, and boasts the wrist and back braces to prove it.

Mr. Brown and his colleagues were more than accommodating in this reporter’s request for a tour of their work and a chance to photograph them in action. In fact, virtually all work stopped as each man gave a talk on his part of the process, and I was shown the stages each huge rock is taken through to achieve one finished stone, 4”x6”x6”.

It was a humbling experience. Take a look at that wall the next time you walk by, and remember! Much fine effort in this world passes unnoticed. Let Wakefield’s new stone wall create an exception.

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The Senior thesis: a primer

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here are many reasons to be curious about the Wakefield Senior Thesis.

Perhaps you are a junior or a parent of a junior. Perhaps you are a member of the Wakefield community interested in finding out what it means to be an “outside advisor.” Perhaps you are an embittered alum, afraid that Wakefield students of today are doing a less-substantial [read, “less-grueling”] task than you yourself got to [read, “had to”] experience [read, “endure”].

The Senior Thesis is both old and new. As is emphasized in the Thesis Handbook that each senior receives, and that is carried about all year until it is tattered and falling apart, the final thesis must be the equivalent of a 30-page paper. It must present an original idea supported by research.

Beyond these least-common-denominators, the Senior Thesis of today begins the assumption of its own identity.

Among the most defining qualities of the undertaking is that, while every student completes a research report of 18 pages by the end of the first semester, the final thesis embodiment can take many forms other than a traditional paper. For many students, the research writing ends with that 18 pages, and the process of writing a play, designing a house, or creating a business plan begins.

A second key feature is the role of a student’s fellow seniors in the process. Making progress reports in front of the class, receiving suggestions and answering questions, and critiquing the work of others are essential parts of this communal endeavor.

The following pages will give you a primer on this core Wakefield pillar, based on discussions with current seniors, on the words of Matt Zontine, English Department Chair and thesis instructor, and on excerpts from the ubiquitous Thesis Handbook.

Seniors Laurel Vanlandingham, Elena Stock, and Ryan Sullivan in one of the new library’s conference rooms during thesis class.

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From the thesis handbook What’s the difference between a Senior Thesis and a Senior Project?

The most important thing that you need to understand in selecting a thesis topic is that you will be completing a senior thesis and not a senior project. You may be asking yourself: What’s the difference?

By definition, a thesis is a “proposition that is maintained by argument” and/or a “dissertation advancing an original point of view as the result of research.” These definitions include three main points: argument, original, and research. …Understand this: your Senior Thesis does not have to be a lengthy paper, although it can be. It should merely propose an original argument that is supported through research. The manner in which this task can be accomplished are varied. [an example] A Project would be “Create a series of paintings.” A Thesis Topic [that would result in a product other than a traditional paper] would be, “Create a series of paintings completed in the Impressionist style.”

This thesis would argue a definition of Impressionism supported by the paintings’ content and style.

This thesis would be original in that it is attempting to recreate a nineteenth century style in a twenty-first century manner. Lastly, this thesis would require research from primary sources (viewing actual paintings) and secondary sources (art criticism) in order to complete it.

How will the Senior Thesis be completed?

…Although students will be working on separate topics in a variety of fields, the students will all be completing in essence the same assignments in the first semester. This semester will be primarily on gathering and shaping information related to your thesis.

Quarter I—Asking Questions and Investigating: collection of sources, three research checks, two progress reports, outside advisor biography, final thesis proposal.

Quarter II—Creating: research check, research plan /outline, two progress reports, four drafting stages of first 18 pages of research

In the second semester, after the bulk of the research is complete, each student will follow his/her own separate path of assignments and deadlines determined by the schedule he/she creates, in addition to certain required steps.

Quarter III—Presentation of Findings: methodology report, working calendar, assignments determined by student, two progress reports…and final completed thesis Quarter IV—Reflection and Sharing: final report, thesis defense, meetings with junior class, presentations to Middle and Upper Schools and to one outside audience

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from mr. zontine “The Senior Thesis is controlled freedom,” says Mr. Zontine. “What we provide the seniors is the time and opportunity to study something they care about.”

The most successful students, he says, have chosen something they genuinely love, that they are passionate about exploring.

“You want them to feel that they are studying this not because they have to, but because they need to,” he says.

A benefit of the project, he says, is that anyone can do it—every Wakefield senior can produce an excellent thesis. “All they have to have at the outset is passion and inquisitiveness. We teach the rest.”

Still, the process is studentcentered and student-driven from the start, beginning right from the topic selection. Inevitably, this results in some false starts—and some false starts that can persist. “We guide—but they make the choices,” Mr. Zontine says.

“When students pick topics or directions that won’t work, you can’t really just tell them that they won’t work” without undermining the integrity of the process. “If you allow them to go, they see it for themselves, with some help.”

It is when they begin drafting their first research report that they can see what they know and what they don’t know. By the end of the first semester, they have 18 pages of research written—and their path for the important third quarter is laid out for them.

Mr. Zontine says that the moment when a senior takes stock of where he or she is and says, with confidence, “Now I know what I have to do” comes for each one of them eventually. It may happen sooner or

later, but it happens, and then the creative part of the process , when the seniors are truly self-directed, takes off.

“The truth is that a great deal of the work can be accomplished in the last six weeks,” Mr. Zontine says. “But it can’t happen without all that wandering through the forest.”

seniors on the senior thesis Julia Petty, who is researching sustainable development in affordable housing—her thesis will be a design of a housing complex built of pre-fab units: “My outside advisor is a family friend, so I meet with him often…He tells me things to research that I didn’t even know to consider. Each time he meets with me, he brings me two books—one on my broad topic, and one on a creative architect to inspire my design process.”

Laura Halley, who is researching the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the stock market—her thesis will be a traditional research paper: “My outside advisor works for the World Bank, so he knows pretty much everything about economics. He mostly tells me what not to research—he’s very practical, and he just says, ‘No—you don’t want to do that.’ My topic has changed two times. Now I am researching specific companies instead of the stock market itself. I am

doing original research from actual stock market records.”

Taylor Stephens, who is researching the sport of eventing and making an evaluation of it—his thesis will combine a paper with a documentary of interviews and footage from various competitions, both present and archived material: “The process of the senior thesis is step-by-step. It is so overwhelming at first, but then at some point you

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Page 25 realize,’“This is not that hard.’ It’s all laid out for you—for a while it seems like you are just doing nothing and then all of a sudden you realize it’s getting done.”

Danny Peacock, who is researching the Boer War versus the Spanish American War and how they illustrated the differences in British and U.S. foreign policy, and how World War I then changed each country’s politics—his thesis will be a traditional research paper: “My thesis has changed so much along the way.

First I was going to compare America in 2000 to Britain in 1900. Then I changed to wanting to compare the Iraq war with the Boer War, but [my faculty advisor] Mrs. Wyrsch said that since the Iraq war wasn’t over that that would be inconclusive. finally I got to the topic I have now, but I wasn’t sure where to end it--it oculd go on and on. Only in December did I decide where to end the paper. My research is complete. Now it’s just the willpower to keep writing.”

Kevin Tedeschi, who is researching a business plan for starting and running a bed-and-breakfast—his thesis will be a business plan for the venture: “I really really like my thesis. It’s really interesting. Right now I am still researching the general process of starting a business and creating a business plan. The second semester I will be creating a plan for the actual business I want to create. My outside advisor owns a bed-and-breakfast and she is really helpful—she’s done all this before. I am really excited.”

Outside advisors Integral to the Senior Thesis process is the role of the outside advisors.

Each student has two advisors of his or her choosing-—one a member of Wakefield’s faculty, administration, or staff, and one a professional in the student’s field of study who is not an employee of the School—the outside advisor.

Advisors guide students in the accuracy of their research, in the realities of the field in the real world, in the implementation of their idea, and countless other areas that can pertain to the students’ many and varied projects. Being an outside advisor is no small commitment, and the volunteerswho take it on give hours of their time to help each senior achieve the depth that the project should reflect.

Following are the outside thesis advisors to the Class of 2007, and their diverse fields of expertise: JoAnn Andren Amanda Cipriano Robert Sachs Christine Fox Bill McShea Alicia Tucker Dr. Louis Puppo “Mrs. Shannon” Gary Harris “Dr. Valk” Susan Leslie-Fraser Maggie Doyle Randy Minchew Lit Fraley Bob Roche Dr. Ralph Wilson Branwell McClory Andrew Tsui Michele Hobson Laura Kintselman Lynn Pirrozolli Barbara Turbitt Dr. Jane Censer Arun Mantri Taylor Borchert

Fashion marketing and sales Dance teacher Math professor/GMU Department Chair Fashion designer/shop owner Research biologist with Smithsonian History teacher Pediatrician Middle School English teacher Rocket scientist Physics teacher Lawyer 7th grade geography teacher Lawyer, Mountain Rescue Paramedic Middle/High School band teacher Doctor at alternative medicine clinic Freelance/independent screenwriter Works in international trade Professional horsewoman Middle School science teacher Owner of Black Horse Inn Newspaper writer History professor at GMU Economist at World Bank Architect

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Community Partnerships: Learning Tree Farms

A

ccording to its website, Learning Tree International is “a world leader in hands-on training for management and technology professionals. Since 1974, over 1,700,000 course participants from over 13,000 organizations around the world have enhanced their skills through intensive hands-on exercises under the guidance of expert instructors with real-world experience.”

A group that knows that much about the benefits of “hands-on exercises under the guidance of expert instructors with real-world experience” would be welcome in elementary and secondary school education as well—and fortunately for Fauquier County, LTI has indeed found its way there, through its educational venue for kids, Learning Tree Farms in Delaplane.

With some uncanny echoes of Wakefield’s motto, the LTF Mission Statement says, “Our mission is to deliver high-quality educational programs for the students and teachers of the community. Our programs provide both students and teachers with skills and knowledge that enhance their educational development and supplement their learning experiences...[and to provide]our personnel with the opportunity for individual satisfaction and the pride of making a difference.”

A t Wakefield,

LT F h a s made an enormous difference to the intrepid 4th and 5th grade team, who could conservatively be described as “fans.”

“We take the 4th graders to LTF in the fall,” says history teacher Katie Hutchison. “It’s a great kick-off—

we’re out of school, and you can really get to know who they are when you see them there—who’s holding in and who’s not.”

Last year the group did LTF’s “Virginia Pioneer Life” program, which everyone loved. This fall, the choice was the “Archaeological Dig.” LTF’s description of the program reads, “Students will dig and find real artifacts at an authentic archaeological dig site. They will date, analyze, measure, clean and practice other skills necessary to be an archaeologist. Students will uncover the history of this significant property and learn more about the original owner, Chief Justice John Marshall.”

“I told the kids beforehand, ‘Now you probably won’t really find anything—or they may put some stuff there for you to find. This will just be for learning about how archaeology works,’” says Mrs. Hutchison But she found she was wrong— the students did do actual excavation at the site of the property’s house, which burned down. Their finds became part of the facility’s ongoing collection. And they used math to measure and document the archaeological site, among many other interdisciplinary skills.

T

he fifth grade fall trip this year to participate in an orienteering program was equally successful, according to literature teacher Joel Enoch.

“The course is actually intended for Middle School students,” he says, “But the kids were able to do it…they were in groups of four or five, so everyone got a chance to be the one to find [the flag].”

“Finding the flag” was not so simple: students had to measure and estimate distances by pacing, read maps and use a compass, find compass bearings to determine their exact location, read topographical maps, and many other skills, as well as working together in small teams to successfully complete the course.

“They had to use the Pythagorian Theorem!” all four teachers proclaim—and they learned it out in a field. It sounds like a great day.

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community partnerships:

Environmental Studies at Airlie

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his year, the 5th grade began its second year of its hedgerow study under the guidance of Caryl Buck, head of Envoronmental Studies at Airlie, division of the International Academy for Preventive Medicine (a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization).

In working with the group last year when they were in 4th grade, doing leaf and tree identifications, Ms. Buck was doing more than simply teaching the textbook tags that everyone learns for ID’ing plants—she was tailoring small handbooks for the finds of individual students, teaching them ID’ing in terms of details like seed propagation, including the division of all finds into either native or non-native plants, and the non-natives into invasive versus non-invasive…in short, she was not just teaching a topic, but teaching a particular group of students the skills they would be

needing over the next two years, as they participate in a study of hedgerow succession.

That she was working towards a specific goal with specific scientists-in-training is the very beauty of Wakefield’s collaboration with Environmental Studies at Airlie—a project that expanded this year to include the 3rd grade as well. The specialization serves both the students and the study.

“This is a longterm, real study,” Ms. Buck emphasizes. “We will publish these results.” And she adds, it is not just any place—this is the Piedmont, our own Piedmont, that is being studied, and so everyone is invested.

A

n essential emphasis of Lynette Bates, the 4th/5th grade science teacher, is the learning of correct scientific procedure. It is essential that the students be learning good habits of investigation and data collection, including measurement, observation, record keeping, and more.

Towards this end, the students’ Field Study Notebooks are absolutely essential, and nearly Biblical in their stature within this project. Students will keep the same field notebooks throughout their study—which means that the newly-initiated 3rd graders will have theirs for three years.

“The 3rd grade’s emphasis in the first year in the hedgerow study is on seed identification,” explain 3rd grade teachers Mrs. Barbara David and Ms. Meg Reedy. “It fits in well, because next year they will learn about leaves and trees, and the following year about succession”—and by then, seeds they saw in 3rd grade will be living parts of the hedgerow.

“It’s all about planting seeds,” says Ms. Buck with a smile—and the double-entendre could not be more apt.

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M

y biology classes are coordinating with a current research expedition out of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. The name of the expedition is CORSACS (Controls on Ross Sea Algal Community Structure), and it is funded by the NSF – National Science Foundation. The research cruise has scientists participating from universities around the world. They are studying algal ecology in Antarctica.

“The link to the expedition’s website is www.whoi.edu/sites/Corsacs. There is a specific tab that says ‘Questions from Wakefield School’ where you will find emails back and forth between my friend Tyler Geopfert, a research assistant from Woods Hole who is participating in the cruise, and my biology classes. In the video tab, there are also several fun videos of penguins!

A

s noted before in Epistula, one of the great things about working at Wakefield is the fascinating email one receives.

The above is an edited compilation of three emails from Danielle Parker, Wakefield’s Biology teacher.

The actual correspondence between her students and the crew of the Palmer reveals both excellent questions and long, thoughtful, detailed answers, not only from Mrs. Parker’s friend but from a variety of other scientists, who had to answer the students’ questions in their scarce free time at the end of long, exhausting days.

That the students appreciate this effort is palpable in the tone of their conversation in class as they comb the newest set of answers—they speak of Biology Section I gets ready to write Tyler a thank-you note the week before he completes his expedition.

”

Tyler as if he were a personal friend of theirs, too, and regard his opinions on everything from global warming to iron fertilization with awe.

Their pleasure in the project is evident in their non-scientific questions, too (“How do you wash your clothes?”, “What do you eat?”, and many variations on “How are the penguins?”).

“Their curiosity is engaged,” says Mrs. Parker with a smile, in regard to the more prosaic questions—and engaging curiosity about the work of science is the point of the collaboration.

“They can see why they learn this stuff,” she says. “They see that there is an application for it in the real world.”

Here’s some of what Mrs. Parker’s students were curious about: • Did the generator failure interfere with your electrochemical experiments?

• What is your opinion on iron fertilization?

• How thick is the ice you’ve been dealing with?

• What is your opinion on global warming?

• Since plankton require sunlight for photosynthesis, what happens when there are 24 hours of darkness?

• In your last email you were waiting for a test for cobalt. What is the purpose of testing cobalt?

• Can you bring us a penguin?

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The Deja-Vu of War: World Civ II Students Ask “What If...?”

Will Sacripanti, aka “Le Liberator” Simon Bolivar, plans his strategy with his officers, from left, Kelsey Callahan, Ilvis Ballvora, and Jack Byers.

Each One Teach One

MS students provide service with a smile On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Middle School students come to Kindergarten classes to assist with reading, crafts, math, and games.

This is an Activity Period that Middle School students sign up to do, and it has been running successfully many weeks now with no flagging of interest on either side.

“The Kindergarten children have enjoyed this and look forward to it every week,” says K teacher Tiffany Navin.

One recent afternoon found Khalil Davis playing a board game with three tiny girls, George Steensma chatting with five children as they created watercolor paintings, and Omar Aminzay doing triple duty, advising one young artist on his painting and another on her Valentine creations, and consulting with teacher Kathryn Mullett on how to best present some Valentine decorations.

Mr. Phillip Brown’s World Civ II classes recently undertook what they deemed to be a highly successful way of learning about the factors that create the outcomes we end up calling history.

Through the use of tools and materials available at the educational website “Junior Generals,” the class had the opportunity to re-wage the 1819 Battle of Boyaca, the surprise attack in which Simon Bolivar routed the Spanish royalists and sealed his campaign to liberate Colombia.

The real Battle of Boyaca hinged on Bolivar’s cutting the royalist army in half as they crossed a bridge. On a scale model set up on a table in one of the new library’s conference rooms, Mr. Brown’s two teams of competing students moved around scores of upright paper markers representing footsoldiers, cavalry, and artillery, strategizing madly.

The goal was not to dramatize the movements of the actual historical event (i.e, a reenactment), but to wage the battle again, with the outcome up for grabs (i.e., a game). In the process students are intended to learn something about the complexity of war and, according to both Mr. Brown and the creators of Junior Generals, about the role of chance in warfare—hence the use of a die-tossing to determine, for example, the productivity of a round of shots fired.

But is war a game? No—but learning about war by playing a game is apparently extremely popular and successful, according to Mr. Brown’s students’ reactions. Said one student under his breath, as his team concentrated intensely on its next move, “I love this!”

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A Funny Thing Happened...a Very, Very Funny Thing In the fall Archwood Community Theatre once again featured a mixed ensemble of Wakefield students, teachers, parents and friends, this time in a rousing production of the musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Featuring junior Hunter Morrison in the classic role of Pseudolus, sophomore Chris Stone as Hysterium, Wakefield history teacher and parent Andrew Clubb as Senex, and former theatre teacher Ben Shoenberger as Hero, the performance captured all of the zany madness and sharp wit of the famous Broadway show. As with the previous ACT production of Camelot, music was provided music by a live community orchestra under the direction of Mr. Jim Westerhouse.

Said director Chris Guyotte in the program, “Even with all of its low humor this show embraces some universal truths. We all want to be free to be what we want to be, just as we all want to bring back the intensity of that first love. So tonight we have for you a comedy in which everything ends up just the way we want it to.�

Top: Chris Stone, Julia Falcon, and Gracie Morrison; above, David Muss, Jamie Davis, Hunter Morrison, Lisa Hytner, and Annalisa Hontz; left, Chris and Hunter.

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Winter 2006

Top, David Muss, Andrew Clubb, Chris Stone, and Tucker Withers; far left, Hunter and Chris; left, Ben Shoenberger and Gracie Morrison.

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F

rom a stuttering beginning some years ago, Upper School Music now finds it self in an early renaissance of sorts.

Three—yes, three—Upper School music ensembles now meet during activity periods, at designated, sacrosanct times. Add to this the fact that one of the ensembles chooses to meet during TGIF—the designated do-nothing time of the Wakefield week—and you begin to see the student energy and enthusiasm that is behind this renaissance.

Of course, student energy alone could not have produced this result.

According to Fine Arts Chair Christine Mulligan, “Having dedicated time slots is the first step…[Dean of Students] Mrs. Jenkins and Activities Director Seth Obed have really opened the door for this to happen.”

Mr. Quinn, too, she says, has been a vocal supporter of the development of performance groups.

Well, now they are here: an Upper School handbell choir led by math teacher Mrs. Cheryl Brindle, an Upper School chorus led by Mrs. Mulligan and Mr. Ray Karns, and an Upper School chamber music group led by eleventh grade English teacher Ms. Michelle Paine.

T

he handbell choir had its debut performance at the holiday assembly.

Handbells have been an extremely popular fixture of the Lower and Middle School programs for a long time, and yet the wholeschool assembly seemed riveted by the sight of Upper School students at last joining into the tradition.

The handbell group is comprised of experienced and brand-new ringers, by now almost indistinguishable from one another in their performance.

Gillian Douple, Mrs. Brindle, and Chris Collins.

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T

he chorus first performed when it joined forces with Wakefield thespians to perform at the dedication of the September 11 memorial at Arlington National Cemetery.

The chorus has grown since then and continues to grow, and also includes members of the faculty and staff, namely Mr. Andrew Clubb, history teacher, and his wife Harriet, Wakefield’s accountant. The group performed again at the holiday assembly in December.

Andrew Clubb, Chris Stone, and Mr. Karns (and Beethoven, rear).

T

he chamber group has been the most facilities-challenged of the three groups—the three strings players, who are cellist Erica Eickhoff and violinists Gracie Morrison and Ms. Paine, meet in Ms. Paine’s classroom, while piano player David Moore and clarinetist Sarah Kim rehearse on their own in the lobby of the Arts building.

(Before this arrangement was agreed upon, Ms. Paine and Gracie met one day to practice in the Arts lobby, and, when they were bumped out by another meeting, retired to practice in the girls’ restroom [which apparently boasts fabulous acoustics].)

The string trio of the chamber group had its debut in the Holiday Talent Show.

Mrs. Mulligan fondly recalls the days when Ms. Paine, then a Wakefield student, and her two brothers, Adam and Brent, were the string trio that performed at Wakefield. That Ms. Paine continues to play and to perform simply for the love of music

Erica Eickhoff

is a lesson Mrs. Mulligan wants students to observe and retain.

She says, “I want them to see what a faculty member has done along the way to reach such a point—

the discipline and initiative it takes to pursue music when you are young actually leads to the lifetime of reward that Ms. Paine has gotten from her music.”

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Computer/Media Cart Helps Art Teachers Resource the World Donation from Learning Tree Farms is already expanding classroom walls

The Fine Arts Department was the recipient of a material benefit of Wakefield’s growing association with Learning Tree Farms in Delaplane— the Arts Building now has its own computer/media cart, featuring a computer, a digital projector, and an overhead.

The variety of opportunities that this creates for art instruction— projecting images for group study, making web resources available for group instruction, having a particular website online during class for individual student use—have sparked the imaginations of both Lower School art teacher Teresa Dunnigan and Middle/Upper School art teacher Pat Tucker.

“We are wildly excited about the possibilities of bringing outside resources into the classrooms,” says Ms. Tucker. “This ties the old-fashioned opaque projector together with 21st-century world-wide resources.”

Her students, she says, can see a show at the Met, with their teacher as docent, without traveling to New York.

Mrs. Dunnigan has put the cart to full use in a project spanning three weeks, studying Renoir’s “Luncheon of the Boating Party” prior to a visit to the Phillips Collection to see the original.

“The Phillips provides teacher materials, including a CD-ROM with background information and other

materials on about 60 images in the collection,” she says. “With the cart I was able to project the image close to its real size” [the painting is very large], and Mrs. Dunnigan could talk about it really thoroughly with her class before they went to the museum.

Learning Tree Farms has provided similar carts to area public schools as well, and Wakefield was delighted to be a recipient. A second cart has been provided in February with a few more bells and whistles, and this newer one will remain in the Fine Arts Building, while the original will move to the Lower School.

A Concert Band?

As a matter of fact—yes.

As usual, the Middle School Holiday Concert testified to another quantum leap for the three-yearsyoung program. The most recent benchmark of change: two bands performing, an entry-level band, under the direction of Mr. James Westerhouse, and a Concert Band.

This latter group, comprised mostly of students in their third year with the group and under the direction of Mr. Brian Settles, now practices together, as a—well, as a band, as opposed to groups meeting separately by instrument to learn

and then getting together briefly before a performance to work together as a “band.”

“And,” says Fine Arts Chair Mrs. Mulligan proudly, “we are actually playing from band music now—an actual book of music for band performance!” When it’s a long time coming, the results are all the sweeter.

The Larger World Page 35

Two Seniors Attend U.N. Student Conference on Human Rights in New York When asked about her experience attending the U.N. Student Conference on Human Rights, senior Lyndsey Morgan’s first words were, “It was so amazing to write something that was actually going somewhere—that was actually going to do something.”

And that’s exactly what she was doing: last fall, as a member of the Editing Committee at the U.N. Student Conference, Lindsey was editing and revising the final draft of a resolution that would be presented later that day to the President of the U.N. General Assembly, who would then take the resolution to the next meeting of the General Assembly devoted to discussing human rights.

According to Lindsey and her fellow delegate Julia Falcon, all of the students at the conference felt the same way—it was so good to be doing something.

“This conference was very international,” says Julia, who was attending for the second time. Besides U.S. students—from New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia—there were representatives from the Dominican Republic, Canada, and Mexico, and a video conferencing process near the end of the conference, as the final resolution was being crafted, featured still more students from those countries and even from Bahrain, home of the U.N. General Assembly President.

This year, the topic of the annual human rights conference was “Human Rights and Migration.” The group of over 50 students discussed daunting problems associated with migration, including voluntary versus

involuntary migration, the special problems of female migrants, the disparity of international responses to migration issues, and many many more. Lyndsey and Julia both served on the sub-committee discussing how the problems of migration connected to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

“The conference was a real check on how diverse the world really is,” says Julia. For example, even at a conference with relatively few countries represented, there were, according to Julia, “real language barriers.” She said, though, that there were not such great ideological differences—perhaps because of the people who were drawn to such an event.

“Because all of the delegates there were from the Americas, they are all involved with immigration, and all invested in solving the problems.”

Lyndsey observed the same mix of same-but-different in her work editing the document. Everyone had something they felt strongly about adding to the final resolution, and she and her fellow editors had to decide whether it was more important to let everyone’s ideas be included, or to have a perfect document free of redundancies.

“We were all trying to say the same thing in different words. In the end it was more important to keep things than to delete them,” Lindsey says. “And for the delegates from Bahrain and the Dominican Republic, their needs came from them,” from their own experience that is so different from others’. “Their words had to be kept in.”

Winter 2006 Wakefield History Department Chair Carolyn Wyrsch has had a long relationship with the African American Historical Association in The Plains, and is a close

friend of its Director Karen White. Many Wakefield students have had their study of history enhanced by a visit to the AAHA and its museum, and Ms. White has participated in Wakefield’s History Day for years.

On Thursday, February 8, Mrs. Wyrsch gave something back to both the museum and the community by offering a workshop at the AAHA in which she shared her expertise on ways to use school curricula to make students more aware of the history of slavery— particularly local history.

The workshop was designed for teachers or anyone who may be interested in some strategies for teaching and learning about slavery as it relates to Fauquier County.

The sad but important saga is something we cannot afford to ignore, Mrs. Wyrsch strongly feels, and her workshop was designed to equip others to share this knowledge.

The Larger World

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Disaster January 3, 2007 To Whom It May Concern, Please accept this letter as our statement of intention for the Wakefield School to travel to New Orleans and participate in helping rebuild the great city of New Orleans. Our boys’ basketball team has chosen to use the week of January 21-26 to fulfill our school’s mission of “Seek the challenge; make a difference; live an extraordinary life.”

The week of January 21st in our school has been set aside as “Ski Week,” when the students are off from school and many travel to various skiing areas. Our basketball team has chosen, at their own expense, to use this week to help others. We will spend two hours each morning practicing at Tulane University. After practice, the rest of our day will be dedicated to doing our part to help make New Orleans whole again.

Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to be part of this great rebuilding effort and we look forward to seeing you in a few weeks.

Sincerely, Scott Barron Head Boys’ Basketball Coach Assistant Director of Athletics Wakefield School

Photography by Julia Petty ’07

Relief

Winter 2006

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To the members of the Wakefield Fighting Owls Boys’ Basketball Team:

,l'

•• •

l

~

I

••

-

•

,

i I

The Boys’ Varsity Basketball trip to New Orleans reminds us that we are all on the same team

I am very proud of what you are choosing to do as a team. ...You are helping those who lost everything.

You are learning skills and experiencing some of the most demanding labor there is. You are giving of your time and money. Finally, and most importantly, you are doing all of this because you recognize that it is a hard thing to do that needs to be done. You are seeking a challenge. …My father once told me the first sign of greatness in a man is to watch his reaction in crisis. Cowards run from crisis. Wise men predict crisis. Great men, he said, are drawn toward the resolution of crisis. You are taking your first steps on what I hope is a journey to greatness for each of you.

Good luck and work hard. We are proud of you.

Paul G. Sipes, Director of Athletics Wakefield School

The Larger World

Page 38

Alumna Anna Franklin Facilitates Art Exchange with Bulgarian Youth Alumna Anna Frankin ’01 was always deeply committed to service work during her career at Wakefield, president of both the Service Club and Amnesty International, whose Wakefield chapter she founded.

After completing her education at American University in 2004, Anna signed on as a Youth Development Peace Corps Volunteer and went to Bulgaria, specifically to Varbitsa, where her work is centered on helping to organize youth’s free time and to engage in skills exchange with them and other community members, and to build understanding between Americans and Bulgarians.

The art teacher from the Varbitsa school, Rosen Russenov, approached Anna about an art exchange between their students and Wakefield’s. Anna immediately contacted Gary Genther to see if it could be arranged.

Works by 21 Wakefield students from grades 9 through 12, as well as number of issues of Talisman and Amulet, are now on exhibit at Varbitsa High School in Varbitsa City, Bulgaria. And works from Varbitsa students in grades 6 through 9 are now exhibited here in Wakefield’s new Library.

When asked what she remembers best about her experience at Wakefield, Anna responded, “I could write volumes about the passion Wakefield’s teachers inspired, whether it be in critically thinking about a work of literature or about a scientific concept. Now, as a Youth Development Peace Corps Volunteer, I reflect on the opportunity Wakefield provides its students to take on leadership roles, the encouragement of ownership, responsibility, and innovation…I take and pass on these treasures of my education, indebted to the ones whose faith in young people has guided me to this day.”

No names yet for caption.

Winter 2006

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Service Initiatives Cross All Three Divsions in the Holiday Season

The Lower School drummed up both gifts and funds; Middle and Upper School Service Club members orchestrated donations for Seven Loaves.

DEAR Continues to Make A Difference The fourth and fifth grades’ Drop Everything and Read program (DEAR) has once again completed a one-semester round of reading-forservice. Students read in their free time and record the minutes spent; these are matched by per-minute pledges from family and friends, with funds going to four different charities.

The success of this program, initiated by fourth and fifth grade literature teacher Mr. Joel Enoch, cannot be overstated (see sidebar).

Asked about the program’s benefits, Mr. Enoch simply says, “It teaches compassion.”

For the second semester, DEAR funds will go toward the sponsorship of four needy children.

Dollar amounts raised last semester through DEAR are below; for educational benefits, ask any student who has participated.

Humane Society—Caring for the needs of abused or neglected animals: $342.89 American Red Cross— Caring for the needs of disaster survivors: $520.76 Oxfam—Caring for the needs of poor and hungry children: $172.12 Cystic Fibrosis Foundation—Caring for the needs of children dealing with illness: $208.46

While Carolyn Wyrsch, advisor to the Upper School Service Club for many years, is still the face and the force of Wakefield service, a new Service Committee has been formed, both to help with the labor-intensive job of overseeing the School’s service work and, as Mrs. Wyrsch puts it, “to serve as a clearing house [to coordinate efforts over all three Divisions,] so we are not working at crossed purposes.”

The committee is comprised of Mrs. Jennifer Sipes and Mrs. Judy Lawrence for the Lower School, Mrs. Nancy Martin and Dr. Tom Perry for Middle School, and Mrs. Wyrsch for Upper School, with further assistance from Community Relations Director Mrs. Ann-Charlotte Robinson and Community Relations Assistant Mrs. Jennifer Miller.

November and December saw much service effort throughout the School. Mrs. Cheryl Brindle and the tenth grade organized a food drive for Thanksgiving. A group of Lower School students held an uproarious bake sale to benefit the Middleburg Humane Society. For the December holidays the Lower School worked with the Jaycees to be responsible for one needy family’s holiday wish list per grade, while the Middle and Upper Schools worked with Seven Loaves, a local charity, to supply one category of items per grade, to be distributed to those in need by Seven Loaves.

Though the Middle and Upper Schools had a slow start, the boxes of all three Divisions were absolutely overflowing by the time the pick-up days came, and the Cub Scouts graciously helped with the loading.

From the Development Office

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A CAPITAL UPDATE

T

he elegant new Library, Science, and Technology building that has emerged from the paddock behind the Upper School is an arresting testament to the partnerships that have been forged in the course of the Soaring to New Heights Capital Campaign. To date, approximately $5.4 million in gifts and pledges has been raised towards the goal of $6 million to cover the costs of the new building. After receiving a challenge of $1 million from several Wakefield families, we are now asking the broader Wakefield community to contribute the $600,000 still needed to meet the challenge and complete the goal for the new building. Renovation has also begun on the old library, which will become Wakefield’s first dedicated Dining Hall. Finally, three classrooms in the Roberts Building are being renovated to create the Lower School Library. Pledges now can be made through 2008.

The new building and accompanying retrofits are the centerpiece of the $8 million Phase V of the Master Plan, which will also include roadway and parking improvements.

AN ANNUAL UPDATE

T

here are four major aspects of what Wakefield refers to as the “Annual Fund.”

An Annual Appeal is launched in the fall with a series of appeal letters urging the community to help raise the $500,000 (this year’s goal) needed to close the gap between what it costs to operate a first rate independent school and the revenue from tuition. The appeal runs from September through June annually.

Participation tracks how many people give to the Annual Fund. Among otheer benefits, participation is critical when applying for grants, and has aided the securing of grant money in the Soaring to New Heights Capital Campaign. Wakefield has a consistent record of very high participation by independent school standards.

Wakefield’s Volunteers are exemplary, both in the quantity of time and energy they give the school and in the funds they are able to raise through efforts like Sally Foster, the Owl’s Outlet, and Booster concessions. These are among the many ways that our volunteers bind us closer as a community. Currently, anticipation is building as preparations intensify for the Gala Auction on March 24.

Join the partnership!

Participate in the Annual Fund before June 30.

Annual Fund Results to date:

Total Raised: $256,896 (goal - $500,000) Trustee Participation: Faculty Participation: Parent Participation: Alumni Participation: Leadership Members: Archwood Members:

94% (last year 100%) 98% (last year 100%) 39% (last year 94%) 5% (last year 21%) 9 families (last year 13) 14 families (last year 27)

In 2000, a unique partnership was formed. A group of committed parents and trustees, in support of our dedicated faculty, funded the school’s first pension plan two years early. Ever since, the Leadership Council, and then later, the Archwood Circle, have been joining forces to make a significant impact on Wakefield’s success every year. In the past, up to two thirds of our Annual Fund receipts have come from these two groups including an impressive list of vital resources for every part of the school. At a meeting on February 3rd, project ideas for 2006 – 2007 were presented and discussed and the opportunity to take part in this important partnership is ripe.

NAMING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE LIBRARY, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PHASE OF “SOARING TO NEW HEIGHTS” Amounts stated are minimum amounts suggested to name a space or to endow a named fund.

Naming opportunities may honor the donor or anyone the donor wishes to name.

Pledges may be fulfilled any time before June 30, 2008.

Library, Science and Technology Building Library and Research Center $1,000,000 Science and Technology Center $1,000,000 Lobby (Atrium) $500,000 Lower School Library $1,000,000 Science and Technology Center – Upper Level Chemistry Laboratories (2)

(1) The S. Lewis Family 100,000 (2) Claude Moore Charitable Foundation 100,000 Physics Laboratory 100,000 Biology Laboratory 100,000 Middle School Laboratories (2)

100,000 (1) Tentatively reserved All Furnishings for Science Labs 100,000 Main Hallway, Upper Level 50,000 Lobby/Seating Area, Upper Level 50,000 Faculty Office, Upper Level 50,000 Laboratory Prep Rooms (4) 25,000 Pentagonal Work Stations in Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Middle School Labs (20) 15,000 (1) Kevin and Karen Cole – Middle School 20,000 (2) The Fischer Family – Biology 20,000 (3) Peter and Maryanne Quinn – Physics 15,000 (4) Eric and Ellen Lindner – Chemistry 15,000 (5) Dedicated to environmentalists, present and future – Biology 15,000 Teaching Stations/All Labs (6) 10,000 (1) Dedicated to the pursuit of wisdom – Chemistry 10,000 (2) To our teachers who inspire us and make a difference—Chemistry 10,000

Library and Research Center – Lower Level Library-Computer Research Room 300,000 The Diana Muss Reading Room 250,000 Technology/Server Room 125,000 Technology Laboratory 100,000 All Furnishings – Lower Level 100,000 Librarian’s Office/Workroom 100,000 The Michaela Burton Circulation Desk 60,000 Reference Area 50,000 Conference Rooms (A, B, C) 50,000 (1) The Lamb Family – Conference Room A 50,000 Main Hallway – Lower Level 50,000 Library Catalogue Station 25,000 Library Stack (7) 10,000 (1) Stephen and Frances Conrad 10,000 (2) The Presgrave Family 10,000 (3) The Zimmerman Family 10,000 (4) The Winick Family 15,000 (5) The Shockey Companies 10,000 (6) Faculty, Family & Friends 11,000 Library Study Carrel (4) 5,000 (1) The Coolidge Family 5,000 (2) Donald and Linda Taylor In Honor of Their Parents 5,000 (3) The Wolfson Family 5,000 (4) One tentatively reserved

The Treptow Family Clarke & Molly Ohrstrom '86

John B. Adams, Jr. Steve & Pat Miller

Tentatively reserved

Joshua Muss, Family & Friends NET100, Ltd. – The Paris Family The Noel Family Anonymous The Fairfield Family

Wakefield Dining Room 200,000 Ted and Anjela Guarriello For information, contact Lindsay Jones, 540-253-7542, ljones@wakefieldschool.org

Alumni News Class of 1986 Nancy Wiley and her husband, Justin, welcomed their third child, Georgina, in early November.

Class of 1987 Brad Pendergraph is living in New Jersey with his wife of sixteen years and his three children: Anya (13), Griffin (8), and Rowan (3). Brad works for a pharmaceutical company as a programmer and data analyst. He has also been PodCasting for over a year – you can view his PodCast at wholelotofnonsense.org.

Class of 1988 One of Cory Caulfield’s paintings was featured in the October issue of Virginia Living in a piece on the Artists of Rappahannock Gallery and Studio Tour.

Cory’s studio was chosen to be a part of the tour this year!

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Rodgers, is currently living in Australia working for Tribold – a software company that implements product management solutions for telecom companies.

She has been “down under” since February, enjoying Melbourne and traveling to see the many sites. Stephanie expects to stay in Australia for about a year.

putees and is working to improve the design and efficiency of the prosthetics. Menaka Gopalan spent the fall semester studying abroad in Florence, Italy. She is pursuing a double major in Fine Art and English. While there she traveled to Venice and Rome, as well as other European countries to see friends.

Class of 1995 Veronika Kohler earned her masters degree in Peace and Development in 2004. After completing her degree she moved from Spain to Puerto Rico for nine months to do probono work. She now owns a home in Washington, D.C. and is working for the World Bank.

Class 2004 Valerie Lalonde was on campus recently to substitute teach in the Lower School. This fall she spent the semester abroad in London, which she says was a fantastic, positive experience.

Class of 1998 Takashi Takenoshita has moved from Tokyo to London as a result of his work.

Class of 1992 Michael Irani is living in Charlottesville with his wife, Stephanie. He works as an 11th grade English teacher at Charlottesville High School while working towards his PhD in Educational Administration and Supervision at UVA.

Class of 1999 Kate Williams has started a PhD in Immunology and Infectious Disease at UC Berkeley after completing her master’s degree in Health Science at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Class of 1993 Stephanie Torneden, here with her mom, former faculty member Karen

Class 2001 Allyson Floyd played a small role in The Good Shepherd starring Matt Damon. It was only at the cast and crew screening that she realized her scene was cut. It is clear based on her upbeat message that she has grown the thick skin necessary for the acting business. Elizabeth Taylor is in New York working for Citigroup in the Corporate Banking Division. Travis Cushman was accepted at Washington & Lee Law School for the fall semester.

Class of 2003 Erin Boutwell is in her second year of graduate school at Northwestern University and is currently performing research with the Northwestern University Prosthetics Research Laboratory. She is working primarily with lower limb am-

Class 2005 Angela Hicks writes that after completing one year of school in New York she is now attending the American Musical School and Dramatic academy in Hollywood, CA – which she loves! Her experience has enabled her to work with Hollywood directors and camera crews.

Right now she is in the process of getting certified in stage combat, which means that she will have nearly perfected un-armed combat moves, broadsword and rapier and dagger drills. So far she has done extra and background crew work on feature films and music videos. Starting in January she be will be able to start auditioning for everything including commercials, lead roles, and national tours. Angela is looking forward to a lot of hard work and even more fun!

The Pierce family has a lot of college news this year. It turned out that Fordham was not the best match for Emily who is now happily attending Mary Washington. Madeline too found that she was not at the right school and returned home after her first year and is currently planning her next move. After a year at Cornell College in Iowa, Will ’03 is enjoying his junior year at the University of Vermont. Wendy has nearly finished her master’s degree in Art Education at George Mason University.

Alumni Art Show

T

he Fine Arts Department will be very much in evidence in the celebration of the new Library, Science, and Technology building, as will some memorable alumni artists.

Art Teacher Gary Genther came up with the idea of beginning a permanent Alumni Art collection that would grace the walls and halls of the new building, creating both the perfect complement to the building’s clean architecture and the perfect interdisciplinary balance.

At press time there were more than 30 pieces of work from more than 25 alums, and the list has continued to grow, featuring artists from as far back as the Class of 1983 and from as recently as the Class of 2006. Some who have submitted work are professional artists; some are architects; one is a mail courier, one a wedding photographer. All, however, are individuals who valued their work in the arts at Wakefield and are eager to share what they are doing now, and to have their adult work find a long-term home on campus.

Visit Wakefield later this spring to see the first stage of this ongoing new project!

Alumni artwork by, top, Andrew Speziale 1999; left, Jamie Harris ex-2000; above, Ashley Ozburn 2002.

Get the point?

We officially celebrated the new Library, Science, and Technology Building’s launch on Sunday, February 25—but if you missed it, you can celebrate it any time you like!

Come by campus this spring to see for yourself what all the excitement’s about!

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