Wakefield Epistula Winter 2009

Epistula

Winter 2009

on the building of bridges Structures at Wakefield that are fostering community

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 winter and summer 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 AnnCharlotte Robinson at arobinson@ wakefieldschool.org.

When I was struck by the parallelism between the meticulous restoration of our campus bridge, and the increasing number of programs that are working to build connections within the Wakefield community, this Epistula’s theme was born (can you tell I am a former English teacher?). What surprised me, though, as I began to plan and produce this edition, was that there was WAY more going on in this arena of community building than I had perceived, certainly more than I could possibly cover in this issue.

This resulted in painful choices! There is no article, for example, on the new Parent Porch, a collaboration between the school and the WPA to foster connections among parents.

There is no article highlighting the Student Government’s many innovations to bring students together in relaxed camaraderie. Only fleeting mention is made of the wonderful community pot-luck dinner that preceded the holiday play, or of the current drive to bring more Lower School students and parents to athletic events. But these and other important steps, large and small, are happening every day. As I learned, evidence of the ongoing work of community-building is everywhere, as tangible as our solid new bridge.

Let’s not put cart before horse, though—the reason so much emphasis is falling on community-building right now is a growing realization that community at Wakefield can be uniquely challenging to build—geography, campus growth, age range, and schedule demands all can stand in our way.

Seeing the variety of structures that are being built to span these divides, though, can rally each of us to choose a bridge and step right on.

Tutt Stapp-Harris Publications Director

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

cover story Our old stone bridge, discovered to be unsound, could have been either shored up or replaced by a number of quotidian and/or short-lived solutions—but some committed community members rallied behind the historic original and made its full restoration a reality. The result is not only beautiful, but also built to endure. The cover shot reveals the entire community’s affection for this landmark of our campus and symbol of our mission—and the embodiment of school-wide efforts to foster bridges of other kinds.

Story on page 22

on the building of bridges 22

EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN The engineers’ official name for our beautifully-restored stone bridge—the “entrance road retaining wall”—fails utterly to capture the structure’s heady blend of form, function, history, and symbolism.

24

KEY ASSISTS As the Service Club experiences both the joys and challenges of sustaining large-scale community service over the long term, its efforts for the Fauquier Food Distribution Coalition are supported in unexpected ways.

26

RE-DEFINING ADVISING In the Middle and Upper Schools, a new structure for advising meetings joins a variety of initiatives crafted with the goal of supporting not just the sum of our parts—our community—but the key parts themselves—our students.

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THE VIRTUES OF CIVILITY How do you build a community of civility? From the bottom up, says the Lower School Virtues Program.

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A COMMUNITY OF READERS The annual African American Read-In unites us in service to writers, to diversity, and to one another—but reading aloud to fellow students is on the rise elsewhere, too.

DEPARTMENTS A Picture’s Worth...

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Faculty & Administration

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Kudos 10 Athletics 14 The Arts 34 From the Development Office The Chinese New Year was brought in with food and festivity

by Kindergarten—and are those some Chinese pictograms on that headdress?

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Alumni News 42

A Picture’s Worth...

T

ime for a quiet moment for concentration and focus amid the beforehand-chaos of the Middle School Holiday Concert.

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A Picture’s Worth...

T

he enrollees in Meg Reedy’s “Greek Drama” activity brought gravitas and spirit beyond their years to their adaptation of Euripides’ tragedy Hippolytus, a tale of a son distroyed by a distrusting father and meddling goddesses.

4

Epistula

T

he Cross Country team’s brilliant homecoming cheer featured complex choreography, dancing robots, and the opportunity for audience sing-along as the text was offered up word by word on the chests and backs of the quick-stepping team (featuring Jordan Boland as the syllable “-er”). But when Ian Fontaine took the floor, there was no doubt that the performance’s grand finale had officially begun.

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A Picture’s Worth...

J

anuary 20 found students and faculty crowded in front of screens set up in the atrium, the computer lab, the Lecture Hall, the Dining Room, and the Lower Gym, as virtually the entire campus came together and paused for 45 historic minutes.

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I

ncluded in the record crowd at Fire Marshal Night was a constituency more and more visible at Wakefield sporting events—Lower School students and their families. The result of a concerted effort by the WPA to encourage attendance by all three Divisions at school-wide events, the increased participation appears to be a crowd-pleaser. Says parent Amy Hinchman, “As a Lower School parent, I feel one of Wakefield’s strongest assets is tapping into the resource and role models that our students in upper divisions can offer.”

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Faculty & Administration

So...What Are YOU Doing at 5:00 am?

John Hood, for one, is writing. His third book will be released in December—but by then he will have completed a first draft of the next one. How does he do it, you ask? The answer is simple: One page at a time. Before school.

Ask John Hood about the content of his published books, and he is happy to pare things down and help the relatively-uninitiated get oriented—and since his scholarship is in ancient and medieval Christian theology, this interviewer took some comfort in the fact that most people would, like her, fall into the category of the relatively-uninitiated. Still, it must be said that even the one-hour, theology-lite version is tantalizing in its complexity and implications—paying simultaneous tribute to Dr. Hood’s skill as a teacher and his depth of knowledge in his field.

But we’ll get to all that medieval theology in a minute. Because at Wakefield, only one question could possibly be on the minds right now of always-stretched-thin students, faculty, and staff upon hearing that a faculty member who completed a 400-page book last summer is finishing another one even as they are reading this: How did he do that??

The “How”: Dr. Hood’s Process If you have ever wanted to write a book, but believed you would have to wait until you retire because you simply have no time, you will now need a different excuse.

Rule One appears to be, “Have patience.” For his first book, a study of the thinking of Thomas Aquinas, Dr. Hood spent three and a half years reading and doing research, and two and a half more years in the actual writing of the book.

Rule Two: Keep a schedule. Dr. Hood wrote his first and second books, and most of his third, while teaching full time. By doing constant all-nighters and living on coffee, you ask? No: by writing for one and a half hours each morning before school. Period.

Rule Three: Have an outputquota. Dr. Hood’s output quota: one page per day Monday through Friday.

Three pages per day on Saturday and Sunday.

Rule Four: Have a method. Dr. Hood’s method: Outline a section.

Go through your notes and type out the quotes you plan on using in that section. Then, above the list of quotes, begin writing, and when you come to the need for a quote, cut and paste from below. (Tip for Rule Four: When you write your last paragraph for that day, always end by beginning the next paragraph, so you will have something to get you started the next morning [other than coffee]).

Rule Five: “Kill your darlings.”

As per Faulkner’s storied advice, this means that you must edit ruthlessly after you finish your first draft. When Dr. Hood finished the first draft of his current book, he had 800 manuscript pages. He edited it down to 690 pages before submitting it to the publisher—but when the book was accepted, it was with the stipulation that he cut another 190 pages. Though it seemed impossible at first, he did it.

That’s it—five rules, one page per day! Simple it might sound, but easy it is not. Yet Dr. Hood speaks calmly of his process, and with great satisfaction at what the steady work has yielded, by any standard an enviable combination.

The “What”: Dr. Hood’s Writings Dr. Hood’s particular fascination is with the work of the 13th century theologian Thomas Aquinas (he had the opportunity to acquire from one of his university mentors a library of all of Aquinas’ writings, which he has read in its entirety). In 1995, Dr. Hood

Dr. Hood

published his first book, Aquinas and the Jews, which examines Aquinas’ writings on the Jews “in the social context of the escalating intolerance towards them in the Christian West in the 13th century,” according to one review.

Aquinas’ writings on the Jews stand out as models of a more tolerant tradition, both in this 13th century context, and when compared to Augustine and Jerome, the 4th century Christian writers to whom Aquinas had most referred in the development of his own thinking Dr. Hood’s second book, The Essential Aquinas, was published in 2002, and is a translation from the original Latin of selections from Aquinas’ broad writings. The book to be released in December, however, which is now undergoing revision following the peer-review process, is actually an outgrowth of his first book, though not in chronological order.

The new work is entitled The Tragedy of Christianity: Jerome, Augustine, and the Translation of the Gospels.

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Working backwards from the material in his first book on Aquinas, Dr. Hood examines in this book the two seminal 4th century thinkers who had such a strong influence on Aquinas, but from whose thinking on the role of the Jews in a Christian society Aquinas substantially departs.

Jerome (the translator of the Bible into Latin) and Augustine were prolific writers, producing “the equivalent of an Encyclopedia Brittanica each,” says Dr. Hood, and they strongly influenced all Christian theology, not only because of their volume, but because of their placement in time: immediately before the collapse of the Roman Empire, so that their works served to anchor Roman Catholic thinking right before a period of great instability.

But, he goes on to say, they also “enshrined a pessimistic Christian view, characterized by focus on original sin, on humanity’s making of the same

mistakes through our generally sinful nature.” Early Christianity, Dr. Hood maintains, did not have this pessimistic focus. Further, he says, Augustine and Jerome carried on a high-profile controversy at one time on some theological matters, characterized equally by disagreement, blending of ideas, and long angry silences. A result of this public disagreement, he says, is that they “brought a ‘macho’ intellectual style to Western discourse.”

Asked how he felt about Jerome and Augustine after these findings, given their ongoing infleunce, Dr. Hood says he feels about them “a bit like I do about Sparta and the Stoics. I admire the structure they created, and how it made a hardy castle. But—I wouldn’t have wanted to live in Sparta!”

And next on the agenda...

This spring, though, the revising of The Tragedy of Christianity is not the

only writing Dr. Hood is working on at 5:00 am.

His new book, whose first draft may be completed sometime in April, is entitled A Blessing and a Curse: The Jews in 12th Century Christian Theology.

It will comprise Volume II, along with Aquinas and the Jews, of a projected five to six volume history of Christianity’s view of Jews in Christian society.

The question raised by the welldocumented and shocking decline in Christian tolerance for Jews from the 12th through 15th centuries, Dr. Hood says, is, “What happened in 1098?”

Dr. Hood’s thesis is that, contrary to popular opinion, it was society’s views of Judaism that drove the Church’s response, not the other way around.

But it will take another three or four books to lay all that out.

And after that? A definitive biography of Thomas Aquinas. Stay tuned!

Sharing Dr. D.

Let’s face it—no one likes it when she’s away! But Dr. Daryanani’s presence at professional conferences across the country enriches both others’ work and her own.

Wakefield’s Dean of Faculty and Counselor Amrit Daryanani can most usually be seen running, and she tries to be in the many different places she needs to be, all at the [apparent] same time. So imagine the added challenge, for her and for Wakefield, when the places she needs to be expand to include, say, Lincoln, Nebraska...and Richmond...and Chicago...

But those are the additions she has made to her agenda so far this year, speaking at the Women in Educational Leadership Conference at the University of Nebraska in October, the Virginia Association of Independent Schools Conference in Ricmond in November, and the National Association of Independent Schools Conference in Chicago in February, on the topic of neuroplasticity, or “The Neural Underpinnings of Change.”

The Lincoln and Richmond conferences obviously had different foci, the former for women leaders in education and the latter on the theme, “Kids Are Changing: r We?” However, Dr. Daryanani’s presentations were easily tailored to each conference’s needs.

In her synopsis for the Richmond conference, Dr. Daryanani wrote, “Life in the 21st century is tumultuous.

We are faced with rapidly changing technologies, economic markets, and globalization factors that demand new ways of thinking about and doing business. We must also cope with societal shifts that bring us new developmental trajectories, new and increasingly complex social challenges and the need for sweeping educational reform. Amidst all of this, we must successfully negotiate our way through daily life, staying focused on family, professional and

personal concerns....

“This presentation introduces three different types of change processes, and examines the neural response that we have to each. Change, while always involving a certain amount of tension, can be a healthy process that empowers us to be more thoughtful and reflective...This presentation closes with some suggested pathways that help make change a positive and productive process.”

That Dr. Daryanani’s knowledge and leadership can be carried beyond Wakefield, to other educators and, ultimately, to other students, is a missionappropriate seeking-of-challenge, and an undisputable making-of-difference that we all should celebrate.

But do we? Not so much. Mostly, we all just want to know when she’s coming back!

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Kudos

2009 NMSC A.P. Scholars and Commended Student Announced

A total of 12 Wakefield students, both current seniors and alumni, earned the designation of either AP Scholar, AP Scholar with Honor, or AP Scholar with Distinction from the College Board for 2009, 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 an AP Scholar designation.

Qualifying for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Exams with scores of 3 or higher were seniors Lanie Alphin, Chelsea Fischer, and Victoria Gravett, as well as Class of 2008 alumnae Gillian Douple, Dominika Kruszewska, Kate Ludin, Leigh Rice, and Emily Watt.

Class of 2008 alumni Chris McElaney and Kendra Riddleberger qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award, by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four

or more of these exams.

The AP Scholar with Distinction designation was awarded to Class of 2008 alumni Erica Eickhoff and Ross Ladau, for earning an average of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken and a score of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.

In addition, senior Ian Fontaine was named in October 2008 as a Commended Student for his results on the PSAT tests administered in fall of 2007.

Commended students represent approximately the top 5% of the juniors who take the PSAT nationwide each year, and the designation is considered a significant honor.

A.P. Scholars Victoria Gravett, Lanie Alphin, and Chelsea Fischer, and PSAT Commended Student Ian Fontaine.

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History Day’s Excellence Is True to Form

“Individuals in History: Actions and Legacies” provides fertile ground Junior Group Exhibit: 1st: Wesley Gums, Tavish McDonald, John Smith 2nd: Erin Kuhn, Juliet Mayer, Devon Vickery, Hellen Keller Junior Individual Exhibit: 1st: Meredith Butler, Leonardo da Vinci 2nd: Colin White, Callinicus Junior Group Documentary: 1st: Anabel Winants, Lauren Phillips, Emily Longley, Rosa Parks Junior Individual Documentary: 1st: Samantha McClaugherty, Dante 2nd: Thomas Schwarzmann, Charles Martel Junior Group Website: 1st: Alex VanPatten, Jackson Zyontz, Clayton Templeton Senior Individual Exhibit: 1st: Lara Kozak, Andy Warhol 2nd: Isabelle Byers, Rachel Carson Senior Group Exhibit: 1st: Samantha Gumbin, Nia Genther, Sarah Stirrup, Braille 2nd: Rachel Weissberg-Martin, Haleigh Hutcheson, Grace White, Elizabeth I Senior Individual Documentary: 1st: Max Hechl, George Marshall and the Marshall Plan 2nd: Rachel Cowgill, Marie Curie Senior Group Documentary: 1st: Margaret Barua, Namratha Shripad, Julie Fortney, Da Vinci 2nd: Seo-Young Kim, Sojin Yeo, Galileo Senior Individual Performance: 1st: Patrick Penderville, Baron von Steuben

This year’s History Day in December gave students a chance to shine a light on a figure from history whose role they see as significant—and judging by the individuals chosen and the care taken to illuminating their “actions and legacies,” more than a few students chose people whom they greatly admired. From Ghandi to Galileo to Hellen Keller and Andy Warhol, students explained with uncommon fervor what that individual’s life and work had meant to the world.

As usual, all students whose work received a 1st or 2nd place at Wakefield’s History Day were eligible to move on the the regional competition at George Mason University in March.

In this competition, ninth graders Margaret Barua, Namratha Shripad, and Julie Fortney received a 2nd place award in Senior Group Documentary for their project “DaVinci.” They will advance to State competion later in the year.

Laura Kozak’s eye-popping project on Andy Warhol drew many visitors.

Winter 2009

11

Kudos Student Government President’s Leadership Skills Pay Off Catherine Farr receives Harry F. Byrd, Jr. Leadership Award

Catherine Farr now has a check in her possession, made out to her, for $10,000.

“It actually says, ‘Catherine Farr’ and then ‘$10,000,’ ” she told Epistula the morning after her trip to Richmond to receive one of eleven Harry F. Byrd, Jr. Leadership Awards given for 2009.

Clearly, the wonder of it all had not yet worn off, even with the prize itself right in hand.

The Byrd Leadership Award was established by Senator Byrd in 1994 to “reward high school students who demonstrate academic accomplishment and who also embody excellence of character, leadership, and good citizenship.” This award is presented each year to eleven Virginia high school students—one in each Congressional District. Catherine was the recipient for the Tenth Congressional District.

In a letter Catherine received from Harry L. Carrico, Committee Chairman for the Harry F. Byrd, Jr. Leadership Award, he states, “The members of the committee were impressed with your record of achievement and your proven leadership skills and want to congratulate you for adding the Byrd Leadership Award to your list of honors.”

At the awards ceremony, held at the Virginia General Assembly, Harry F. Byrd, Jr. read a list of each person’s accomplishments as he or she came forward, beginning with Virginia’s First Congressional District.

“He had an actual conversation with each of us when we received our awards,” Catherine said. She was further impressed that members of Harry Byrd, Jr.’s family who were there were also familiar with the content of the winners’ applications and seemed to know who each person was.

Senator Byrd also read quotes from the recommendations that had been written for the winners by head-

Catherine Farr flanked by Harry F. Byrd, Jr. and her parents and sister

masters or principals from their schools.

“Mr. Quinn’s was the best one!” Catherine said with obvious pride. “He was so eloquent!”

The application and interview process began at the beginning of the school year, when Mr. McDonough informed Catherine that she was Wakefield’s nominee for the award. The part of the application that Catherine had to complete asked her to answer five essay questions about leadership.

“One questions asked us to tell who we thought was America’s greatest leader,” Catherine said, adding that she had chosen George Washington. Was Mr. Quinn pleased, Epistula wanted to know? “Oh, he was very pleased!”

Catherine answered, grinning.

Catherine also added that her U.S. Govermnent class with Mr. Shumate had been a great help to her on this question: “We had just been talking about Washington and the Constitution, and his adherence to it, his discipline.

“One of the interesting questions was, ‘Please describe how the principles of the Harry F. Byrd, Jr. Leadership Award relate to your goals for the

future.’ The principles are excellence, leadership, character, and duty. I answered this question by saying that these values are reflected in Wakefield’s motto, and intertwined information about the two,” Catherine said.

The check Catherine received is made out to her because this is not specifically a scholarship—it is an award, to be used as the recipient sees fit, an unspoken nod to the program’s faith in its chosen recipients. They are clearly trusted to put this money to wise use, investing in their own futures and, ultimately, in the futures of us all, as these young people move into the leadership positions for which they are preparing.

Catherine says she will be using all of the money for college expenses.

Not even a teeny bit for yourself, Epistula wanted to know? A little keepsake, maybe? Something just for you?

“Well, I figure I can use this,” she replied with a conspiratorial smile. “If I turn this check over to my parents for my tuition, hopefully it will, you know, do me some good!” If there were a Harry F. Byrd, Jr. HONESTY Award, Epistula thinks Catherine would win that, too!

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Talisman Is Tops Again

Student literary-art magazine wins its nineteenth CSPA Gold Medal rating The 2008 edition of Wakefield’s Upper School literary-art magazine, Talisman, has again received the highest rating, a Gold Medal, in the annual critique by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

Judged in the areas of Organization, Content, and Design, the magazine scored 925 out of a possible thousand points. In addition, the staff netted All-Columbian Honors for Design, and missed All-Columbian for Organization by just two slim points.

In Content, the critique’s commendation were the most lavish in the area of Prose Fiction and Narrative. In all but one of 16 standards, the judge awarded the rating “Exceeds Standard,” and wrote, “Your collection of work here is the best I’ve read in a while.

Outstanding work, fresh and wonderful voices...Keep encouraging the fabulous writers at Wakefield School.”

In art, the judge singled out many works in both photography and other media for praise, citing color paintings, composition, and the “re-

freshing change” of black-and-white photography.

The closing comment to the staff in the Design section said, “BRAVO on creating a book that reflects your

school...You have a small and ambitious staff that has accomplishd a fine magazine.”

That small but ambitious staff was headed last year by 2008 alumna Gillian Douple. Prose Editors were

Kendra Riddleberger ’08 and Dominika Kruszewska ’08; Poetry Editor was Catherine Farr, who is currently serving as the 2009 Amulet Editor in-Chief. Photography Editor was Caroline Shaw, currently holding the same position for 2009, and Art Editor was Annalisa Hontz ’08.

The Talisman advisor was then and is now ninth grade English teacher Mrs. Nancy Martin. Chelsea Fischer, last year’s Amulet editor, is serving this year as the 2009 Talisman Editor-inChief.

In the most recent CSPA decision in an ever-shifting policy debate between the CSPA and Wakefield on the contest eligibility of Wakefield’s Lower and Middle School magazine, Amulet, the organization did not agree to include Amulet in its 2008 judging. The editors of both magazines and their advisor are hard at work this spring on crafting such visual and thematic unity between the two 2009 editions that CSPA will have to accept them as the pair that they are!

Epistula Toots Its Own Horn

Wakefield’s institutional magazine snags a CASE District III award

Wakefield’s institutional magazine, Epistula, has won a Special Merit Award in “Magazine Publishing Improvement” in the 2009 CASE District III Awards competition. Awards were given in 48 different categories covering publishing in all aspects of school communications, including magazines.

CASE (The Council for the Advancement and Support of Education) is primarily an organization of colleges and universities, and only four secondary schools were among the recipients of the 242 awards given in District III: Episcopal High School (2), Asheville School (2), Girls Preparatory School,

and Wakefield School.

Colleges and universities in District III that won awards included the University of Virginia, Washington and Lee, Duke, Vanderbilt, Elon, University of North Carolina, NC State, University of Miami, Savannah College of Art and Design, University of South Carolina, University of Georgia, Clemson, Auburn, Emory, Mary Washington, George Mason, Roanoke College, University of Richmond, William and Mary, and many others. According to CASE, “District III remains one of the most competitive in the nation.”

According to the information

from the CASE website, entries in the category of “Magazine Publishing Improvement” would be judged on writing, photography, and design.

The Grand Award Winner for this category was Vanderbilt University, for its magazine Arts and Science.

Winners of Awards of Excellence were Lynn University, Roanoke College, The University of Florida School of Engineering, and the University of Virginia School of Nursing. Also winning a Special Merit Award along with Wakefield was George Mason University.

Epistula is produced by Wakefield’s Office of Publications.

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Fall Athletics Girls’ Tennis Backs Up Its Slogan

“Thrill the World” is not just hyperbole for DAC champions, State semifinalists

by Ryan Cook, Coach

After winning the DAC Championship over Highland on November 1, the Lady Owls defeated the Hawks on their courts for the second time in four days on November 4 to advance to the semi-finals of the VISAA State Tennis Tournament. Playing a 6 singles, 3 doubles format, Wakefield needed 5 team wins in order to clinch victory, and senior captains Sarah Lindner and Catherine Farr delivered the crucial 5th win with a victory at #1 doubles.

Catherine Farr gave the Lady Owls an early 1-0 team lead with a 10-3 win over Highland’s Tori Simon at #2 singles. Wakefield’s Annie Olimpi defeated Kelly Bounds by a score of 107 at #4 singles. Olimpi finished strong after falling behind 6-7, winning the last 4 games en route to victory.

Sallie Griffin put Highland on the board, winning 10-2 over at #1 singles over Sarah Lindner. Kate Weimer put the Owls up 3-1, winning 10-7 over Highland’s Savannah Morgan at #5 singles. Molly Statler pulled Highland within one point, with a 10-3 victory at #6 singles over Wakefield’s Liza Wood.

Madi Lee then extended the Lady Owls’ lead to 4-2 with her 10-5 win over Highland’s Emma Rosse.

The most exciting match of the day also proved to be the most critical. In #1 doubles, Highland’s Griffin and Simon and Wakefield’s Farr and Lindner battled back and forth early, with neither team able to build a sig-

Sarah Lindner

Catherine Farr

nificant lead. Halfway through the set, the Hawks went on a run, winning 3 out of 4 games to go up 8-5.

But a controversial call got Wakefield’s #1 doubles team fired up, and Farr and Lindner won 5 games in a row, winning the match and clinching the team victory for the Wakefield Fighting Lady Owls.

With the outcome of the match already decided, #2 and #3 doubles were not finished due to rain.

With the victory, Wakefield advanced to the VISAA state semifinals on Friday, November 7, where they fell to perennial tennis powerhouse Cape Henry Collegiate. The Lady Owls finished the season at 12-3.

Madi Lee Photographs by Sue Lewis

-----~ -----14 Epistula

The Times, They Are A’Changin’

New coach, new mood, and one of the best seasons ever for Boys’ Varsity Soccer

by Stu Pierson, Coach

Russell Davidson

Carter Dale

Wakefield’s two hour bus trip down to the state capital appeared on paper to be a long trip to a short funeral. Wakefield’s young and inexperienced team headed into the cauldron of the Commonwealth’s 10th ranked side appearing on paper to have lost before the Owls even stepped off the bus.

But, that’s why they play the game.

With less than 10 minutes to prepare for kickoff, Wakefield’s men took the pitch with nothing to lose.

And, from the opening whistle, they played like it.

Richmond Christian’s technically gifted side met a Wakefield team determined to attack relentlessly, playing virtually the entire match in the opposing team’s half. Wakefield’s strategy to attack with grit and passing resulted in an early 19th minute goal on a 12 yard worm-burner from senior Kevin Nicolaisen.

With the first goal netted, the flood gates opened and the away team finished 3 more opportunities on the day including two quality headers

Will Fraser Photographs by Sue Lewis

from junior Nick Daniels (41st & 85th minute) and a 25 yard direct kick (76th minute) from senior Jack Byers.

Richmond Christian counterattacked throughout the match forcing multiple saves from senior Karis Reventas, but the Wakefield backline stood up tall with stellar play from all - most notably sophomore Jeff Byrd.

Byrd’s ability to again-and-again snuff out the opponent’s attempts to attack through the middle earned him Man of the Match honors. Every player on Wakefield’s 19 man roster saw meaningful playing time.

The Owls played rival Wakefield Country Day School for the DAC Division II Championship Despite having much of the run of play and coming from behind to lead late in the first half, Wakefield allowed WCDS to pull even early in the second half.

Wakefield then proceeded to pepper the WCDS goal throughout the 2nd half but could not finish.

Thus, without a winner in regulation, league rules mandate that the match be determined on penalty kicks.

WCDS won the PK shootout.

Losing on PK...does not do justice to the beautiful soccer that Wakefield displayed on the field. However, in tournament play, there must be a winner.

Wakefield ranked 11th in the final State polling. After perhaps its best season ever (9-8-1), this year’s Boys’ Varsity Soccer team celebrated the following honors: First Team All Conference for the DAC for seniors Russell Davidson, Kevin Nicolaisen, and Karis Reventas, as well as for junior Jack Byers, who was also named to the 1st Team for the CAC, along with senior Marcin Ostrowski (who was also a DAC Honorable Mention). Head Coach Stu Pierson was named DAC Coach of the Year for the second time (’98 while at Highland).

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Fall Athletics A Graceful Transition

In a year with “big shoes to fill,” Varsity Volleyball shows both success and promise

by Lindsay and Warren Shumate, Coach and Assistant Coach We knew we had big shoes to fill.

Finishing 2nd in the state the previous year was on our minds as the season began. With six seniors graduating, two new coaches, and a young team, we didn’t know what to expect. We had a tournament early on in the season and went in with an open mind. Our seniors, Vicky Gravett, Chelsea Fischer, and Demi Genther, really stepped up to lead and, as a result, the team exceeded all expectations. They played as a unit that had been together for years, rather than only weeks, and made it to the semifinals. It was a great way to start out the season.

There were so many pivotal aspects of our team. The freshman duo of Jackie Halls and Erin Callahan impressed us all, playing at an incredibly high level for their first season on a Varsity team. They were critical in close game situations, stepping onto the court at a moment’s notice and playing consistently. Standout juniors Gracie Withers and Lauren Houchens generated momentum with huge kills and key plays all season. Both girls earned conference honors. Mary Bahnson came up with some key blocks at critical times, earning her the phrase “sick block.” Alex Holcomb and Kourtnee Lewis had positive attitudes all season, kept us smiling, and were willing to fulfill any role on the team, and our seniors kept the passion alive, pushing the team to practice and play with heart.

Practices throughout the season consisted of sweat, hard work, and laughter. Because of the team’s driven attitude and desire to be the best they could be, it was easy to have fun and work out hard at the same time. These were our favorite times as coaches—

Mary Bahnson, Jordan Hutcheson

watching the girls bond and improve.

We never had to ask them to come early or stay late. They just did. Titus, our dog and unofficial mascot, loved coming to practices as well.

The exceptional makeup of the team has not gone unnoticed by others.

Referees, coaches, parents, and other players have commented on the behavior and overall attitude of the girls. They are an extraordinary group of young women who are not only talented in volleyball, they have positive attitudes, discipline, respect towards others, and a fun-loving attitude. Academically they are some of our most driven students in the class room. As young coaches, it was an honor to have our names next to these girls. We continue to be proud of our time spent with them over the last season.

Lauren Houchens

- - - - - ~ ----16 Epistula

Field of Dreams

A young Field Hockey team surprises all with its quick pick-up and determined play

by Mary Beth Scott, Coach

Clare Rodenberg Photograph by Sue Lewis

...The Osbourn High School game was a particularly good game for us. While one of our players did get injured at the start of the game (ball to the forehead) the team was able to rally together and in the end secure a victory. That game was a solid team effort, where no one led the scores or the assists. In fact, it was during that game that one of the eighth graders on the team scored her first varsity goal. ...We ended our regular season play with a record of 3-7, which on paper does not seem strong. However, in practice I chalk it up as being a successful season given that we had only seven returning players, three eighth graders playing at the varsity level, and three players who had never picked up a stick before!

Stepping It Up

The Cross Country team finishes strong, 2nd in CAC and 4th in DAC

by Sarah McDonough, Coach

Nick Poss Photograph by Sue Lewis

The Wakefield Varsity Cross Country team got their championship series off to a strong start at the CAC Championship at Great Meadow, finishing in an impressive second place.

Despite cold temperatures and high winds our team ran some of the best times of the season, with two runners, John Patton and Nic Clem, earning all-CAC honors finishing 3rd and 4th respectively.

The team was then looking forward to the DAC Championship meet at Foxcroft, where our top runners all had their sights set on top-ten finishes as well as times in the sub-20 minute range (both John and Brenton Lewis had ducked below 19 minutes this year, and Nic has consistently been running

- - - Winter 2009

sub-20 minutes). The team was also looking to the middle of our pack to step up to the challenge and run their season-best times, which would help propel the team towards our goal of a third or fourth place finish overall.

The middle runners had been running strong in the previous few weeks, many of them achieving times below the 22 minute mark, enough to make them very competitive in the DAC meet.

In the end, Nic Clem and John Patton were both all-DAC. Nic finished 14th in the league and John finished 10th. And, thanks to a unified effort, the team finished 4th overall.

Congratulations!

~ -----17

Winter Athletics

A Pair of Aces

The determined Swim team shaves off seconds all season, and sends two to States

Swim meets are complicated events, and the results can be hard to quantify and even harder to communicate. Between the heats, the qualifying, the timings, the ongoing marking-up against State-qualifying times, the number of schools and swimmers...it can be mind-boggling, especially for non-swimmers to follow.

But Varsity swimming Coach Betty Beamon has an easier time articulating her team’s virtues when she has results like these to report. Even a non-swimmer can appreciate the significance of a report like this:

“Here are the results of the SST Invitational [Saturday, January 31, at GMU’s Freedom Aquatics and Fitness Center}: 1) The girls ranked 12th in the meet. The guys ranked 10th.

2) Lanie Alphin finished 2nd in the 200 IM, missing 1st by 1.3 seconds while dropping her best time almost 4 seconds! She finished 4th in her 100 Breaststroke dropping nearly 1 second.

3) Chris Crapco finished 1st in the 500 FR and 1st in the 100 Breast.

His 500 FR was 26 seconds less than state qualifying time and 20 seconds less than his closest competitor.

4) Phillip Dolan dropped almost 2 seconds in his 50 FR and 5 seconds in his 100 FR. 5) Sydney Allen dropped almost 1.5 seconds in her 50 FR and 1 second in her 100 FR and 1 second in her 50 Fly leg of the Medley Relay.

6) Marianna Dickson dropped almost 6 seconds in her 100 Backstroke.

7) Julie Fortney had a terrific 100 FR dropping her best time by almost 9 seconds.

8) Sarah Stirrup participated in 2 relays and 2 individual events helping the girls’ team achieve our good results.

Lanie Alphin and Chris Crapco

Kate Weimer Photographs by Sue Lewis

Her 50 Breast in the 200 Medley Relay Richmond. Coach Beamon wrote: was her fastest this season.

“Lanie Alphin competed at the 9) Tavish McDonald dropped VSIS State Competition Friday and time in his 100 Fly.” Saturday in 2 events. She finished 15th in the 200 IM with a time of 2:28.53 And the team showed individual and 17th in the 100 Back with a time and group improvement like this all of 1:06.18. season. If you watched even a few “Chris Crapco competed also in minutes of the last Olympics, you know 2 events. He finished 10th in the 100 that swimming victories are measured Breaststroke with a time of 1:04.89 and in minute time differences. Consis- he tied for 11th place in the 500 Free tently shaving groups of seconds off of with a time of 5:02.13. personal-best times stands for many “These athletes competed along hours of hard work. with 413 other athletes in the State Both Lanie and Chris had quali- competition. Congratulations to them fied during the season for the VSIS for their outstanding performances!”

State Competition held in February in

-----~ -----18 Epistula

More Players, More Matches, More Wins—More Squash!

by Rob Bohn, Coach

The tiniest team is tiny no more

The Squash program has been entirely transformed this year. This is the first year without its founders: Mr. Seth Obed and its first player Matt Bohn. It is also the first time the team is actually in a formal league.

The new coach is Rob Bohn, Matt and Robbie Bohn’s father. The new league is the Sport and Health Interclub Varsity League, or SIVL, which is mainly comprised of Washington, D.C. area schools. To practice, the team travels to Worldgate in Herndon every Tuesday-

Trevor Newman

Thursday, leaving right after school and returning most evenings at about 7:30 pm. Matches have been on Fridays.

A squash pro at Worldgate provides instruction two days a week.

The team is divided into two distinct groups: those who have played for a number of years and those who prior to this season “didn’t know which end of the racquet to hold.” Robbie Bohn, a freshman, has consistently held the number one position, followed by Carson Craig, Cesar Peralta, Jackson Zyontz, Nick Poss, David Stroud, Sterling Irby and Trevor Newman.

Our matches have gone like this: Madiera won 9-4, Whitman lost 3-4, Bethesda-Chevy Chase won 4-3, Thomas Jefferson lost 2-5, Landon won 4-3, and Woodrow Wilson High School won 6-1, which put us at 4-2 for this season.

The SIVL also conducted a tournament consisting of all the players in the entire league. Because it was held during ski week some of our players couldn’t participate and two of our top three players had to leave the tournament early. In spite of this, Carson Craig went on to win the boys under-17 division, which is a great accomplishment for Carson. It was also gratifying for Cesar Peralta to beat an opponent from Thomas Jefferson who had won in their previous match up.

One might wonder why anyone would practice so long and play relatively little? The fact is Robbie, Carson, Cesar, and Jackson participate in national tournaments almost every weekend during the season. This requires travel to such places as Philadelphia, Richmond, and Baltimore; Robbie Bohn just placed fourth in the “Salty Hawkins” Gold-level tournament in Richmond. In a Gold-level tournament the top players in the country can participate, whereas in a Silver or Bronze they would be excluded.

One of the most interesting aspects of the team is the chemistry. They must get along to survive the one hour van rides each way to practice, and the long weekends in hotels waiting to play.

The bus rides are frequented by the boys’ feeble attempts to sing along to all sorts of songs, ranging from country to rock and roll and, most recently, 40s swing music!

Photographs by Maxine Rice

-----~ ------19 Winter 2009

Winter Athletics

Defending CAC Champs Bring It Home Again

Emerging players, veterans both add to a winning season and a second championship

by Paul Sipes, Coach

Wakefield School’s defense of its CAC championship Thursday night in The Plains started off smoothly. The Owls’ tenacious defense led to 8 early turnovers and the Owls jumped out to a 15-0 lead to start. The problem was that the taller and stronger Stars from SVA didn’t care. They went on a 6-0 run in the last minute of the quarter to close the gap, then proceeded to continue their run tying the game at 17 before Gracie Withers and Anna Clem scored 6 tough points to take the Owls into half time leading 23-18. Clem’s basket was particularly impressive given the fact that the preceding play she had her thumbnail torn off and it was left hanging by a thread when she drove the lane and scored against two taller players from SVA. In the second half Wakefield continued to struggle to contain Star’s forward Stephanie Hitel, who ended the game with 17 points and 14 rebounds.

The Stars opened up the second half with Hitel hitting two quick buckets to cut the lead to 1. The Owls responded with a basket by Alex Holcomb and a freethrow by Anna Clem to give Wakefield a 4 point lead heading into the 4th quarter.

Then freshman guard Erin Callahan and 8th grader Emily Granruth took over. Callahan began getting great dribble penetration and feeding forward Anna Clem. Meanwhile Granruth went to work hitting outside jumpers forcing SVA into a triangle and two. Wakefield held the ball for 3 minutes against the triangle and two before Katie Wyrick and Anna Clem scored consecutive baskets on the baseline giving Wakefield a 10 point advantage.

Wakefield held the ball again getting the clock to under 1 minute before SVA began fouling. Katie Wyrick missed the front end of the one and one and SVA’s 20

Anna Clem

Taylor Turner scored, and after a missed lay up by Granruth the Stars managed to hit one more freethrow, ending the game down 7 as Wakefield escaped with their second consecutive CAC Championship. Granruth finished the game with 11 points, followed by Clem with 8 for Wakefield.

Editor’s Note: The Girls’ Varsity team went into the DAC semifinal ranked 10th in the State and with a season record of 18-7, and qualified for the State VISSA Tournament.

Alex Holcomb

Epistula

In a Record-Breaking Season, a Night to Remember

Boys’ Varsity posts the sport’s best season ever, and bests Highland in double-overtime

by Scott Barron, Coach

Jeff Byrd, Brenton Lewis, and Ian Martin

Eric Wilson

Simon Fraser

Fire Marshal Night featured a full house for the best boys’ game of the season as Highland and Wakefield battled it out for 40 minutes. Wakefield battled back from an early 9 point deficit and major foul trouble to defeat its rival Highland 64-53.

Wakefield trailed the tough Highland team 27-23 at the half and the score was tied 44 at the end of regulation. After the first overtime the score was still knotted at 52.

Wakefield outscored Highland 11-2 in overtime number two to win its 12th straight and improve to 14-3.

The Owls would just not go away and led for the first time late in the fourth. They were paced by Jeff Byrd and Eric Wilson’s 17 points each.

Eighth grader Nic Clem added 10, which was highlighted by a 4 point play in the second half. He played a great defensive game as well against Highland’s best guard.

Senior Brenton Lewis hit a big three in overtime to put Wakefield up and give them the momentum. Alex Floyd and Nick Daniels added 7 points each. Ian Martin chipped in 2.

Wakefield buckled down defensively in the second half and overcome many obstacles to secure this DAC win. From the early deficit to having Jeff Byrd foul out before overtime, Wakefield showed great heart and team pride by refusing to lose.

Coach Barron continues to be impressed with the heart, chemistry, and class of this year’s team, which is his fourth at Wakefield.

Editor’s note: Boys’ Varsity went into the DAC semis ranked 9th in the State and with a 20-6 record; an upset by Seton ended their conference season.

The team went on the compete in the VISSA State Tournament.

-----~ ------21 Winter 2009

Everything Old

I

t was hard to rip into that beautiful old bridge. Not that we had to do the ripping—those charged with that task did not seem to find it difficult at all (see illustration at left). But it was hard to watch. After all, it looked just fine.

And herein lay the crux of the matter, the reason that the decision on what to do once our bridge was found to be compromised brought up such strong emotions: the bridge looked a certain way. How important was that look? How important was its history? Despite its elegance, the bridge was, after all, a bridge. It had a job to do. What we needed, the argument went, was the job done—not the job done in a certain way.

It only took one morning without the bridge for one and all to appreciate anew its role in our traffic pattern. But whether that role could be played only by a replacement of the existing structure, or whether a simpler, less-expensive alternative could and should do the job, was a matter of opinion— many opinions, in fact.

some limited use by full-scale rescue-weight vehicles, and significantly compromise its appearance; or deconstruct and re-build the bridge correctly, at a cost of $450,000, buying a visually-identical structure with a projected lifespan of a hundred or more years and no weight-bearing limitations. As $250,000 was the available budget for bridge renovation, the decision was initially made to move forward with the lower-cost plan.

Upon hearing of this decision, though, one Wakefield family came forward with the generous commitment of $250,000 in support of doing the full-scale restoration project. A local foundation then pledged $100,000 to help match the initial gift. Word spread, and gifts in support of the restoration were also received from donors through restricted gifts to the 2007-08 Annual Fund. Through this combined community effort, the full restoration became a financially viable undertaking, one that ended up requiring less budget outlay by Wakefield than had been allocated, and for a superior result.

T

P

he discovery of the bridge’s structural issues, and the ultimate solution, came about in this way: The development and implementation of the campus’s Master Plan is overseen by the Building and Infrastructure Committee. The Master Plan’s next step called for a new road, the East Road—now a fait accompli—to be built, thus routing virtually all campus traffic across the bridge. Before beginning the new construction, the Committee got an engineer’s assessment of the bridge’s viability. It received a poor report, and was immediately closed

by Wakefield until a plan could be concocted.

Another long-standing concern with the old bridge also loomed: its inability to support the great weight of emergency and other such vehicles. There was a desire for any solution to the new problem to address this old problem, too.

Research revealed the school’s options to be these: buttress the existing bridge, a solution that would cost $250,000, buy approximately 20-30 years’ more use, fit the bridge for

eople’s reasons for giving were varied. Some people were moved by the impracticality of investing in an alternate structure with such a short life expectancy. Others were moved by the beauty of the existing bridge, or by a desire to honor the architectural history and integrity of our campus.

One family gave to the fund in honor of a teacher they wished to thank for a kindness done for their child. And in the wonderful way that giving has of inspiring more giving, some donated simply to support and acknowledge the generosity of others who had given.

And we need the bridge as a symbol, one donor family said—we need it to draw more people into Wakefield, so that more can benefit from all the school has to offer. “It has been the bridge to an extraordinary life for so many,” this parent wrote. It is the sort of sentiment on which no price tag on earth can be placed.

Is New Again Winter 2009

23

Key Assists The ambitious project taken on last spring by Wakefield‘s Upper School Service Club— providing a full year of assistance and food donations to the Fauquier County Food Distribution Coalition—has experienced ebb and flow in its collections boxes, with January hitting an all-time low. But other support has materialized, from such diverse sources as Class Day, the Arts Department, the fourth and fifth grade reading program, and Highland School.

A

chart of the results of the Service Club’s project in support of the Fauquier County Food Distribution Coalition looked, by February 1, much like the ubiquitous charts plotting the path of our economy—in other words, a mighty fall.

Once the traditional “giving seasons” of November and December had run their course, people seemed to turn their attention to other matters, perhaps thinking that the big holiday push had set things up for a while and the pressure was off, perhaps simply re-focusing on their own financial constraints in these times. Whatever the cause, Wakefield had very little canned food to spare for the needy of Fauquier County in the month of January. And, as Carolyn Wyrsch, Upper School Service Club advisor, said, “People need to eat beyond November and December.”

Donations have now picked back up again, which is good news. But the most interesting news is not the slump, nor even the rebound, but the reasons that the slump was weathered by the FCFDC as well as it was. Those reasons were the other factions of the community who had taken up the challenge of contributing to the Wakefield Service Club’s efforts, giving some cushion for when times got tough ahead.

At these unexpected turns of events, Mrs. Wyrsch can only shake her head in wonder. “It took on a life of its own,” she says with a smile.

T

he first extra assistanace came in October, when Class Day, whose organizers frequently strive to incorporate a service component to complement the trips to the Corn Maze, decided to focus on a food-donations competition among paired teams of classes.

The Class Day effort was two-pronged. First, to raise the profile of the year-long effort for the FCFDC, students were asked to bring in the regular non-perishable donations they would be asked to maintain all year, i.e., peanut butter, jelly, canned meat, cereal, tuna. Then, as a special project for another local group, the Fauquier County Action Committee, classes were also encouraged to bring in Wakefield’s assigned contribution—fruit cocktail—that would become part of that group’s providing of a Thanksgiving feast for Fauquier families who would not otherwise have been able to afford a big meal for the holiday.

The food poured in, and on Class Day adults madly tallied the counts while students sorted and loaded the collected food onto carts for the FCFDC to take away. The result: 1032 cans and boxes of food, of which 554 were fruit cocktail, with the team of Grades 6 and 12 taking the honors for most donations. Said Lower School Service advisor Jen Sipes, “It’s amazing to see what we, as a community and family, can do to help our fellow community members.”

-----~ -----24 Epistula

B

ut teachers were not the only ones thinking up ways to tie into the Service Club’s work.

Senior Ian Martin sees a lot of Service Club work up close, as his mother, faculty member Nancy Martin, assists Mrs. Wyrsch with the Upper School Service Club and is the person who drives each month’s collection of food to the Methodist Church in Warrenton, the distribution center for the FCFDC. Ian and his friend Brenton Lewis, sports fans both, hatched an extraordinarily outside-the-box idea: Students go crazy screaming and cheering (and laughing) whenever our faculty challenges any of our varsity teams. People pour into the gym to watch any game we play with neighboring Highland School. Perhaps, they reasoned, the two phenomena could be wed: perhaps people would pour into the gym, scream, cheer—and pay—to see the faculties of Highland and Wakefield duke it out in a charity volleyball challenge, in support of the FCFDC. The idea won quick and enthusiastic support from all parties. Highland was especially happy to be able to help a Fauquier County organization, as Highland’s students and faculty are also active in service work. The gym was packed for the November event, the Boosters also agreed to add the night’s profits from “The Bird Feeder” into the tally, and in December, Ian and Brenton were able to present at assembly a check for over $1000 to David Raecke and Susan Dove of the FCFDC. Since the group is able to buy in bulk and at discount, they explained, this would translate into the equivalent of more than $3000 worth of groceries for families in Fauquier County.

Right on the heels of this came the holiday play, A Christmas Carol. Director Chris Guyotte frequently offers the incentive of a free admission to students who will get into the spirit of the play by coming dressed in some outlandish fashion, but this time he and Service Club cast members offered the incentive was for a different cause: free admission to anyone who brought in a can of food for the FCFDC. Seeing this great

play in exchange for a can of string beans or some applesauce appealed to many: in all, over 162 cans were collected over the two-night run of the show.

T

he biggest chunk of extra assistance so far, though, came from the most unexpected source—the fourth and fifth grades’ famous DEAR program, Literature teacher Joel Enoch’s innovation in which students record their hours spent on nonrequired reading outside of school, for which parents and other friends make per-hour pledges of support. The money is then donated twice a year to charities of the students’ selection.

“This year,” reported Mr. Enoch in assembly, “sixty-eight fourth and fifth graders agreed to contribute to the schoolwide effort to support the FCFDC. We talked about the needs of families and children during these times, and they agreed that this was an organization worth supporting. Also, and this is important, I was approached by a parent, a very kind and generous individual, who offered to match our contribution dollar-for-dollar. “...From September to December of 2008, these sixtyeight students read a total of 2,845 hours, and with all their parents’ support, I’m very proud to tell you all that they were able to raise $4,657.20, our gift to the FCFDC.” This figure would convert into the equivalent of nearly $14,000 worth of groceries for people in need, right in our own county.

Mr. Enoch and his students presented the check to the FCFDC on February 8—just in time to help defray “Black January’s” dismal results in the collection boxes. Perhaps this, as much as anything, accounts for the rebound in giving that followed. Who could not be inspired?

Asked about their motivation for this generosity, fourth and fifth graders were united in citing how moved they felt by imagining the realities of hunger. “You have to imagine what it would feel like,” one student said. “It would be hard for a parent to say to a hungry child, ‘You can’t have any more.’ ”

“EACH IN HIS OR HER OWN WAY” Class Day’s service component involved the entire school in the gathering of canned goods for Fauquier County service organizations. Above left, Kayla Dowell and Bryce Enoch-Wysham help load the 1032 cans and boxes collected.

Above, a different tack: a charity volleyball contest between the faculties of rivals Highland and Wakefield. The brainchild of Wakefield seniors Brenton Lewis and Ian Martin, the event raised over $1000 for the Fauquier County Food Distribution Coalition.

•

-----------------------~ ------------------------25 Winter 2009

Re-Defining Advising In Middle and Upper School, daily 10-minute advisories have replaced last year’s weekly meetings, and have received a mid-year thumbs-up from students, advisors, and administrators alike. Does this new structure help build community? The answer from Dean of Students Margie Jenkins is not what you might expect.

T

he first thing you will notice if you begin to talk to advisors about their advising these days is what they say they don’t do.

“I don’t do anything magical with my advisees,” warned Nancy Martin, when Epistula requested a visit to her advisory. “They sit around very casually and take a break talking and eating, and I listen to what’s on their mind...”

Judy Lawrence was asked if Epistula could take some pictures at her advisory. “I think pictures would be fine—we just sit around a table, chatting and eating!” she replied.

And yet, clearly, that is not all they are doing, or reports would not be so uniformly positive about the advising program’s new structure. In fact, despite Mrs. Martin’s disclaimer, there may even be some magic involved, as both Mr. Roddy, Head of the Middle School, and Ms. Jenkins, Dean of Students, report the same astonishing statistic: no complaints.

“It has just improved by leaps and bounds!” exclaims Ms. Jenkins. “It is a great success. Not one student has said to me that they don’t like it.” Asked what she thinks the students

like so much about the new structure, she says matter-of-factly, “Well, for one thing, they get to eat. And let’s face it, food is important! Relationships are built around food.”

But beyond this simple pleasure, Ms. Jenkins sees this small group structure, this forming of small support groups within the school, this daily contact with a significant adult, as meeting a far deeper need at Wakefield than the need for a mid-morning snack. In fact, when you hear the range of Wakefield challenges that Ms. Jenkins sees as being aided by the new advising format, it is hard to imagine how such things could possibly be affected by ten minutes per day—ten minutes which, according to all available evidence, is primarily spent eating.

But Ms. Jenkins is firm. “You know, at first we were worried about teachers respecting the time, that some would use it to hold someone in conversation after class, or to make up a quiz or something. But that has not happened. Everything stops for those ten minutes. And it would only be a success,” she says seriously, “if people find it to be of value.”

-----~ -----26 Epistula

Though the structure and even the desired outcomes of the advising program are different in the Middle and Upper Schools, each Division Head reports that that Division’s goals are being met by the new plan.

What can really be accomplished in just ten minutes?

Read on.

T

he Middle School Advisory Program takes a more structured approach to its task, both in laying out the goals of their three-year plan and in organizing the suggested use of advisory time.

“The most important thing was to devise a structure to meet the needs of Middle School kids,” says Mr. Roddy. To do this, Mr. Roddy assembled the “Middle School Advisory Design Team.” This group set-to and came up with a plan to incorporate three factors: Middle School needs, Middle School outcome goals, and a Middle School continuation of the Lower School Virtues Program.

The resulting structure establishes three “guiding principles” for the Middle School Advisory Program: Citizenship, Academic Maturity, and Character Development (which incorporates sequential discussion of the virtues).

Each grade, however, will have a slightly different take on each of these critical areas. The 6th grade will look at all three principles from the starting point of, “Why is this important for my personal development?” The focus of the 7th grade will be, “Why is this important for developing relationships with those around me?” And the 8th grade will adopt the most global perspective: “Why is this important for the overall wellbeing of the larger school community?”

In practical application, these three principles will get addressed in a variety of non-stuffy, pragmatic ways. “Academic Maturity,” for example, is much more likely to take the form of a group checking of everyone’s assignment books or a look at what’s on that grade’s NetClassroom page than it is a talking-to from the advisor on “academic maturity.” Students are encouraged to learn the skill of developing their own planning strategies for accomplishing their work. They help other students to do the same.

Similarly, Citizenship/Civility “class” is most often a time for taking stock of things they observed fellow students doing that week that they admired, and writing these up anonymously on cards for the “Character Counts” bulletin board. They are also encouraged to write frequent notes that acknowledge others’ efforts—to the cleaning staff, for example, or to someone in the community whose hard work they have observed. The grades have also rotated the opportunity to collect “BoxTops for Education” contributions to donate to the Kindergarten’s collection efforts.

While the three principles and the grade-level orientations to their examination will be maintained in each grade all year, the daily routine of advisories will hardly be static. Advisors have great freedom to schedule their time as they see fit, as

long as they maintain the overall structure and are staying on track to cover all of the virtues and their characteristics by the end of the year. According to Mr. Roddy, over the course of a hypothetical ten-day period, an advisory group might spend four days on the Character Development/virtues discussions, two days on Academic Maturity, two days on Citizenship, and two days just hanging out and getting to know one another better. (On all ten of these days, though, they would eat.)

Once a month or so, advisory time is also varied by the addition of a 45-minute advisory that replaces the weekly Middle School assembly. Sometimes this can take the form of a special whole-Division event—a performance by the 8th grade clowns, for example, of a play designed to spark discussion of the characteristic of Responsibility—or simply of a longer advisory session in advisory groups, time to do a project or to have individual meetings between students and advisors.

Mr. Roddy says that there will be a number of ways, through surveys and so forth, to get some more specific evidence, data if you will, from students and faculty on the success of the new program. But, he says, in the meantime you can simply look around for anecdotal evidence: How organized are their lockers? How prepared are they for tests? Is there a spike in discipline issues—or the reverse? For this first year, the lack of complaints and the eyeball-evidence of a smooth year so far seem to indicate that a good formula has been reached.

And, he says, aside from the practical fine-tuning of making the program work the best it can, there is the symbolic value of the structure. “These small, daily meetings say, ‘This is important,’ ” he says simply.

Aside from the practical fine-tuning of making the program work the best it can, says Mr. Roddy, there is the symbolic value of the structure: “These small, daily meetings say, ‘This is important.’ “

F

or the character-and-virtues component of Middle School advising, P.E. Department Chair Judy Lawrence is the coordinator of the various prompts and questions that are made available to advisors for the structuring of their character discussions in advisory time.

“Middle School students are so about, ‘How does it affect me?’ ” Mrs. Lawrence says with a smile. “You cannot preach at them! They have to internalize the virtues, so they will know what to do. You always have to come back to ‘How does it affect me?’ ” Advisory, she says, is the perfect time for these discussions for Middle Schoolers. “It is a short time. You can give them a good thought, discuss it a bit, and send them on their way. Then you come back to it next time.”

For the first part of the school year, Middle School prompts for character discussion appeared in the daily bulletin.

The topics suggested are useful and fun topics for reflection for almost anyone, it would seem. Here is a prompt from October, on the characteristic of Responsibility: “Advisors: please continue your discussions on responsibility by bringing up the following: ‘Hold yourself

-----~ ------27 Winter 2009

WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR? Making discussion of the virtues part of Middle School life is more than just talk. In a new initiative, advisory time in Middle School is used for a sequential discussion of the virtues in application in real life. Visuals designed by Mrs. Maryanne Quinn and Mrs. Judy Lawrence to signify each of the four cardinal virtues and their accompanying characteristics, as taught in the Lower School Virtues Program, now grace the walls of the Dining Room and the halls. The 8th Grade Clowning Troupe incorporated an original play, “Who Is My Neighbor?”, into a fall performance for Middle School, to promote discussion of the characteristic of Responsibility. responsible for a higher standard than anyone expects of you. Never excuse yourself.’ —Henry Ward Beecher.

Do you feel that at Wakefield you are held to a higher standard than if you were at another school? How do we benefit when we expect more of ourselves than others expect of us? Why is it important not to make excuses when we fail to do what we know we should do? Are people in office held to a higher standard, and should they be?”

Here is the prompt for the month of January, on Commitment: “Discuss what ‘commitment’ means to each of us individually and to the members of your group collectively. Have your advisees write on a piece of paper all the things they are committed to do individually. Ask them to circle the commitments that are most important to them; discuss their lists and choices. Write on the board all the things your advisees are committed to do as a group. Circle the commitments they as a group feel are the most important. Hold on to the lists for a follow-up discussion on prioritizing commitments.”

28

Epistula

Obviously, these prompts are intended to bleed out over several meetings. But their probity, clarity, and “How does it affect me?” quality are impossible to miss, and it is easy to see how students could come to look forward to digesting these ideas in small bites (more eating!), every morning, all year.

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alking around the school and peeking into rooms between 9:55 and 10:05 is a fascinating look into the student and faculty diversity the advisory program is designed to support and promote. For Middle School and Upper School advisories alike, each room seems to have its own dynamic. In some, students sit attentively in a circle along with their advisor, listening carefully to whoever is speaking, clearly engaged in an orderly discussion. In some rooms, students are milling around, grazing on one another’s food and laughing while their advisor chats with them casually from his or her desk. Some rooms feature groups of students clustered around the advisor’s desk, as if the advisor had endeavored to give them some space from him or her that the advisees did not at all want.

There is no milling about the halls before advisory. Perhaps lured by their impending snacks, perhaps simply eager for the most relaxed ten minutes of the day, students get right to it, and most sessions, whatever form they may take, are underway before 9:55 actually rolls around.

In the Upper School, this is particularly noteworthy, says Upper School Head Brian Oliver, since what had to come out of the daily schedule in order to cleave out space for advisory was a break time. “We were somewhat concerned about the push-back on taking away unstructured time and replacing it with structured time,” he says, “but there has been no pushback.” Like his colleagues, he has fielded no complaints at all about the new program.

The Upper School advisory system does not use an overarching structure to orchestrate time or to set in place certain outcomes for the program. Mr. Oliver sees many benefits that the daily meetings can provide in the Upper School, though.

Practically, advisory provides a time for advisors to review the upcoming week, to see where the work falls and anticipate problems, Mr. Oliver says. Because of the intentionally-disparate composition of each group, students also get the benefit of, in Mr. Oliver’s words, “socializing outside of static groups.”

He also emphasizes the importance of the individual advisor-advisee relationship. “Frankly, I am not sure kids spend much time discussing real life with adults,” he says. Having come from a boarding school background—where such student-faculty interaction is much more common—he felt that that was something that was missing here. “Students see their teachers in class, and they certainly appreciate their academic expertise. But this goes beyond that. The students get to see the real person behind the set of skills.”

Now that advisors write students’ JEL comments, (“Journey to an Extraordinary Life”) in a wholistic way, rather

than each teacher’s writing a JEL for each student in each class, the value of that thorough knowledge of one teacher for one student has become even more apparent, says Mr. Oliver. “The depth of individual understanding has increased,” he says.

The virtues program will “trickle up” into the Upper School gradually, according to Mr. Oliver, as students who had virtues education in Middle School enter the Upper School.

Once that happens, he says, then Upper School students can begin to have a bigger role in the sustaining of the virtues program, working up presentations for assemblies or teaching the virtues to younger students.

Mostly, though, Mr. Oliver expects the members of the advisory groups to simply talk to each other. “Teaching has to come through conversation in the Upper School,” he says.

However, in both Middle and Upper Schools, there has been an upswing in NON-conversational opportunities for community building as well. In Upper School, when a free flex period can be arranged, students can participate in whole-division intramurals, for example.

Often they are “just goofy games,” says Mr. Oliver, 45 minutes of silly fun. The student Government has also instituted periodic “Pancake Breakfasts” for anyone who wants to come before school, sit around, eat (of course), and chat. In the Middle School, events such as After-School Movie Nights, Open Gyms, Middle School Spirit Sections at home games, and a Middle School Nightat-the-Theatre for each play, help students have a sense of their Division’s special identity, and a relaxed way to get together outside regular hours.

“This smaller group is like a family within Wakefield,” says Ms. Jenkins. “You belong to this group of 42...but then you also belong to this group of eight. It’s an oasis. It’s like a little island in the sea.”

B

ut of all the revelations about advising that were turned up during interviews on the topic this year, the most surprising to this interviewer was Ms. Jenkins answer to the question, “Does the advisory system help Wakefield build community?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head with a bemused smile.

“It really is not directly related to the community of the school.

What this really does is make our big community smaller.”

In creating an overall community at Wakefield, Ms. Jenkins says, we are really not quite there yet. One thing that can be difficult here, she says, is that there is really no place within the school to move to if you feel at all out of the social loop— we are too small for that. Conversely, we are also so much bigger now—the days of graduating classes of 12 who all share similar academic orientations and family backgrounds are over, as we become bigger and more diverse. These are broader community issues that require ongoing focus to understand fully and to address—but an immediate contribution to individual students’ sense of belonging is the advisory program.

“This smaller group is like a family within Wakefield,” says Ms. Jenkins. “You belong to this group of 42...but then you also belong to this group of eight. There is an adult there that you can count on, every single day. It’s an oasis. It’s like a little island in the sea.”

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Capable, ethical, articulate citizens don’t just grow on trees. Beginning in Pre-Kindergarten, the Lower School Virtues Program lays the bedrock for values students will continue to discuss throughout their years at Wakefield, and to practice throughout their lives.

H

eadmaster Peter Quinn often reminds both students and faculty that we seek to foster at Wakefield “a community of civility.” Many qualities factor into what such a community should ideally be—a place of trust, of mutual respect, of courtesy, of lively discourse, of inclusion, of tolerance, of freedom well-balanced with responsibility. A place, in short, of prudence, temperence, justice, and fortitude—the four classical Cardinal Virtues.

No sane person would argue against any of these qualities. Who would ever stand up and proclaim that justice is not an important virtue? But today, when we begin trying to talk about these and other important virtues and their characteristics, we often find that our definitions of these things are slightly different. What, exactly, is prudence? How do we judge in real life whether a certain action is or is not prudent? What if someone in our community disagrees with our judgment?

What then?

Though these discussions will (and should) arise within any community, that community begins on firmer footing when some mutually-understood definitions are established.

At Wakefield, this means that, if we are going to educate our students in ethical behavior, character development, and civility, students and faculty need to be able to talk about these things with a common vocabulary.

Enter the Lower School Virtues Program.

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ower School Counselor Jen Sipes heads up the Lower School Virtues Program. Asked to describe its purpose and goals, Mrs. Sipes cites three things.

“First of all, the program should reinforce the Wakefield courtesies,” Mrs. Sipes says, “and we can do much more with that. Second, it should provide a continuum” for systematic work on character education in the later grades. Discussion of the virtues is now part of the Middle School advisory program, she notes, so that goal is moving forward now, as student enter Middle School who have come up through the Lower School Virtues program.

But in the Lower School itself, the main thing the Lower School Virtues Program needs to accomplish, says Mrs. Sipes, is to put in place a common language.

“In the Lower School, we need to establish [for each virtue] what the word itself means, then what that virtue is, and what characteristics it has. From Pre-K on up, the preparation and focus is always the same.” What prevents the program from being static year to year, she says, is the way the students’ understanding deepens each year as they get older, in concert with their ability to relate the virtue to their own lives “Middle School students are developing judgment, and so they are ready for the next level, which is ‘How does this virtue apply to my life now?’ ” she says. But even in the Lower School, each grade is a bit more ready to look at the virtues more deeply,

The Virtues of Civility

ARTICULATION Students’ being able to speak out loud, safely, about their own experiences is one of the great gifts brought to the Lower School Virtues Program by Mrs. Sipes’s years of work as a counselor and social worker, and is one of the surest ways for students to begin to internalize large concepts like honesty. Above, a Pre-Kindergarten student uses all the tools at his disposal—hands, face, words—to try to articulate his answer to the question, “When is it hard to be honest?” to reflect on more subtle ideas.

Observation of Mrs. Sipes’ visits to Pre-School and 1st grade reveal some of the necessary differences in approach.

Each visit begins in the same way: with a reminder of the virtue or characteristic being discussed that day and a discussion of its basic definition. Mrs. Sipes asks leading questions and the students provide the basic fodder for the evolving definition. A story is then read, tailored to each grade, to facilitate a follow-up discussion.

In Pre-K, the book used a simple refrain as text (“Honesty! Honesty! Tell the truth—that’s the best policy!”), while telling a story in pictures about a girl running for class president who had to choose to tell the truth at times when it might have helped her campaign to do otherwise. (“Will you get rid of homework?” her classmates asked her. “No, I can’t do that,” she replied honestly.) In 1st grade’s book, the Berenstain Bear siblings broke a lamp and invented a “whopper” to cover it up—only to learn how sad their mom felt over the fact that they didn’t think they could be honest with her.

“WHITE LIES ARE LIKE TIIIIINY SNOWFLAKES” Lower School Counselor Jen Sipes is in each Lower School classroom once a month the whole year, working with each grade, at its own level, on understanding the meanings of the words Wakefield uses to frame its discussion of character. In February, the virtue being discussed was honesty. First graders are ready to look at more subtle points—the definition of a white lie, for example.

Community acknowledgement of occasions when students actively practice the virtues and their characteristics is an important component of the Lower School program. Bright yellow cardboard stars are presented by teachers to students who earn this recognition; those who choose to may bring their stars to Mrs. Sipes’ office for posting on a central bulletin board, which is full to the brim by each trimester’s end. Since no names are on the stars, the pride is not for individuals, but for the community of virtue that the collection represents.

“We want to build an environment of empathy, and of community members’ being able to count on one another,” says Mrs. Sipes. The inherent safety of the Lower School environment, combined with a sense of shared values, is the perfect time to cultivate this sense.

By 5th grade the classroom visits to discuss the virtues ramp up to two times per month, as students preparing to enter the less-sheltering Middle School are readied for this transition. This grade is learning that it is OK to talk, and that it is OK to share differing opinions, and so the conversation shifts to individual goal-setting and commitment to the virtues. For this goal-setting, a business model is borrowed that carries into the Middle School as well: SMART, for “Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely.” The students set the goals they care about most—and if those goals change, that is fine.

And, sometimes, students will set goals that they don’t meet—which is also fine. “This model adds acceptance and forgiveness into the formula,” says Mrs. Sipes with a smile.

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A Community of Readers The annual African American Read-In unites us in service to literature, to diversity, and to one another.

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hen Joel Enoch was getting his fourth grade students ready for their stint reading to the Kindergarten during the African American Read-In this year, he showed them some images of when his own son Shephard, now an eighth grader, was in fifth grade, reading to the first graders at Wakefield’s inaugural Read-In. “Hey!” one student suddenly said. “That’s us!”

And sure enough—three years ago, this year’s fourth graders had been the little kids sitting on the floor on blankets, looking up at the “big kids” in awe. Now, they were about to bring the process full circle, by reading to, as they put it, a “new generation.”

“Some of them thought this was significant,” Mr. Enoch wrote in an email to Epistula. Epistula thought so, too, and so dropped by to observe their reading and then to discuss the experience with them afterwards.

CONTINUUM Librarians to sixth graders, fourth graders to Kindergarteners, computer teachers to fellow faculty— the Read-In’s premise is that someone is reading to someone all day from the works of African American writers.

---------- ~ ---------Epistula

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T

he fourth grade boasts a whopping 18 kids who were at Wakefield in first grade and remember being read to in that long-ago Read-In. They had a lot to say, both about that experience and this year’s.

“I remember reading the same book to them that was read to me!” a student was eager to share. Another agreed: “My kids I was reading to sat on the same blanket that I had sat on in first grade, and we read the same book. It kind of seemed like a circle.”

Several students remembered having felt some anxiety in first grade. “The person that read to me made me nervous... they were so big!” Everyone agreed that they had tried hard to put their young listeners at ease this year, asking them questions and engaging them in conversation before beginning to read.

They also reported being astonished that they themselves could possibly now be members of that race of giants that they had viewed with awe three years ago: “Now I am reading to them, and I am the older one. It was soooo cool!”

This sense of being the “older one” brought with it some serious reflections on responsibility, though.

“It was like being a big brother,” said one student. “I had to pronounce the words really clearly, and explain some words.”

“Your perspective changes,” mused one boy. “You realize you know so much more now that you can share with them.

Since the school has been doing this for so long now, it is like the generations do it [for each another].”

But one of the best opportunities, most agreed, was

Students reading to other students returned for an encore this year, shortly after the African American Read-In. In March, 7th and 8th graders partnered with 1st and 2nd graders for a read-in of their own. Organized as an extension of the Virtues Program for both Lower and Middle Schools, the older students read stories about Abraham Lincoln in honor of Presidents’ Day, and all discussed their ideas together afterwards.

meeting younger students they would not otherwise have had contact with. “ ‘Familiar faces’ and ‘friends’ seem to be the same thing,” one girl said. “This brings us together. We have made a bond.”

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hen asked about what “African American” in the event’s title contributed to the experience, the variety of answers was amazing.

“The characters are harder to read,” one girl replied instantly. But, she said, “It is cooler than reading a regular book.”

Asked if dialect or unfamilar colloquialisms in the books made them hard to read, one boy replied, “These books are special. They have stories that younger children may not have heard, cultures they may not know about.” Asked if they learned anything themselves from the process of selecting their books to read aloud, 20 students reported learning from the selection process.

Conversely, one girl reported taking certain books so much in stride that she would not realize at first why they had been selected. “Once you got into the book you realized, ‘Oh, I get it—this book is set in Africa!”

“When I was younger,” said one veteran of that first Read-In, “I thought that African American Read-In was no big deal. I didn’t know why we did it. But now I know that these people, black and white—they are just the same.”

Asked if they thought their young readers were similarly confused about the day’s purpose, one wise young lady said, “They are just learning now...but they will get older. They will realize what it is all about when they get older.” As the saying goes, life is lived forward, but understood in reverse.

T

he reading itself had more moving and funny moments than a viewer could ever capture, but one stood out especially.

The fourth grade had chosen their own books by African American authors that they wanted to read to the Kindergarten. Their choices were based on what books they were excited to share, not on anticipating the grade level of the intended audience, so some groups were reading books that were a challenge for their Kindergarten charges to follow.

One fourth grade duo of boys had chosen a book that told the story of the great boxer Joe Louis’s famous fight with Max Schmeling. About a third of the way into the book, the student to whom the book was being read asked, “But who was Joe Louis?”

The readers’ faces first showed a moment of uncertainty, but then lit up with excitement. “You don’t know who Joe Louis was?” they asked. When the boy shook his head, the two launched into a spirited summary of the Joe Louis saga that worked far better than the book had. By their animation and enthusiasm they conveyed clearly that Joe Louis was a figure whose story they were proud to tell as Americans. It appeared their Kindergarten charges left feeling proud, too.

•

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The Arts On the Road

Wakefield performing arts students share their prowess and reap rewards

Taking advantage of Wakefield’s proximity to Washington, D.C., and to other arts destinations in the region, has always been a priority for Chris Mulligan and the Arts Department, and field trips to concerts, museums, and performances of all kinds are frequent, both for Lower School classes, and for arts classes in the upper divisions.

However, a new type of travelling is beginning to occupy a place in the lives of Middle and Upper School performing arts students, one that goes beyond simply offering them a variety of artistic experiences: namely, travelling to compete. This year has seen an uptick in both destinations and results.

The Upper School “We need to dispel the myth that students can’t continue progressing in music after the Middle School!” says Chris Mulligan, with a certain amount of dramatic emphasis. She offers as Exhibit A the myth-dispelling musical accomplishments of sophomore tenor sax player Thoreau Martin.

“Thoreau has embraced everything available to him,” says Mrs. Mulligan.

Since Middle School, he has continued to take private instruction after school with Wakefield’s band instructor Brian Settles. In response to his hard work and enthusiasm, Mrs. Mulligan has looked for further opportunities through VAIS and through colleagues in the public school music system. It was this exploration that turned up the Virginia Tech Band competition.

The competition draws participants not just from Virginia, but from all over—this year, from Pennsylvania, Kentucky, North and South Carolina, Maryland, Tennessee, and more. Admission to the program is by application, but once accepted, musicians must compete via audition at the event itself to receive their placements on the five bands the judges will seat.

When the final placements were announced, Thoreau had received First Chair tenor sax in the Honors Band— in other words, the highest placement for his instrument in the top band of the five.

According to Mrs. Mulligan, Thoreau is interested in music from jazz to rock, and is a committed student. “In exchange for his study and practice, Thoreau got a school-sanctioned day off campus, and brought honor to himself and the school,” she said.

Another Upper School musician who took his show on the road this year was junior David Moore, who was nominated by Wakefield for the arduous Governor’s School admissions process. A pianist, David advanced from the regional competition, and he now awaits word on whether or not he will be chosen at the State level to attend the prestigious summer institute.

Only two instrumental music students in the highly-competitive Northern Virginia independent school region were selected to advance. Selection was by audition, so David had to join all of the many other competitors for a day of stressful waiting and performing.

Last summer, Rachel ChristianFenwick attended the Governor’s School in theatre. While there, she worked with a faculty member from the Theatre Department at Loyola University, who encouraged her to apply there.

She did, and was not only accepted, but received a $75,000 scholarship—all as a result of her participation in Governor’s School.

The Middle School This year, Mrs. Mulligan and her colleagues at several other area independent schools—Hill, Loudoun Country Day School, Wakefield Country Day School, Highland, and Powhatan—decided to figure out a way to bring Middle School arts students

Thoreau Martin in the VA Tech Honors Band

together in a Middle School - Independent School consortium. They began in the fall, with other schools travelling to see Powhatan’s annual Shakespeare play, and with a Christmas Choral Concert in December at Hill, featuring a combined chorus from all member schools.

It is easy for students to think that the only way for them to come together is sports, says Mrs. Mulligan—this consortium offers an alternative. In addition to the activities of the consortium, both handbell choirs will participate in an event at Redeemer School in the Shenandoah Valley in April.

But cultural exchange is only one piece of Middle School music opportunities. Another is competition. Again this year, the Middle School Chorus will compete in the Busch Gardens Spring Choral Festival, with schools from the entire Eastern seaboard.

Last year, even though schools are grouped by enrollment, the school that got first place in Wakefield’s division had 750 students in its Middle School!

That Wakefield came away with a 4th place trophy seemed like a true victory.

But of course, they are aiming for more this spring. “It’s important for them to be able to share what they’ve learned,” says Mrs. Mulligan.

-----~ -----34 Epistula

Our Impossible Dreams

Grandparents’ Day celebrates the quixotic and encourages big dreams

Lower School students were able to share their biggest dreams before the whole community during the annual Lower School Grandparents’ Day celebration, themed “Impossible Dreams.”

While some took the opportunity to wish hard for the genuinely impossible—time travel, either forward or backward, was popular—older students reflected with discernment on what their dreams were for their world and for their own roles in improving it. A cure for cancer, a program to save wild mustangs, clean water for everyone worldwide, and an end to the use of child soldiers were all on the fourth and fifth grades’ inspiring To-Do lists for their futures, and hearing their passion made “impossible” seem like the wrong word altogether.

Wakefield parent Mr. L.J. Evans gave a talk on his own father’s impossible dream, his role at NASA in designing the lunar module of the Apollo 11 spacecraft (our first manned trip to the moon—talk about an “impossible” dream!), and the program ended in Grandparents’ Day’s usual not-a-dryeye way, with the whole Lower School singing “The Impossible Dream” from Man of La Mancha.

Above, Pre-Kindergarten students let their light shine! Center, Audrey Brown shares her Impossible Dream. At left, Ray Karns lifts the fourth grade aloft in “Over the Rainbow.”

Winter 2009

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The Arts “Chaaaaaaarge!!!!!!!!!!!”

Upper School theatre students continue their mastery of the comedies of a bygone era with a classic Arsenic and Old Lace

Gracie Morrison, Gabby Vazzana, Rachel Christian-Fenwick

Since Wakefield’s theatre students have already scored triumphs with such time-honored comedies as Forum and You Can’t Take It With You, why not move to one of the true classic screwball comedies of all time, the beloved Arsenic and Old Lace? Having shown that he can win outstanding performances in this genre from this ensemble of actors, most of whom have been performing together for several years now, theatre teacher Chris Guyotte went for the challenge of breathing new life into the well-known show, and came up with a production that fitted his young cast perfectly and delighted even audience members (like this writer) who know the show by heart.

In addition to offering up a well-known script, the production confirmed several already-known truths 36

Chris Stone, Gracie, Rachel

Epistula

Andrew Clubb, Michael Byrne

Patrick Penderville, David Muss

Winter 2009

of Wakefield theatre that we were all happy to be reminded of: Chris Stone is extremely funny. Rachel ChristianFenwick and Gracie Morrison possess different acting styles, which serve each of them perfectly and which complement each other perfectly. Andrew Clubb is a great villian. Michael Byrne can find the heart of any role by simply being low-key. Lexie Gaines-Smith has a way with authority-figure roles.

David Muss—well, David Muss is also very, very, very funny.

The casting and performances offered surprises, too, however. Lexie’s authority figure this time has a goofy, manic side that she transitioned into with ease, and her turn as the starstruck Officer O’Hara was a highlight of the show. Gabby Vazzana added one critical gesture to her character, a huge flashing smile that she delivered at both expected and unexpected times, that made her role remarkable. Gracie and Rachel made the most convincing old women imaginable, and not by working any cliched miming of “old-person” gestures, but by really imagining the lives these two murderous spinsters had lived together for so long.

Perhaps the most interesting casting against type was that of Chris Stone. For audience members who last saw him as Sir Thomas More, the brilliant statesman-then-saint who outmaneuvered King Henry and his entire cabinet for years, it was uniquely funny to see him playing a high-strung, self-involved young New York critic, rountinely outwitted by his wily aunts and then tied to a chair by the villian through his own delightful obliviousness. Chris did it all with his usual blend of rich character work and spotless timing.

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The Arts God Bless Us, Every One

The holiday show takes a renewed community turn, with all-school scene painting, a community potluck, and an Archwood Community Theatre cast of thousands The annual Archwood theatre production, featuring students, faculty, parents, and friends all performing together, was one of the first Wakefield institutions to enshrine the word “community” in its title. But this year, the name took on new meaning, as virtually the entire production process became one of inclusion and community-building. The new inclusiveness made a fitting complement to a show that embodied community not only in its huge and diverse cast, but in its tale, of a miserable loner who learns the joys of being part of a larger whole.

Long before the production came the school-wide scene design and painting, where each Lower School grade and each Middle and Upper School activity was encouraged to come up with a “storefront” design related in some way to their own group’s work.

Designs were then gridded onto canvas flats by coordinators for each Division, Teresa Duke-Dunnigan, Pat Tucker, and Gary Genther; Middle and Upper School groups painted their flats during activity periods, while Lower School students and their parents gathered for a glorious afternoon painting session in the Lower Gym. The resulting storefronts comprised the setting for the play’s street scenes; the streets of Scrooge’s London were never so festive.

Immediately before the show was the school’s first-ever Community Potluck, a free feast of a dinner for all, provided primarily by those who had contributed recipes to the Booster Club’s community cookbook, The Famished Fox. Even a few minutes before the show, there was barely a seat available in the beautifully decorated Dining Room.

And then there was the play itself. Director Chris Guyotte wrote 38

Parents and veteran Archwood performers: Andrew Clubb as Ebenezer Scrooge and Tucker Withers as Jacob Marley, and a troupe of cautionary wraiths

Mary Clubb as the Ghost of Christmas Past with her father Andrew Clubb/ Scrooge

Epistula

Librarian Cathy Clemency as the Ghost of Christmas Present

Ava Martin, Anne Marie Glen, and Samantha McClaugherty

Juraté Reventas and Andrew Clubb, blessing us every one.

Parent April Gaines and Chris Stone

the stage adaptation of Dickens’ novella, envisioning it as a musical and receiving help with original music by Arts Department Chair Chris Mulligan. The script he created remained faithful to the spirit and story of the original text, while taking advantage of the freedom to expand scenes, imagine

more individualized characters, and generally make us see anew a wellloved traditional tale. The delightful Ghosts, and the amazing showing by parent April Gaines and senior Chris Stone as two scavengers from the future looting the deceased Scrooge’s posessions, were standout highlights,

and veteran Andrew Clubb anchored it all as a Scrooge both prickly and touchingly anxious for change.

And when the cast of thousands were all on stage together, whether singing, dancing, throwing snowballs, or celebrating Christmas morning, the scope of the project became suddenly clear. If not for the fact that there was an audience to fill the seats, one would have sworn that literally the entire Wakefield community was up on stage.

It was a joy to behold.

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From the Development Office 2008 – 2009 Annual Fund Update

I

n October 2008, the 2009 Annual Fund mailing went out to the Wakefield community with the following appeal for support: A lot is riding on the Annual Fund this year.

Between then and now, many members of the Wakefield community have stepped up to answer that call.

Although we will still be counting right up to the end of the fiscal year on June 30, now is a good time to pause and reflect on the scope of what has been achieved so far: • •

Of the $550,000 goal for the 2009 Annual Fund, our community has raised over $325,000 in unrestricted funds. $215,000 of all funds raised in support of the 2009 Annual Fund thus far have been provided through the financial leadership of the following families who have given on the Leadership Council level or on the Archwood Circle level:

Leadership Council ($10,000 or more)

Anonymous Anonymous Mr. and Mrs. Duane M. Byers Lt. Gen and Mrs. John S. Fairfield Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. Kuhn Mr. and Mrs. Steven M. Lewis Mr. and Mrs. Clarke Ohrstrom Mr and Mrs. Peter Rich Ms. Alba M. Aleman and Mr. Raymond Roberts Mr. and Mrs. Robert R. Sigl Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Schaefer Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Sowden Mr. and Mrs. Gary I. Squire Mr. and Mrs. Richard Stoker Mr. and Mrs. James R. Treptow

Archwood Circle ($5,000 - $9,999)

Mr. and Mrs. Brian Cesanek Mr. and Mrs. Kevin R. Cole Mr. and Mrs. Robert B. Dale III Mr. Sikander Daryanani and Dr. Amrit Kasten-Daryanani Mr. and Mrs. Robert LaRose Mr. and Mrs. Eric Lindner Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Peck Mr. and Mrs. Francis K. Quartey Mr. and Mrs. Peter A. Quinn Mr. James K. Thompson Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Tipple Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Yates Mr. and Mrs. Richard C. Zyontz

Thank you to these remarkable donors and to the many other members of our community who have already displayed their commitment and enthusiasm for Wakefield through their support of the Annual Fund.

Please contact the Development Office at 540.253.7502 if you would like to participate in this important effort.

It takes a whole community to raise an Annual Fund.

40

Epistula

“Start things that will outlive you” The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation—$50,000 Endowment Grant for Financial Aid

The Endowment Fund at Wakefield—A Definition

e are very fortunate to have received a gift in January of $50,000 from the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation for financial aid endowment. The core gift is a permanent fund, and a portion of the income from the fund will be spent on financial aid. Having a financial aid program benefits all students at Wakefield by strengthening our ability to enroll a well-qualified student body from a broad range of applicants. Statistics show that schools offering significant financial aid consistently demonstrate strength and high quality of school communities.

We have been receiving a number of inquiries about Wakefield’s endowment recently and thought it would be helpful to provide some information. The endowment is a permanent fund that is invested and that generates interest or dividend income annually, of which only a portion is spent in any year with the remainder being reinvested.

This income can provide support for the various programs and needs of the school, including financial aid, academic departments, athletics and the arts, professional development for the faculty, and maintenance of facilities and grounds.

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The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation gift is a challenge grant that must be matched this year through gifts either to the Annual Fund or to the endowment, thereby leveraging an additional $50,000 for the school.

The Legacy Circle—Giving through Bequests In a mailing sent to all families and friends of Wakefield in February, Headmaster Peter Quinn announced the formation of a group called the Legacy Circle at Wakefield School. Members of the Legacy Circle are people who make provisions for our school in their wills or through other estate planning vehicles. This kind of support—Planned Giving—has always been an important financial resource for schools, as it provides income for the future and allows for reliable planning over the long term. Donors often designate these gifts for the endowment.

Building an endowment has always been important to independent schools, because it provides financial strength and resilience that will serve the school and its students both in the present and far into the future. Over time the fund will grow, both through reinvested income and through additional gifts from donors.

Building the endowment is an ongoing endeavor, and gifts can therefore be made at any time.

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Alumni News Kimberly Johnson Haeringer ’84 went on a mission to the Bromley School in Liberia last fall and maintained a

second daughter, Caitlin she brings back with her to Elizabeth Jones, on Decem- Wakefield. Alison was also ber 19, 2008. Michelle and her husband Chris welcomed Caitlin exactly 2 years and 1 day after the birth of daughter Ashleigh Michelle on December 18, 2006.

Amy McClung McLawhorn ’97 logged in to the Alumni Center of the website to tell us that she was married on November 15, 2008 to Victor McLawhorn. The newlyweds journal while she was there, live “right down the road from which can be found at www. Wakefield in Hume with our married to Tucker Sowers in liberianjournal2008.shutter- dogs and cats.”

September 2008 and is workfly.com. ing in her father’s firm.

Steward Hopewell ’97 reCory Caulfield ’88 partici- leased his first feature film, Elizabeth Taylor Dove ’01 pated in the inaugural edu- “Slaughter,” on January 9, was married to Colin Dove cation flight of the Zero-G 2009.

Stewart co-wrote at Trinity Church in UpperWeightless Lab on March and directed the film which ville on May 31, 2008. Lizzie 14th. Zero Gravity Corpora- was released by After Dark tion (ZERO-G) “offers edu- Films and Lions Gate as part cators and students a unique of After Dark’s “8 Films to ‘weightless laboratory’ in Die For” Horrorfest ’09. For which to conduct simple but more details, please go to the powerful experiments.” Who Alumni Center of the Wakeknew?? :) She continues to field Website. run her art gallery, Caulfield Gallery, in Washington, Vir- Adam Downs ’00 joined us is an analyst at CitiGroup in ginia. for the Alumni Panel in ear- New York while Colin is in ly January, having graduated his second year at the Darden Kathleen “Katie” Holland from UCLA and worked in School of Business pursuing Wiesel ’91 is now the Direc- the entertainment industry in his MBA. Although they intor of Program Development New York and LA for several tend to settle down after Coat Georgetown University. years. He has moved back to lin graduates, the newlyweds the Northern Virginia area have yet to decide where.

Michelle Egan Jones ’92 an- “to be closer to my family and nounced the arrival of her to the community that I grew Richie Danker ’01 has given up in.” us a new address in Malibu, California, where he moved Alison Squire Sowers ’00 after completing his understepped on to the Wakefield graduate work at Lynchburg School Board of Trustees this College in English and Poly spring, following in the ca- Sci. His dad wrote us in Seppable footsteps of her father tember: “Richie is in his 2nd Gary Squire, Trustee Emeri- year of graduate school at tus. A graduate of Amherst Pepperdine—this year he is in College, Alison worked in the Business School (last year, a Washington, DC charter he was in the School of Public school for a number of years, Policy). One of his professors valuable experience that has asked Richie to tutor the

first year graduate students (School of Public Policy) in their writing skills—Richie has his own desk/office area and they are actually paying him to tutor!”

History Teacher Carolyn Wyrsch reported that, on May 17, 2008, she attended the ordination of Joshua Stevens ’01 as a Roman Catholic Deacon for the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia. He served as a Deacon in Morgantown last summer and then returned to Rome to complete his studies. He will be ordained as a Catholic priest next June.

Mrs. Wyrsch wrote, “He gave a great sermon, and it was short and to the point—he is still quite witty, and he is very happy.”

Congratulations to Todd Fernandez ’03 for graduating from the Rochester Institute of Technology with a BS in Mechanical Engineering.

He is staying on to acquire his MS in Micro Mechanical Engineering while working at Intel.

Michael Cartwright ’05 spent three weeks in Ireland and Scotland last summer, under the auspices of the Radford University History

Department and the International Education Department. He is a minor in history and a major in criminal

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justice at Radford. Michael, a senior, was also named recently as student assistant music director at Radford University’s public radio station, WVRU, a public service of the university and serving the New River Valley.

Shannon Dempsey ’05 writes that she is in her final semester at Emerson College in Boston and will soon be looking for work in the public relations/press field. She has a particular interest in politics though she has experience in film and television and in marketing.

Ashley Ferry ’06 has recently written Dr. Amrit Daryanani asking for a reference for her for a summer internship at the National Geospatial Agency which “deals with satellites and sky-mapping for the government.”

She says she’s not sure what she will be doing yet but hopes it will involve writing since English is her Major at Lynchburg College.

Angus Matheson ’06 went backpacking in Alaska last summer as part of the National Outdoor Leadership School.

Tony Tedeschi, father of Kevin Tedeschi ’07, wrote at the beginning of the year to tell us that “Roanoke has been a great experience for him. Kevin is doing well and the leadership skills he learned at Wakefield have translated into roles for him in college. He has a great group of friends, is an officer in Pi Kappa Phi, and his grades have ben very good.”

Annalisa Hontz ’08 emailed

to explain a piece of great news we heard from her mother: “….It is true that I am the art and design editor for my University’s magazine, Ink, and Talisman was very helpful in getting me that position...I haven’t submitted any art work for my new magazine, though I have attached a piece of my own art for a poster that was used to announce the call for submissions. Just like Talisman, this is an entirely student-run magazine.” Annalisa is in her freshman year at Plymouth University in England.

has just enough to keep us entertained and yet focused on campus life. I’m enjoying all my classes, and the workload’s not that daunting (thank you, Wakefield!)…”

Kendra Riddleberger ’08 also wrote to Mr. McDonough and reported thus: “I love the University of Rochester.

I really, really love it. I’m tak-

ing two English classes and two political science courses this semester. I really love my two Political Science courses and I like my British Literature class except that it’s a lot of upperclassmen which is terrifying…I’m so happy I chose to go here and thank you so much for helping me make that decision!”

During the Christmas holidays, Brad Danker ’05 and Calder Withers ’05 took a cross-country drive to deliver

a car to Brad’s older brother Richie ’01. While in LA, the resourceful duo managed to snag front row seats at the Tonight Show and got this picture taken with the Mighty Chin himself.

Dominika Kruszewska ’08 wrote College Counselor Matt McDonough in September from Washington and Lee: “I just wanted to drop a message to say hello and thank you so much for guiding me through the maze of college admissions and helping me end up here!

I absolutely love W&L and I think it really is a fantastic match for me. Lexington is cute and friendly and

The traditions live on: The Silver Bucket Basketball game was held this year on January 9 in the Upper Gym. Alas, despite an enthusiastic showing of faculty basketball players, including captain Matt Zontine and Ryan Cook, Peter Morgan, Tee Summers, Paul Sipes, and Scott Barron, they couldn’t quite do it alone. To the rescue came Todd Landis ’84, John Piper ’84, and Matt Mattingly, the alwaysgame husband of Sarah McGovern Mattingly ’83. A match was then mounted against more recently graduated alumni—Austin Lee ’03, CJ Dubash ’04, George Hales ’05, Adham Yusupov ’06, Tim Oakes ’08, Ross Ozburn ’08, and Ryan Plummer ’08, who ended up besting their elders and walking away with the 2009 Silver Bucket.

Above, Athletic Director Paul Sipes goes for the jumper, despite being quintuple-teamed by alumni Ryan, Austin, Ross, Adham, and the white shirt right under the basket!

Photo by Sarah Mattingly ’83.

There were actually two of the annual Alumni Panels this year. Leading the panel for Wakefield juniors and seniors were Adam Downs ’00, Dylan Comstock ’04, Elena Stock ’07, Betsy Fraser ’04 and briefly Erica Eickhoff ’08. The freshman and sophomores were treated to observations from the Class of 2008— Georgina Buckley, Emily Watt, Ashley Marchi, and Hunter Bayliss.

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43

Alumni News Athletics Hall of Fame 2009

Sam Kott ’05

On January 24, before a packed Upper Gym, Wakefield inducted its first three members into the Wakefield School Athletics Hall of Fame: Sam Kott ’05, Seth Roberts ’99, and Winnie Duffy ’96.

Sam Kott was an athlete at Wakefield from 2001-2005. He was named Male Athlete of the Year in 2003, Male Scholar Athlete in 2004 and 2005, and received the Leonard Cowherd Award in 2005. Sam played golf, basketball and lacrosse. Highlights include: -Golf: four-year letter winner; All Conference 01-04; Coach’s Award 02; Team MVP in 03 and 04; Team Captain 04.

-Basketball: four-year letter winner; Team MVP in 04 and 05; Team Captain in 05; All Conference 04 and 05; Male Basketball Career Scoring Leader with 1,116 career points.

-Lacrosse: two-year letter winner; Team MVP in 05; Team Captain 05; VISAA All-State 05; Member Virginia All-Star Team 05.

Seth Roberts ’99

Seth Roberts participated on Wakefield’s teams during 1994-1999.

He was named Male Athlete of the Year in 1999 and received the Sportsmanship Award in 1999. Seth played basketball and soccer for Wakefield.

Some of his highlights include: -Basketball: four-year letter winner; Team MVP in 98 and 99; Team Captain in 99; All Conference in 99; first male basketball player to score 1000 points, finishing with 1,007 career points.

-Soccer: Coach’s Award in 99; two-year letter winner.

Winnie Duffy’s Number 5 basketball jersey is retired. Winnie played on Wakefield’s athletic teams in 1994, 1995, and 1996. She was named Female Athlete of the Year in 1995 and 1996.

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Epistula

They Didn’t Do It Alone: From far and wide, friends and family, teammates and coaches came to fête the honorees. Pictured above, front row from the left, are Jen Anderson ’99; Don Mark ’00 and his son; in back of honoree Seth Roberts, his wife Emily, mom Susan, and dad and Wakefield Trustee Emeritus Bob Roberts; former boys’ and girls’ basketball coach Tommy Veith; and Basketball Fan Emeritus Walter Jones (and his wife, former Head of Lower School JJ Jones, sadly cut off by the inept photographer!). Second row, left to right, are Winnie’s mom and former Head of Upper School Erin Duffy; Nadia Abulhasan ’97; Winnie’s sister Katie Duffy ’97; Liz Jones ’98; and longtime faculty member Carolyn Wyrsch. Also just beyond the photographer’s lens was Sam Kott’s family, out in force too.

Winnie Duffy ’96

Winter 2009

She was honored in three sports: volleyball, basketball, and soccer. Highlights include: -Volleyball: All Conference 94 and 95; Team MVP in 94 and 95.

-Basketball: Team MVP in 95 and 96; Washington Post All-Metro in 95 and 96; Metro Scoring Champion in 95 with 40.2 points per game; ESPN Feature Athlete; All Conference in 95 and 96; VISGBA Single Game Scoring Record of 71 points against Emmanuel Christian in 95; 1243 career points.

-Soccer : Team MVP in 95 and 96; starting Goalie at Mt. Holyoke College in 96.

1

Simple Gifts When you get right down to it, joy is just not that hard to come by. There was plenty of that restorative emotion in supply for performers and audience members alike at the Kindergarten Spring Concert, as the young musicians communicated clearly the simple pleasure of having a part to play.

4439 Old Tavern Road Post Office Box 107 The Plains, Virginia 20198