May 2011
Berwick A c a d e m y
1791 L e t t e r
Grandparent’s Day
1791 Letter ~ May 2011
message f r o m
Rediscovering Berwick Academy Some of you may be aware that Berwick will be visited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges in the fall of 2012. Every ten years, Berwick is asked to engage in a multiyear process of self-reflection, discovery, and planning in the spirit of this process. NEASC exists to insure a certain level of quality control amongst its schools, but it truly stands for the goal of school improvement above and beyond all else. It is within this context of school improvement that our entire faculty and staff are engaged in this process. Every full-time member of this community has been assigned to examine one of the fourteen standards upon which we will be judged. To receive accreditation, we need to meet or exceed the threshold on each of these standards. Most importantly, Berwick will be judged against the lens of its mission. While the visiting team will have no interest in telling us how to run our school, they will be interested in telling us whether we are, in fact, who we say we are. Beyond the work of every employee, a steering committee was formed over a year ago to take the input of the community and funnel it into the final report upon which we will be judged. For your information, the steering committee is comprised of
Greg Schneider
Head of School
the following individuals, and they are led by the capable leadership of co-chairs Rosemary Zurawel and Andrew Kasprzak. NEASC Steering Committee Standard 1: Mission – Greg Schneider Standard 2: Governance – Greg Schneider Standard 3: Enrollment – Kyle Ridgway and Amy Criswell Standard 4: Program – Bill Clapp and Rosemary Zurawel Standard 5: Experience with Students – Lynn Wildnauer Standard 6: Resources to Support the Program - Jennifer Brewer and Seth Hurd Standard 7: Early Childhood – Joel Hawes and Kelly Sullivan Standard 8: Not Applicable to day schools Standard 9: Faculty – Andrew Kasprzak and Ruth Rioux Standard 10: Administration – Molly McKay Standard 11: Evaluation and Assessment – Rosemary Zurawel and Bill Clapp Standard 12: Healthy and Safety – Brad Fletcher Standard 13: Communication – Mark Summers 1791 Letter ~ May 2011
Standard 14: Infrastructure – Seth Hurd Standard 15: Accreditation Process – Andrew Kasprzak and Rosemary Zurawel
As part of this selfexamination, schools are asked to review their mission statement with a particular level of scrutiny. Given that this will be our ultimate measure of accountability, it is important to feel comfortable that our mission speaks to the current experience of Berwick Academy. Over the course of this year, the Mission & Culture committee of the Board of Trustees has employed an inclusive process that solicited feedback from students, faculty, staff, parents, trustees, and alumni in separate meetings. We entered into the conversation with a number of questions such as: To what degree do our constituents know our mission? Is our mission unique or generic? Is the language dated in any way? Is it too long? Whenever one engages in a process that includes such a mosaic of voices, you can imagine the range of emotions, definitions, and meaning that is associated with various words. The good news was that the committee left this process with some fundamental understandings: 1) Our previous mission still spoke to the Berwick experience in important ways to our constituents.
Berwick A c a d e m y 2) The Core Values have emerged as a powerful message to our students and parents. 3) All of our constituents truly love Berwick; we have much for which we should be thankful here. However, some fairly clear themes for improvement emerged that have been addressed in the new version: 1) Relationships are absolutely central to the power of the Berwick experience. 2) Technology, Innovation, and Wellness have emerged as new areas of importance to our programs. 3) Certain phrases (e.g. classical education) had become problematic with the passage of time. 4) Our constituents generally believed that connecting our mission and core values in one document would be an important improvement. On pages 10-11 of this newsletter, you will see our new document of purpose, which includes both the Core Values and our revised mission statement. I hope you will agree that they accurately reflect what makes the Berwick experience so remarkable. The new mission has gone from eight sentences to just three, and it does include the new themes that were referenced previously. I want to thank everyone who chose to engage in this process, as I am convinced that the process and the conversations were equally, if not more important, than the ultimate outcome with the words. By engaging everyone in deep
conversations in the mission and purpose of Berwick Academy, I walked away with an even deeper appreciation for what makes the Berwick experience so powerful. While the new mission does not represent a philosophical shift from the prior statement, it does now become the omnipresent rudder for the upcoming accreditation as well as the measure of accountability for all that we do. I trust that our visiting team in the fall of 2012 will discover that our mission is alive and well in all we do on this Hilltop. *** BPC Benefit I want to thank all of the volunteers and participants in the incredible BPC benefit at the Outlook in South Berwick. Beyond the amazing financial support it catalyzed, I believe this event helped remind us of the power of our Berwick relationships. In particular, I would like to thank Andrea Bristol for her amazing leadership as the chair of this event.
1791 Letter
the busiest month of the year at Berwick with all of the culminating performances and concerts. Please be sure to consult your calendars and be in touch with division directors to be sure that you don’t miss out on any of the excitement. Sending to Sendai Many thanks to our parents for helping us create a new kind of fundraiser to support the tragedies in Japan. By having everyone bring their lunch to school in early May, Berwick Academy was able to partner with SAGE dining services to make a contribution of $2,500 to the Red Cross in support of this cause. We were also pleased to see our students connect a specific change in their experience with this charitable contribution.
Odyssey of the Mind Please wish our eighth grade Odyssey of the Mind team good luck as they head to Maryland at the end of this month to compete against the world to represent the State of Maine. Many thanks to BPC for helping fund this exciting trip. End of Year Events May is
quite
possibly
1791 Letter ~ May 2011
Peter Saliba - Upper School Director
Upper School News There are lots of joys to being a parent, and one of them is when your kids discover something and decide they want to go a step further. Often the idea is not practical or possible in a weekend, such as building a working replica of the “Millennium Falcon” or an atom separator that would generate energy by recycling all of our waste. However, every once in a while they come up with a great idea and we have the chance to make it happen. A few weekends ago, the Saliba family went down to Home Depot and picked up three feet of 2” PVC pipe, two feet of 3” PVC pipe, an end cap, some reducers, a barbeque lighter and two cans of hair spray. What does that make? A potato gun! I love doing these things with my kids because it embraces curiosity. I happen to believe that curiosity is incredibly important for not only academic achievement, but simply living life to the fullest. I find that my own sense of curiosity has waned over the past ten years, and I’m committed to renewing it. So, when my kids said they wanted to build a spud gun, I was all in. We put all the pieces together and it actually worked. We were able to launch a couple of spuds more than 100 yards, and this contraption led to all sorts of questions. What would happen if you elevated the barrel? Can we hit that tree by the garden? Were we wasting food? What do our neighbors think about us? What happens if we hit the boat with a potato?
While we don’t build any real potato guns at school, we do nurture and develop the curious mind. The obvious place is in the classroom, but just as significant are those areas outside of the formal curriculum. For example, the Senior Class President, Danny MacKinnon was in my office a few days ago wondering if we could alter the way we plan and approach Baccalaureate. A group of faculty have been considering a change to our outdoor trip program and have started exploring some different approaches. Students have been instrumental in the creation of new clubs and student organizations. It seems like every day the curious wander into my office or my email inbox. I absolutely love this and go to lengths to encourage this exploration. There is no doubt that sometimes we reach our limit of curiosity, but the last thing that we want is a lack of wonder. Sometimes it takes a little nudging to encourage the curiosity piece in all of us, and ultimately we can’t impose curiosity on teenagers. But, we can continue to promote opportunities for students to ask why and we happen to be pretty good at that. It might be a Berwick Innovation Center project, a new sport, or it might even be a change in our community rules. Whatever the medium, it is the kid who asks why who thrives at Berwick. I hope that this element of our community never changes and the sense of curiosity is never lost.
Fan, Follow Connect! Berwick Academy is on Facebook! Become a fan to see daily updates, photos, videos, and more. www.facebook.com/ berwickacademy
Berwick Academy is using Twitter! Create a profile and choose to “follow” Berwick Academy. Opt to receive updates via phone and you will receive a text message every time we post something new! www.twitter.com/ berwickacademy
Connect, reconnect, and engage with Berwick Academy alumni, parents, and friends. www.linkedin.com Search for Berwick Academy under Groups
1791 Letter ~ May 2011
Rosemary Zurawel - Middle School Director
Middle School News All of us who are parents probably have experienced the self-doubt of wondering if we have done enough, too little, or too much. According to psychologist, Wendy Mogel, the danger of having provided too much comfort, too many objects, and too many safety risks leaving our children unprepared for the real world. I am currently reading her best-seller, The Blessing of a Skinned Knee in which she explores the ways in which children grow from confronting and overcoming adversity. She peppers this work with teachings from the Talmud, and while she does not achieve the simplicity of Robert Fulgum who wrote, All I Needed to Know I learned in Kindergarten, she has seen in therapy the children and teens who struggled without the tools to feel secure in their social and academic worlds. Each time I meet a group of prospective parents for the first time, I try to tell them that the three “R’s” of this Middle School are respect, resourcefulness, and resilience. The Blessing of a Skinned Knee particularly focuses upon the final R in my list. In the chapter I am currently reading, Mogel urges parents to provide children with an opportunity to experience longing. While this does not in any way imply physical mortification, her point is that when a person longs for something, s/ he can more fully appreciate it when s/he has finally achieved, earned, or received it. Children naturally are great artists of persuasion, and tired parents need quite a lot of fortitude to resist the pleas and wheedling (not to mention whining) that they exercise.
Postponing gratification offers opportunities to reconsider whether the object is worth waiting for or working towards. Instant gratification reduces the value. With tweens and teens, the desire for a particular item of clothing or electronic gizmo can change with the wind. One day, an item is “cool,” and the next it is passé. I am not talking about the request for new shin guards or cleats that a child has outgrown, but the requests for something that does not compromise safety. I urge parents to not put their children’s wants above their own needs. So many times, a parent will tell about an item that his/her child, “simply had to have.” My advice is to grant children the rich experience of “longing.” It is an exquisite emotion that seems physically established within the heart. Our children deserve the chance to know the bittersweet taste of longing. Mogel tells parents that in addition to longing and postponing gratification, that another lesson is taught; that of “shimrat ha-adamah,’ saving or caring for the earth.’” She tells us that teachers and parents have a duty to build the character of children by, “Helping them to fix things when they are broken instead of just replacing them or throwing them away is good insurance that when they’re adults they’ll do their part to take care of the community and the planet. When things come too easily to children they not only get spoiled, but also can become ‘spoilers’ when they grow up, because they haven’t learned to value what they have been given.” (page 132) 1791 Letter ~ May 2011
At our faculty meeting today, we talked about the Honor Rolls and how important it is to provide our students with an authentic evaluation of their work. Achieving a High Honor Roll status should come as the result of excellent work, and not as a result of an artificially inflated grade. The “honor” is lost when the child realizes that the work did not measure up to a clearly upheld standard. Grades are much like any goal that is achieved solely through hard and honest work. An “A” represents excellence when it stands for excellence. Our work to clarify the Honor Roll continues, but I hope to tie this achievement to what students know and can demonstrate. Wendy Mogel’s latest book, and one that she spoke about at a national conference I attended in February is called, The Blessing of a B Minus. Her goal is to help all of us who are educators know that honest evidence of achievement is not only our ethical duty, but that our students deserve it. Our students need to be prepared for a competitive world in which job performance does not take into consideration hurt feelings or entitlement. Indeed, our work today with students is to erode feelings of entitlement so that when each enters the work force, s/he is able to bring a certain amount of emotional resilience to the fulfillment of job requirements. Protecting children from disappointment today can prevent the growth of emotional resilience. As this third trimester draws to a close, please know that the faculty members who evaluate your children (their students) are working hard to continued on pg. 14...
Joel Hawes - Lower School Director
Lower School News From organizing our closing recognition assembly to planning Young Author’s Day, to leading final faculty meetings, I face a variety of important year-end tasks each May and June. Inevitably, the experiences require a delicate balance of appropriately concluding a given school year while also planning for upcoming fall initiatives. I enjoy the challenge inherent in living for the present while dreaming for the future. A critical and current year-end task involves documenting and presenting the State of the Lower School report to the Board of Trustees. I appreciate this important debriefing opportunity, and while it would be inappropriate to pre-empt that meeting by detailing the outline and/or text of that upcoming presentation in this space, I would nonetheless like to take this opportunity to share one of the themes that will underlie the report. To paraphrase an oft-used educational quote, “What the teacher is, is more important than what he or she teaches.” In following that line of thought, I offer my gratitude to the Lower School faculty, staff, and interns for the character they have demonstrated across our program boundaries throughout the current school year. From opening meetings to current special events, homeroom, unified arts and literacy teachers, staff, and interns have continually and successfully worked together with care and compassion in supporting the daily needs of the youngest Berwick
age group. Whether it is monitoring recess, working together as grade-level literacy teams, celebrating a grade-level museum experience, or developing an all-division production, it has been a year of growth and achievement. Regardless of professional role, our regular instructional and related support efforts are more than an eight to five or five-day-a-week experience; they are all-encompassing in a manner that sees our Lower School personnel truly live their roles in service to their profession, their school, and, of course, to the Lower School students and families. In my first year back into the classroom on a regular basis as our division’s science teacher, I am more aware of this fact than ever before with regards to the varied requisite skills and approaches necessary to breathe life and excitement into a curricular program. I remember predicting a momentum-filled year as I talked with the faculty at our opening meetings last August. It certainly has been that: completing plans to add a pre-kindergarten in the fall, making important changes within the scope and sequence of various curricular areas, continuing a great run of Lower School productions, and most importantly, providing unending student support and guidance. The faculty, staff, and interns have done this in their quiet and collegial manner by demonstrating trust, dignity, and respect within the educational process. Thank you to the Lower School group for staying together as a professional community throughout 1791 Letter ~ May 2011
the year. And while this is a first step, I also look forward to other opportunities to reiterate these sentiments in the final weeks ahead as we close out our year in the Lower School.
Rob Quinn - Athletic Director
Dedication Game I want to share with everyone a motivational experiment I conducted with my MS White Boys’ Lacrosse team last week. In preparation for our upcoming game last Friday, I talked with the team about finding another source of motivation. We had started the season strong with two solid wins, but recently our focus and determination had slipped a bit and I was concerned. So, for our next game I asked them to think about someone they care about very much: could be a brother or sister, Mom or Dad, grandparent, or anyone who they felt close to. I then asked them to get in contact with this person the night before the game, and tell them they were dedicating tomorrow’s game in honor of them. I said “Let this person know you were playing for them. Let them know you will be thinking about them while playing and putting forth just a little more effort and focus on their behalf.” Before the game I asked each student to stand up and tell us who they picked to dedicate their game to. We heard some great stories about who our teammates were dedicating and why. It was a memorable moment for me, and hopefully, my MS White team. I read somewhere that people think about themselves 90% of the time and for one afternoon, my sixth, seventh, and eighth graders were not thinking about themselves while playing lacrosse, but were thinking about someone they cared for, pushing themselves just a little harder. It was a great lesson for all of us. Spring Sports This has been an exciting spring thus far with our athletic
Athletics News
programs. We are experiencing our first spring with the new Turf Field and loving it! We were able to host early season scrimmages on this surface and get our teams out earlier in preparation for the spring season. We have even had our softball and baseball teams use the space for practices. We are headed into the last few weeks of the season with the majority of our teams in playoff contention. Golf Classic Ink your calendar for Thursday, September 22 for the 21st Annual Bulldog Golf Classic. Last year we had a great turnout and this year with the date so close to our Alumni weekend events at BA on Saturday, September 24, we hope to again have a big crowd. The proceeds from our annual golf tournament funds many improvements to Berwick Academy’s athletic facilities. Last year, the Athletics Boosters purchased our second brand new scoreboard for the softball and soccer field. It has been great watching our softball games this spring knowing the score, inning, balls, strikes, and number of outs. In years past they purchased an all-terrain Gator vehicle, enabling our athletic trainer to attend to and transport injured athletes. Volunteers built a storage shed to store the Gator and other athletic equipment safely and securely. We were also able to support the addition of two original outdoor scoreboards on the Hilltop. Over the course of the year, the organization grants various individual team requests and plans to continue improving facilities. Again, it is the golf tournament that makes much of that possible. 1791 Letter ~ May 2011
New Member Athletic Boosters Dinner The Athletic Boosters held a new member dinner on April 21 that was a great success. Almost 40 people enjoyed delicious selections of appetizers prepared by Bruce and Jeremy of SAGE dining. There were some terrific discussions and many new ideas shared during the evening. We hope to see many of those people back at our meeting this month as we start to look ahead to elections for new officers. Our appreciation also goes out to the graduating parents of the Boosters who have been loyal, and donated countless hours and weekends for the past four years. Chris and Kathleen Nichols and Stephanie and Matthew Lawrence - thanks so much for your years of service; you all will be greatly missed. New Face in the Athletic Center As many have heard, Andy Lathrop will continue as our Boys’ Varsity Boys Hockey coach, but is stepping aside as our Assistant Athletic Director to pursue a new position. We are sad to see Andy leaving our staff, but we are comforted knowing he will still be coaching our hockey team. We are extremely grateful for Andy’s contributions and leadership during his 11 years in the athletic department. We are excited to report that Travis Derr has accepted our offer to become Berwick’s next Assistant Director of Athletics. A graduate of Bowdoin with experience in independent schools, Travis brings an excellent array of coaching prowess to this position as well as an outstanding work ethic. After an extremely comprehensive search, we are thrilled with this result. continued on page 14...
you gotta have Arts
Deloris White - Fine Arts Director
You Gotta Have Arts Arts Boosters Ninth Annual Silent Art Auction The visual arts faculty, members of the National Art Honor Society, and Berwick parents interested in supporting the Arts Boosters kicked off the ninth annual Spring Silent Art Auction on Saturday, May 14. The art will remain on exhibit in the Arts Center lobby/gallery through the final concert on May 26. Students, parents, and faculty donated work that will be sold by silent auction to the highest bidder by placing your bid on the sheet that accompanies each piece. We greatly appreciate the support given to this event. We send a special thank you to all of the artists who donated masterpieces for this sale and also to those artists and parents who signed up to donate next year. Dance CONTINUUM & Freedom Through Expression The 2011 dance performances of CONTINUUM and the Berwick Academy dance company presentation of Freedom Through Expression both went spectacularly well. The three shows brought in audience numbers totaling over 750 people and the faces in the audience included dancers’ families, B.A. faculty and staff, and even Berwick alumni. The dance department is very proud of the performers, thankful to the wonderful volunteers, and grateful for a spectacular technical support crew.
Berwick Academy dancers are
Arts News
back in the studio, continuing to hone their technical skills and beginning to create new material. The dancers will present works in progress the first week of June as part of their final classes of the year. These informal performances will run in the studio May 31, June 1 and June 2 from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. All are welcome to come and observe the dance artists during these times. Summer camp registrations for dance are flowing in for the final two weeks of June. There are still spaces available for both the morning and all-day sessions. The beginneradvanced dancer will be challenged in these diverse two weeks of dance. Gina Hesse, Tina Cassidy, Jenny Letendre, Julia Norcross, and Sasha Malone will all be on the faculty roster, offering classes in jazz, musical theater, modern, hip-hop, ballet, and contemporary while also offering options to learn diverse styles of movement such as mime, yoga, choreography, and much more! For more information, please contact Sasha Malone at srandall@berwickacademy.org or Camps’ Director Marilena Sanborn at msanborn@berwickacademy.org Music Swing into Spring This year, Upper School students in the various ensembles and choruses will perform on Tuesday, May 17, during Spring Swing I. All of the musicians in the 7/8 groups will perform in Spring Swing II on Tuesday, May 24. Middle School musicians in all fifth and sixth grade ensembles will present Spring Swing III on Thursday, May 27. Each of the Spring Concerts 1791 Letter ~ May 2011
begins at 7:00 p.m. in the theater. Senior Arts Night Members of the Class of 2011 will share their passion for the visual and performing arts during Senior Arts Night, Thursday, May 19. All members of the senior class are invited to exhibit artwork in the lobby gallery of the Arts Center for everyone to enjoy beginning at 6:30 p.m. Performing artists will present an evening of music and dance that begins at 7:00 p.m. in the theater. Please mark this event on your calendar as we honor the creative spirit of the members of the Class of 2011. Visual Art BPC Rotating Exhibit Representatives of BPC dedicated many hours to mat and frame the next exhibit. This exhibit will be in place until next December. Please stop by to view these works of art by kindergarten through Upper School art students through this supportive program. They are on exhibit in the various buildings throughout campus. Haystack Mountain School of Crafts During her wonderful weekend at Haystack’s Student Craft Institute 2011 over Memorial Day weekend, Abby Scanlon will be participating in an intensive workshop with professional artists. Raegan Russell will also attend the weekend working as an assistant in one of the workshops.
BPC Notes - from the BPC Board Members
2011 Community Benefit Update Many thanks to all who participated in this year’s Community Benefit! It was a rousing success on many levels: our online auction raised record numbers, the live auction and Fund-A-Need were a sensation, and simply put, it was a fabulous celebration of Berwick Academy. The Fund-A-Need raised $86,000, and combined with our online and live auctions and raffles, we raised over $163,000!!
Parent Community News
Special thanks to the 2011 Community Benefit Committee and the countless volunteers who helped out in so many ways. In particular, thank you to Lored Fabbricatore for helping out with reservations and intake, Heather Kodzis and Jane Oldfield-Spearman for their stellar volunteer coordination, Nancy Murphy for overseeing registration and reconciliation, Lesli Friel and Diane Walker for directing the online auction, Katie Clark for overseeing the solicitations, Mary Towey for coordinating our distribution of items, Jennifer Johnson for managing
1791 Letter ~ May 2011
the Wine Cellar Raffle, Mary Pat Dolan for handling the night-of logistics, Joanne Meyer for once again managing the Tuition Raffle, Nickie Gaudette for all things graphic, and Francee Quinlan for making the Red Barn look like it’s never looked before. Last, but certainly not least, a most special thank you goes out to Tim and Liz-Anne Platt for being the stars of the show! Their auctioneer and emcee talents were unparalleled and are so greatly appreciated. Congratulations and thanks to all!! Andrea Bristol 2011 Community Benefit Chair
Berwick A Mission Statement
Berwick Academy, founded in 1791, is a Pre-kin virtue and useful knowledge among the rising generations. As one school with three divisions, Berwi achievement. By engaging in a program distinguished by academic challenge, creative exp commitment to the common good, Berwick graduates become resilient citizens by living ou
A Community
“Community” and “Excellence” are two of the most c excellence is central to the Berwick experience, b constituents to be in a process of striving for t
Core Values
Stretching through Engagement Berwick assumes that we all benefit from personal exploration, taking considered risks, and genuinely diving into new endeavors. Community members are expected to stretch themselves in the following ways: -Leaving one’s zone of comfort - Embracing occasional healthy failures that lead to a deepening sense of resiliency - Rejecting apathy and/or passivity - Grappling with intellectual knowledge, demonstrating an ethic of sportsmanship, and exhibiting artistic expression - Embracing a lifelong commitment to learning and growing
10
1791 Letter ~ May 2011
- Supporting achievement in all as - Building and sustaining mean emphasis on c - Promoting independence, self-a -Seeking avenues for improvement towards achieving development, m - Aspiring towards and rewarding cre
BALA
Berwick Academy constituents pa that fundamentally defines our sen spiraling cycle of discovery, self-re community member’s individualize personal work in progress, we shar tensions that exist within o
- Challenging ourselves with ambi other with kindnes - Excelling through risk safety and - Valuing and exploring academ - Appreciating tradition both pride an - Embracing service and steward but in the broader which w
AcAdemy
ndergarten through Post-graduate college-preparatory day school dedicated to promoting ick develops balanced leaders through personal relationships that foster confidence and pression and performance, innovative technology, ethical sportsmanship, wellness, and a ur core values of balance, engagement, excellence, and integrity.
y of Excellence
cherished principles at Berwick Academy. Academic but our community of high standards expects all their personal best in these additional areas:
spects of the Berwick experience ningful relationships with an collaboration advocacy, and emotional growth one’s personal potential (e.g. extra help, professional mentoring, etc.) eativity, imagination, and innovation
AnCE
articipate in a quest for balance nse of community. We exist in a eflection, and growth. While each ed journey towards this value is a re a common appreciation of the our definition of this ideal:
itious goals while nurturing each ss, joy, and humor taking while honoring wellness mics, arts, athletics, and service n and innovation with nd humility dship not only on our campus r communities in we live.
Commitment to Integrity Being a member of the Berwick community requires a deeply held commitment to being a person of character and continually refining one’s ethical understanding of the world. Our commitment to integrity functions as the rudder that guides us through all personal explorations and risks by honoring: - Character and responsibility - Honesty and personal accountability - Caring and respect - Kindness and selflessness - Acceptance and tolerance - Wholeness and wellness - Self-awareness and reflection
1791 Letter ~ May 2011
11
Cindy Briggs - School Counselor
We l l n e s s N e w s
Senioritis
anxiety, and worry that if not handled correctly, problems may arise for both the senior and their family.
On Friday, May 20, 2011, the Class of 2011 will complete their last day of classes at Berwick Academy. This departure will be marked by many traditions; two that I am particularly fond of are the standing ovation at the end of morning assembly as the seniors exit the theater for the last time; and, the celebratory drive through campus in the afternoon. For some of the seniors it is the end of four years in the Upper School, and for others it is the end of a “lifetime” – a thirteen-year journey through Berwick Academy’s Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools. It is incredible to see the level of emotion displayed during these two events. It is not uncommon to see tears in both the eyes (and on the cheeks) of the departing seniors and faculty as the seniors bound up the theater stairs for the last time. These are bittersweet moments. I am sure for many members of the Berwick community there will be both a sense of sadness and relief as the Class of 2011 completes their last official day.
Senioritis…more than one million high school students fall victim to this rather common and (sometimes fatal) disease during their final year or semester of high school. Characteristics include (but are not limited to) a lack of enthusiasm, a drop in grades, fits of irresponsibility, risk-taking behavior, outbursts of irritability, mild depression, or moments of euphoria. Does this sound like someone you know? Teachers and parents are often puzzled, hurt, and even panicked by these uncharacteristic behaviors. Veteran teachers and parents who have weathered this “stormy life passage” remind us not to take it personally and to be vigilant. The next few weeks of school and the ten or so weeks of summer can lead to a pile of trouble. Kids who are typically “as good as gold” will sometimes deviate and do something stupid or even life threatening. It is clearly a time for parents to reiterate their family values and standards, and remind their senior that it is never too late for a college to rescind their acceptance.
Ending or transitioning from one stage of life to the next usually precipitates a number of emotional responses ~ anger, fear, sadness, elation, apathy…the list is endless. Many faculty and parents dub a graduating senior’s whirling malady of emotions “senioritis.” I sometimes wonder if what we commonly call “senioritis” is actually a deeper emotional response called separation
What causes this bizarre shift in behavior that begins for some at the beginning of their senior year, for others during the third trimester, and for most continues throughout the summer months? Is this dramatic change in attitude and behavior due to the realization that they’ve been accepted into college, or that they have enough credits to graduate, or that they just want to get on with their
12
1791 Letter ~ May 2011
lives? According to mental health professionals, “senioritis” isn’t just a shift in attitude or behavior but instead related to a much deeper emotional response called “separation anxiety.” Separation anxiety is evoked when there is a threat of separation or loss. We commonly see this response in two year-olds when they are separated from their primary caretaker. We see it again and again in varying degrees as children transition through childhood. The inevitability of graduation forces the reality of separation and departure on the senior. Each senior responds uniquely, and sometimes similarly to the way that they have responded to previous life transitions. Child psychologist, Michael Thompson, believes that departure from home is the most traumatic separation of all the normal separations in our culture. Transitions are hard work, and for many of our seniors high school graduation may be their first “major life transition.” Not only are our seniors completing their class work, but they are also finishing their last year, their last semester, their last week, and their last days at Berwick Academy. In short, our seniors are saying goodbye to their childhood and transitioning to the unknown world of adulthood. This life transition requires seniors to separate from the family and friends who have supported them for years. During this transition they also experience somewhat of a “time warp.” While their bodies are still in one place, their minds are racing forward wondering (and worrying) about what’s ahead, and their hearts are flip-flopping from continued on pg 14...
Rachel Saliba - School Archivist
The majority of the materials donated to the archives can be pretty mundane - ranging from annual reports to open house invitations, but last week was different. Assistant Athletic Director Andy Lathrop brought over a great Berwick Athletics treasure – the 1996 Baseball Score Book from the year that Tampa Bay Rays’ star and All-Star nominee, Sam Fuld played baseball for Berwick Academy’s Varsity Baseball team as an eighth grader. Not that I knew who Fuld was when Andy gave me the score book or, to be honest, how to read a baseball score book. But this is what I know, Sam Fuld, Tampa Sam Fuld Bay Rays (BA Class of 2000) grew up in Durham, NH and came to BA as an eighth grader. Coach Kip Libby recognized his exceptional talent and had him starting in left field on the Varsity Baseball team. Sam’s position quickly changed. By the end of the season, he played first base, relief pitcher, and led the team to win the Eastern Independent Leauge Title, and placed second in the NEPSAC Tournament. Sam’s 2.21 ERA and .632 batting average earned him the title of Most
Archives News “It wasn’t so much the quantity of the work, it was what the teachers were asking me to do. They were asking me to think.” It’s clear that Sam did a lot of thinking at Exeter as he went on and graduated from Stanford University with an economics degree.
Baseball team photo 1996 – Sam is 4th from the left Valuable Player for the 1996 season. Did I mention he was an 8th grader? A page from the 1996 Score Book Player Summary of Fuld and Rioux (Ruth’s son, John)
After graduating from Stanford, Sam played in his first Major League Baseball game in 2007 for the Chicago Cubs until he was traded to Tampa Bay last winter. If you are a Red Sox fan, you may remember his Fenway debut on April 11 when he scored a homerun and made a diving catch to help his team to a 16-5 win over the Red Sox. Even if you are trying to forget that game, Sam has been proving himself worthy of his AllStar nomination. If you agree, you can even vote for him by June 30 at http://mlb. mlb.com/mlb/events/ all_star/y2011/ballot. j s p ? t c i d = h p M Wasgballot-2011
Before Sam left BA to attend Phillips Exeter Academy, Admissions Director Diane Field asked Sam about the workload at Berwick. Sam replied,
1791 Letter ~ May 2011
13
Middle School News...cont. from pg 5
assemble the evidence of both the knowledge and the skills that each child needs to face the challenges of the year ahead. The evidence may come in a number of forms, but should be clear and quantifiable. Please do not hesitate to engage any of us in a conversation about your child’s work and achievement. Athletics News...cont. from pg 7
Awards Night Plan to attend the athletic awards presentations on Thursday, June 2. The Middle School assembly begins at 1:30 p.m. in the Arts Center and Upper School begins at 6:00 p.m. with team/parent gathering and 7:00 p.m. for the awards portion in the
theater. Both events conclude with an action shot slideshow of the season. Wellness News...cont. from pg 12
the past, present and the future. No wonder seniors behave the way they do. They are probably scared to death but fear letting anyone know, particularly their parents. So how can you assist your senior with “senioritis” or separation anxiety? First and foremost, don’t take anything they say over the next three and one-half months personally. Remember that their goal is to make you dislike them so they can muster the energy to say goodbye and leave. It is a lot easier for them to leave you angry, as opposed to acknowledging their feelings of loss and sadness. Second,
allow your senior the time and space to grieve. For many of them, graduation represents a threat to their individual and collective life experience thus far. Third, be firm and clear about their newly acquired independence. You and your senior are about to enter that strange world of “not yet an adult, but no longer an adolescent.” My advice is to be attentive and vigilant. Lastly, make the most of this final leg of the adolescent/parent journey. August will be here before you know it, and when that day finally arrives and you are frantically stuffing every last item into you car, remember, a new journey is about to begin…the one into adulthood. Congratulations and good luck! Sincerely, Cindy Briggs
Here’s a great way to volunteer! If you: - are friendly - can make 3 phone calls
3 4 Friends BPC is partnering with the Berwick Academy Admissions Office to welcome new families. All we need are a few friendly voices. If you would like to help, please contact: Diane Field Admissions 207-384-2164 Ext. 2301 dfield@berwickacademy.org
14
1791 Letter ~ May 2011
Katie Clark New Family Coordinator 207-384-0019 kclark_uk@hotmail.com
Dance Show - Continuum
Woofstock XI
Friday June 3
-
4 p.m. to sunset
Don’t miss this year’s Woofstock event at BA! The entire community is invited to come enjoy our Upper School students perform.
BBQ
Comm
unity
Guitar, Piano , and Singing Ente rtainment
1791 Letter ~ May 2011
15
Jedd Whitlock - Director of Advancement
Alumni and Development News Dear Berwick Community, This year our parent participation goal for the Annual Fund is 70%. We are within reach, but need your help to make our goal a reality! Please be one of the next 68 donors to help us meet our goal! As always, gifts at all levels are needed and greatly appreciated.
Gifts to Goal
68 2010-2011
Annual Fund
To give online, visit www.berwickacademy.org/giving You may also sent a check to the Development Office here at BA at 31 Academy Street, South Berwick, ME 03908. Or please contact me directly at (207) 384.6304. Many thanks for your continued support and belief in Berwick Academy! Best, Jedd
Jedd U. Whitlock Director of Advancement
16
1791 Letter ~ May 2011