The
leaflet Alexandria Country Day School SPRING 2014
The Leaflet is a publication by the Advancement Office of Alexandria Country Day School.
Jeff Loveng President, Board of Trustees
The
Scott Baytosh Head of School
leaflet
From
Alexandria Country Day School
Meredith Kirchner Director of Advancement
SPRING 2014
in this issue
Matthew Sahlin Director of Development Johanna Ryder Advancement Associate mission statement Alexandria Country Day School is a dynamic, K-8 independent school community that values academic excellence, character, independent thinking, citizenship, and respect for others. We inspire in our students creativity, enthusiasm for learning, and confidence through a stimulating academic program, athletics, the arts, and community service.
From the Head of School
Service Learning
Alexandria Country Day School 2400 Russell Road Alexandria, VA 22301 703-548-4804 www.acdsnet.org Your comments and suggestions are always welcome and may be emailed to mkirchner@acdsnet.org.
facebook.com/AlexandriaCountryDaySchool twitter.com/acdsbobcats
Alumni Corner
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First Grade STEM
Joyful Madness
Festival of Learning
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Class of 2014
Athletics
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ALEXANDRIA COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL
From the Head of School Scott Baytosh As our school year comes to a close, we are once again afforded opportunities to reflect on our accomplishments and look ahead to our future endeavors. As the following pages describe, our school is fully immersed in activities that engage both the mind and the heart. In this edition of The Leaflet you will find a wonderful description of our revitalized Service Learning program, through which every student and teacher has contributed in meaningful ways to our community. I was so proud when I worked side-by-side with our students to package thousands of meals for hungry children around the world. Each time the gong sounded signaling the completion of another 1,000 meals, and we all cheered at our accomplishment, I knew that our students were exemplifying our commitment to community mindedness and their own desire to help others. One of our founding parents, Wendy Straub, recently commented that service was always at the heart of the ACDS identity. Early on Joan Barton and others were inspired by The Madeira School’s efforts to get kids directly and actively involved in their communities, and consequently ensured that service was a part of life at ACDS. They recognized that children thrive when they are connected to others and that schools, as gathering places for families and children, are important mechanisms by which those connections can be made. We continue to believe that ACDS has a vital role to play in the broader Alexandria community, and I am excited about the recent steps we’ve taken to build connections and actively engage our students in their local and global communities. In this issue you will also learn about how we engage the hearts and minds of our students through our arts program, affectionately called MAD for Music, Art, and Drama. The arts afford every one of our students opportunities to explore different ways of seeing, hearing, and thinking. They also provide avenues of expression for our students as they grow in their understanding of the world around them. Our teachers strive to ensure that every student thinks of him or herself as an artist and encourages them to take risks and experiment with different means of expression. As I walk through the halls, which seem to ring continuously with the sounds of instruments, and I look at the kids painting, building sculptures, making a movie, or rehearsing a scene, I know that our students are experiencing the joy of expression and discovering talents they might not have known they had. This winter, as I joined the First Grade in attempting to build a two-story house out of graham crackers, frosting, and candy, I experienced first hand the impact our STEM initiative is having in that class. Not only did I get to soak in the joyful spirit of the group, but I was also inspired by their example. I saw them work together to solve problems, use design concepts to achieve a goal, and find innovative ways to meet the criteria of the project. The approaches to building the houses were diverse, and not all succeeded, but the students’ creativity and willingness to experiment, fail, and try again, was remarkable. With our commitment to developing independent learners at ACDS, we cultivate a resilient mindset as students engage in challenging projects that prompt them to be innovative, learn from setbacks, and find creative solutions to complex problems.
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FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL As we look to the future, our focus is firmly on the heart of our school - cultivating the warm and nurturing community for which we are known, employing curriculum and instructional practices that are exemplary by the highest standards, and attracting and retaining exceptional teachers. Soon you will see these commitments expressed in our next Strategic Plan; but, as you can see in these pages, as well as on our website, our Facebook page, our Twitter feed, and any time you visit the campus (which we hope you will do!), ACDS is right now a vibrant and dynamic learning community, where creative and talented teachers build relationships with kids to draw out the best in each of them. We just had a delightful event for our alumni who are now graduating from high school and their families, and the impact of an ACDS education was clear: Families were bonded by the shared experience of attending this remarkable school, and our students are prepared and eager for the experiences that lie ahead, equipped with the skills and attributes of independent learners, community minded citizens, effective communicators, and balanced individuals. We are proud of them, and look forward to hearing of their journeys. We want to hear your stories, too, so we hope you will be in touch.
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First Graders Engineer Apple Containers, Sailboats, and More! Pop into the first grade classroom on any given afternoon and you are likely to encounter small clusters of children huddled around a collection of foam trays, felt, colored straws, Scotch tape, and all manner of handy supplies. There will be much negotiating, demonstrating, and a general flurry of activity. This is what STEM looks like in first grade. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. It’s a hot topic in education circles right now, but the essence of STEM has long been at home in classrooms here at ACDS. The heart of STEM is problem-based learning--students are given a problem to solve, then they design something that solves the problem. In STEM, this problem just so happens to require the students to activate their math skills and science knowledge to effectively solve it. In first grade, the design process follows a series of steps that are similar to the Scientific Method. Design Process: 1. Investigate 2. Brainstorm 3. Plan 4. Build 5. Test and Present
To be clear, first grade engineers are just like professional engineers in that they don’t always solve problems using this sequential order! Depending on the project (or the engineer), our students may jump around to different steps, rewind, jump ahead and back a few more times, and even test and present multiple times before settling on a final design. This kind of experimentation and revision is highly encouraged! Just as essential as the STEM concepts our first graders are learning are the collaboration and communication skills they must practice and refine throughout these projects. You can be sure that a small group of first graders do not all bring similar design ideas to the table, but they manage to come together and execute one group design. This means you have to understand the different components of your design and their value in order to convince your group. Luckily, first graders are usually game for anything, and they don’t mind when things don’t go as planned--it’s just back to building for the next round!
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16 1. Sarah and Erik, 2nd, make green snow in Science to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. • 2. First grade celebrated the 100th day of school in style! • 3. Seventh graders made shields containing their personal coat of arms in History class. • 4. Kathryn, 7th, gives a thumbs up to the ACDS Science Fair. Kathryn, along with classmates Kieran and Shannon, also attended the Fairfax County Engineering & Science Fair where she placed second and Shannon received a honorable mention. • 5. Karinna, 8th, and Vivian, K, run the bases during a game of buddy kickball. • 6. The faculty and staff are ready to take on the 8th grade in basketball to raise money for the 8th grade trip to Puerto Rico. • 7. Kathryne, 4th, illustrates her comic in Library class. • 8. Gabriela, 5th, and her grandfather on Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day. • 9. Peyton, 3rd, works on a salt map of Wisconsin. • 10. Keith, 6th, with the satellite he made for Space Night. • 11. Ethan and William, K, study an earthworm during a science lesson. • 12. The 5th and 6th grade band performs at the Winter Concert. • 13. Bryan and his 8th grade classmates play soccer during PE class. • 14. Camilo is ready for the 1st grade’s three sisters feast. • 15. Jimmy and Davis, 4th, work on solving a word problem. • 16. Lauren with her corn husk doll on Colonial Day in the second grade. • 17. Olivia and Cristian, 8th, with Ms. Mosier after the Optimist Club public speaking event. Olivia placed first and Cristian came in second. • 18. Douglas, 3rd, reads an original poem at St. Elmo’s Coffee Pub.
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SERVICE LEARNING
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Service Learning at ACDS Service to the community has always been a part of the ACDS culture, but service learning goes beyond just helping others. It starts with inquiry. Students ask questions and identify real world problems. They conduct research, and design and implement projects to address the needs they have identified. When they finish their work, they reflect upon what they’ve done. Did their work help? What would they do differently next time? What did they learn? This year we have been working to formalize our commitment to service by integrating this work into our curriculum and emphasizing learning as a crucial part of the service. At the beginning of the year, each grade selected at least one issue on which to focus their service learning. We explored hunger, poverty, literacy, hygiene, animal welfare, disaster preparedness, and the environment. Students investigated their issues, designed projects, shared their work with the community in assemblies and student meetings, and reflected on their success. After learning about hunger in our community, the Kindergarteners visited a food bank and collected single-serve foods for hungry children to take home from school over the weekend. Our third and sixth grades planted beans in our garden that will go to a food bank when harvested. Students also learned about problems that arise when children don’t have shoes, and designed a collection program that provided over 1,000 pairs of shoes for people in Honduras. In second grade, students studied the role of germs in disease transmission and created signs and videos encouraging and teaching proper handwashing techniques. Our third graders learned about procedures for helping injured wildlife, created “tail guards” used for transporting injured birds of prey, and brought the Wildlife Center of Virginia to ACDS to share their work with the entire school. Students in fifth grade learned about the importance of early childhood literacy, collected books for several local programs that encourage reading for young children, and visited several sites to sort and organize books for them. Seventh graders surveyed a local park, researched the trees that live there, and are in the process of working with the city to create permanent tree identification signs for the park. And those are just some of our projects!
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SERVICE LEARNING In addition to these service learning projects, we continued to offer opportunities for students and teachers to work together on community service projects. Second and fourth graders reacted to the devastation caused by Hurricane Haiyan, quickly created a product to sell, and raised more than $1,000 to send to Haiti. Some students and their parents unloaded pumpkins in support of a church pumpkin sale and volunteered at a race supporting a local homeless shelter. Additionally, several teachers and staff volunteered on several Saturdays for a nearby food distribution program.
Finally, we came together as a full community for an all-school Day of Service on Earth Day. Our all-school project that day was a meal packaging event for Stop Hunger Now that actually began with an assembly back in early February. After learning about the important work of Stop Hunger Now at the assembly, we set a goal to collect 10,000 quarters to pay for 10,000 shelf-stable meals to be sent to hungry children around the world. It was an ambitious goal but we exceeded it and collected 11,160 quarters. With the aid of a matching grant, we were able to package 20,000 meals for Stop Hunger Now. Students of all ages along with the entire faculty and staff worked at funnel stations to put the correct amount of rice, a soy protein, and dehydrated vegetables along with a vitamin pack into six-serving bags. They then weighed the bags to ensure they contained the proper amount of food, sealed them, and placed them in boxes to be shipped overseas. After the meal packaging event, each grade then worked on a separate project. We were able to pick up trash in six local parks and nature areas, plant a garden to attract Monarch butterflies, and re-establish our composting and recycling programs. Our students were able to assume leadership roles in many of our service projects and Student Council was instrumental in the promotion and collection of the 11,160 quarters. Additionally, we created two new student leadership positions for next year-- Rosie Fisher, 6th grade, and Dakota Hunt, 7th grade, will serve as ACDS’s Service Leaders and will represent us on the City of Alexandria’s Youth Leadership Council. The two girls, along with Service Learning Coordinator Elizabeth Lockwood and Spanish Teacher Jessica Hernandez Basta, were able to attend the National Service Learning Conference in April and are full of ideas for next year! The Leaflet Spring 2014
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MUSIC, ART AND DRAMA
Joyful MADness Fondly referred to as the MAD Department, the ACDS Music, Art, and Drama Department’s joyful MADness has meaning and purpose. Through collaborative and creative efforts, the department offers everyone who participates, as well as those who observe, an opportunity to relate to the arts and to each other through the senses. Ms. Tacktill’s art room has been a center of creativity and excitement this year for our first through eighth grade students, culminating with the Celebration of the Arts on May 22nd. The evening showcased entertainment focusing on the wide range of visual and performing arts achievements of our students. Attendees were particularly excited to see the new display of current student work that now graces the walls of our main stairwell gallery. At the kindergarten level, Mrs. Hendrickson and Ms. Lockwood have created a unique art/library partnership, affording their students an opportunity to read, listen, and create in a wide variety of literary and artistic genres.
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At any time of day, the sound of instrumental music and laughter can be heard on the south end of the building as Mr. Taylor shares his love of music and energetic teaching style with his students. Our jazz, rock, and classical style musical talent was showcased at Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day, at the Winter Concert, as an integral part of our musical, "HONK, Jr.", at Celebration of the Arts, and at a springtime concert at Market Square.
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The PAC came alive with bustling excitement this year as we presented two plays and our first (in recent history) full scale musical. Under the direction of Ms. Ball and Ms. Mattie-Moore respectively, the casts of “A Light in the Library” and “Star Crossed” gave inspired performances. The musical, “HONK, Jr.,” was a huge success with the seventh and eighth grade drama, music, and art classes working as a cohesive group to act, sing, play music, and create costumes. A spring trimester Independent Study in the Arts elective offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity for students in the seventh and eighth grade who have a passion and a plan. This year, a record number of students submitted Independent Study in the Arts proposals and, with the guidance and mentoring of selected staff members, embarked on their personal path of study. These projects, as unique as the students who thought of them, included photo transfer, novel writing and cover design, documentary movies, musical score writing and performing, exploration of anime art, and video game creation. The completed work was showcased at Celebration of the Arts.
Buddy Field Trips In collaboration with the Technology Department, the MAD Department has made it possible for every student in the school to participate in an Art/Technology museum field trip with their corresponding buddy group. The students have enjoyed talking about art, and sharing a cross curricular and cross grade level experience where they practiced their observation and deduction skills as well as their visual/verbal communication skills. The destinations included the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery, the National Gallery of Art, the National Museum of American History, and the National Museum of the American Indian.
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CLASS OF 2014
Congratulations Class of 2014!
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High School Choices Katie Aramony, Bishop Ireton David Bauer, Bishop Ireton Grace Breitenbeck, T.C. Williams Alex Brown, Episcopal Will Brzezinski, Langley Reid Cathey, Edmund Burke Sam Critchfield, T.C. Williams Elisa Davila, Episcopal Drew Fisher, T.C. Williams Amanda Gardner, Bishop Ireton William Gould, Gonzaga Mabry Griffin, National Cathedral Dylan Hirt, Gonzaga Bryan Johnson, St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes Taylor Johnson, Edmund Burke The Leaflet Spring 2014
Andrew Katz, Field Ryan Lawrence, Gonzaga Heather Loepere, Emma Willard Alex Mathews, T.C. Williams Paddy McCambridge, Bishop Ireton Cristian Medrano, West Potomac Hannah Meisner, T.C. Williams Olivia Moll, Field Zach Morris, St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes Conor O’Leary, Gonzaga Karinna Papke, T.C. Williams Ellie Smeallie, Georgetown Visitation Will Sullivan, St. Anselm’s Abbey Catalina West, Foxcroft Sam Wingfield-Karpowitz, T.C. Williams Eliza Worrall, Shady Side Academy 11
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Katrina Umstead ’10 and Parker White ’10 Katrina Umstead ’10 and Parker White ’10 are seniors at T.C. Williams High School, and among their many passions is a powerful dedication to service. At T.C. Williams, Katrina and Parker hold key leadership positions in several service organizations. Katrina is President of the Key Club and Parker serves as President of the Red Cross Club. Both are members and officers in the National English Honors Society (NEHS). When Katrina and Parker were students at ACDS, they were heavily involved in service learning, volunteering at Community Lodgings as tutors for kids and organizing a coat drive in 8th grade.
This past winter, Katrina and Parker approached Elizabeth Lockwood, our Service Learning Coordinator, about partnering with ACDS to do a book drive with a group called Alexandria Book Shelf. It turned out that our 5th grade was already coordinating a school wide effort to collect books for Alexandria Book Shelf, so Katrina and Parker offered to help. How did you first find out about Alexandria Book Shelf? KU: I was helping out with Key Club doing a Christmas tree sale, and this woman came up to me and asked if we wanted to get involved in Alexandria Book Shelf and do a book drive. We were already really swamped, but I figured since I was already in National English Honors Society that I would bring it to them. It sounded really cool, and it was pretty new but something we could really get behind. PW: Katrina and I are both officers in the National English Honors Society, so when she brought it to our group that is how I got involved. Is there a service component to becoming a member of NEHS? PW: Membership requires service - we needed 10-20 hours of community service that is supposed to be English related, so a book drive seemed like a perfect fit.
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ACDS ALUMNI
When you came to ACDS to talk to Ms. Lockwood about coordinating a book drive with Alexandria Book Shelf, what did you find out? PW: The 5th graders were already doing a book drive with Alexandria Book Shelf, so we really wanted to partner with them to help out. We helped put stickers in all the books, and we also helped collect and deliver them. We already had a drive going at T.C. Williams, so it was really cool to team up with ACDS. KU: Another officer and I came to ACDS and picked up almost 1,000 books, and we struggled to get them where they were supposed to be because there were so many! It was really cool to see how many books ACDS was able to collect. If you had one piece of advice for any ACDS student or graduate, what would it be? KU: ACDS taught me a sense of responsibility. Because of the small classes, teachers knew if you didn’t do your work - so I got in the early habit of doing all my work well and on time. It’s important to keep motivated and work hard throughout your time in high school, and you will get rewarded at the end. PW: ACDS taught me about what it means to be a part of a community. It’s important to have a small group of people that you can depend on, especially in high school where the student body is much larger than at ACDS.
Class of 2010 College Choices Jessica Aguilar, College of Charleston Emily Ainsworth, Northern Virginia Community College Ryan Andriuk, Saint Joseph’s University Daniel Baskin, Moorehouse College Julia Benson, Trinity College Jaelin Blyther, Virginia Commonwealth University Sofia Cardamone, Northeastern University Samantha Clarke, Muhlenberg College Michael Colton, Trinity College Patrick Coyne, Boston College Dana Downs, George Mason University Members of the Class of 2010 at the Reunion Barbecue William Edgerly, Saint Joseph’s University Megan Gallagher, University of Alabama Christian Osborne, University of Virginia Natalie Hellmann, Rollins College Susan Paxon, unknown Connor Kelly, High Point University Quinn Randall, University of Colorado Boulder Liam Kirby, Kenyon College Emma Smith, Denison University Caroline Land, University of Mississippi Jay Sterling, Florida Southern College Emma Marshall, Georgetown University Mirza Suleymanov, American University Meghan Meehan, Merrimack College Charlotte Taylor, Christopher Newport University Emily Miller, Wake Forrest University Katrina Umstead, University of Virginia Thad Morgan, Wofford College Parker White, University of Virginia Robert Muldrow, Old Dominion University Schuyler Wireman, George Mason University Trang Ngo, James Madison University
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Class Notes Marcia Hollingsworth ’02 and Manjit Chase ’02 have been the closest of friends ever since they met as first graders at ACDS, and since then they have shared a very similar path. Marcia and Manjit graduated West Potomac High School (2006) and Southern Connecticut State University (2010) together, where they were both standout Volleyball players. On May 16, 2014, each received their advanced degrees on the same day from two different schools. Manjit received her Master of Art (M.A.) in Early Childhood Special Education from George Washington University, and Marcia received her Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of Maryland School of Law. We are so touched that their special bond started here at ACDS! Peter Fanone ’06 will be attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art this summer, where he will be participating in a 8-week course in Acting Shakespeare. At RADA, one of the oldest and most prestigious drama schools in the world, Peter will take classes including Physical Performance, Alexander Technique, Stage Fighting, Period Dance, Choral Singing of the Period, Voice, Sonnets, Monologues and Scenes, as well as weekly workshop sessions.
Patrick Coyne ’10 (and Big Papi)
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Andrew Vallaster ’11
Patrick Coyne ’10 had the incredible opportunity to attend a ceremony at the White House to honor his beloved Boston Red Sox as World Series Champions. Patrick and his family got to spend time with Big Papi (David Ortiz), pose with the Red Sox World Series trophy, and even shake hands with President Barack Obama. It was a day that Patrick will never forget, and a dream come true for a life-long Red Sox fan! Andrew Vallaster ’11 celebrated his new rank of Eagle Scout with friends and family this winter at ACDS. Andrew started his scouting career at ACDS with Cub Scout Pack 602 while in the 1st grade. He continued through Weeblos and then moved to Boy Scout Troop 1515. Andrew is currently a junior at St. Albans.
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Andrew, along with Grace Farran ’13 and Angelo Leitner-Wise ’11, participated in the Virginia High School Rowing Championships. Andrew’s Varsity 8 boat from St. Albans and Angelo’s Varsity Lightweight 8 boat from T.C. Williams took home gold. Grace’s Freshman 8 boat brought home a silver for National Cathedral School. Annika Papke ’11 and Kerstin Shimkin ’13 starred in a recent production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at T.C. Williams. Proving ACDS alumni’s artistic talents are not limited to the stage, Annika and Ny’a Palacio ’11 had artwork exhibited at the Del Ray Artisans Gallery from May 2-11. The exhibitors, including Annika and Ny’a, are members of the National Art Honor Society at T.C. Williams.
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Nate Heyder ’13 and the Duke Ellington Orchestra played with Sting and Paul Simon at Strathmore. The concert was a benefit that was part of Duke Ellington’s Performance Series of Legends, and the event raised $1.2 million for the school. The Duke Ellington School is a training ground for young entertainers and artists that opened in Georgetown in 1974.
Nate Heyder ’13 (with Sting)
ALUMNI at ACDS It was great to have Willie Edgerly, Emma Marshall, and Emily Miller from the Class of 2010 complete their senior internships at ACDS this Spring! We were also thankful to have Kelly Bauer, Ben Dunbar, Katie Gallagher, Ava Scott, and Lizzie Wood from the Class of 2011 as our Auction volunteers. Thank you for coming “home” and helping us out! Submit your news and updates to Development Director, Matt Sahlin at msahlin@acdsnet.org 14
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FESTIVAL OF LEARNING
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Every culture has its own mythology and now ACDS does too! Every year, the Alexandria Country Day School community comes together for a week-long Festival of Learning focused on a single topic. This year we explored myths and legends from around the world. Our students read, discussed, compared and contrasted myths in their classes and arrived at definitions of mythology. We generally agreed that a myth is a story used to teach a moral lesson or explain a natural occurrence. First graders enthusiastically consolidated their definition into three words: “love, magic, violence”! During the Festival of Learning, we heard fantastic stories. We listened to Native American storyteller Dovie Thomason tell legends from across North America. Storyteller Baba Jamal Koram shared compelling stories from the African and African American traditions. We watched and participated in myths through dances presented by the Nepal Dance School.
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Our students created inspired mythical work in art class and the 5th and 6th grade drama students performed several Greek myths. We also joined together as a community (with popcorn and cotton candy!) to watch the 4th graders present the hilarious Circus Olympus. Best of all, throughout the week, we wrote, drew, filmed and created our own stories, which we shared on Friday morning. The collected Mythology of ACDS can be found on our blog (alexandriacountryday.blogspot.com) and includes stories such as Why Kindergarteners Take Naps, How Buddies Came to Be at ACDS, Why We Play Capture the Pig, and Why Seventh Graders are so Chatty.
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Athletics 2013-2014 What a year it has been for the ACDS Bobcats! From personal best swim times to two basketball championships, our teams in seven different sports have had very successful seasons. Soccer Each school year the soccer team is the first student group to come to campus as they spend the week before school preparing for the season ahead. New coaches Dave Glaize and Nicky Zaleski welcomed the extra time to prepare this year’s talented team. Early in the season the coaches knew they had something special in their Varsity team. Despite a couple of close games in the first few contests, the team picked up the momentum late in the year just in time to head to the playoffs. The team looked to be set up for post-season success behind the scoring duo of Alicia Keo and Dylan Hirt who together accounted for nearly 50% of the team’s goals this year. The Bobcats played hard, but their season ended one goal short of another trip to the championship game. While the Varsity team was playing hard, there was competitive soccer play at the JV level as well. Led by coaches Mimi Worrell, Cristhian Canales and Madeleine Mejean, the team improved over the course of the season and ended the year with some great team play and impressive goal scoring.
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Cross Country In the fall, cross country overwhelmed the streets of Alexandria twice a week. With close to 40 runners led by Michele Mackey, Chris Ros, Becca Ball and newcomer Meg Mosier, the runners were pushed toward team and individual successes. They fell just short of a championship, but the season was still an overwhelming success. Basketball Winter was extra long and cold this year, but the ACDS basketball teams made it more than just bearable, they made it awesome. The Varsity girls, led by coaches Matt Sahlin and Pete Baroody, were so dominant in league play that they sought challenges in non-conference play. Led by coaches Dave Glaize and Pete Baroody, the Varsity boys didn’t have to travel far to find formidable foes throughout the season and in the playoffs. Both teams once again appeared in the League Championship games and after hard fought contests, the Bobcats walked away with both the Boys and Girls League Champion titles this year.
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ATHLETICS
The younger Bobcats found success as well. Led by an enthusiastic coaching staff, including Ryan Katz, Mett Miller, Nicky Zaleski, LeeAnn Parker, Michael Fleming, Kathy Wilson, Bill Kunkle and Brian Murphy, both the JV and Freshmen teams held their own against talented opposition. Their potential is obvious and it will be fun to watch them improve in the coming years. Swimming The swim team continues to build momentum each year as its popularity grows. Despite the hard work required in each practice, swimmers come back for more. Thanks to great coaching by Chris Ros and Gretchen Komnik, along with the swimmers’ diligence, this season saw many personal bests from newcomers and veterans alike. The team represented the school well in several multi-team meets and looks to add more competitive opportunities in the future to challenge our hard working athletes. Tennis, Softball, and Ultimate Frisbee Spring came late this year, but that hasn’t slowed participation in our spring sports. Tennis, softball and Ultimate Frisbee reached new enrollment highs as each player jumped at the opportunity to have fun with classmates after school. Led by Nicky Zaleski, Jeff Tucker and Lyn Loveng, the tennis program has created three teams, ensuring learning and competition at each level. Softball coaches, Matt Sahlin and Dave Glaize are spending one afternoon a week playing intra-squad scrimmages and practicing skills to prepare the team for game play. Finally, Dave Glaize, Ultimate Frisbee coach, is spending his Fridays teaching players the finer points of an exciting game. The spring season is off to a great start and we know there is more success to come!
GO BOBCATS!
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t Spring 2014
2014 Varsity Boys and Girls Champions!
The Leaflet Spring 2014
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2400 Russell Rd. Alexandria, VA 22301
There is still time to donate to the 2014 Annual Fund! www.acdsnet.org/online-giving