On the cover: Sanford Middle School student Delaney Leonard reads to residents of the Cokesbury Village retirement community.
A Message from the Head of School
Over the last six months, I have read scores of letters and articles, written by school heads and university presidents, which, in calm and reassuring language, make a genuine effort to explain the economic conundrum and its impact on our schools and our country. I wrote such a letter to Sanford parents last fall and offered some additional insights in January when Board President, Tom Allingham, and I held an open forum on school finance, sponsored by the Home & School Association. Tempting though it may be to offer a spring version of the challenging times in which all of us are navigating to the best of our respective abilities, I have decided to re-direct my thoughts for a few minutes to some broader themes.
The language of our lives in recent months has been littered with gloom-and-doom words: bailout, bankruptcy, recession and loss. I have been thinking a great deal about the impact of this vocabulary on our students at Sanford. Are children and young adults able to absorb the new economic reality of their parents’ and grandparents’ lives? As a faculty we talk every day about maintaining a “business as usual” environment in order to fulfill our promise to nurture and develop the talents of our students. The results of a Parent Survey, conducted in October 2008, suggest that we are achieving our goals with Sanford families, in spite of the swirling winds around us.
Like many of you, I love to read and love to use reading as an outlet for creative thinking, or for new ideas to promote with the faculty, or simply to read for sheer escape. Since the Thanksgiving holiday, I have discovered the very funny and poignant work of Richard Russo, the brilliant scholarship of Jon Meacham’s new biography of Andrew Jackson (American Lion), Jodi Picoult’s novel on the moral dilemmas presented by the prospect of a kidney transplant, and John Grisham’s latest thriller, The Associate, which has taken on a new meaning for me as the father of a young associate in a Charleston, South Carolina law firm. Each of the aforementioned books served their purpose to enlighten and to entertain as well as to turn off CNN. However, it was another book I finished reading several weeks ago, that has not left my mind. Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers: The Story of Success spent several weeks on the top of the best-seller lists. Gladwell is a writer for New Yorker magazine and his work as a social commentator has been admired and oft quoted. He came into the public eye with his first book, The Tipping Point (2000) which shows how ideas and trends start and spread. The sub-title of the book, How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, caught my eye as a truism and one that certainly applies to the success of our best schools. In his second book, Blink (2005), Gladwell analyzes social intuition, or how we know what we know in social situations, and, especially, how we read facial expressions. Facial expressions, Gladwell submits, may be as critical to communication as words. We often talk about the importance of communicating clearly, but Gladwell’s research truly enlightens anyone for whom human interaction deeply affects what they do—like teachers.
Picking up Gladwell’s latest book, a book about inspiring stories of success, in early 2009, was a perfect antidote to the overwhelming crush of news about failure. Gladwell talks about people whose stories we know (Bill Gates, The Beatles) and others who are introduced to us in the book. Essentially, Gladwell asks what factors besides native talent made their success possible. Nature versus nurture is one of the oldest debate topics in history, and Gladwell is clearly in the nurturist camp. He commented: “I don’t mean to deny the role that your own personal characteristics and talent play, but I’m trying to suggest that there are other critical factors, such as hidden advantages (where you live, who you know), extraordinary opportunities (right place, right time), and cultural legacies.” Like his first two books, Outliers is an attempt to make us think about the world a little differently. He argues convincingly that success comes as a consequence of the contributions of different people and different experiences. After reading Gladwell’s third book, I distilled five steps to success from his work: 1) find meaning and inspiration in your work; 2) work hard; 3) discover the relationship between effort and reward; 4) seek out complex work to avoid boredom and repetition; and 5) be autonomous and control your own destiny as much as possible. If success is the steady accumulation of advantages, I like to believe that attending Sanford, graduating from Sanford, interacting with inspiring and dedicated teachers, having the support of one’s family, and experiencing beauty in that which you see and feel each day provides a good road map to success. Since we have been reminded over and again that there are no overnight successes and few that happen alone, let’s enjoy the trip together, pulling each other out of the most difficult challenges and doing our best to serve as inspiration along the way.
Douglas W. MacKelcan, Head of School
ethic of service
students connect with the community and the World
By Theresa Gawlas Medoff
rom underprivileged toddlers in Wilmington to a teenage orphan in China, from an elementary school in D’Iberville, Mississippi, to a village school in Abedeni, Ivory Coast, Sanford students are connecting with and helping children all over the world.
Some of these connections have existed for so long that no one quite remembers when they began. The Lower School tradition of giving holiday gifts of books, toys and mittens to children at Hilltop Lutheran Day Care Center was in place at least 16 years ago, when Nancy Hebard took over as Lower School Head. Other projects are more recent. In a twoyear period after Hurricane Katrina struck, the Middle School led a series of fundraisers at
Juniors Lilla Alchon and Julianne Shenton supported last year’s Power Up Gambia effort. The students are seen here with decorated boxes that were used to collect money for Sulayman Junkung General Hospital.
Faculty member Katherine Stafford and Lower School students performed for senior citizens on Halloween.
t is certainly not uncommon for school students to engage in community service, but at Sanford, many of the service projects are student-generated and the only motive is to help others. Over the past 10 – 15 years, it became popular for schools, and sometimes entire states, to require students to fulfill a community service requirement before graduating. That trend is beginning to reverse, the New York Times reports, as it becomes evident that too many students are focused on logging hours any hours, no matter the value of the work being done and losing sight of the real motive. Sanford had never jumped on the involuntary volunteerism bandwagon.
“The decision to not have a community service requirement is a philosophical one, and it is grounded in the idea that service is a voluntary activity,” explains Upper School Head Mark Wagner. “Instead of compelling kids to participate in service activities in order to meet a requirement, we prefer to try and create a school-wide culture that acknowledges and values the importance of service. In this way we hope that our kids will want to give their time and energy to help others because it is important to them.”
Ironically, he adds, the only time when the school does require that students perform service is on Martin Luther King Day, which Sanford changed a few years ago from a day off to a day of service. The overwhelmingly positive student reaction to that change, Wagner says, speaks to the success Sanford has had in creating a culture of service.
Alumni point out that the service ethic at Sanford has always been strong. “The ethic that No Talent Lies Latent was ingrained into us, that you work hard for what you want no making excuses and it was also emphasized that you pay back, you do for others, because it’s not about you,” says Kathy Moon Hughes ’68. (Read more about Kathy on p. 5.)
The message about serving others seems to be coming through loud and clear at Sanford today as well. This fall, Middle School students suggested that instead of giving small Secret Santa gifts to classmates, which had been traditional, students should purchase toys or games for needy local preteens. The faculty followed suit by requesting that anyone planning to bestow teacher gifts instead donate money to the same charity the Sunday Breakfast Mission of Wilmington. Middle School Head Eph Humphreys says he was pleased but not surprised by the suggestions. “Our belief is that service should be integrated into our life here. Everything we do should revolve around understanding the world and our place in it,” he says.
All seventh and eighth-grade clubs are service oriented in some way, Humphreys adds, whether that means providing service on campus, as French and Spanish students do by introducing JK students to language learning, or off-campus, as does the longstanding Cokesbury Club, whose members visit a local retirement community to read and play games with residents.
Lower School has its own traditions of connecting students and older people, with students entertaining the residents
“the ethic that no talent lies latent was ingrained into us, that you work hard for what you want — no making excuses and it was also emphasized that you pay back, you do for others, because it’s not about you,” says kathy moon hughes ’68
Boy Scouts Jack Vander Laan, Jesse Green, Chester Burnett, and Trevor Long led a service day flag ceremony.
Quinn Macauley checked out the mitten tree during the annual Caroling on the Quad celebration. University of Delaware basketball player Adam Pegg (center) joined teammates Samer Madarani ’08, and Edwin Santiago ’07 for MLK Day.
helping others
of Windsor Place for Halloween as well as the Hanukkah and Christmas holidays. Right before Thanksgiving, the youngsters produced their own version of “Stuff the Bus,” wheeling a wagon around the Lower School building to collect donated canned goods.
For many years the Middle and Upper Schools have worked together to collect canned food at Thanksgiving for Basket Brigade of Delaware, regularly exceeding their goals. In Upper School, the annual collection is organized by the Service Club, which has been active since 1996. Prior to that, service projects were done under the auspices of the Key Club. Much of the Service Club’s outreach focuses on the local community. The local Habitat for Humanity, for example, has been a frequent beneficiary of money and student labor.
One Saturday a month, a small group of students and teachers serve breakfast to homeless and low-income people at
West Presbyterian Church in Wilmington. For four years, the Service Club has provided monthly support to the Chinese Orphans Assistance Team, and students have been corresponding with one orphan in particular, Zheng Pang, a 17-year-old boy with special needs.
Last year, Ariel Majidi and Maggie Younger, both seniors now, started the Global Citizens Club for students interested in educating their classmates about human rights and engaging in international service projects. “I had the idea after seeing the response to the fundraising we did for Darfur,” Majidi explains. She and Annie Rose Baum, now a sophomore, collected more than $5,600 in the 2006 – 2007 school year to fund UNICEF’s efforts on behalf of Sudanese refugees living in Chad. Not only did students and faculty give money, Majidi says, they also brought her newspaper clippings and sought her out to talk about global issues of concern. Last year, club members raised awareness about human rights issues and raised money for schools in Afghanistan. This year they have turned their attention to the Dominican Republic, where some of the club members have volunteered in the past through their church.
Middle School students Michael Gilbert and David Hoffman sorted toiletries for the Sunday Breakfast Mission. Meredith Vondran, Shannon Babcock, and Claire Schroeder picked up trash at the Wilmington & Western Railroad.
Former Sanford employee Peter Buttenheim (right) joined students for an MLK Day volunteer effort.
Kindergarten teacher Heather Lines helped her students make place mats for residents of a retirement community.
Oriana Ramirez, Maggie Bobka, Ryan McLaughlin, and Seth Ciolkosz made sugar cookies for a bake sale to support Heifer International.
For six years, Middle School students have been holding Jeans Days and contributing coins for an elementary school in Abedeni, Ivory Coast, that French teacher Jane McConnell has been supporting ever since her son, Brian, served in the Peace Corps there. In 2001, the 64 students and two teachers (one a volunteer), met in a run-down school building with old and broken desks and no books.
By 2007, the building had a new roof, a cement porch and refinished walls. The money Sanford students contributed has helped to feed and house teachers, of which there are now four. The funds have also been used to purchase playground equipment, desks and chairs, school supplies, uniforms, and library books. “It’s amazing how far that money can go in a developing country,” McConnell notes. And the results are impressive: in a country with a literacy rate of
50 percent, 16 of the 18 students who completed sixth grade at the Abedeni school in 2007 are now continuing there studies at a middle school in a neighboring village, McConnell adds.
Many Sanford students, faculty, and parents participated last year in Power Up Gambia, a local nonprofit’s effort to raise awareness about alternative energy while raising money for a hospital in the West African nation of The Gambia. With the help of Sanford and many others, the organization reached its $300,000 goal. By the end of November the equipment had been installed, and Sulayman Junkung General Hospital finally had reliable, full-time electricity and running water.
Her work as student leader of Sanford’s efforts earned Krista Bacchieri ’08 the recognition of the Jefferson Awards Youth Service Initiative, a national effort to encourage high school students to become more involved in volunteering and community service. The Jefferson Awards also honored two other Sanford-nominated students last year: Emily Stewart ’08 and senior Sarah Lamming.
Sue Dagenais, Upper School Director of Counseling, is the advisor to the committee of students that selects Sanford’s Jefferson honorees. Three more students will be honored this year, with the first to be announced this winter. “Selecting honorees is challenging for the committee because we have so many students who do volunteer work on their own, outside of school, and no one else knows about it,” Dagenais says. “They aren’t doing it for any credit or recognition. They are simply acting out of the goodness of their hearts, quietly but consistently working for the betterment of the community.”
Upper School students Wil Anderson and Marcus Thompson helped to clean up the grounds of the Wilmington & Western Railroad.
First graders Tyler Flanagan and Noah Dailey iced cupcakes for a school-wide service day bake sale.
Senior Brian Thresher was one of the many volunteers who donated time to the Food Bank of Delaware on MLK Day.
Junior Katie Zubrow showed kindergartners how to relax their fingers after the group made cat toys for the Faithful Friends animal shelter.
Admission Administrative Assistant
Ceil Baum and student Annie Bruxelles pieced together one of seven quilts made during MLK Day. Five went to shelters in southern Chester County and two went to a children’s hospital in Chicago.
through work and volunteering, alumni help others
athy Moon Hughes ’68 says she started working as an advocate for people with developmental disabilities “by happenstance,” but perhaps it was fate. She began as an attendant at a Delaware state institution for those with mental retardation. It was the start of a 32-year career during which she sought to improve the lives and opportunities for Delawareans with developmental disabilities and their caregivers.
“It was the niche I needed to be in. Working in the field gave me a better understanding of the complex issues related to daily life for people with disabilities and their families,” Hughes says. “It helped me to appreciate deeply why each person as an individual is important.”
Hughes’s dedication went far beyond a 9-to-5 commitment; for 23 years she cared for a foster son who had severe brain damage and was medically very fragile. “My experience with Dean helped me to be a better caseworker,” she says. Despite the challenges of caring for Dean, she adds, his presence enriched her life and those of her friends and family members.
Hughes is now retired, but she continues to be active as a volunteer and advocate for those with disabilities.
Roberta “Bert” Layman Shipp ’70 volunteers to help those with disabilities through Fidos for Freedom, a Maryland organization that trains service dogs.
A former nurse and social worker, Shipp had been forced to retire on disability because of lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Her affiliation with Fidos for Freedom began several years ago when she received her own service dog, Judge Judge can fetch Shipp a water bottle from the refrigerator. He helps her with household chores, retrieves things she drops, and even helps her to undress. “Judge has made such a difference in my life. Without him, it would be so much more difficult for me to get along,” Shipp says. That’s why she volunteers several days a week as a client liaison at Fidos for Freedom.
“I relate well to the clients because of my own experience,” she says. “This is a place where I can make a difference, and I enjoy it.”
The Reverend Heather Shortlidge ’97 is making a difference through her work as a minister. “The vocation chose me,” she says. Shortlidge’s first position after seminary was as the chaplain at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas, a job that “was wonderful and difficult at the same time.” After a stint at a church in Tennessee, she is now associate pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Annapolis, where she ministers in the areas of spiritual development, pastoral care and worship, and education. Over the years she has led several mission trips in the United States and to Haiti.
Religious education classes at her church include service lessons for all children, even those as young as four and five years old. Volunteering, Shortlidge says, “gives children eyes to see the world in a different way. It helps them figure out who they are, and to see that there are others out there besides them.”
That’s a life lesson that these three women and many other Sanford alumni have taken to heart. “I have incredible blessings in my life,” Shortlidge says. “I had a private school education. I grew up with everything I needed. When you look at the world and see all the people in need, how can you not help?”
Roberta “Bert” Layman Shipp ’70 and Judge, her service dog, have a special relationship.
faculty set example for service
his past summer, the Sanford faculty read Mountains Beyond Mountains, Tracy Kidder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning account of Dr. Paul Farmer’s mission to bring lifesaving medicine to the world’s most wretched people. Farmer’s story is both inspiring and extreme; not all of us have the knowledge and drive to treat AIDs and tuberculosis in Haiti, Siberia, Cuba, and Peru. But Farmer also works in poor neighborhoods around his Boston home, and his motto the only real nation is humanity encompasses communities near and far.
The teaching profession itself certainly falls within the domain of service, but many Sanford faculty members not only devote themselves to making a difference in the lives of our children, but also support a variety of charity efforts in the larger community.
Fourth-grade teacher
Middle School English instructor Christine Yasik is active in the service organization Quota International of Wilmington, which seeks to help those with speech and hearing impairments and to support community efforts on behalf of women and children. Recent endeavors include initiating two scholarships at DelTech for students majoring in sign language; buying furnishings for the Bayard House, which aids unwed teenage mothers; and providing backpacks filled with clothing, toiletries and school supplies to children in foster care.
Bruce Pill, Middle School math instructor, encourages math and service by running the Math-aThon at Sanford which raises money to support St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, the largest childhood cancer research center in the world.
Sanford Middle School students have raised more than $19,200 for St. Jude’s in the past five years.
Upper School math instructor Tom Whipple, Service Club advisor, who has supported Habitat for Humanity since his
the teaching profession itself certainly falls within the domain of service, but many Sanford faculty members not only devote themselves to making a difference in the lives of our children, but also support a variety of charity efforts in the larger community.
college years, has organized students interested in volunteering for builds. The club’s other faculty advisor, Upper School chemistry teacher Donna Farrar, joins the Service Club each month serving breakfast at West Presbyterian Church. She encouraged the club to support Basket Brigade of Delaware and also volunteers as testing coordinator for Career Insights for Teens, which provides career counseling to students as well as scholarships to those with financial need.
Other teachers have shared their volunteer work with students as well. Third-grade teacher Candyce Pizzala runs a yearly fundraiser in the Lower School for her pet charity, the Lymphoma and Leukemia Association. Fourth-grade teacher Brooke McLeod introduced her class to Faithful Friends, a no-kill animal shelter in Wilmington, by organizing a biscuitmaking and dogs’ play day at Sanford for the Martin Luther King Day of Service. McLeod volunteers weekly at Faithful Friends, cleaning cages and walking dogs. She also serves on the organization’s Pit Stop Committee, which works to alleviate the high rates of homelessness and euthanasia of pit bulls by educating the public about the breed and by providing free services and training to pit bull owners.
Numerous Sanford teachers are active in Alpha Delta Kappa, an international honorary organization for educators that, in addition to offering professional development opportunities, devotes itself to charity work in the community. Many other examples could be given. When it comes to service, Sanford faculty members certainly practice what they preach.
Brooke McLeod, who volunteers at a local animal shelter, brought one of her faithful friends to Sanford.
volunteers make sanford what it is
ifth grade holds many happy memories for older Sanford students. It’s the year students dress up as literary characters to create a living wax museum for Halloween. Later in the fall, clad in sheets dyed and sewn to resemble animal skins, they spend a week learning about Native Americans tribes. Come mid-winter, they are off to Williamsburg along with a passel of parent chaperones to learn about life in the colonies. While these sorts of experiential learning activities certainly engage the children, they also are labor intensive, and fifth-grade teachers say they couldn’t do it without parent volunteers.
Maria Papoutsakis, mother of Ellie, is one of those volunteers. She says she helps out to thank the teachers for all that they give, but she finds the experience to be personally rewarding, too. “It’s a great opportunity for me to get to know the teachers and other students better.”
Education experts agree that when parents volunteer at school, it’s win-win all around. Students have more positive attitudes, better attendance rates, and higher grades and test scores. Morale among teachers increases. Parents develop more confidence in the school and a better understanding of their children. Communication improves all around.
It’s also a great way for parents to make new friends, adds Meena Caulfield, president of the Home and School Association and a committed volunteer ever since her first child enrolled at Sanford. (All four of her children now attend Sanford: Jasmine in grade 10; Alexandra in 9th; Adam, 6th; and Alina, 5th.) “I have gotten to know a lot of wonderful families,” she says. “Some of the best friends I have I met through volunteering. It really helps you to become part of the community.”
The Home and School Association is making a concerted effort this year to track volunteerism in order to recognize people for their contributions, but it hasn’t been easy, Caulfield admits. There are many volunteers helping in a myriad of ways. Just think of the events supported by Sanford parents: the school musical, end-of-season sports banquets, the Home and School auction, Grandparents’ Day, Student Union dances, prom, and so on.
Then there are those tasks that happen over and over again, week after week parents helping out in the classroom or the library, serving as homeroom moms, stuffing envelopes, or staffing concession stands. “Sanford gives so much to our children, and I feel that we all have a responsibility to give back to Sanford,” says volunteer Annmarie Long, mother of Trevor, grade 6, and Connor, grade 3. “There are so many ways to help.”
And it’s not just parents who volunteer. The Sanford community also benefits from the time and talents given by alumni, former parents, and friends.
A considerable amount of volunteer work takes place behind the scenes, invisible to the general Sanford community, but the positive results benefit everyone. In September, the Founders’ Day Award for service to Sanford was presented to Marc Ham, father of Lily Bieber-Ham ’07 and junior Mason Bieber-Ham. Head of School Douglas “Chip” MacKelcan praised Ham for his thousands of hours of volunteerism at Sanford. Ham has been a member of the Board of Trustees for 12 years, serving on the Executive, Finance, and other committees. He also served as one of the chairs of the Shaping Our Future Capital Campaign earlier in the decade
“We appreciate all the volunteers who so generously contribute their time, efforts, and talents to making Sanford the special place that it is,” MacKelcan adds. “Whatever they do, however much time they can give, it truly makes a difference.”
“sanford gives so much to our children, and i feel that we all have a responsibility to give back to sanford,” says volunteer
annmarie long, mother of trevor, grade 6, and connor, grade 3.
Sanford parent and tireless volunteer Marc Ham received the 2008 Founders’ Day award for service.
Eve Conti, parent of two Sanford students, contributed her time and talent to help make quilts on MLK Day.
Home & School News
Fiesta Night!
Our Fall Event was held on October 17th in the Stephen May Hall Commons. The theme was a very festive Fiesta Night! It was a casual evening of mingling for Sanford parents, faculty, administrators, and staff members. The packed house with over 170 guests enjoyed delicious Mexican hors d’oeuvres catered by the Cedillo Family (Sanford 12th grade parents) from Palacio Maya in Hockessin. A Mariachi band performed as everyone enjoyed margaritas in a relaxed atmosphere. Our Fall Event is a great time for our Sanford community to come together and meet new friends as well as catch up with old ones. A special “thank you” to the Fall Event Committee for a great job!
Meena Caulfield, Home & School President, 2008 – 2009
Sanford parent Paula McClellan with friend Barbara Trawick
Middle School teacher Todd Helmecki, SANFORD magazine editor Cheryl Fleming with husband Dan, and Sanford Health & Physical Education Chair Shannon Helmecki
Sanford parents Adele and Vince McIntosh with Cindy and Dave Sardo
Debbie MacKelcan and Sanford parents Natanael and Telma Cedillo
Sanford parents Steve McHugh and Martin O’Connor
Sanford Spanish instructor Sandra Cahill and Head of School Chip MacKelcan
Stephen Wallace, Chairman & CEO of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD)
Reality Gap The presentation explores the “reality gap” that often divides parents and teens and offers practical advice to help them improve family communication and strengthen their relationships. Using SADD’s groundbreaking research, Stephen speaks about underage drinking, other drug use, risky and impaired driving, sex, teen violence, and suicide. This event will also feature a student panel consisting of two seniors from Sanford, Tatnall, Tower Hill, and Wilmington Friends schools. Please pre-register for this event at: www.sanfordschool.org/stephenwallace.
Home & School Meetings
Wednesday, March 4, 2009 . Wednesday, May 20, 2009 . All Meetings begin at 7 p.m. . Stephen May Hall Commons
Auction Night: S AN fordopoly
Saturday, April 25, 2009
6 p.m.
Deerfield Country Club
Parents, family members, friends, alumni, faculty, staff members, and administrators are invited. Our auction chairs Amy Kuplinski, Kathy Zabel, Pam Allingham, and Janet Stern are working hard to make this a memorable evening that will benefit our children and our school.
Faculty Focus
Problem-based Learning Provides Enriched Experiences for Sanford Students
By Mary Anne Wells
For the past ten years, I have been working with the University of Delaware Mathematics & Science Education Resource Center to encourage teachers to use real world problems as a curricular tool. I have trained ninth grade teachers throughout Delaware to introduce the physics of motion using a problem called Who is the Fastest Person in the World? and, last year, teachers from Chester and Delaware Counties learned how to introduce climate change through the problem What’s All the Fuss about Global Warming? University of Delaware is an international leader in problem-based learning (PBL) and has been transforming undergraduate courses for the last twelve years. Barbara Duch, a leader in problem-based learning describes it as “an instructional method that challenges students to ‘learn to learn’,” working cooperatively in groups to seek solutions to real world problems. These problems are used to engage students’ curiosity and initiate learning the subject matter. PBL prepares students to think critically and analytically, and to find and use appropriate learning
Problem-based learning been used in medical schools for years, but in recent years has gained support from the educational research community and praise from teachers seeking freedom from constraints of textbooks. This method is not new to Sanford and is one of the attributes that set Sanford apart when I was researching schools for my two children seven years ago. I have seen problems engage students in all three divisions in a variety of contexts. Students in third grade study American history through the Oregon Trail unit and fourth graders experience the political process in the mock election unit each November. Students make contact with policy makers in the sixth grade unit on global climate change, and seniors apply their understanding of the human body in a virtual patient project in anatomy and physiology.
For the last three years, students in my standard physics classes have learned about Newton’s Laws through the problem, Jaime’s Mishap with School Bus #314. The students are introduced to a fictional crash scenario involving “Jaime,” a high school student who misreads the intention of a bus driver as she races from the school parking lot. As the problem unfolds, the students identify and research how factors such as reaction time, car speed, braking distance, driver distractions, and road conditions influence the motion of the vehicles.
Students are introduced to data collection using computerinterfaced force and acceleration probes. At the conclusion of the problem, students are challenged to design their own experiment related to vehicle collisions and safety. They begin by identifying a testable question and laboratory equipment list. Each group molds clay people and fastens them to specially designed cars with seat belts, if required, for the experiment. During data collection, collisions are taped with a highspeed camera so that the motion of cars and passengers can be later analyzed frame-by-frame. Graphical data and still frame pictures are then used as evidence to explain how Newton’s Three Laws of Motion are illustrated in the crash situation and determine the number of g’s (acceleration) the clay passengers endure during the collision. For example, Fig. 1 shows a still frame of a clay passenger about to collide with an airbag attached to a force sensor. In real time, the motion is too fast
Right: Fig. 1–
This model was designed to demonstrate the possible impact of a collision.
Below: Haydyn Johnson, Sarah Massaferi, and Lauren Fresconi present their research.
tackling real world challenges
for students to appreciate the true nature of the collision. In this project, Sanford students Balin Morrison and Marcus Thompson demonstrated how an unrestrained passenger could be projected underneath an air bag to the underside of a car dashboard.
Students recently concluded the project by presenting their research in a poster session modeled after those found at professional meetings. Each group organized its research onto a tri-fold presentation board. During the session, students and invited guests circulated around the room while teams described their experimentation and answered questions about their findings.
In addition to the classroom experimentation, Cpl. Joseph Aube from the Delaware State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit has joined us for the last three years to broaden student perspective beyond clay crash experimentation to the reality of real world crash scenarios. He first gives the students a glimpse of how he uses physics and mathematics to collect data and perform a variety of calculations describing the motion and forces involved in an accident scene. Cpl. Aube, who graduated with a degree in physical education from the University of Delaware, explains to the students that he never expected to be applying his high school physics and calculus courses to law enforcement. During his presentation he demonstrates how the speed and acceleration equations, learned by the students in the first trimester, are used to estimate the speed of cars just prior to impact. He then shows how Newton’s laws and conservation of momentum are used to reconstruct the collision from observation using crumpled fenders and the post-crash position of vehicles. The highlight of his visit is a simulation using his police car in which he accelerates to 30 miles per hour and slams on the brakes, laying down 50-60 ft skid marks on the roadway in front of the Middle School. He demonstrates how keen observation skills and accurate data collection are essential to properly documenting a fresh accident scene.
The problem-based approach was used in a different way in the senior science seminar course for students interested in
learning about engineering. One of the major components of the course is participation in the National Engineering Design Challenge (www.jets.org). The challenge gives students the opportunity to learn about the engineering process through a real world engineering problem. This year the team was challenged to design an assistive technology device that could enable a person with a severe disability to increase her productivity in the workplace. Peggy Beattie, mother of senior Alex Beattie, agreed to collaborate with us on the project.
Mrs. Beattie is a research planning coordinator at the DuPont Experimental Station. She has been using a wheelchair for nearly seventeen years after suffering a spinal cord injury from a car accident. Mrs. Beattie visited our class to describe her needs and the accommodations made by DuPont in her office area and laboratory. Unfortunately, she is unable to fully utilize the upper shelves of these spaces and the grippers currently on the market are not designed to retrieve oddly shaped items such as laboratory glassware.
The class visited Mrs. Beattie’s office and lab last fall to research her needs and began the brainstorming process with the help of DuPont mechanical engineers Vince Keedy and Kirstin Shilkitus. The most promising designs were selected by the team for prototyping and testing. The class decided to design a grabber device that would lift commercially available AkroBin® storage containers, which Mrs. Beattie was already utilizing in her laboratory. After several iterations of the engineering process, a final working prototype was successfully used by Mrs. Beattie in her office and laboratory. While some members of the class worked on prototyping, other members worked on tasks including AkroBin® research, marketing, testing protocols, computerized images, and editing the
Peggy Beattie came to Sanford to explain her needs to the engineering students.
Cpl. Aube (right, foreground) enlists the help of junior Kyle Smith to measure skid marks.
Faculty Focus
Problem-based Learning Provides Enriched Experiences for Sanford Students, continued
fourteen-page written report submitted on December 12, 2008. The class learned on December 19, 2008 that their project had been selected as one of 27 national semi-finalists in the challenge. Sub-teams of students continued to work on all aspects of the project and prepare for the semi-finals submission, which involved the production of a six-minute video presentation. The students learned on January 16, 2009 that they had received a runner-up award in the final round, which recognized their work as one of the top twelve projects in the nation!
The Sanford motto No Talent Lies Latent was fully realized during the design, prototyping, and presentation processes. Each student brought unique talents and ideas that contributed to the success of the device and NEDC
project submissions. Student team members included Alex Beattie, Sarah Brennan, Megan Brown, Dan Greene, Aryeh Kuller, Seung Tae Lee, David Libert, Liz McCarthy, Katrina Medoff, Lauren Ritter, Jesse Taylor, and Cameron Vansant. The students will continue to refine the device throughout the remainder of the school year and learn about the patent process with the help of DuPont patent attorney Mark Kuller, the father of Aryeh Kuller, and the manufacturing process with the help of our engineering mentors from DuPont.
Traditional methods of instruction typically involve knowledge acquisition before knowledge application. At Sanford, we strive to integrate problem-based learning with traditional teaching practice to produce learners who can acquire knowledge while gaining proficiency at tackling real world challenges.
During the research and brainstorming phase of the National Engineering Design Challenge, students visited Peggy Beattie’s laboratory at DuPont.
Kudos Kudos Kudos To...
OnCampus
our Ap ScHolArS
More than 30 current and former Sanford School students have earned the designation of AP Scholar by the College Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on college-level Advanced Placement Program (AP) Exams. Students take AP Exams in May of each year, after completing collegelevel courses at Sanford School.
Two students qualified for the National AP Scholar Award by earning an average grade of 4 or higher on a five-point scale on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 4 or higher on eight or more exams. These students are Brittany Bowman ’08 and Brian Nachbar ’08.
Twelve students qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken and grades of 3 or higher on five or more exams. The students are Louis Baum ’09, Christopher Bobbitt ’08, Jin Chen ’08, Christopher Copeland ’09, Natasha Frosina ’08, Sarah Greenwood ’08, Whitney King ’08, Evan McLauglin ’08, Niel Rosenthalis ’08, Sean Ryon ’08, Saran Singh ’08, Nikhil Sitaram ’08, and Suchit Tuli ’08.
Six students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more exams. The students are Ryan John ’08, Kathryn Potter ’08, Emily Stewart ’08, Ian Thresher ’08, and Ella Wagner ’09
Twelve students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by receiving grades of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams. The AP Scholars are Nicole Dabkowski ’08, Robert Inskip ’08, Kane Kalas ’08, Ariel Majidi ’09, Katrina Medoff ’09, Alex Olivieri ’08, Kelly Reynolds ’08, Lauren Ritter ’09, Tommy Rogers ’08, Brice Struthers ’08, Brian Thresher ’09, and Richard Townsend ’09.
The College Board’s Advanced Placement 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 1.6 million students worldwide who took AP Exams performed at a sufficiently high level to earn an AP Scholar Award.
our NAtioNAl MErit ScHolArSHip SEMifiNAliStS
Three Sanford seniors have been named 2009 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists.
The semifinalists are Katie Brown, Chris Copeland, and Ella Wagner These students have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 8,200 Merit Scholarship awards, worth more than $35 million, that will be offered in the spring.
To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements and advance to the finalist level of the competition. About 90 percent of the semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing and approximately half of the finalists will be selected as Merit Scholarship winners, earning the Merit Scholar® title.
The National Merit Scholarship Program, administered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies.
AN outStANdiNg StudENt WritEr
E
lla Wagner was selected as a third-place winner in the Delaware Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Essay Scholarship contest. Ella, whose essay focused on the topic 1860 Candidate Lincoln’s Middle Path on Slavery: Too Little or Just Right?, received a $5,000 scholarship. In addition, Ella and the other winners were recently honored at the Delaware Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Dinner at the Chase Riverfront Center, in Wilmington, Delaware. The contest was administered by the Delaware Higher Education Commission (DHEC) and sponsored by the Delaware Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and the State of Delaware, in collaboration with The Lincoln Club of Delaware.
Ella Wagner
Katie Brown
Chris Copeland
“Abe” congratulates Ella Wagner during the award presentation where she received a $5,000 scholarship.
Many fall festivities graced the beautiful Sanford campus. Here are snapshots from just a few of the events that engaged, informed, and inspired our community.
S rtc ’ S pr ESEN tAtio N of The House of Blue Leaves
7th Grade Vermont Class Trip
Mrs. Bloom’s Fourth Grade Biography Day
Above: Nick Madden controlled the spotlight.
Right: Zöe Batt and Richard Townsend delivered outstanding performances.
Left: Jaclyn Rosa was pure gold as Francisco Vasquez.
Lower left: Thomas Gluodenis, as Benjamin Franklin, electrified the audience.
Below: Hannah Wissner was a wonderful Clara Barton.
Seventh grade students met in an old barn at each day’s end for games, activities, and the occasional photograph.
Students maneuver planks as a group to allow traveling from stump to stump.
Sophomores Emily Simonton and Jasmine Caulfield met briefly with the senator following his presentation.
Senator Carper speaks to Sanford students.
Maya Ram bravely takes the challenge of the tire while climbing the ropes course.
Buddies Book Exchange
Olivia Thompson (right) shares a book with Rachel Ritter. Eighth-grade students shared their favorite books from earlier years with
Matthew Lupton, Matty Healy, Tyler Wahl, Steven Torres, and Phillip McNeil test the water’s pH at Stroud Water Research Center.
Clem is one of Lower School’s favorite guests every year.
Clem’s messages focused on this year’s Lower School project, I Promise to be Honest
Rachael Straightiff searches for life in the stream at the Avondale, Pennsylvania facility.
Katie Moloney, Jacob Emanuel, and Morgan Gregg test the water’s clarity.
homecoming 2008
Editor’s Note: Upper School English teacher Helen Vermeychuk, better known to many members of the Sanford community as Ms. Verm, died suddenly last year. To honor the memory of this beloved teacher, the Class of 2008 created a garden in Chapel Valley. You can read more about A Garden Built With Love in the Fall 2008 issue of SANFORD magazine.
Ms. Verm’s garden dedication
The dedication of the Helen Vermeychuk Memorial Garden was one of the key highlights of this year’s Homecoming celebration. Tyler Shields, President of the Class of 2008, presided over the ceremony. Speakers for the event included Head of School Chip MacKelcan, Upper School history teacher Lloyd Johns, senior Ella Wagner, and alumni who helped to build the garden. Helen’s husband, Greg, also shared his thoughts and feelings and joined Chip in unveiling the commemorative plaque that rests in the garden.
Class of 2008 members Tyler Shields, Evan McLaughlin, Sarah Greenwood, Whitney King, Saran Singh, and Ryan John gather in the garden.
The inscription on the plaque includes the opening line from Hope is the Thing with Feathers, one of Helen’s favorite poems.
Greg Vermeychuk and Chip MacKelcan
The varied garden is adorned with wind chimes, birdhouses, and hummingbird feeders.
in addition to the garden dedication, Homecoming featured an array of activities for alumni, students, and Sanford friends and families. Here are a few images that captured the spirit of the celebration.
Head of School Chip MacKelcan (center) is surrounded by Alumni Award winners
Lee Thomas ’98, Juan Espadas ’88, Jon Boulet ’93 and Mitch Hill ’73.
These supportive spouses are Gail Jack, wife of Bill ’88 and Ellynne Davis, wife of Jim ’57.
The alumni field hockey game was a hit for (kneeling) Patti Dodd-Catalano ’87, Michelle Carney Haygood ’86, and (standing) Joan Hayes Rhyne ’77, Maureen Reardon ’68, Jackie Pitts ’55, Marcia Merena Conkey ’87 with her son Jackson, Peggy Long Roca ’76AA, Caron Anderson Kotschessa ’69, Kathy Moon Hughes ’68, Patti Davis Reynolds ’76, Shellie Hills-Riggs ’78 with daughter Devon, and Beth Merena Kretzing ’82.
Ben Wilson ’58 and Candy Wilson ’58 returned to their alma mater.
Ariadne Orsini Jacobs ’58, Perry Vitale ’58, and Rosalie Vitale enjoyed the 50th Anniversary Luncheon.
Sanford students Tim Eggen, Eva Philippi, and Rob Nutini
Richard Kotschessa, Caron Anderson-Kotschessa ’69, Pam Crandall ’68, Kathy Moon Hughes ’68, Bobbi Blake ’68, Mark Zybas ’68, Helen Wright Ruff ’68, Jackie Pitts ’55, and Pete Jennings ’68 reminisce in front of the War Memorial.
homecoming 2008
When he’s not coaching boys’ and girls’ soccer, Old Man Sanford Rich Cropper rallies the Warrior troops.
With support from the Spirit Squad led by Claire Messano (right), Lower School student Nick Marcozzi takes his shot at pinning the mustache on Mr. MacKelcan.
Earl Lacy ’02 makes a move during the alumni basketball game.
Upper School students put on the pressure as they compete for the spirit stick.
Latrece Hopkins, student-teacher Amanda Shotyk, Sami Weinstein, Claire Jester, and Abigail Wahl show their Sanford spirit.
Jacob Lafferty says, “Go Warriors!”
Head of School Chip MacKelcan (center) welcomes returning Sanford basketball players (kneeling) Kyle Altshuler ’06, Samer Madarani ’08, Mike Williams ’01, Morgyn Demby ’06, Jordan Moon ’05, Courtney Kendall ’03, Rachel Denis ’07, Azeez Ellegood ’07, and (standing) Chris Hines ’86, Hank Allingham ’06, Purnell Jones ’84, Ryan John ’08, Arden Miller ’96, Aaron Holden ’99, Obi Nwabara ’07, Leon Wilson ’05, Earl Lacy ’02, Edwin Santiago ’07, Tyrone Harper ’05, and NaTasha Howard ’02.
Jackie pitts Celebrates 50 Years at Sanford
lassmates, colleagues, friends, and students past and present turned out in force for a Homecoming dinner and tribute to Jackie Pitts ’55, now in her 50th year as a Sanford School teacher.
“People ask me when I intend to retire, and I tell them in another 50 years,” Jackie said, adding that she tells people she has 2,382 children the number of students she has taught since 1959.
Actually, Jackie had broached the subject of retirement seven or eight years ago, but Head of School Douglas “Chip” MacKelcan would have none of it. “What would you have done if you were in my position?” he asked. “I told her that she was still wanted and needed at Sanford, and I can be as stubborn as Jackie.”
Physical education instructor and coach Chip Mayo, emcee for the tribute program, noted that Jackie Pitts is a Sanford icon. Indeed, of the evening’s attendees, only two predated Jackie at Sanford: Marnie Sawin Langerak ’43 and Bill Sawin ’45, children of founder Ellen Quigley Sawin. Jackie’s first experience with Sanford was in the summer of 1943, when she attended a sleepaway camp here. She loved it so much, she said, that she begged her mother to allow her to attend Sanford’s Upper School. She graduated in 1955, earned a bachelor’s degree from Saint Lawrence University, and then returned to her alma mater as a math teacher, coach and dorm parent.
She has coached lacrosse, field hockey, and basketball, served as athletic director, and acted as faculty adviser to a slew of students’ clubs, from the Travel Club of the 1960s and ’70s to the No Talent Lies Latent Club established in the 1990s to provide service on campus. A talented photographer, Jackie chronicles many campus events, and her long association with Sanford has made her the school’s unofficial and frequently consulted historian. When the converted barn that was
By Theresa Gawlas Medoff
Stephen May Hall had to be razed, Jackie organized Stephen May Day, an event attended by more alumni than any other in recent memory. It was Jackie who suggested and helped to institute the moving, annual school-wide commemoration of Memorial Day.
Through all the changes over the past five decades the gradual demise of the farm, the switch from boarding to day school, growth in enrollment, and shifts in administrations Jackie has been a steady presence at Sanford. “The thing that has really been consistent throughout the years at Sanford is that teachers truly like the students and students like their teachers,” Jackie said. “We are a caring school, and that has been true throughout our history.”
Alumni from the 1950s through the early 2000s have witnessed Jackie’s athletic prowess. While she was coaching students at Sanford, she also was making a name for herself internationally as a talented lacrosse player and coach. Jackie played on the U.S. women’s lacrosse team for 15 years and coached it for 8, leading the team to its first world championship in 1982. She has been inducted into the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame and the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
She is known for calculating on the fly math facts such as “I am 20,448 days older than the average age of my current students” (but still younger than John McCain, she added). She remains remarkably vigorous. Sarina Pasricha ’00 still remembers the day Coach Pitts cart-wheeled down the field to celebrate a hard-fought victory. When Jackie learned about zip-lining from current students, she vowed to do it and she did, this past summer at Icy Point, Alaska, zipping down a 1300-foot vertical drop at 60 miles per hour.
Jackie also is known for her “Pitticisms.” “Life is all about creating memories,” she likes to say, or “Life is like a bag of potato chips: you can’t stop at just one, you have to eat it all up.”
Most important of all, Jackie embodies the ideals espoused by Mother Sawin the belief that every child could succeed, that everyone has special talents, and that it is the mission of Sanford to prepare students to be honest, caring, and productive members of society. Jackie received a standing ovation at her tribute dinner, and she replied with characteristic modesty: “I am overwhelmed. You all of you are my family. This evening is really about Sanford and each of you, because you have made me who I am today.”
Jackie greets event speaker Sarina Pasricha ’00 and her mother Sadhana.
Jackie Pitts ’55
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards identify and document outstanding achievement of young artists and writers in the visual and literary arts. Each year, 250,000 students in grades 7 through 12 participate through regional programs and 50,000 students receive regional awards and exhibition opportunities. In addition, graduating high school seniors who submit portfolios of their work have the opportunity to compete for more than $1.5 million in scholarships from colleges and universities across the country.
This year, Delaware’s award recipients were recognized on February 14th at Delaware State University in Dover. During the ceremony, 41 Sanford students were honored for outstanding work including seniors Sarah Lamming and Katy Wiedemann who received gold keys for portfolios. The table on the right shows Sanford’s Scholastic art award winners.
Clockwise (from above):
Craig Waegerle’s Eye, Sarah Halbert’s Curious Dog, Katy Wiedemann’s Reaper, and Miranda Warrington’s Contemplation of the Complex
Student Title of Work Category Award
Joe Balascio Crash
Mason Bieber-Ham Cupid’s Love Potion
Video and Film Honorable Mention
Video and Film Honorable Mention Dream Girl
Video and Film Silver Key
Howard Blake I Am Me Drawing Silver Key
Emily Bloom Motion Painting Merit
Jasmine Caulfield Speedy Gonzalas
Matt Clendaniel Ant on Leaf
Hans Crompton Crash
Video and Film Honorable Mention
Mixed Media Silver Key
Video and Film Honorable Mention
Jennefer Ehret Hercules Sculpture Gold Key
Anna Filak My Musical Instruments Design: Graphic Honorable Mention
Alec Georigi A Soldier Drawing Silver Key
Ocean Gibson Funky Flower Computer Art Honorable Mention
Katharine Grandel Makeshift Computer Art Honorable Mention
Sam Grandel A Hand In My Generation Design: Graphic Honorable Mention
Sarah Halbert Mischievous Girl
Photography: Analog Honorable Mention Curious Dog
Photography: Analog Silver Key
Emma Heberton The Emmas Design: Graphic Silver Key
Phoebe Hering Wistful Observation Drawing Gold Key entre la vie et la mort Sculpture Silver Key
Scott Humphreys Obama Ad Video and Film Honorable Mention Steroids
Sarah Johnson Of Me
Video and Film Honorable Mention
Drawing Honorable Mention Lost in the Stacks
Sarah Lamming American Novels
Lou Reed is All I Need
Video and Film Silver Key
Photography: Digital Gold Key
Photography: Analog Gold Key Caspy!
Tables and Chairs
Love Will Tear Us Apart
Photography: Analog Gold Key
Photography: Analog Gold Key
Photography: Analog Gold Key A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Blinking Lights
I Hate My Face
David Levine Caught in the Act
Photography: Analog Gold Key
Photography: Analog Gold Key
Photography: Analog Gold Key
Photography: Analog Silver Key
Ally Leviton Abstract Mixed Media Honorable Mention
Will Lewis Self-Portrait of Will Lewis Drawing Silver Key
Ariel Majidi Lost in the Stacks
Video and Film Silver Key
Nicholas Meehan Gloopy N Design: Graphic Honorable Mention
Anna Moloy Fall
Mixed Media Gold Key
Student Title of Work Category Award
Aaron Moyer Obama Ad Video and Film Honorable Mention Steroids
Carly Pemberton Obama Ad
Video and Film Honorable Mention
Video and Film Honorable Mention Steroids
Video and Film Honorable Mention
Gabbie Petrelli Through Shadowed Eyes Photography - Analog Honorable Mention
T.J. Potter Speedy Gonzalas
Video and Film Honorable Mention
Emily Regan Eyes Sculpture Silver Key
Nathaniel Reynolds Do You really Want to Play Sculpture Silver Key
Cristina Riegel swirling wind Drawing Silver Key
Lauren Ritter Peachy Keen Set Ceramics & Glass Silver Key
Gillian Sheffy Set of 4 Ceramics & Glass Honorable Mention
Julianne Shenton Cupid’s Love Potion
Video and Film Honorable Mention
Dream Girl Video and Film Silver Key
Joshua Smith Smart Cap logo Design: Graphic Honorable Mention
Craig Waegerle Eye Computer Art Silver Key
Kevin Walpole Cupid’s Love Potion Video and Film Honorable Mention Dream Girl Video and Film Silver Key
Liam Walsh Court Sculpture Silver
Reflection Incineration
Global Warming
Night Shower: Despondency
Clockwise (from center):
Katy Wiedemann’s A Very Short Man and Global Warming, Will Lewis’s Self Portrait of Will Lewis, and Sarah Lamming’s Tables and Chairs
spotlight on aTHLETiCS
if you like puzzles, you should consider being a coach. Day after day, season after season, year after year, I observe the Sanford coaches in action as they try to solve the puzzle of preparing our teams for action. It’s as if someone has dumped the box of puzzle pieces on the table and has asked the coach to fit all the pieces together to create a finished product. Individual pieces look the same every day, but somehow each day brings a new twist of how those pieces will fit together! Every member of the team brings his/her own new challenges to practice and game situations. These challenges affect each athlete’s performance, which, in turn, affects decisions made by the coaching staff. It is, in many ways, the same, but different, each day that a team gathers together.
One constant in the Sanford athletic program is the expectation that all participants will display a high level of good sportsmanship. I am delighted to report that both the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams have been honored by IAABO Board # 11 of basketball officials as recipients of the Elijah Towns Sportsmanship Award for the 2008 season! It was reported to me, by the officials’ organization, that they could not remember ever having one school receive this boys’ and girls’ team award in the same year. Congratulations to the players and coaches on this wonderful achievement.
As the winter season rapidly progresses, I invite you show your SANFORD SPIRIT and come out to cheer on your favorite Sanford team!
GO WARRIORS!!!
Joan S. Samonisky, Director of Athletics
SOCCEr FiELD HOCKEY
spotlight on aTHLETiCS CrOSS COuNTrY
VOLLEYBaLL
Season Awards
BoyS’ SoccEr
State tournament participant
All ConferenCe
first Team: Kevin Walpole, Brandon Wollaston, Aaron Moyer
Second Team: Tim Eggen, Scott Humphreys
Honorable Mention: Brian Thresher, Jordan Poarch
All STATe
first Team: Kevin Walpole
Second Team: Brandon Wollaston
Senior All-Star Game: Kevin Walpole, Brandon Wollaston
fiEld HockEy
State tournament participant
All ConferenCe
first Team: Diana Aulisa, Morgan Ayars
Second Team: Amanda Noel, Emily Simonton, Katie Zubrow, Sukey Hendrix
All STATe
Second Team: Diana Aulisa
Senior All Star Game: Diana Aulisa
croSS couNtry
All ConferenCe
first Team: Hannah Wagner, Wil Anderson
All County: Lilla Alchon, Hannah Wagner, Wil Anderson
VollEyBAll
All ConferenCe
Second Team: Gillian Sheffy
Honorable Mention: Miranda Warrington
Senior All Star Game: Gillian Sheffy, Miranda Warrington
development Update
i would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself in my new capacity at Sanford, Director of Development. Many of you have known me during my 17 years as a Sanford parent, culminating with the graduation of our younger child in June of 2008. I have enjoyed volunteering at Sanford over the years, including being involved with the Home & School Association, serving on the Board of Trustees, and chairing Community of Concern. The Sanford community is dear to me, and I look forward to serving the school in this new way.
Alumni: My goal is to contact each and every one of you to say hello, to listen to your ideas and concerns, and to update your contact information. I hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to truly voice your thoughts or advise us on how we at Sanford can better serve your needs. If you would like to beat me to the punch, feel free to get in touch with me first, either by e-mail at kings@sanfordschool.org or by phone at 302-239-5263, ext. 279.
Over the next few years, in response to both the strategic plan developed earlier this decade and the recent parent survey, I hope to involve all of the Sanford community in finding a way to bring a performing arts facility to our beautiful campus. I hope you will all help me in this effort.
I am thrilled to be a member of the administration, and I look forward to working with each and every one of you. Thank you for the warm welcome I have already received.
Sandy King, Director of Development
Sandy King
Jennie and Sarah Wells invite you to join us for Homecoming 2009.
Sanford Alumni Notes Sanford Alumni Notes
Alook back...
StEpHEN MAy QuiZ
1. For whom was Stephen May Hall named? 2 points
The Fireplace Classroom in (old) Stephen May Hall served in a variety of capacities including Mr. Pirnie’s English classroom, Nancy Sawin’s geometry and world cultures classroom, student lounge, Nancy’s office, and Nora Yates’ office.
How much do you recall about Sanford’s early years?
Win a Sanford T-shirt by taking the quizzes below. Submit your answers to Jackie Pitts ’55 at alumni@sanfordschool.org by June 1, 2009. The contestant who acquires the most points in each contest wins a T-shirt. If there is a tie, the earliest submission wins. Each quiz will have a winner.
pEoplE QuiZ
1. Name the four students around the chessboard (left to right). 4 points
2. Name the six students facing the fireplace (front to back). 6 points
3. Name the student standing at the fireplace. 1 point
2. What year was the school barn converted to Stephen May Hall? 2 points
3. Which graduating class was the first to use “new” Stephen May Hall? 2 points
4. What three major items were saved and incorporated into new Stephen May? 6 points
5. What was under the “old” Stephen May stage? 2 points
6. The original barn silo was converted into _______. 2 points
7. The basement of the silo was part of _______. 2 points
8. What “school activity” took place on the fifth floor of “old” Stephen May? 2 points
9. The third floor, west-facing room in “old” Stephen May was called _______. 2 points
10. Name the type of wood from which the wood paneling (see photo) was made. 5 points
Answers from the last issue: Many thanks to all who sent submissions for our last quiz. The winner was Beth (Taylor) Morgera, Class of 1971. Beth was the first to submit an entry with all of the coaches identified correctly. E-mailing us just 71 minutes later (also with all the correct answers) was Patricia (Whitaker) Morris, Class of l970, who will also receive a Sanford T-shirt.
Here are the correct responses:
Front row: Darwin White, Don Frazier, Bill Hughes, and Commander Aydelott
Back row: Terry Mills, Pete McGassin, Jim King, and Bill McKinley
Look for the answers, and the names of the quiz winners, in the next issue of SANFORD magazine.
Sanford Alumni Notes Sanford Alumni Notes
Wendy Townsend Swift ’46 is still involved in working with the family business www.algorquinoutfitters.com (wilderness canoe trips in Ontario, Canada), traveling, and enjoying family gatherings. She still attends college reunions and keeps up with friends.
Linda Sipprelle ’52 is currently vice president of the Friends of the Davis International Center at Princeton University. The Friends are volunteers who provide English instruction to international students and their spouses. She is also president of the Republican Association of Princeton and campaign manager for her husband Dudley’s candidacy for the Princeton Borough Council.
Bob Crawford ’54 wrote to us saying, “To retard the aging process, I participated in the DALMAC bike tour in September 2008, which went from Lansing, MI to the Mackinac Bridge, in Mackinaw City, MI, or 320 miles in four days. I made it with one very sore posterior. I ended up making a good part of the tour with Team Oberon, a group of decidedly younger bikers wearing Oberon Beer shirts. We formed a pace line a good part of the way. The first biker in line, like the proverbial goose leading a “vee” formation, takes the brunt of the wind, while those following are “drafting” and therefore expending considerably less effort. Eventually, the lead person drops off and the next person takes over. I was not sure whether I could do my part but managed to do so with only a sore butt and creaking knees. The disadvantage to a pace line
is that the only scenery one sees is the rear end of the biker immediately in front, although that can have its own visual impact. A pace line requires a lot of concentration, and I now appreciate what the US Postal Team of Lance Armstrong and company experienced in the Tour de France. That particular race, I think, I will postpone until my reincarnation. My greetings to all at Sanford.”
The International Franchise Association (IFA) has named John Squires ’67, Franchisee of the Year. John is the owner of a Home Helpers/Direct Link franchise. He was honored for his outstanding performance and also for his contributions that have enhanced the growth and development of franchising. In business for 5 years, John’s franchise has more than 140 caregivers. John commented about the award: “Being honored in DC was wonderful, but our PR firm missed the real point — that the award was not for me. Rather, it is for a great group of caregivers and a management team that shares the same vision of being the most trusted and respected provider of home care products and services in our area. In a way, this is to thank them for making a difference every day.”
Left to right: Jim Neve of ADP Small Business Services, Franchise Appreciation Day founding sponsor, John Squires, IFA Award Winner, and John Francis, IFA Franchisee Forum Chairman and PostNet International Corporation franchisee
S ANFORD C ONNECTIONS : Members of the Class of 1968 gathered for Homecoming
Front row: Helen Wright Ruff, Bobbi Blake, Stephanie Tramdack Cash, Kathy Moon Hughes, Mo Reardon. Back row: Pete Jennings, Mark Zybas, Larry Silver, Pam Crandall, Craig Friend, Bill Abbott
A few members of the Class of 1968 reunited during the alumni soccer game. L to R: Mark Zybas, Pam Crandall, Helen Wright Ruff, Bobbi Blake, Kathy Moon Hughes and Pete Jennings
Alumni Pete Jennings ’68 and Andrew DeSantis ’08 run for the ball during the Homecoming soccer game.
Sanford Alumni Notes Sanford Alumni Notes
Debbie Crowell Deveney ’69 told us she was sorry to have missed Homecoming and Jackie’s celebration. Her daughter, Krista, was married that day inn Phoenixville, Pa. Sanford grad and cousin, Rev. Heather Shortlidge ’97, performed the ceremony. Shown below is a photo of Debbie’s mom, Gail Carson Crowell ’50, with all her grandchildren at the wedding Brianna Shumate, Allison, Emily and Melissa Crowell (daughters of Jeff Crowell ’74); Tyler Cressman, (son of Jackie Crowell Sham ’70); Nate Deveney (Debbie’s son),
and Krista and Phillip Coffman.
Debbie also told us that she had dinner in November with Shelly Hutchinson Dunmire ’69, Paula Middleton Szczuka ’69 and her sister, Jackie Crowell Sham ’70, as they all happened to be in town at the same time.
Larry Love ’68 visited with Marci Peller ’69 when he went to Las Vegas during the summer.
“This was the first time we had seen one another in 40 years. It was so good to see him. We caught up on so much. I can’t wait until the next time he’s back in Vegas,” Marci told us.
Laura Lee Connell Morris ’72 wrote to say she and her daughters, Julia and Madeline, attended and enjoyed the dinner at Homecoming held in Jackie Pitt’s ’55 honor. The photo shows Laura with Henry Stevenson ’72 and Howie Greenblatt ’72
Phaisal Vejpongsa ’74, who lives in Thailand, recently contacted us and said, “It’s been quite a long time since I have contacted the school. I have good memories and am having a great time here now. I have my own business and a great family. Thanks to you all and maybe someday I will come back and see the campus.”
As part of Fee Sepahi’s ’79 quest to earn an MBA, after all these years, he took a trip with his Arcadia cohort to Costa Rica, where he studied the functions of a developing economy. As part of his free day and his commitment to learn something new every year, he took up rowing on the Schuylkill River in July; he chose to take a canopy safari in the coastal region of Costa Rica, called Manuel Antonio National Park. In the photo, he is zip lining, hundreds of feet from the ground and between trees which are hundreds meters apart! He also repelled down two trees neither of which he had done before!
Please note: Class of ’79 — Your 30th class reunion is quickly approaching! In an effort to have a successful reunion, a few of your classmates have requested that you contact them about a get-together. Ann Gillespie can be reached at pag2809@ yahoo.com, Faith Whittington at faithwhittington@juno.com, and Fee Sepahi at smilingfans@ hotmail.com. If you are available, please plan to participate in this event.
The ladies listen as Jackie Pitts ’55 imparts words of wisdom during the alumni field hockey game at Homecoming.
Sanford Alumni Notes Sanford Alumni Notes
Cynthia Balint ’81 received a master of engineering degree from the University of Michigan in April ’08.
Diana Waters Gantt ’81 dropped us a note saying, “Hello to all my Sanford alumni. I hope the year of 2008 was good for all. Please stay in touch for a Sanford reunion next year!”
Nick Darling ’96 is a lieutenant in the Navy submarine community, currently on shore duty at Sub-base New London, CT. He has been married for almost 2 years to Rachel Yeakinson. They live with their cat, Taylor, in their new home, purchased in December 2007, in Groton, CT. Nick told us, he recently caught up with Kathryn O’Shea Worden ’96, in Providence, RI and Raja Ramachandran ’96, in Boston, MA.
Erin Arruda Timmer ’96 received her master of education degree in May 2008 from Gratz College, in Philadelphia. She continues to teach at Abington Friends School.
Bryan Wilburn ’96 told us that he’s engaged to Rebecca Palmer of Oxford, PA. They plan to marry in June 2009.
Jeffrey Gill ’97 obtained his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in June 2008. He and his wife, Anja, and daughter, Sophia, have relocated to Germany where Jeffrey works for Booz, Allen in Munich.
Daria Karp ’97 and Alex Klenert were married on June 22, 2008. The wedding and reception took place at The Rockwood Center, in
Wilmington, Delaware. Daria and Alex live in Manhattan, where Daria is an associate producer for The Martha Stewart Show.
Janet Ginnard-Perry ’97 and her husband Ben have moved from England to Geneva, Switzerland. She tells us the landscape is spectacular! Janet is now trying to learn French.
Pam Dixon Ventola ’97 is a clinical psychologist and joined the faculty of Yale Medical School in July. She works in the Autism Clinic.
Michael Stadnisky ’01 has just started the fourth year of his PhD at the University of Virginia and has recently been accepted into the Biotechnology Training Program, an NIH-funded interdisciplinary program that brings together basic scientists and engineers. Recently, Mike planned and hosted the Biotechnology Training Program Minority Day which brought students from Historically Black Universities in Virginia to UV to learn more about graduate school and careers in biotech. He is planning to submit his first-author paper very soon. In addition, some of his work will be presented at the eleventh meeting of the Society of Natural Immunity in Perth, Australia in late October.
Mike also continues to be very active outside of the laboratory, serving as Chair of the Range Community, a group of graduate students living in Thomas Jefferson’s Academical Village. In addition, he has continued to run with the Charlottesville Track Club and has clocked two personal best 10K times this
past fall 38:45 at the US 10K Classic in Atlanta (49th overall out of 15,000) and 37:46 in the Pepsi 10K in Charlottesville (7th overall, 2nd age group). He plans to compete in the 5000m this spring against collegiate athletes at University of Virginia and Virginia Tech track meets.
Jaime Lareau ’02 told us she became engaged in August 2008 to Adam Morgan. He is a friend of Justin’s (Lareau) ’00. The wedding is planned for October 2009 in Delaware.
Tori Foster ’04 is now settled in South Korea, where she will be living for the next year. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Richmond in May with BAs in English/ theatre and psychology, and she received a Fulbright grant to teach conversational English in a Korean elementary school. Here is part of a press release, from the University of Richmond, dated May 8th, 2008:
Five University of Richmond seniors have been awarded grants by the U.S. Department of State’s 2007-08 Fulbright Program for a year of international post-graduate study, research and teaching.
Tori Foster of Landenburg, Pa., and Laurie Knies of Wantage, N.J., Va., were awarded English teaching assistantship grants. The students were among approximately 1,200 recipients nationwide.
Foster, a psychology and combined English-theatre major, will teach English to elementary school children in South Korea. Adopted at birth in South Korea, Foster will return for six weeks of orientation in Chuncheon and then be placed somewhere in the country to teach. While at Richmond, Foster worked
as a tutor in the Writing Center and performed in several theater productions, including “Macbeth” and “Tegonni: An African Antigone.” She is the daughter of Bennett and Dale Foster and a graduate of Sanford School in Hockessin, Del.
Tory told us she is very excited (and a bit nervous) to be embarking on this adventure! She said, “It’s giving me a chance to explore my background, draw on my education and experiences, and gain huge insight into another culture and way of life. Also, receiving the grant this past spring was particularly meaningful to me because Ms. Verm helped me during the application process with one of her sought-after recommendations.”
Nicole Dabkowski ’08 recently told us she is enjoying her freshman year at Clemson University. She is currently an engineering student. At this writing, Nicole was looking forward to a Clemson victory in the Gator Bowl over Nebraska on January 1, 2009. Go Tigers!
Adam Morgan and Jaime Lareau ’02
Sanford Alumni Notes Sanford Alumni Notes
Nina Antani ’06 displays Her Sanford pride
While traveling in the Swiss Alps
Nina Antani, Class of 2006, is the first alumnus to send us a photo while traveling with her Sanford 2008 – 2009 rally towel.*
A junior at the University of Richmond, Nina is studying abroad this semester through a Harvard program which is associated with the World Health Organization. Her travels include visits to Switzerland, India, China, and South Africa.
The rally towel, designed by Mitch Hill ’73, is given to alumni who contribute to the 2008 – 2009 Annual Fund. Locally, Sanford fans use the towel to show their spirit at sporting events. However, for alumni who live too far away to cheer on a Sanford team, we ask that you travel with the towel. That’s right…when traveling, take your picture with the towel at a special place. Then, send the picture to the Development Office. When possible, photos will be published in SANFORD magazine or featured on the Sanford Website.
Please send your photos/stories with the Sanford rally towel to mosem@sanfordschool.org. You also may send materials via U.S. mail to: Sanford School, Development Office, PO Box 888, Hockessin, DE 19707.
Make sure you check out every issue of Alumni Notes to see where your fellow Sanford alumni have traveled.
*The 2008 – 2009 rally towels are available until June 30, 2009. Get yours today by making a gift online at: www.sanfordschool.org.
Dana McCauley Mort and Bryce
in Memoriam
We extend our deepest sympathy to families and friends of these members of the Sanford community.
...with deepest sympathy
Bob Mingus ’37 passed away on November 26, 2008. His wife, Peg, told us he had been in failing health, but that his death came peacefully. Bob had been the president of the first graduating class. Peg said, “Bob always had fond memories of his time at Sanford. The school did a lot for him during his time there.”
From the family of Doug Wilson ’47, “We mourn the sudden death of our beloved husband and father, Douglas Brownlow Wilson, while doing yard work at his home in Boulder, Colorado, on September 4th. He was 78. Born in 1930 to Scottish ranchers in Cimarron, New Mexico, he was married to Diana de Armas Wilson ’52 for 52 years. He is survived by four daughters, Antonia Wilson, Andrea Nightingale, Fiona Theodoredis, and Miranda Ravin, as well as three grandchildren, Amalia Theodoredis, Emmanuel Theodoredis, and Juliana Ravin. After graduating from Williams College in 1952, Douglas served as a first lieutenant in the United States Air Force for three years in Korea and Japan. During the following decade, he earned an M.A. from Oxford University in 1958 and a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1967. He taught at Williams College and at the University of Denver until his retirement as Professor Emeritus in 1998. He published many essays on the English Romantic poets and a book on Wordsworth entitled The Romantic Dream. He gave invited academic talks in England, Spain, Costa Rica, and the USA. He and Diana traveled often to Western Europe and with their children to Bohemia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Russia, and India. Besides his family, his great loves were woodworking and trout fishing. He was a life member of Trout Unlimited. A private family service prior to cremation was held at Crist Mountain View Mortuary on September 7th, and a full memorial service was held on November 15 at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Boulder, CO. Donations may be made in his honor to The Academy of Lifelong Learning, PO Box 371318, Denver, CO 80237.”
Gail Symington Ahern ’58 has lost her valiant battle with cancer. Her daughter, Tish, reported that she passed away in her sleep the morning of Dec. 23, 2008. Gail had been a registered nurse. She worked at many different locations including many reservations and tribal communities where she gained many friendships that would last her lifetime. In 1992, she was forced into early retirement due to breast cancer. In lieu of flowers the family prefers memorial gifts be made to the Boys & Girls Club of the Bemidji, MN area. A private family service will be held in the spring.
We recently learned of the passing of John Rose, Jr. ’65 of Boynton Beach Florida. He passed away Friday, May 16, 2008. John was the maintenance and purchasing supervisor at Quail Ridge Property Owner’s Association for 20 years. He is survived by daughters, Tara and Tori; mother, Dorothea Rose; sister, Deborah; brother, Craig; former wife, Kathy Rose and grandson, Trent.
Send us your news about your job, travel, weddings, births, schooling, visits with friends, etc., for the next issue of Sanford magazine. You may also use this form for any name or address changes. Please print the information below, then cut out the form, and mail it to Sanford School, P.O. Box 888, Hockessin, DE 19707-0888
Name: Class of:
Your News:
Email address:
Please include my email address in the Sanford email directory (www.sanfordschool.org).
OR EMAIL uS TODAy AND LET uS KNOW WHAT ’S NEW: alumni@sanfordschool.org
Howard Blake’s I Am Me drawing received a Silver Key award in this year’s Scholastic Art Awards competition.
Environmental stewardship is important at Sanford School where a variety of initiatives help protect our natural resources. In this photo, a group of students and teachers who commute to school via public transportation is gathered on the green roof of the Upper School’s math-science building. Additional efforts include community participation in energy conservation, environmental action clubs, on-and-off campus ecological activities, and recycling. Environmental education begins with Sanford’s 4-year-old students and continues until their graduation from twelfth grade.
Sponsored By: Sharon and Ric Struthers Photo By: Elisa Komins Morris Reprinted with permission from The Grand Opera House
