MAGAZINE SPRING 2021
Holistic Health How two Flint Hill leaders are preserving our community’s mental and physical wellbeing from behind the scenes.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2020–2021
Miss Lucia Anna Trigiani, Chair Mr. Michael P. Corkery, Vice Chair Mr. Gary D. Rappaport, Treasurer Mr. John M. Thomas, Secretary Ms. Alexandra L. Bettius ’03 Mr. Taylor O. Chess Mr. Harry E. Dean III Mrs. Shawn W. Fraser Ms. Amelia Hay Mrs. Linnie M. Haynesworth Mrs. Miki Toliver King Mrs. Lisa R. Lisker Mr. Michael W. Mendler Mr. David W. Middleton Mr. Richard P. Moxley Mr. Terry A. Nelson Mr. Terry Y. Pao Mr. Prem J. Pillai Mrs. Liza Wright Renner Mr. Timothy R. Rupli Dr. Richard A. Stone Mr. Hugh E. Taylor Mr. John M. Wasson Dr. Howard-John Wesley Mr. David S. Wiley
TRUSTEES EMERITI
Mr. John T. Hazel Jr., Founding Chair Emeritus Sister Martha Carpenter, O.S.F. Mr. Edward R. Carr Mr. Otis D. Coston Jr. Mr. John M. Dowd The Honorable Johanna L. Fitzpatrick Mr. Richard J. Hendrix Mr. Paul C. Kincheloe Jr. Mr. Michael C. McCarey Mr. William N. Melton Mr. Norris E. Mitchell The late Reverend Edwin M. Ward
EDITOR
Angela Brown, ambrown@flinthill.org
STAFF CONTRIBUTORS
Diana Parente, dparente@flinthill.org Maria Graceffa Taylor, mtaylor@flinthill.org James Venhaus, jvenhaus@flinthill.org Jackie Viteri, jviteri@flinthill.org
MAGAZINE DESIGNER
Eve Shade, eshade@flinthill.org
ASSISTANT HEAD OF SCHOOL FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
Meredith Cook VanDuyne, mvanduyne@flinthill.org
DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS
Maria Graceffa Taylor, mtaylor@flinthill.org
PHOTO CONTRIBUTORS
FREED Spirit Photography Jackie Viteri Angela Brown James Venhaus
3320 Jermantown Road, Oakton, VA 22124 flinthill.org
CONTENTS 2 The Hill 8 Athletics Overview 10 Arts Overview 12 Faculty/Staff News 16 Holistic Health 24 In the Community 26 Class Notes 34 Living our Values in the Local Community
Holistic Health How two Flint Hill leaders are preserving our community’s mental and physical wellbeing from behind the scenes.
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LETTER FROM THE HEADMASTER Dear Flint Hill Family, Wow! What a year this has been! We talk all the time about being Huskies and being on a journey together. And that has never been more true than being on this journey, which none of us ever expected. It began more than a year ago and has occupied every waking minute for every person here at School. While world events and national crises swirled all around us, our sole focus at Flint Hill has been on providing a healthy, safe, and productive school experience for our great students. Last spring, we transitioned to virtual learning, and at the start of this school year, the focus was on how to get as many students as possible back on campus with our incredible faculty and staff to have the opportunity to learn here. We also fully respected families who had children who stayed virtual. We knew we had to create a system to teach both — students “live” on campus and students at home. Teachers literally all became first-year teachers again; we had to create a new schedule and a unique working environment. The exciting challenge was to make sure our lessons were vibrant and exciting as we continued the educational process. It took an enormous amount of planning by an incredible group of faculty and staff and the collaborative, creative support of our amazing teachers. You pair that with patient, understanding, and trusting students and parents and you have a sense of how we made this school year possible. In this magazine, you’ll get another glimpse of what this school year has been like, and you’ll get to meet some of the incredible people who have worked diligently, in many cases behind the scenes, to make it all possible. Mary Hart, our director of health services, has helped guide the way and has become the “Dr. Fauci” of Flint Hill. And Ilana Reyes, our director of counseling, has worked with her incredible team on our kids’ social and emotional development every day. Between Mary, Ilana and all the people working diligently here at school, we have created an excellent educational opportunity for our children and our families. As this school year comes to a close, change is in the air. The weather is shifting, vaccinations continue to roll out, and things have taken a hopeful turn as we look ahead to the next school year. I hope you will join me in the enormous pride we should all feel for being part of this Flint Hill School family. We all look forward to the day when we can physically be back together on a larger scale and can begin to enjoy the camaraderie and the spirit that are such important parts of our great school. Enjoy this issue! Enjoy your families! Together, let’s bring a greater sense of balance and purpose to all that we will do as we go forward. The journey continues, and yet, I know we have the strength to do it and to do it well. Best wishes to you! Sincerely,
John M. Thomas Headmaster
Flint Hill Magazine
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THE HILL
2021 VIRTUAL FOUNDER’S DAY: CELEBRATING THE DEDICATED SERVICE TO FLINT HILL TO COMMEMORATE FOUNDER’S DAY, Headmaster John Thomas hosted a 30-minute videotaped event, spotlighting members of the School community who have dedicated many years of service to Flint Hill. The program began with a bell ringing five times, representing the School’s core values: respect and value all equally, lead and support with compassion, act with integrity, imagine what’s possible, and blaze the trail. “Each of those values is at the heart and core of who we are as a school,” said Thomas. “Founder’s Day gives us that opportunity to talk about the people that are behind those core values and the people who bring life to this great School each and every day.” Thirteen faculty and staff were recognized for 20 years of service at Flint Hill, with remarks shared about the unique impact each has made. “Those individuals not only will be recognized today as part of Founder’s Day,” stated Thomas, “but their pictures will go on the walls, on both campuses, to make certain that we always remember the commitment, the drive, the passion that they have brought to our great school. It’s an honor to have them all with us.”
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AMY CLEMENT Grades 7-12 History and Social Sciences Department Chair, Upper School History and Social Sciences Teacher “... she’s always creating an inclusive environment for students, faculty, and all community members ...” KATE DAVIS Middle School Drama Teacher, Director of Seventh and Eighth Grade and Upper School Drama Productions
JOHN MAGNER Associate Director of Counseling, Middle School Counselor, and Wellness Program Coordinator “… he exudes genuine kindness, warmth and empathy. He inspires trust in every student, teacher and parent — trust that he cares, trust that he will help them through it, and trust that it’ll be ok ...” DOROTHY MOONEY Lower School Virtual Support Teacher
“... your encyclopedic knowledge of “… always keeps students front and theatre and of acting techniques has center, motivating them to be their produced a generation of theatre best selves and reach their full potenlovers and theatre practitioners that tial. She builds authentic relationships have you to thank …” with her students, and the bond she forms with them lasts long beyond SHEENA HALL their time in her classroom …” Director of the Lower School “… she not only tries to make certain she knows what’s happening in the classroom but she knows how each child is doing in that classroom …” GREG HOLLOWAY Grades 5-12 Percussion Ensemble Teacher
JODY PATRICK Lower School P.E. Teacher and Head Varsity Girls’ Basketball Coach
ANNE PETERSON Assistant Head of School for Finance and Operations “... so willing to do everything necessary to make this school the great school that we all want it to be. We wouldn’t be the school we are today without Anne Peterson. She’s willing to put in the time and the effort, with a warmth, a care and a commitment that serves as a model to all of us here at school …” JEFF SEALY Upper School English Teacher “... a trendsetter, innovator ... spends a lot of time thinking outof-the-box in creating opportunities for growth … creating opportunities for students to feel that they have a safe place to engage …” DANNY STROUTH Groundskeeper
“... an inspirational colleague with an “... kind, thoughtful, always willing to incredibly-strong work ethic, couhelp … he’s looking out for everyone. pled with an upbeat can-do attitude. He is someone who cares about the She has endless energy, and it’s students, cares about the faculty clear that she absolutely loves what and staff, and cares about Flint Hill she does …” …”
“... precision, commitment, joy, teamwork and leadership … Greg teaches all of us about putting studKRISTIN PIAZZA ents at the center, empowering them Upper School Spanish Teacher and letting them be the stars …” “... in every interaction, she brings the heart of a true Husky … a great BRIAN LAMONT perspective on the most important Director of the Middle School parts of a Flint Hill education. She “... versatile, engaged and absolutely always welcomes new team memfocused on making school a unique bers with her inclusive nature, her experience … He is someone who openness and her optimism …” truly tries to make learning personal and meaningful ...”
DOM VO Building Engineer “... he is so hard-working, determined, calm and pleasant. He is someone who is well-respected by the students, faculty, the staff, and the parents. Someone who everyone knows is a gifted, kind and very special part of our School family …”
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THE HILL
A CONVERSATION WITH KATIE COURIC A COURSE IN FEMINISM AT FLINT HILL LED TO AN INTERVIEW WITH KATIE COURIC, on February 17, after students saw her featured in “Miss Representation,” a film they were assigned to watch, pertaining to women’s under-representation in influential positions and their narrow portrayal in the media. Contemporary Topics in Feminism is a one-semester course offered through Flint Hill’s Upper School History department, and the pursuit to have a conversation with Couric was led by Abi Baker ’22, who partnered with classmate Sasha Sheikh ’21 to ask the notable journalist questions about her life and work. They covered several topics over a half hour, including developments in feminism over the decades, how journalism has changed during the
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course of Couric’s career, and present-day issues concerning social media and misleading content. Members of the Upper School community were invited to watch the interview, and the students appreciated the substantive discussion. “It’s great for me to talk to you all because you’re the future, and it’s so exciting,” said Couric, “and I want you to be aware of some of the challenges you’ll still face out in the world as we evolve as a society.” When asked to give advice to anyone interested in pursuing journalism as a profession, Couric suggested, “Be really well-informed ... keep up with the news, read a lot of publications, and try to develop a deep reservoir of understanding about the world … be willing to work really hard and have initiative.”
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Be really well-informed ... keep up with the news, read a lot of publications, and try to develop a deep reservoir of understanding about the world … be willing to work really hard and have initiative. –Katie Couric
Baker prepared diligently for the interview, and she shared her thoughts about the conversation. “When interviewing Couric, it was important to me that the questions we asked were relevant to today’s world while also urging her to reflect on the entirety of her career, in comparison to the current day. It’s clear to me her success has been a result of persistence and genuine passion for journalism. She wasn’t often intimidated and had to assert her dominance to be taken seriously.
Her story is also one that proves our society has a long way to go, because even despite her accomplishments, she still faces unwarranted bias and doubt. What was most interesting to me was to hear her talk about the change over time in covering the news, especially as misinformation has increased through the rise of social media. It was also telling to hear her assessment of feminism from when she initially began her career as opposed to now when it’s experiencing an exciting revival.”
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THE HILL
CLASS DISMISSED FOR LONGTIME LOWER SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR FOR 20 YEARS, Sheena Hall has brought a distinct presence and energy to the Lower School. The announcement of her retirement, which will be at the end of this 2020–2021 school year, means that the sound of her cheerful voice — with a clear dialect from her beloved home country of South Africa — is going to be missed in the hallways, but her positive impact is sure to be long-lasting.
Hall has been the director of the Lower School since 2007 and began at Flint Hill as a Lower School teacher in 2001. Headmaster John Thomas described her as “a tireless, engaged, energetic, and focused member of our School family.” In a statement to the School community regarding her retirement, he commended her dedication over the past two decades. “Her commitment to each student and the faculty
and staff who work with our students has made the Lower School a true mainstay of the Flint Hill experience. Her devotion to the concept of ‘making the learning visible’ has led to an enormous number of developments that have enhanced the experience for students, teachers and parents. She has even been called on by our local associations to help guide and inspire ‘emerging leaders.’ Sheena is a major figure in our
“
I feel enormous gratitude to have been a member of the Flint Hill community for the past 20 years and an integral part of the lives of the many curious and caring students who have passed through the Lower School. 6
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–Mrs. Hall
regional educational landscape. She clearly deserves, at this time of great strength — as we have now reinvented our Lower School and have opened the new refurbished Hazel Lower School — to step away and enjoy time with her family and her grandson, Jack. While she will be missed, her legacy will live on, and so many of the enhancements that she brought to us have been institutionalized and will always remain as part of the Lower School educational program.” “I feel enormous gratitude to have been a member of the Flint Hill community for the past 20 years and an integral part of the lives of the many curious and caring students who have passed through the Lower School,” shared Hall. “It has been such a privilege to teach, learn, laugh and lead alongside the finest faculty and staff I have known, and I will always value the amazing support of a phenomenal parent body. Flint Hill will always hold a very special place in my heart — once a Husky, always a Husky — and I look forward to watching Flint Hill and the Lower School continue to grow, from strength to strength, in the years to come. As this chapter closes, I would like to say farewell using two South African greetings: ‘sala hantle’ (stay well — Sesotho) and ‘totsiens’ (until I see you again — Afrikaans).”
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THE HUSKY WAY:
ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT WELCOMES STUDENTS BACK TO COMPETITION WITH FALL SEASON
By Diana Parente, Director of Athletics
THE FLINT HILL ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A VITAL PART OF THE EXPERIENCE AT FLINT HILL, and we are thrilled that we started fall sports on February 22. At the start of the fall season, we were able to mix cohorts, share equipment and have contact practices. We also implemented testing protocols for all our fall athletes to have competitions beginning in March. The winter season was also a great success! I specifically would like to congratulate our Diving team, which had amazing results at the Virginia Independent School Athletic Association’s virtual state meet. On the boys’ side, Spencer Bloom ’22 placed second and Ryan Griggs ’22 placed fifth. On the girls’ side, Michayla Eisenber ’24 came in first place and Lily Min ’21 placed third. Way to go 8
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Huskies! We ended our winter season with a wonderful Senior Night in our Upper School Gym, which brought all winter sports seniors together. We were able to livestream the event, had a wonderful video wishing the seniors well from their families, and our varsity head coaches shared priceless memories from the last four years. We also believe that recognizing and celebrating our student-athletes is essential, and that belief has been a driver for some of the events we’ve found creative solutions for this year. In February, we hosted our second of three National Signing Days for seniors who announced their plans to play their sports at the next level. The winter ceremony, which was held in the Upper School Gym, with only the students and their families in attendance, cele-
brated Marisa and Lara Geib, who will play tennis at Swarthmore College; David Allen, who will play lacrosse at University of the South-Sewanee; Kinsley Helmer, who will play lacrosse at Colby College; Sarah McCue, who will play softball at Hood College; and Gabby Masiello, who will play volleyball at Hofstra University. The event was recorded for members of the broader community who wanted to watch the ceremony on-demand. Another example of great Husky spirit has been the dedication and collaboration of our student Athletic Advisory Council (AAC). On February 3, our ACC facilitated a discussion with former professional women’s soccer player Joanna Lohman for National Girls & Women in Sports Day. One highlight from the event was when Joanna spoke on the attributes of great athletes. She said, “I hope it sends a message to you guys; it’s not just about your talent, is it? It’s about being a good teammate; it’s about being a good human being, every single person has an important role on a team, in your school, and whatever community and groups that
you belong to. You’re important, and you have such a unique ability to bring your characteristics to the group and to add value. Never question that, because the world needs you on the field, and they need you off the field.” Since March, the Athletics Department has run a virtual fitness class to ensure that our studentathletes remain in shape and still have an opportunity to earn an athletic credit. We have offered a wide range of classes, from yoga, pilates and Crossfit, to weight training and tabata. For the spring, fall and winter semesters, we had more than 300 students participate and earn credit. Congratulations to all involved! Thank you to the entire Flint Hill community for making athletics a priority during this time and for being partners in reimagining how students interact within the athletic space. It’s thrilling to see our competitions start back up again and to watch our student-athletes get back to doing what they love!
Flint Hill Magazine
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“WHAT IF …?”
HOW THE FINE ARTS DEPARTMENT IS FINDING CREATIVE WAYS TO THRIVE DURING THE PANDEMIC
By James Venhaus, Director of Fine Arts
AS THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC STRETCHED INTO THE SPRING, the Fine Arts department continued to face enormous challenges. But, with each event or project, the choice was made to focus on what can be done, rather than what can’t. The most productive planning sessions always started with the question, ‘What if ...?’ These ‘What if?’ questions not only came from the teachers but from the students as well. In fact, some of the most innovative ideas came from students. We approached each challenge as an opportunity to put our heads together and come up with a creative solution. For example, when planning the Major Minors concert, we asked, “What if we used an FM
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transmitter to broadcast our concert to an audience listening in their car radios in the parking lot?” That led to our first drive-in “Car Concert” on April 15. Our theatre arts teachers asked, “What if students created their own theatrical experience at home?” That idea evolved into our fifth and sixth grade theatrical production of the poems of Shel Silverstein, with student-created costumes, props, and scenery, at home for a live virtual performance, on April 16. And Middle and Upper School musical theater students collaborated on an evening of songs from musicals that were filmed in homes, outdoors and in small physically-distant groups. Spring theater productions included a fourth grade live-streamed performance of scenes from
“A Midsummer Nights’ Dream,” — performed with masks at a safe physical distance — and a collaboration between Middle and Upper School students on a virtual cabaret musical theater performance. Our visual arts students asked, “What if our Spring Art Show existed entirely in a virtual space?” That led to our first virtual art show for art students in all three divisions. These virtual art galleries were filled with innovative and creative pieces, and visitors used their computers to visit the galleries from home. Our biggest production of the year is Arts Jam, our annual performing arts celebration. This year, Arts Jam will also be online with over 30 videos that use a variety of innovative approaches to showcase our
band, orchestra, percussion ensemble, choir and dance programs. “Preparing for Arts Jam has indeed been an eyeopening experience for my students and me,” said Upper School Dance Teacher Jennelle Mrykalo. “In teaching dance composition, my students and I look at all of the possibilities within a concept and then narrow our ideas. For this project, we enjoyed imagining all of the ways we can manipulate the movement to fit on screen, utilize camera angles, and create ‘group’ pieces from solo performances. I love that the students have ownership over their performance videos for a uniquely collaborative effort.”
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FACULTY/ STAFF NEWS EMERGING LEADERS INSTITUTE — ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS OF GREATER WASHINGTON (AISGW) Several Flint Hill faculty members participated in group presentations on various topics — with faculty and staff from other independent schools — during AISGW’s nine-week leadership development program, which provides training for emerging leaders at independent schools. UPPER SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER KHALIL ABDUL-MALIK and INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANAGER MELISSA TURNER — April 28, Session VIII: Faculty Retention, Evaluation, and Professional Growth. MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHER DESHAUNA CURRY — February 10, Session III: Diversity and Inclusive Leadership. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE LOWER SCHOOL ROBYN NICHOLS — April 21, Session VII: The Nuts and Bolts of Hiring. UPPER SCHOOL COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ROBOTICS TEACHER MICHAEL SNYDER — February 24, Session IV: Doing the Hard Things: Difficult Conversations and Other Challenges. GRADES 7-12 MATH DEPARTMENT CHAIR, UPPER SCHOOL MATH TEACHER AND UPPER SCHOOL SERVICE COORDINATOR RIKI WEEKS — April 7, Session VI: Curriculum: Oversight, Evolution and Alignment with Mission.
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Horizon Lost. 2020. Silkscreen, India Ink, Acrylic Ink, Graphite, Gel Medium on Mylar. By Nikki Brugnoli.
Architecture of Play, 2020. Silkscreen, India Ink, Acrylic Ink, Graphite, Gel Medium on Mylar. By Nikki Brugnoli.
UPPER SCHOOL ART TEACHER NIKKI BRUGNOLI was invited to be a guest juror for Those Spaces Between Us, an exhibition at the Torpedo Factory Art Center’s Target Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia, April 10–May 23. She also displayed new work at Adah Rose Gallery in Kensington, Maryland, in a group exhibition titled The Branching Line, April 28–May 30. The show featured artists “who use drawing to examine different facets of the question: how is the world built and where does one belong?” LOWER SCHOOL ART TEACHER KRISTINE DENINNO displayed her artwork at INK IT: Contemporary Print Practices, a virtual exhibition of the BlackRock Center for the Arts, February 27–April 10, and at the On Paper: Printmaking, Book Arts & Beyond exhibition at the Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center, February 19–September 26. By Kristine DeNinno
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FACULTY/STAFF NEWS
UPPER SCHOOL CLASSICS TEACHER SHERRY DOERFLER and a colleague from St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Austin, Texas, presented “Zoomtamen: How to Set Up and Play Certamen in the Digital World” at the Foreign Language Association of Virginia’s (FLAVA) digital conference in March. “Certamen is a type of academic quiz bowl for students of Latin where they work in teams to answer questions about language, history, mythology, and more,” explained Doerfler. “For decades, this game has been played in person, with competitions hosted by various schools on Saturdays. In order to modify the game for pandemic restrictions and with a view of how technology can be used to increase diversity and equity within the game, this FLAVA presentation was designed to give teachers ways to connect with home-schooled learners, rural Latin programs, and schools that have previously been unable to travel to Richmond and Northern Virginia for in-person certamen events.” DIRECTOR OF THE LOWER SCHOOL SHEENA HALL served another year as a co-leader of the Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington’s Emerging Leaders Institute.
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UPPER SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHER ZITA GRAY became a board member and was elected secretary of Science and Mathematics Educators for Development (SMED), a newly-formed nonprofit organization based in the Philippines. SMED was founded by graduates from the Science and Mathematics Education Institute, at the University of San Carlos, who are working to further develop science and mathematics education in the Philippines. Board members from around the world meet monthly, share resources and use their expertise to implement programs, including SMED Talk and online teacher training.
DIRECTOR OF HEALTH SERVICES MARY HART was recognized as a Frontline Hero by Magnus Health, a student health and medical information management company used by hundreds of schools in the country, including Flint Hill. The Magnus Frontline Heroes program “recognizes and celebrates those who have gone above and beyond to help K-12 schools manage student health during the pandemic.” Headmaster John Thomas presented her with a framed certificate.
MIDDLE SCHOOL ART TEACHER LOUISA NEILL had two works of her art displayed in the Fleeting, Fled exhibition at Glen Echo Park, March 27–May 2.
DIRECTOR OF STUDIES EMILY SANDERSON served on a professional advisory committee for the founding of a new school, in Albemarle, Virginia, called Foster Forge School.
GRADES JK-6 MODERN LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT CHAIR AND LOWER SCHOOL SPANISH TEACHER SONIA JOSA-CASTRO collaborated as an author and editor with Difusión — a Spanish publisher specialized in foreign language teaching materials — on the adaptation of the European textbook “Reporteros,” for high school and middle school students in the United States. In November, she participated in a webinar pertaining to presentday challenges in education, which was organized by the Spanish Embassy in the United States, and gave a presentation titled “Techniques and Strategies for Online Teaching. How Can We Adapt our Spanish Classes to the Digital World?”
FOURTH GRADE TEACHER ROB TAYLOR is part of a group that worked with the City of Alexandria, in Virginia, on chronicling two recorded lynchings there. “We researched and wrote the narratives that appear on the city website,” said Taylor. “We also used our research to write a chapter for an upcoming book, ‘Racial Terror: Lynching In Virginia,’ published by the University of Virginia.” HEADMASTER JOHN THOMAS co-presented a session on branding and schools at the National Association of Independent Schools’ national conference, which was held in a virtual setting in February. He pre-recorded the session with Romayne Levee from Mission Minded, the company Flint Hill partnered with for its 2020 rebrand, and they both were online to answer questions after the presentation was given.
In mid-December, Thomas was interviewed for an article that appeared in InsideNova, an online newspaper, about the announcement of his retirement. Flint Hill Magazine
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Holistic Health
How two Flint Hill leaders are preserving our community’s mental and physical wellbeing from behind the scenes. In k-12 schools across the country, counselors and school health personnel work a bit differently from what you’ll find at Flint Hill. At other schools, for counselors, the lines between mental health and academic counseling are often blurred. Particularly in higher grades, school counselors often find themselves juggling the responsibilities shared by Flint Hill’s college counselors, advisors and mental health counselors. School nurses assess and intervene with day-to-day medical needs and support students dealing with chronic health conditions, but their work is not always connected to the efforts of their colleagues who are focused on student mental health.
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The National Survey of Children with Special Healthcare Needs has determined that 11.2 million U.S. children are at risk for chronic physical, developmental, behavioral or emotional conditions, and those numbers are on the rise. Schools need mental and physical health resources that are specialized, integrated and personal, and at Flint Hill, Director of Counseling Ilana Reyes and Director of Health Services Mary Hart are driving that work forward. For Reyes, coming to Flint Hill felt serendipitous. An independent school graduate herself, Reyes felt a particular connection to the private school world, despite spending most of her career working in
public schools. One night last year, after talking to her husband about exploring independent schools for one of their sons, unsolicited, she received the job posting for the director of counseling position at Flint Hill. “I still get chills thinking about it,” Reyes recalls. “And when I got the job listing, I thought ‘Huh, maybe it’s meant to be.’ And now I know in my heart that this is the school community where I’m meant to be doing my counseling work, and where my kids are supposed to be.” Reyes officially joined Flint Hill in July 2020, stepping into the role previously held by Barbara Benoit, who retired at the end of the 2019–20 school year. Taking on a new position in such a critical function during a pandemic would be daunting for most, but Reyes has taken it in stride, sharing, “I could not be more thankful because even on a really hard day during COVID, this is still more amazing than anywhere else I’ve ever been.”
Director of Counseling Ilana Reyes with her children, Bennett ’31 and Graham ’28, on the first day of school at Flint Hill.
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll. According to Time magazine1, in the spring of 2020, anxiety, depression and adjustment disorders increased 80-90% year over year for children aged 13-18. And, more than 42% of people surveyed by the U.S. Census Bureau in December reported symptoms of anxiety or depression, an increase from 11% the previous year2. Pandemic restrictions have shifted the scope of services provided by the Counseling Office this year by limiting in-person programming, but the team is as busy as ever supporting students, parents and employees. Throughout the year, Reyes has engaged in periodic Social-Emotional Check-In surveys to faculty and staff to gain insights into how the adults on campus are faring through COVID-19 and where there are opportunities for the School to provide additional support. In February, Reyes hosted two virtual coffees for senior parents on how to help their children as they grieve the loss of a traditional senior year. And, the Counseling Office is continuing to provide comprehensive social-emotional guidance and support to the Flint Hill community, evaluating and assessing students, performing crisis intervention, providing referrals for students and employees, and consulting families on student social-emotional challenges — almost entirely virtually.
Kluger, J. (2021, March 4). Insurance Claim Data Show How Much Teen Mental Health Has Suffered During the U.S. COVID-19 Pandemic. Time. https://time.com/5943896/ covid-19-teen-mental-health/ 1
Abbott, A. (2021, February 3). COVID’s mental-health toll: how scientists are tracking a surge in depression. Nature. https://www. nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00175-z 2
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HOLISTIC HEALTH
“The challenge I worry about the most is the kids that we don’t see,” Reyes shares. “Counselors aren’t seeing our virtual students walk by us in the hallways, and we’re not seeing in-person students under their masks. There is this balance we need to strike between preserving physical safety with all of the limitations and making sure that students and employees are still getting the support they need to navigate their current world, which has been hard to do for almost everyone in the last year.” While Director of Health Services Mary Hart has had a bit more time at Flint Hill, her role has expanded significantly since she joined the School in 2018. Hart spent a number of years working as a nurse in traditional clinical and hospital settings before transitioning to schools to have more flexibility to spend time with her children. Hart briefly relocated to Florida before returning to Northern Virginia with her family, and similar to Reyes, a tip about an open position led her to Flint Hill. “I had just interviewed [for another position] and was planning to accept an offer,” she recalls. “And then I got a call from a recruiter asking me to interview at Flint Hill. I loved it from the moment I walked into the School. Matter of fact, I still can remember that feeling when I was talking with John [Thomas], ‘Oh my gosh, I wish I could have gone to this school.’” Director of Health Services Mary Hart being recognized as a Frontline Hero by Magnus Health for going above and beyond to help manage student health during the pandemic.
When Hart first joined the School, she had a more traditional role in the Lower School clinic. Hart quickly became a warm and familiar presence among students and faculty alike, providing solutions from minor to more extensive student and staff health concerns, emergency situations, chronic health conditions, staying in touch with parents and physicians regarding student care, and the interwoven issues of physical and mental health. Then, last winter, COVID-19 surfaced in the U.S. and everything changed. Hart became Flint Hill’s version of Dr. Fauci, the now-famous director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical advisor to the president. From the earliest days of the pandemic on, Hart has served a pivotal role at Flint Hill, providing medical guidance, consulting on policies, liaising with local health officials, and engaging with families as Flint Hill planned for, and ultimately executed, its reopening plan for 2020–21. “I don’t think people realize just how significant Mary’s role has become,” says Headmaster John Thomas. “Every decision we made about safety for our reopening plan has Mary’s fingerprints on it. During the school year, every time a COVID case has been reported, or someone has
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Hart stands with John Thomas, 11th grade parent Ming Li, and a sales representative from Li’s company, InHand Networks, which donated a temperature screening kiosk to Flint Hill.
symptoms, it goes to Mary. She is in constant communication with parents, students and employees, talking through symptoms, test results, policies, you name it, seven days a week. It’s a big job.” While COVID-19 has consumed most of the conversation around mental and physical wellness during the past year, the work that Hart and Reyes are doing at Flint Hill goes much deeper than that. For one, Flint Hill’s Counseling Department is highly specialized, composed of six professionals across all three divisions who focus exclusively on mental health and wellness. This focus allows Flint Hill students to benefit from counselors who know and understand them exceptionally well and work collaboratively with other Flint Hill faculty and staff and outside mental health professionals to provide student support. Some counselors also have a presence in the classroom, teaching Wellness and Life Skills and Human Development programming. College counseling and academic advising are handled by other specialists at Flint Hill.
“For me, the mental health piece, the social-emotional wellness is the crux of everything,” Reyes says. “And in most institutions, that isn’t allowed to be the only piece counseling focuses on; that’s the extra bonus here. That is the difference at Flint Hill. We have the resources and staff, so everyone gets to be an expert in their area and allow kids to grow and thrive within this environment.”
“We are not just concerned about today, and how they are doing while they are at Flint Hill, but helping them to establish ” healthy habits for the future. -Mary Hart
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HOLISTIC HEALTH
In the area of Health Services, Flint Hill is fortunate to have a registered nurse in every divisional clinic, which Hart says enhances the continuity of care that students receive. Our nurses are trained in assessment and develop relationships to foster healthy lifestyles for our students. Our athletic trainers were also redeployed this year to help the Health Services team with temperature screening and assist with additional operational needs in each of the divisional clinics. Hart shares that Flint Hill’s nurses are “part investigator, part listener and part clinician.” Beyond assessing and treating day-today health concerns, Flint Hill nurses often connect the dots between student symptoms and clinic visits and potentially larger issues. “Sometimes it’s a combination of what we’re seeing and what we’re
hearing from colleagues in other departments,” Hart says. “It’s a collaborative effort, and we sometimes need to dig deeper beyond what we’re seeing in the clinic, working with the student and their physician, working with a counselor and their teachers and advisors to come up with a plan to help the student flourish academically, emotionally, socially and physically.” This kind of collaboration is also a differentiator. Families might be surprised to learn how frequently members of the Counseling and Health Services Departments partner with each other, academic leadership, human resources and even admission to meet the health and wellness needs of the Flint Hill community, particularly when it comes to preparing students for the next step. “We’re not just there to put a Band-Aid on a skinned knee,” Hart says. “There’s just a lot more to it. And it seems to be on the rise that we have, for instance, different diagnoses that have a huge impact physically as well as socially and emotionally, and that, in turn, can
First graders practice some mindfulness techniques during the day.
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affect their academic success. We are not just concerned about today, and how they are doing while they are at Flint Hill, but helping them to establish healthy habits for the future.” Looking ahead to a return to pre-pandemic normalcy, Hart and Reyes have a desire for the School’s mental and physical health efforts to intersect even further. “Over the years, there has been more and more of an acknowledgement of the intersectionality of physical and mental health,” Reyes says. “But we’re still very much on a journey. We as a society, and American society especially, have been historically less accepting of mental health needs, and making mental health wellness a priority. When you are struggling with your mental health, it oftentimes manifests in a physical sense. And that’s I think where we see the biggest interconnection, or where we start to see the interplay in schools. If we treat mental health without addressing physical health or vice versa, we’re doing our kids a disservice.” Hart adds, “I’ve been really appreciative that Ilana has come on board and has been open to working together. We’ve tried to start from the get go of really working collaboratively and recognizing the need for us to both know what’s going on with our students.” Hart and Reyes are hoping to have more regularly scheduled time in the future to meet and work together, identifying how their departments overlap and where there may be new opportunities to ensure that students’ physical and emotional health needs are met. Reyes says, “I think this is an evolution, and I am really happy how, at least in my first year, we’re starting to work together. It’s not always been recognized how important it is for our two fields to work collaboratively. Mental health and physical health go hand in hand. They’re just labeled differently. We have to constantly make connec-
“If we treat mental health without addressing physical health or vice versa, ” we’re doing our kids a disservice. -Ilana Reyes tions to support each other, because the clinic sees things that we don’t see, and counseling sees things that they don’t see. And oftentimes we’re seeing similar kids. We have to continue to work together, and continue to build that foundational relationship to support our kids better.” Reyes also hopes to spend time evaluating the Counseling Program through a fresh perspective, an exercise that has been put on hold due to the pandemic. “Normally for a position like this, it’s important to spend time looking at what’s going well and where there could be improvements,” Reyes says. “You might need to take a year to see what it all looks like. But in this case, I had to dive right in. And my focus has been respecting the fact that I have an incredible team of people who are really good at their jobs and allowing them to do what they know, and supporting them, meeting them wherever they are and helping them grow.” She concludes, “We have great people in place. The School has made social-emotional health and physical health a priority, and now we have an incredible opportunity to harness the human resources we have to integrate these two departments in even more effective ways for our students.”
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HOLISTIC HEALTH
Meet the Health Services Team
Mary Hart, RN
Jenny Beck, BSN, RN
Director of Health Services
Lower School Nurse
Marguerite Holliday-Poyer Nurse
Derek Ross, ATC
Kaley Mason, BSN, RN
Kara Tribbie, ATC
Head Athletic Trainer
Middle School Nurse
Athletic Trainer
Liz Hammond, BSN, RN
Ashley Williams, ATC
Upper School Nurse
Athletic Trainer
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Meet the Counseling Team
Ilana Reyes
John Magner
Emily Sorbi
Director of Counseling
Associate Director of Counseling and Middle School Counselor
Lower School Counselor
Andrew Doll ’03
Charlotte Fomengia
Natalie McLaughlin
Upper School Counselor and Human Development Teacher
Upper School Counselor and Human Development Teacher and Upper School Service Coordinator
Upper School Counselor and Human Development Teacher
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IN THE COMMUNITY The Parents’ Association has continued to model a creative and innovative mindset in their work to engage the Flint Hill community. Hopefully, you joined fellow parents for cookie decorating or Bollywood dancing, yoga, designing a tablescape, virtual wine tasting or the many other events hosted over the past few months. We are so thankful to all those who contributed their time and talents to build community, inspire smiles and create lasting memories!
Have you heard of Bollywood Dance? Thanks to Rhythmaya Dance for sharing this beautiful blend of classical Indian dance, folk Indian dance, R&B and hip-hop music with Huskies of all ages!
Karen Bowles P’22 led a baking technique and basic icing class for Flint Hill parents. The theme was Valentine’s Day, and it was LOVED by all!
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Mindful Movement Yoga with Alex Wolitzer, an Upper School faculty member and yoga instructor, was a perfect start to the new year for Flint Hill parents!
Parents of seniors gathered together online after the virtual Headmaster’s Fiesta Dinner. A surprise visit by Headmaster John Thomas was the perfect ending to a night of reflection for our seniors and their parents.
Flint Hill alumn Jeannette Tavares ’06 of Evoke Design and Creative shared tips to prepare for holiday entertaining. Even in an unusual time, Jeannette inspires us all to create beautiful spaces to enjoy special moments!
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CLASS NOTES
To be included in Alumni Class Notes, email the Alumni Office at alumni@flinthill.org with news of a union, birth of a child, adoption, professional developments, travels, or anything you’d like to share with your classmates. If you would like to include a photo with your submission, please note that digital photographs must be high-resolution JPEG images (1MB+) to appear in print. Flint Hill Magazine editorial staff reserve the right to edit submissions for clarity and length.
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CLASS OF 1973
CLASS OF 1980
SANDY SJOSTEN PLESS writes, “After 30 years as a veterinary technician, I am spending my final years of employment driving a school bus in Augusta County. My husband, Rod (Pappy) Pless, who is also driving a school bus in his post-retirement years, continues to enjoy a more rural life near Staunton, Virginia. We are active in new churches this year, running sound and helping with video for the services and attending Bible study groups. We remain active in prison ministry, both with Kingsway Prison & Family Outreach in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and with Kairos Prison Ministry International. It has now been a full year since we volunteers have been allowed inside the prisons due to COVID, but the ministries are doing what they can from the outside. We look forward to going back inside for church services, fellowship, Christmas gift deliveries, etc.! My two adult daughters live in our log house with us: the older one is a corrections officer for one of the local prisons; the younger one works for the SPCA in Charlottesville.”
JUAN SIERRA writes, “I am Juan Sierra, a Falcon from 1980. Soccer Team MVP 1980. I am an animal scientist working now in my own real estate business. It is great to keep in touch with my school in America after so many years. I love Flint Hill, and I am proud to [be] part of you. It has been a hard time during this pandemic, but thank God my family and I are healthy and with so much energy to keep on our jobs and duties. I want to [wish] all of you health and happiness. Love you. Juan Sierra” (below)
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CLASS OF 2002 DR. SABINA MALHOTRA has been recognized as a 2021 Top Doctor by Northern Virginia Magazine. Top Doctors are chosen based on peer nominations and evaluation by a panel of head doctors from local hospitals in the Northern Virginia area. This prestigious award is given to those physicians with the highest ratings based on peer and patient reviews, internal hospital evaluations, and overall quality of care. Dr. Malhotra specializes in the foot and ankle, with sub-specialties in sports medicine, reconstructive surgery and injury prevention. (right)
CLASS OF 2006 On Saturday, February 6, LYDIA RUSSO married Vicente Parra in a small, intimate ceremony at home. Although the celebration was just with immediate family, Lydia felt the warm love from friends near and far and sends her deepest gratitude. (below and right)
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CLASS NOTES
CLASS OF 2007 NANO TISSERA writes, “In 2018, I launched my own music management company. I reconnected with the first client I ever worked with, All Time Low (who I started managing while at Flint Hill in 2005). In 2020, the band released their album “Wake Up Sunshine,” which featured the song “Monsters.” The song ended up reaching No. 1 on the Alternative charts and staying there for 18 weeks, making it the third longest running No. 1 song in the formats in history, matching “The Pretender” by the Foo Fighters.” (below)
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MAC HAZEL and his wife, Katelyn, welcomed their second child, Lillian Grace Hazel, on January 15, 2021. Lilly joins big brother, Carter, who is four. (below)
TENLEY SATRE SHIRLEY and her husband, Alex, welcomed a baby boy named Julian Alexander Shirley on October 22, 2020, in Boston, Massachusetts. (below)
TOPGUN) and spent the last two years as a tactics instructor, helping prepare F/A-18 squadrons for their deployments. In February 2021, I moved with my wife, Tori, to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan to spend the next two years as the training officer for VFA195 Dambusters.” (below)
CLASS OF 2008 JEFF ZEBERLEIN writes, “I’m currently a F/A-18 Pilot for the U.S. Navy. For the last five years, I’ve been stationed at NAS Lemoore, California. I’ve been on two deployments to the South China Sea and participated in the first U.S. aircraft carrier port-call to Da’Nang, Vietnam since the Vietnam War. In 2018, I graduated from the Navy Fighter Weapons School (a.k.a.
(Top) My wife and I, in front of the Naval Aviation Warfare Development Center, on the day of TOPGUN graduation. (Center) Me and other TOPGUN candidates after our last flight of the TOPGUN course. (Bottom) Me refueling off a KC-135 near the coast of Vietnam in 2018.
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CLASS NOTES
NEHA TANEJA wrote a book called “A Paw Partnership.” You can learn more about her book and order a copy at www.apawpartnership.com. (below)
COLIN BARBALACE writes, “Since graduating from Florida Institute of Technology in 2013, I have had two corporate jobs, first, as an engineer designing and building power plants across the country, and then as a project manager, overseeing construction operations for new luxury homes. I left the corporate world behind about halfway through 2020 when I launched a company of my own. I still rely heavily on my engineering background, however, as I run Modulus Designs (www.modulusdesigns.com), a physics and engineering-inspired luxury furniture company. I have the pleasure of creating custom furniture, 30
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utilizing exotic materials and methods that are out of reach of the average designer. The seed to this unique twist on furniture design was planted over a decade ago, thanks to Flint Hill, who catered to my love of science (Thank you, Mr. Krug). My dream of company ownership has come with Alexis Abbey Barbalace by my side. We will celebrate our sixth wedding anniversary later this year in Charleston, South Carolina.” (below)
CLASS OF 2009 NINA MELISI POHLMAN writes, “My husband, John Pohlman, and I welcomed our beautiful baby girl into the world this year. She’s our first. Born right in the middle of that huge snow storm here in Richmond, Virginia on January 31. Lyanna Sage Pohlman is happy, healthy and beyond adorable.” (below and right)
CARLY COX MARCKS and her husband Grant, welcomed a baby boy, Henry McMillen Marcks, in June. (below)
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CLASS NOTES
CLASS OF 2010 OLIVIA JOHNSON COLLINS writes, “I married Blaize Johnson on October 24, 2020. We had a micro-wedding at my parent’s home in Dunn Loring, Virginia that we planned after our original wedding plans were cancelled due to COVID. The majority of our friends and families joined us via live stream but my three bridesmaids, Sarah Compton ’10, Kay Mooney ’10, and Kathleen Melvin ’10 were among the guests who were able to join us in person!” (above and right)
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LIFECYCLES MARRIAGES
BIRTHS/ADOPTIONS
Olivia Johnson Collins ’10 and Blaize Johnson on October 24, 2020
Mac Hazel ’07 and Katelyn Hazel Lililan Grace Hazel, January 15, 2021
Lydia Russo ’06 and Vicente Parra on February 6, 2021
Nina Melisi Pohlman ’09 and John Pohlman Lyanna Sage Pohlman, January 31, 2021
IN MEMORIAM Mr. Taylor C. Delfin H ’00 March 2021
Carly Cox Marcks ’09 and Grant Marcks Henry McMillen Marck, June 2020 Tenley Satre Shirley ’07 and Alex Shirley Julian Alexander Shirley, October 22, 2020
FROM THE ARCHIVES Do you know who these alumni are? These pictures are from the Flint Hill Archives. If you can identify any of the people in this picture, please contact Director of Alumni Relations Maria Taylor at mtaylor@flinthill.org or 703.584.2350.
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Living our Values in the Local Community Lydia Russo ’06 keeps local foodies connected during COVID-19 By Maria Taylor, director of alumni relations
Lead and support with compassion. Lydia Russo ’06 is living this Flint Hill value by helping her local community. Russo created the Vienna VA Foodies Facebook group with her dear friend, Christopher Drinkuth, to celebrate the vibrant, ever-growing food scene in the town of Vienna, Virginia. Before the pandemic, Chris and Lydia would bump into each other and talk about the many delicious food options in Vienna, and thus, they were inspired to create Vienna VA Foodies as a project to work on in their free time. In the last year, the Facebook group has grown from 2,100 members to over 11,000. The members, consisting mostly of Vienna residents and neighbors, frequently post local happenings, share personal restaurant reviews, and crowdsource answers to questions about restaurants that cater to specific dietary needs. As restaurants across the country were impacted terribly during the pandemic, Vienna VA Foodies also became a lifeline for local restaurants. Lydia and Christopher posted daily about which local restaurants were open or closed, which were offering takeout, etc. Every day, Lydia highlighted a new restaurant in the group to help these local hidden gems stay top of mind and profitable. Lydia also used the group to arrange food deliveries, sometimes as many as 10 per day! These deliveries from local restaurants would go to food insecure families, first responders, and frontline workers. All the deliveries were done by town resident volunteers, and those deliveries have continued for more than 10 months. 34
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(Left) Lydia at Patsy’s American (Center) Lydia at Blend III (Right) Lydia’s Wedding Day at Vienna Vintner
In addition to local food deliveries, the Vienna VA Foodies Facebook Group has also come together to help some local groups and organizations. The group had a pop-up fundraiser for the Anacostia area of Washington, one of the most vulnerable communities in the District. Within two days, the group was able to raise over $20,000, which was delivered to Martha’s Table, a D.C. nonprofit focused on supporting strong children, strong families, and strong communities by increasing access to quality education, health and wellness, and family resources. The group has also helped provide hundreds of weekly grocery packs to food insecure families in partnership with local brewery, Caboose Brewing. The success of the Facebook group later inspired Russo and Drinkuth to also launch an Instagram account (@viennavafoodies) where they actively
update a curated collection of Insta-worthy bites, dishes and drinks from Vienna area restaurants. Friends and followers can use the hashtag #viennavafoodies to be featured. Lydia has done this all as a volunteer, just because of the fulfillment she has found by giving back to her community, and the group has inspired her to create a nonprofit — alongside her brother, Sean Sharifi ’00 — One Neighborhood Foundation, which is currently in the works. Lydia recently shared, “We are so thrilled with the wonderful response from the community and hope for the Vienna VA foodies group to continue to grow. There is now a forum that [facilitates] easy communication between the business-owners, chefs, and the local community.”
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DON’T MISS A THING. Follow Flint Hill Alumni on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to connect with other alumni and get real-time updates from the Alumni Office. SEARCH “FLINT HILL ALUMNI” TO CONNECT NOW!
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Inspiring moments happen every day at Flint Hill. You see them as students find creative solutions in their learning and discover new passions to pursue.
You fuel their exploration with your gift to the Annual Fund. Your support allows our students to be curious and build confidence as they prepare to unleash their full potential.
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WHEN CHILDREN HAVE A SUMMER FILLED WITH GROWTH, EXPLORATION AND ENRICHMENT, AMAZING THINGS CAN HAPPEN. Headfirst Summer Camps will be back at Flint Hill in 2021 with a widely varied selection of summer activities for children from age three to rising fifth graders, including day camp, STEM and multi-sport offerings. Flint Hill will also offer virtual academic and enrichment camps for campers in grades 5-12. We look forward to seeing you on the Hill! WWW.FLINTHILL.ORG/SUMMER 38
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Permit No. 643 Merrifield, VA
June 21–August 20
