The Foxcroft Circle is so much more than an annual giving fund. As the name acknowledges, it is the unending, intertwined generations of individuals who have loved and supported our School for more than a century. It is the spirit of Foxcroft past, present, and future. The tag line Let Every Girl Sing, is a reminder that The Foxcroft Circle exists to support girls exploring their unique voices and sharing those voices with the world. Guiding girls through this discovery and helping them develop the skills, confidence, and courage to go into the world and make a difference is no straightforward task. It requires outstanding people, programs, and spaces. And it requires a community of family, friends, and alumnae who come together in support of great things for their School. The Foxcroft Circle supports 7% of our annual operating budget, enabling us to equip science labs and dormitory lounges; purchase subscriptions for the library and software for coding; fund faculty and staff benefits; plant trees and improve pathways; and much, much more. Ensuring that these costs are covered allows Foxcroft the flexibility to explore and work towards the future, just like our students. Join the generations of alumnae, parents, and friends before you who have helped Foxcroft thrive, and make your donation today. Your gift empowers young women to go forward and enact positive change.
MENS SANA Our Healthy Mind Fund
CORPORE SANO Our Healthy Body Fund
Thank you for supporting the next generation of Foxcroft women by making a gift to The Foxcroft Circle.
GROUNDS & GARDEN Our Campus Maintenance Fund
WHERE IT'S NEEDED MOST Our Unrestricted Fund
Gifts can be made online at foxcroft.org/give or by contacting the Office of Institutional Advancement at 540.687.4510 or advancement@foxcroft.org.
Table of Contents
MAGAZINE FALL/WINTER 2019
14
Five Years in
16 Educational Excellence 22 A Magical Place 28 It Starts with the Heart 33 Let It Shine 60 Looking Ahead
Special Features 10 Catching Up with Cathy
53 A Beautiful Example 2019 Distinguished Alumnae Jennifer Fill Crooks ’91
39 Commencement 2019 44 Reunion 2019 50 From the . . .
Foxcroft’s mission is to help every girl explore her unique voice and develop the skills, confidence, and courage to share it with the world.
Marion L. Couzens Director of Institutional Advancement Karla Vargas Director of Enrollment Management and Marketing Cathrine Wolf Director of Communications
Published twice a year by Foxcroft School Please address queries to: The Office of Institutional Advancement advancement@foxcroft.org, 540.687.4510, or Foxcroft School 22407 Foxhound Lane Middleburg, VA 20117 Design by Raison
Alumnae Council 52
ON THE COVER: Head of School Cathy McGehee and sophomores Vivian Davis, Remy Patterson, and Georgia Regas proudly show off a T-shirt made in The Innovation Lab.
Parents’ Association 54
Cover photo by Lauren Ackil
Board of Trustees 50
51 A Man of Service
In Every Issue 2 From the Head of School
Mission Statement
Catherine S. McGehee Head of School
3 Notebook 56 Gone Away 59 Milestones
This magazine is printed on FSC-certified 10% post-consumer waste recycled paper.
Additional photos: Grace Chen ’19, Gary Cox, Julie Fisher, Kristen Franklin, Katie Hergengreder, Ginny Riley, Marett Rose, Josie Ross, Mark Sogegian, Bethany Stotler, Cassandra Theorin ’20, and Bob Updegrove Foxcroft School is accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools. Foxcroft School admits students of any race, color, religion, national, and ethnic origin. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national, or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational, admission, or financial aid policies, or in any school-sponsored programs.
Fall/Winter 2019 1
The theme for my first year at Foxcroft was “Second Century Connections.” By that I meant I would spend my first year building relationships and community partnerships. As a School, we also focused on making academic connections through interdisciplinary and experiential learning, and through technology enhancements. Wow, the connections we have made since then!
From the Head of School
Catherine S. McGehee
We could not be more excited about this issue of the Foxcroft Magazine. It highlights the first five years of Foxcroft’s second century and the progress we have made towards completing the 2016 strategic plan, begun in 2015 in conjunction with our 10-year Virginia Association of Independent Schools (VAIS) accreditation. You will read about how our pedagogies for teaching girls the way they learn best and our technology have enhanced the learning experience at Foxcroft, and so much more. Technology is just one of many ways the School has grown since 2014. The list is impressive and it speaks to the outstanding talent, expertise, and commitment of each of our employees without whose passion, creativity, and hard work, we would not have been able to achieve so many goals so quickly. The execution of key initiatives — from the completion of the Residential Initiative and other significant plant projects to the opening of our maker space and turf fields — would not be possible without building financial sustainability through fundraising and through growth in enrollment. Thanks to the gift from Ruth Bedford ’32 and to the 588 donors who gave to the Centennial Campaign, we have been able to build our endowment and raise funds for special projects outside the scope of the campaign at the same time that we continued to secure annual fund gifts that help us meet our yearly budget. Highlights of our success include the establishment of a deferred maintenance endowment fund, a stables maintenance fund, an endowed faculty chair, and 24 newly endowed or increased scholarships funds. The strength of our fundraising and endowment has allowed Foxcroft to rely less on tuition (which remains the School’s largest source of income) while also addressing the pressing problem of rising tuition costs. In each of the past five years, we have held tuition at inflation or flat in order to help our families. We have also increased financial aid and scholarships. The result is growth and stabilization of our enrollment, from a student body of 157 in 2014 to 175 in 2019. Successful fundraising and strong enrollment are the keys to Foxcroft’s long-term financial sustainability and to our ability to bring so many strategic initiatives to fruition. As impressive as a checklist of accomplishments may be — and you will see some impressive ones in this magazine — it is the way that a strong Foxcroft has impacted our students and transformed their experiences that matters most. At our core, we do what we do for our girls to support their development into strong, intelligent, and resilient women who lead and serve their communities. Thank you for supporting their journey,
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Foxcroft Notebook
Foxcroft Notebook Edited by Christine McCrehin
Embrace That Detour RACHEL MARTIN, our 2019 Alison Firestone Goodyear ’29 Fellow, has achieved the pinnacle of success in radio journalism as co-host of National Public Radio’s Morning Edition, heard by nearly 15 million listeners weekly. Reflecting on her career in the Audrey Bruce Currier Library last April, though, she dismissed any notion that it was easy or that there was a linear path from there to here. Rather than decry the twists and turns, Martin urged her audience of students, teachers, and local visitors to embrace the detours they encounter in life and career — and then she suggested they seek them out as consumers of news. After recounting her zig-zaggy career path, Martin talked about journalism — its important role in democracy, the risk of biased reporting, and the critical need for diversity among those telling the stories — and then challenged the audience to seek
1 In other words, take some detours — which her career path certainly did. After college Martin considered becoming a lawyer, like her dad. He told her to talk to some lawyers before deciding, so she did — and, realizing that she most enjoyed the process of interviewing these lawyers, began to explore journalism, which led to an internship at NPR in San Francisco.
diverse sources of news as well. “You can’t
Then came 9/11. Martin considered a
just go to the places you like, the places
career shift to the United Nations or
that seem to agree with you. You’ve got to
government and enrolled into Columbia
go other places,” said Martin. “Every time
University’s School of International and
you have an opportunity to nudge yourself
Public Affairs. There, she created her own
in a direction you haven’t been before, go
internship, entitled “Freelance Journalism in
there.” Listen to a different news channel or
Afghanistan,” and went abroad. She loved
try reading something by someone who has
being a foreign correspondent but returned
a different point of view, she suggested.
to the U.S. when her mother fell ill.
When NPR offered her a job in Baghdad, she turned it down because of her mom’s illness. “That’s the end of that,” she thought. But NPR called again, with a position in Berlin. This time Martin said yes and, at the age of 33, she finally had a full-time, paying job in radio news. The rest, as they say, is history. Having destroyed the myth of a straight career path, Martin encouraged students to embrace the detours. You never know who you might meet, someone who opens a door for you later or passes along a nugget of advice, she noted. A challenge along the way might nudge you in an unexpected — and wonderful — direction. You never know. 1. Goodyear Fellow Rachel Martin engaged students at a school-wide assembly and a select luncheon.
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A Thousand Words Are these photos from this year’s Senior Class Carnival worth a thousand words? They certainly say one word very clearly: FUN. The Carnival raised $807, which the seniors donated to the fund to renovate the Health Center as their class gift to the School.
2. TAKE A GUESS How many Foxcroft freshmen can squeeze themselves into an SUV? Answer: 21.
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3
You Go, Girls!
Got It! This year’s addition to the Permanent Student Art Collection, was a stunning black-and-white photo of the campus road that runs out the back gate, taken by GRACE CHEN ‘19 after a huge snowstorm in February 2016. Grace was attempting to demonstrate depth of field for her Photography I class. “When I showed it to my photography teacher at the time, Mr. Gary Cox,” she recounted, “he looked at it and gave me a sign that I might have some ability.”
A Goal LOREN SEPULVEDA ’19 took a big step toward her goal of playing lacrosse in college this spring, when the two-time, First Team All-Delaney Athletic Conference selection confirmed her commitment to attend and play at Whittier College at a celebratory letter-signing ceremony attended by her family and the entire Foxcroft community. During her four years, Loren collected 116 goals and 73 assists. She earned VISAA Division II All-State honors in 2016 and 2019, when she helped the team reach the championship and semifinal games, respectively, of the state tournament.
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3. EASY AS PIE Students purchased raffle tickets for the chance to pie a faculty member of their choice and Abby All '20 was the lucky winner chosen to brighten, and whiten, Mrs. McGehee’s face with a surfeit of whipped cream.
A Gold It isn’t every day that a Foxcroft girl wins a gold medal, but ANNE K. ’19 picked one up in Washington, DC, in June when she was one of 538 young individuals from across the U.S. to be honored for reaching the pinnacle of the Congressional Award program. Established by Congress in 1979, the program recognizes initiative, service, and achievement. To earn a gold medal, participants must log at least 400 hours of voluntary public service and 200 hours each of personal development and physical fitness activity along with planning and executing a five-day/four-night wilderness expedition or cultural exploration.
“It was clear that Grace ‘got it’,” said Cox, who started the Permanent Art Collection nearly 20 years ago. “Grace has a great natural ‘eye’ for photography, and I knew she had great potential.” Anyone who has seen Grace’s work will agree that she is indeed living up to that potential.
Although Cox retired in 2017, he and Grace were both delighted that he was present when Grace’s photo became part of the Permanent Student Art Collection
Our Second Century: Impressive figures from 2014 to 2019
Meet Some New Faces Matthew (Matt) Norko Director of Technolog y HOMETOWN: Orange, CT EDUCATION: BS & MS (Management of Technology), Fairfield University FREE-TIME FUN: I love traveling.
160% Increase in endowment, which grew from $35.5M to an estimated $91.5M
13% Growth in enrollment, which increased from 157 to 178
72 Students who participated in the riding program in 2018-19, an increase of 14% over 2014-15
1,485 College applications submitted since Fall 2014. Sent to 331 different colleges by 193 students. Acceptances: 755
PET: A Jack Russell terrier named Sophie. She happens to be the cutest dog in the whole world. WHAT WAS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE FOOD AS A CHILD? My parents were huge gardeners and I grew to hate the three veggies that they grew best: tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. I eat cooked tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers now, but don’t come near me with a fresh tomato!
Jennifer Boudrye Director of the Audrey Bruce Currier Library HOMETOWN: Kensington, MD EDUCATION: BA & MLS, University of Maryland; Certification Master’s in Educational Leadership, Hood College FREE-TIME FUN: Going to concerts and dancing the night away, mostly to 80s music FAVORITE MOVIE: (TIE) The Princess Bride and Memento WHAT’S THE MOST EMBARRASSING FASHION TREND YOU USED TO ROCK? Punk mullet IF YOU HAD YOUR OWN TALK SHOW, WHO WOULD BE YOUR FIRST GUEST? Michelle Obama
Ken LaBate Director of Admissions HOMETOWN: Born in Japan; grew up in Vermont EDUCATION: BS (Psychology) & MS (Sport Management), Drexel University FREE-TIME FUN: Playing with my kids; also rocking out to good tunes and Anime SECRET TALENT: Fantasy Football. Apologies in advance for the total absence of humility, but . . . FAVORITE BOOK: Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa IF YOU COULD BRING BACK ANY FASHION TREND WHAT WOULD IT BE? Samurai fashion trends from Japan’s shogun era. Wearing katanas around town seems kind of awesome.
Fall/Winter 2019 5
Foxcroft Notebook
By the Numbers
Turf Fields Dedicated
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“On these fields, Foxcroft girls will work towards fulfilling the School motto — a healthy mind in a healthy body,” said Athletic Director MICHELLE WOODRUFF. “On these new fields, Foxcroft girls will learn the lessons of sportsmanship, dedication, hard work, perseverance, how to win and lose gracefully, leadership, and teamwork. On these fields, Foxcroft girls will, through sport, learn to break down barriers and form lasting friendships and connections.” At the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Foxcroft’s new athletic fields held April 13, Head of School CATHY MCGEHEE thanked the Board of Trustees — in particular, David MacDonald (father of Grace ’19, Lily ’14, and Charlotte ’12), Anne Harrison Armstrong ’75, Elizabeth Hazard ’82, and Hope Jones ’82 — for their leadership and support. She also applauded Chief Operating Officer Deborah Anderson, who oversaw the construction; Athletic Director Michelle Woodruff for her affability when weather delayed construction; and Director of Institutional Advancement Marion Couzens and her team for their fundraising efforts.
Sports Shorts
4. Head of School Cathy McGehee and Board Chair Anne Michele Lyons Kuhns ’87, assisted by Board members (front, l-r) Anne Harrison Armstrong ’75, Elizabeth Hazard ’82, Hope Jones ’82 (red hat), and David MacDonald P ’12, ’14, ’19, cut the ribbon officially dedicating the new fields.
BACK ON TRACK (5) After a 12-year absence, Track and Field returned as a varsity sport this spring, and exceeded all expectations both in participation and performance. The team participated in five meets and scored 12 points at the VISAA STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS to finish 18th out of 25 Division II schools. “I am thrilled for the girls,” said Athletic Director Michelle Woodruff, “and have had really nice conversations with many of their family members about how pleased they are that we added it.” Elizabeth Stanley ’22, a newcomer to the sport who qualified for States in the shot put, said, “I have really enjoyed my experience with track and field. I learned the importance of self-improvement and how I am capable of much more than expected.” SPRING STARS (6) After helping Varsity Lacrosse reach the semifinals of the state championship for the first time in three years this spring, Allie McManamey ’20, Loren Sepulveda ’19, and Haley Buffenbarger ’19 received VISAA DIVISION II ALL-STATE HONORS. Loren and Allie, Foxcroft’s leading scorers and standouts in the team’s state tournament games, were named to the First Team, while defensive stalwart Haley received Second-Team honors. All three girls, along with Jenna Torrance ’19, collected ALL-DELANEY ATHLETIC CONFERENCE HONORS in lacrosse as well. In soccer, goalkeeper Leah Schuster ’19, Caroline McLaughlan ’22, and Georgia Regas ’22 earned First Team honors and Susannah Manucy ’21 was named to the Second Team. Slugging and pitching standout Annie Zimmerman ’19 led a group of three softball players named First Team All-DAC with her third selection in four years. Georgia Gonzalez-Sudberry ’20 and Elena Barrick ’20 were tabbed for the first time.
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ZONED OUT After winning its first INTERSCHOLASTIC EQUESTRIAN ASSOCIATION regional title ever, the Riding Team’s youth caught up with it at the IEA Zone 3 Finals in March when Foxcroft failed to advance to Nationals. The future, however, is bright. Cecilia Mould, a freshman at the time, took third and sixth in the Junior Varsity Novice competition and Foxcroft riders won a ribbon in every class at the Rustburg, VA, show that included 12 teams from Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia. “Our senior captain, Kayla Lee, was the only rider in the group who had shown at Regional or Zone finals before this year,” noted Associate Director of Riding Allie Pelz. “Even with the limited experience and plenty of nerves, our girls earned a ribbon in each team class and ended up eighth among 12 teams from four states.” SHOWTIME This spring, 12 Foxcroft riders spent a fortnight in Lexington, VA, for the LEXINGTON SPRING FESTIVAL (7). Chloe Christensen ’20, Georgia Regas ’22, Elaine Pruitt ’22, Siena Webb ’21, and Sally Englander ‘20 rode tidy tracks and made thoughtful decisions in the .75 jumper divisions, earning some impressive ribbons, including a win for Chloe, a second-place finish for Elaine, and a third-place finish for Sally. The summer season kicked off with the UPPERVILLE COLT AND HORSE SHOW (8), the oldest horse show in the country, dating back to 1853. Lizzie Schmidt ’19 earned an impressive eighth-place finish out of a large group in one of the 3’ local hunter classes. Siena earned a clear round blue ribbon in each of her jumper classes, and moved up to the 1.0 meter jumpers on Foxcroft’s “Cappuccino Ice,” generously donated by Nicolette Merle-Smith ‘05.
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At the LOUDOUN BENEFIT HORSE SHOW (9), Gigi Genovese ’22 rode to a fourth-place finish in the .80 class. Mackenzie Harmon ’19 rode smoothly into sixth place in her Low Adult Jumper class and added a ninth-place finish in the Low Adult Classic.
Speak to Me
FEBRUARY 25
Abigail Kelsen ’11 Film Production Management, Dreamworks Spoke about her LA Experience, including on set with How to Train Your Dragon
Special visitors brightened our spring schedule. Read more elsewhere in this magazine and on the Visiting Speakers page of foxcroft.org MARCH 28
APRIL 26
Rachel Martin
Mo Regulinski
Host, National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition”
Artist & Creator of “Healing Avatars” wearable art
2019 Alison Harrison Goodyear ’29 Fellow (see story, page 3)
Helen Cudahy Niblack ’42 Guest Speaker
APRIL 12
Melanie Lozier Henke ’89 Senior Vice President of Operations, Freeman Alumnae Career Day Keynote (see story, page 41)
MAY 4
Tamara Poles Community Engagement Specialist, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center “STEM Presents . . . ” Speaker
Fall/Winter 2019 7
Foxcroft Notebook
Hoofprints
Now on Board
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Four experienced and enthusiastic volunteers joined the Foxcroft Board of Tr ustees in July. AMANDA HARTMANN HEALY ’98 (10) is a principal at Ares Management Corporation, where she is responsible for relationship management with insurance clients across life, health, and P&C. A graduate of Babson College (BS) and Fordham University (MBA), Amanda worked previously at PIMCO, Mellon Financial, The Bank of New York, and The TCW Group. She has served Foxcroft as president of the Alumnae Council, class representative, and co-chair for Reunion 2013.
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CAROL DER GARRY ’79 (11) co-chaired the 2013 Day of Service that kicked off Foxcroft's Centennial Celebration and the Alumnae Council’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee, which she helped organize. A graduate of Rice University (BA and MBPM), Carol is Associate Director, Accountant at Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. She has also served on the Junior League of Washington Board, and worked at FTI Consulting, McGladrey & Pullen, and the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission. An architect by training, ELIZABETH LESTER PIOTRASCHKE ’88 (12) works for New Balance in Boston, MA, where she is the global design team leader. In 2012, she worked in creative services for Gap, Inc., traveling regularly to roll out store space and interior designs for their new brand Athleta. Active in Foxcroft activities, Elizabeth has been a class representative since 2012 and has also been a Reunion co-chair. She is a graduate of the University of Kentucky (BA).
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J. SCOTT BURHOE (13), Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Retired, was assistant commandant for Governmental and Public Affairs at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, DC. After serving in the USCG for 34 years, Admiral Burhoe became superintendent of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT, and then served as president of the Fork Union Military Academy. He has been awarded the Legion of Merit, and the Coast Guard Meritorious Service Medal, and the Coast Guard Commendation Medal three times each. He is a graduate of Virginia Tech (BS) and American University (MPA).
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Foxcroft welcomes these newcomers and extends heartfelt thanks to those leaving the Board: ANNE ARMSTRONG ’75, CARLA CIPERSKI ’88, VICTORIA MARS ’74, TREVANIA HENDERSON ’76, and STEVE SCHULTE P ’17 & ’19. Your hard work and dedication are greatly appreciated and will impact our girls and School for years to come.
Also Boarding Head of School CATHY MCGEHEE (14) has been appointed to the Board of Trustees of the National Coalition of Girl’s Schools (NCGS) and the Board of Directors of the Virginia Association of Independent Schools (VAIS). A leading advocate for girls’ schools, NCGS works globally with individuals, schools, and organizations dedicated to educating and empowering girls, whereas VAIS is a leader in advancing and advocating for PK-12 independent school education in Virginia. Its accreditation program is one of a select few recognized at the international level through the International Council Advancing Independent School Accreditation (ICAISA). Both terms began in July.
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Granted In 1979, the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust made Foxcroft the first girls’ school to have an endowed fund to support summer grants for faculty enrichment. This year’s Kenan grants underwrote scholarship, research, and curriculum development.
15 English Department Chair STEVE MCCARTY (15) focused on making his American Literature and Advanced Placement Economics “mastery classes.” This includes “flipping” the classroom with online tutorials and creating problem-based tasks for students.
16 JOHN SCHARFENBERG (16) of the History Department is researching the 58 inaugural addresses of the 45 U.S. Presidents, highlighting the hope and optimism of each presidential term. The work is relevant to his AP United States History, American Government and Politics, and Constitutional Law courses.
Foxcroft Notebook
Fabulous Faculty Feats
17 Fine Arts faculty KARIN THORNDIKE (17) earned her certification in theatrical sound production methods and equipment by taking Synergetic Audio Concepts’ online classes in audio production. She will share her new expertise with student actors and “Tekkies” (theater technical crew), enhancing all drama productions.
More Summer Studies In addition to the Kenan grantees, 14 faculty and staff members attended a dozen conferences, workshops, and institutes. Ten took courses online for an astounding array of professional development experience. Here are just a few highlights.
Presenting . . . Director of the Innovation Lab ALEX NORTHRUP and Director of STEM Education KRISTINE VARNEY on “Innovation Across the Curriculum: The Dream of a ‘Maker’ Culture,” at the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools Annual Conference. Director of College Counseling BARBARA CONNER and SCOIR President Kevin McCloskey discussed college and career search sites for the post-Millennial Generation at the Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling’s Annual Conference.
Connecting . . . In August, Director of Enrollment and Marketing KARLA VARGAS hosted admission and enrollment directors from Maryland, Virginia, Washington, DC, and West Virginia boarding schools to discuss trends, markets, and ways to work together to increase interest in the region among prospective independent school students.
Reading . . . For the eighth time, ANNE BURRIDGE (English) spent a week in June scoring some 1,500 AP English Language and Composition exams. Talk about summer reading!
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Catching Up with Cathy Head of School Cathy McGehee looks back at her first five years By Cristina Santiestevan ’96
I
n the summer of 2014, I had the honor of sitting down with Foxcroft’s new head of school for a conversation and interview that helped introduce Catherine S. McGehee to the School
community. Five years into Foxcroft’s second century — and her tenure — Cathy sat down with me again to chat about her first five years, the strategic plan, and more.
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Yes, and more. I knew being head of school was going to involve a lot of work, touch every department, every aspect of the School. But the Board of Trustees, Mary Lou [Leipheimer, her predecessor as Head of School], and the transition team did such a great job to prepare me and educate me about the needs and issues of the School. So, really, that wasn’t a surprise. What was a big surprise was the Bedford bequest. When I was hired, we hadn’t received that yet. And so if you had asked me how I thought I’d be spending my first year as head of school, it certainly wouldn’t have been preparing for and managing a $40 million bequest — the largest bequest ever to a girls’ school. Really, my first week as head, that’s what happened. That was a big surprise! The bequest was directed toward the endowment. How has that growth in the endowment changed things? What is really exciting is that it has allowed us to advance many strategic goals. We’ve been able to hold tuition either at inflation, or flat. College tuitions and independent school tuitions have outpaced the inflation rate for many years. So, we have these really strong programs and opportunities to offer students, but we are able to contain tuition costs because of that endowment and because of generous gifts from our alumnae and parents. We’ve also been able to nearly double our financial aid and merit scholarships. Where are things with the implementation of the strategic plan? Are we where you expected to be? I think we’re ahead of where we expected to be. We finished the Centennial Campaign two years earlier than planned and raised nearly $5 million above our goal with almost
600 donors. The bequest accelerated our trajectory so that helped us — as did the outpouring of support for other areas of the School and campaign. I think the Foxcroft family should feel really excited and proud about what is happening.
development opportunities. We’ve been renovating faculty homes and building new homes for residential faculty and staff. You don’t stop doing that. You need to continue to support the great people who work with our students day in and day out.
Five Years In
We are five years into your tenure as Foxcroft’s head of school. Has it been what you expected?
Beyond the strategic plan, do you have any favorite achievements from your first five years here? I am particularly proud of the strengthening of our values and honor system. It started my first summer, when I was handed the student handbook and told to make what revisions I wanted. I said, “I’m not touching this until I get to sit down and meet with students and faculty.”
1 Foxcroft has completed many of the initiatives identified in the strategic plan. Stuart Hall Dormitory opened in 2013. Applegate, Dillon, Orchard, and Reynolds have been updated, and Court has been repurposed as a Welcome Center. What remains? What remains to be done is the renovation of Schoolhouse and the Music Building, and the construction of a performance arts center. We are in the preliminary stages of planning. We have designed conceptual plans with our architects. We’ve worked with our contractor to get a sense of what the project will cost and how long it will take. So that’s our future. Foxcroft’s future is also about continuing to support our outstanding faculty. We’ve been working to raise salaries. We’ve been working to increase professional
So, when I sat down with student leaders, I said, “I want to know what you think about these rules in the handbook.” But first I told them that what’s in the handbook should emanate from our school values and asked, “What are those values?” We did an exercise and they came up with four values: respect, integrity, kindness, service. Then I handed them red pens and said, “Mark up things in the handbook that you don’t understand, that are not enforced, and that are not in there but you wish were.” So they developed the handbook largely as it exists today. Then, I asked them — the Student Council and Judicial Council — to research an honor code. There was a very strong understanding at Foxcroft about plagiarism and academic integrity and there was an expectation that students would be honest, but nowhere was there a written honor code. Developing an honor code and pledge was really a two- or three-year process. Now we have an Honor Ceremony where everyone signs the pledge and the student leaders talk about what it means to live with integrity. 1. Whether walking to lunch with students (opposite) or around campus with Read and their dogs, Lucy and Ginger (1), Cathy relishes being out and about on Foxcroft’s gorgeous grounds.
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2 When we last talked, you were excited about the possibility of using research about how girls learn to become more intentional with the curriculum and in the classroom. How has that gone? When we did our initial strategic planning and visioning activity, we landed on two areas that are important for all students, but particularly girls. First, girls tend to want to learn in context. They want to know how what they’re learning in this class applies to other classes, to previous material, to future material. So, we are focused on becoming more interdisciplinary.
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“And then we let teachers run with their ideas, because what they come up with is absolutely amazing.”
And the second component is real world problem solving. I don’t know whether it is the maturity of girls, or their desire to make the world a better place, but when they feel their learning is connected to some real problem, they’re more invested. There’s deeper learning. And so that is the experiential part of learning. How can we get girls out and doing?
How are the faculty responding to this? It’s not a decree. It is us all asking each other, “If this is how girls will learn better, then what can we do?” And then we let teachers run with their ideas, because what they come up with is absolutely amazing. For example, the U.S. History class and Biology class [two classes most sophomores take] might use the school garden to do a project looking at how early settlers grew the three sisters — corn, beans, and squash. They then might take a trip to Mount Vernon to look at that in a larger application.
So what I love about our STEM — really now STEAM (see “STEAM Rising,” page 18) — program is that it’s not just the curriculum and classes that we offer for credit. It’s also the extra-curricular life of the School. It’s the ability for individual students to pursue independent projects. It’s the STEM competition we hold for the community. The STEM program is rich and it touches many areas of school life, and not just our science and math classes.
kindness, and of loyalty. And it’s also good, clean fun. In a world that asks kids to grow up so fast, where else are girls going to get to dress up, sing songs, and literally chase each other around campus? That’s healthy for them. I love it. As we move forward, what has you excited for Foxcroft’s future? I’m so excited about our faculty and the development of our academic program, and I am excited about the growth of the student body; enrollment was 157 my first year, and we opened at 178 last year. Also, the diversity of our students — where they come from in the U.S.; where they come from in the world; and their unique qualities and gifts. They’re interesting. They’re wonderful. There’s no one cookie-cutter definition of a successful Foxcroft girl.
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Now, for an important question: Have you learned to ride? I took one lesson. [laughs] Just one . . . I had fun doing it and I have a new appreciation for what our riders do. Foxcroft’s second century has already brought many changes, and there are more to come. What will never change? We also have a self-selected “Faculty Conversations” group. A number of teachers decided they wanted to get together regularly to talk about best practices and share things they are doing in their classrooms. It’s not required, but this group of faculty is just on fire to work together. I could go on and on bragging about our teachers. Let’s talk a bit about the maker space in the Science Wing. How did it come to be and how does it tie in with the increased push toward interdisciplinary and experiential education? We had an amazing gift and we had a group of interested girls — it was called the Space to Innovate Project Team — and
I think if you really want to get to the ethos of the School, the idea of an understanding heart undergirds everything we do. It involves leadership and character, empathy and diversity and inclusion — and how we live and learn with girls from all over the world. And Fox/Hound, absolutely. I’m pretty competitive. So it’s pretty fun to have the Foxes finally win the Cup, which they did last winter. [laughs] I think it may have been six years since the Foxes last won. So it was a big year. But I love the leadership that Fox/Hound teaches. I love the way the values are passed down, and how the officers really do embody those values of teamwork, of respect, of caring and
3 2. Cathy and Tess O’Neill ’21 play around with some of the newest equipment in The Innovation Lab. 3. Meeting regularly with student leaders over lunch helps Cathy stay in touch with girls’ concerns.
Fall/Winter 2019 13
Five Years In
I charged them with researching maker spaces, coming up with a plan, finding a location on our campus, and proposing a budget, the equipment they wanted, and rules of training and use. Now we have two 3D printers. We have a laser cutter, which was the big thing the girls all wanted. We have a T-shirt press, programmable sewing machines, and poster makers. The faculty are using The Innovation Lab for their class projects, and then the kids are using it for clubs. They’re printing t-shirts for Fox/ Hound and posters for events.
Kristine Varney, STEM
Five Years In Foxcroft sprinted into its second century with a new leader and a successful Strategic Plan By Cathrine Wolf, Director of Communications
F
oxcroft School began with hopes and dreams. All great institutions do, and those that last never stop hoping and dreaming — or working to make those hopes and dreams
realities. So it was in 2014, when the fortuitous combination of a
centennial celebration, a change of leadership, and a historic gift gave Foxcroft an opportunity to hope, dream, and plan for the future in a truly momentous way. 14 Foxcroft Magazine
Five months later, Catherine Smylie McGehee was installed as the new Head of School and officially charged to “ . . . lead this school forward into its second century with vision, integrity, strength, and purpose.” Then, barely a month after her installation, Cathy announced the astonishing $40 million bequest from Ruth Bedford ’32 that, as money so often does, opened entirely new horizons for Foxcroft. That’s when the hoping, dreaming, and — most importantly — the planning began in earnest. Under Cathy’s leadership, data was gathered from every constituency, through surveys, focus groups, committees, and conversations, and was reviewed, along with those 3x5 cards. Market and industry research was conducted and financial sustainability models tested. By the following fall, a restated mission statement and four promises (see chart on right) had emerged, honoring not only the aforementioned research but also the rest of Cathy’s installation charge — to uphold the pre-existing mission and ethos of Foxcroft — and her belief that, “A Head must be transformational while staying true to the mission and traditions of an institution.” A vision can easily become a mirage without a clear plan and identified action steps to get there, hence the strategic plan: four imperatives adopted by the Board of Trustees to guide priorities so that Foxcroft delivers on its mission and promises in the best ways possible, and a host of specific action steps to fulfill those imperatives. Two of these imperatives speak directly to individual promises of unique learning experiences in and out of the classroom and an uncommonly beautiful campus to learn, grow, and thrive: • STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE 1. Align our academic, co-curricular and residential programs to provide each girl with unique learning opportunities. • STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE 2. Enhance Foxcroft’s beautiful campus and facilities as a core component of our educational and residential programs. The others are universal in focus, affecting all aspects of the School and its work: • STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE 3. Advance our financial model to support our mission and ensure a vibrant second century. • STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE 4. Tell our story boldly and proudly to a global community.
The School lives out its mission through these promises, by bringing to each girl:
1
A unique learning experiences in and out of the classroom
2
An uncommonly beautiful setting in which to learn, grow, and thrive
3
A residential community of understanding hearts
4
A lifetime of friendships and global connections
The School’s faculty, staff, and administrators set many ambitious goals and, working collaboratively, have achieved the vast majority of them. “Galvanizing a school around a common vision is arguably the most important work of a school leader,” Cathy once wrote. She has pretty much done exactly that. The results are remarkable; today, Foxcroft is at the forefront of girls’ independent schools. Its financial model is sound, its enrollment strong, and its programs — academic, residential, athletic, and co-curricular — are exceptional. At the 2018 announcement that the School’s $75 million Centennial Campaign had been completed early and was over goal, Mercedes Rudkin Gotwald ’71 said, “Sometimes, we are fortunate enough to be part of a truly transformational moment — to witness a shift in an organization from what it might be, to what it will be.” She wasn’t just talking about the money raised. She was talking about the accomplishments of the past five years — celebrated on these pages. And she was talking about the next five years. As we said in the beginning, the most successful organizations, the best schools, never stop hoping and dreaming, and working to make those hopes and dreams come true. (Be sure to read Lisa Bard Knowles’ piece on the next strategic plan on page 60.)
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Fall/Winter 2019 15
Five Years In
In April of 2014, the need for dreaming and envisioning the future — even as one applauds the past — was affirmed during the Centennial Celebration Weekend when the 1,000-plus assemblage of Foxcroft fans in attendance were asked to write a hope or a dream for the School on a 3x5 card.
Courtney Ulmer, Assistant Head of School for Academics
Educational Excellence An exceptional faculty, empowered to innovate and collaborate, generates unique learning experiences for students By Courtney M. Ulmer, Assistant Head of School for Academics
O
n a snowy day last December, I joined STEM teacher Katie Hergenreder and her inaugural Animal Science class at the barn for a lab. The students had prepared
in the classroom by learning how to measure a horse’s vital signs.
Now, they were going to put what they learned into practice. Some of the students were well-versed on the topic and others, like me, had never even seen equine vitals taken before.
16 Foxcroft Magazine
Five Years In
Lindsay O’Connor, English
Vilma Riestra, World Languages
We were welcomed by the barn staff, who had worked with Katie to design a lab that would allow the students to practice these skills, collect data, and work with a horse that has a heart murmur so they could hear what that sounds like, too. Katie deftly integrated those students who were less experienced around horses with tasks that would increase their confidence in the barn, while challenging her more experienced students to take on leadership roles, sharing and expanding their knowledge at the same time. This was handson learning at its best. The Animal Science course and its companion course, Equine Science, which will debut next spring, both support our Animal Science concentrators. Introduced in 2018, the Academics Concentrations program grew out of our strategic imperative to create unique learning experiences for our students, in and out of the classroom. In addition to Animal Science, students may concentrate their studies in STEM, Art, or Global Studies. Over the past five years, the Foxcroft faculty has worked deliberately to add new classes and reimagine existing curriculum, ensuring that our instruction is rooted in context and collaboration, that it is relational, and that it makes real-world connections. We know that this is how girls learn best because, as a faculty, we have actively cultivated our knowledge and understanding of research on girls and learning through all-faculty summer reading and in-service days and by attending conferences, taking classes, and collaborating with
colleagues at peer schools. “Faculty Conversations,” a teacherinitiated and facilitated discussion group, sparks open dialogue about best teaching practices and offers a place to share new ideas and brainstorm when old ones are not working. FXC EdCamps, held on some in-service days, allow faculty to share expertise with each other, learning from and with colleagues; refine new skills; and participate in deeper conversation about pedagogy, assessment, and student engagement. The Foxcroft faculty is more focused than ever before in pursuing professional development opportunities. Participating in conferences held by the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools, continued on page 19
Animal Science A field trip to take the vital signs of some equine friends put learning into action.
Fall/Winter 2019 17
STEAM Rising By Julie Fisher, Chair, Fine Arts Department
When the morning sun heats the air above a cool body of water, air condenses, steam rises. This fascinating phenomenon is scientific and picturesque all at once. It satisfies both halves of the brain; the left side being the logic center, and the right side ruling emotions. Life experiences represent interactions between both spheres. Multiple perspectives lead to deeper and broader understandings. This is why educators at Foxcroft strive to offer a more enlightening, holistic approach to learning. Walking students across the bridges that separate academic disciplines enables them to confront and overcome the complexities of their individual worlds. Great scholars and inventors alike bridge their technical expertise and analytical thinking with their creative powers and imagination. Leonardo da Vinci said, “To develop a complete mind: Study the science of art. Develop your senses — especially learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.” Art and science share a sense of discovery and experimentation that render them inextricably linked. The importance of connections among science, technology, engineering, and math have already been recognized at Foxcroft, most notably in the formation of the STEM Department. Now, with the additional alliance of the arts, STEAM is forming. This change in the
18 Foxcroft Magazine
Designing Women Julie Fisher, Chair of the Fine Arts Department, works with Aglaé Hunter ’20 in the Innovation Lab’s digital art studio.
atmosphere is evident in our new learning spaces, teaching practices, course offerings, and after-school programming.
Additional collaborations continue to
The opening of (The Innovation Lab at Foxcroft School TIL@FXC) has played an enormous role in this shift to more integrated learning. A Digital Design and Fabrication class was added. The former STEM Tech course has been revamped and reintroduced as STEAM Technology with a STEM and an art teacher partnering to deliver instruction. The renovation of Schoolhouse will be pivotal in continuing our efforts to bridge disciplines. Our future makerspace will be the creative hub for interdisciplinary activity across the entire school.
during our Festival of Arts. In April, Helen
solidify our initiatives in STEAM. A Science Photography contest is a recurring exhibit Cudahy Niblack ’42 Arts Series lecturer, Mo Regulinski, inspired us with her wearable art creations designed with a focus on medicine and healing. The student-led STEAM Club held a Coding Art workshop for students — largely because of piqued interest in our computer science program — and during Admission Open Houses, our students guide visitors through laser cutting, t-shirt making, and drone flying. It is this blend of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics — and what it brings across the spectrum of academic, professional, and personal endeavors — that will inform the course we chart as we move forward and allow the
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STEAM to rise.
Virginia Association of Independent Schools, The Association of Boarding Schools, Foreign Language Association of Virginia, and the Virginia Society for Technology in Education — to name a few — has provided opportunities to network with colleagues and share what we are doing. Teachers have taken classes specific to their disciplines, including computer programming, statistics, technical theater, and English literature. They have attended workshops to explore pedagogical ideas and tools developed by Project Zero at Harvard’s School of Education; to identify and use teachable moments to transform classrooms, and to assist STEM students with learning differences. They have presented the work we are doing at Foxcroft at state, national, and global conferences and, in 2019, Dr. Anne Mueller, our French teacher, won the VAIS Innovator in Education award. In just the past three years, projects pursued by individuals through our William R. Kenan, Jr. Fund for Faculty Enrichment Program have impacted our Arts, English, History, STEM, Wellness, and World Languages curricula and have led to more student-directed learning and to more technical knowledge and cross-discipline collaboration among teachers. Each spring, students in Anne Burridge’s Advanced Placement English Language course prepare and present a Lincoln-Douglas style debate after writing lengthy research papers on current topics such as prison reform, gun rights, and euthanasia. Students must refute their counterpart’s contentions and pull together an eloquent conclusion in a minute or less, quickly thinking on their feet. Students draw not only on their research, but also on the rhetorical strategies they have been studying all year long. Getting to put this knowledge into action allows for a more complete understanding of their analytical work. Attending the “Visionary Women” reception held by the Spanish IV class, taught by Department Chair Esther Sánchez, I could not help reflecting on some of the students as freshman and the confidence they had gained since then. Each girl had written a paper on an individual but instead of making an oral presentation to the class, she had to dress as her subject and mingle with classmates and guests, discussing her accomplishments and answering questions in Spanish (or English, when speaking to a non-Spanish speaker like me). It was fascinating to see how the Spanish IV students interacted with the Spanish I students at the reception. They knew just how to adjust their grammar and vocabulary so that the beginners could participate in the conversations, allowing everyone to achieve more authentic speaking and listening practice.
Spanish IV students portrayed the accomplished women that they studied at a Spanishlanguage reception.
Unique Learning Experiences In and Out of the Classroom Accomplishments Increased salaries and benefits to attract and retain expert, diverse faculty Launched Wellness, Digital Literacy, and Financial Literacy programs Created Academic Concentrations in Animal Science, Fine Arts, Global Studies, and STEM Opened The Innovation Lab at Foxcroft School Added 17 new courses, including computer science, STEAM Technology, and Artist’s Portfolio Redesigned the Humanities sequence to include world history and literature courses Merged math and science into an integrated STEM Department Expanded opportunities, classes, and events in the Arts Invested $1 million in technology improvements, including WiFi/fiber optic overhaul Adopted 1:1 faculty-laptop program and added computers to digital photography studio Installed SMART Boards in every classroom Broadened student support via the Learning Center and Guidance Team Increased professional development funding for faculty, staff, and administrators by 74% Fall/Winter 2019 19
Five Years In
Visionary Women
continued from page 17
How Girls Learn Context and connections are key elements in educating girls — as STEM teacher Katie Hergenreder well knows.
If you saw the One-Woman Exhibits at the Arts Weekend in April, then you glimpsed the array of talent in the Class of 2019. In mounting these shows, the culmination of their work at Foxcroft, students wrote artist statements, designed their exhibits, and created advertisements for family and friends. Each had to curate her own work, reflecting on her process and vision with a maturity that comes from semesters of self-reflection and peer critique — skills which are fostered in our art curriculum side-by-side with technical development. Our Academic Concentrations program has inspired the development of new classes required for concentrators but open to any interested student. In addition to Animal and Equine Science, we have added courses in Statistics, AP Statistics, and STEAM Technology — and a Global Studies offering is in the works. The STEAM Technology course adds art to the STEM quartet of science, technology, engineering, and math. It will be co-taught by Fine Arts Department Chair Julie Fisher and Dan Hales, the STEM Department’s lead computer science teacher, and may be taken
for either science or art credit. Lessons will integrate technology found in The Innovation Lab @ Foxcroft, such as the 3-D printer and laser cutter, with STEM skills ranging from using probes and spreadsheets to manipulating modeling software, emphasizing the creative and practical applications of the varied technology. Co-listing classes in several academic disciplines expands our offerings to students, utilizes our faculty’s expertise in creative ways, and reflects many real-life tasks and challenges, which increasingly demand both right- and left-brain thinking. Enhancing our offerings also empowers each student to chart her own curricular path through Foxcroft, allowing for discovery and experimentation. Some of my favorite conversations are with students who have changed their minds about what they want to study — positive she wanted a certain class or college major, only to find weeks or months later that she is pulled by new interests in a totally different direction. A strong and versatile curriculum allows Foxcroft to point her in new directions as we help each girl explore her unique voice. As we look toward our next five years and beyond, our work with curriculum design and development, as well as teaching methods and techniques, will continue to evolve to challenge our students, reflect the best practices of our profession, and support the professional growth of our teachers — assuring that Foxcroft remains at the forefront of girls education, now and in the future.
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Eric Dombrowski, Fine Arts
Meghen Tuttle, PhD, STEM
20 Foxcroft Magazine
Portrait of an Artist Khaki Kinsey ’19 By Katherine Murphy
When tasked by art teacher Jackie Jouvenal Washam to identify a theme for her senior year portfolio, Khaki Kinsey ’19 did what any great artist does: She drew from her surroundings and personal experiences. “My inspiration was living in an all-girls’ environment and how social media plays into the way girls see themselves,” she says. “My theme was the battle women face with self-acceptance.” Choosing to focus on the word ‘battle’ in particular, Khaki incorporated ropes and strings in her paintings to symbolize the internal struggle she and her peers had experienced with body image. Khaki hoped that her artwork would serve as a reminder that, as she put it, “everyone has different body types. Everyone is beautiful in her own way.” However, she also chose this topic to challenge herself artistically. “I had never painted a person before and every single one of the pieces of my portfolio is a painting of the body,” she notes. The stunning results, displayed at the Festival of Arts Weekend this spring, reveal a young woman who has found a voice. By pushing her to try new things, Khaki says, art teachers Karin Thorndike and Jackie Washam helped her to become a better artist and to realize that what she thought was only a hobby is something she wants to pursue as a career.
Tech forward By Matthew Norko, Director of Technology, and Alex Northrup, Director of The Innovation Lab Learning, working, and living at Foxcroft looks very different today than it did in 2014 — in large part because technology at Foxcroft looks very different. Bringing technology into the forefront of school life, enhancing access for the entire community, has been a key goal — and accomplishment — of the strategic plan. We have installed and upgraded WiFi in all academic buildings and dormitories, and fitted every classroom with a SMART Board to promote interactive learning. In 2014, a 1:1 laptop program for faculty and Google’s GSuite for Education platform of cloudbased software (GMail/Docs) brought greater tools and flexibility to our teachers and facilitated true collaboration in and out of the classroom. In 2017, we opened The Innovation Lab at Foxcroft School, with
state-of-the-art makerspace tools such as 3D printers, laser and vinyl cutters, and a digital photography lab, to complement the woodshop and other space dedicated to engineering. When Court was renovated, its conference rooms were fitted with video conferencing capabilities that bring the world to Foxcroft’s students. All of these high-tech tools enrich and expand our innovative curriculum. Going forward, we will continue to prioritize upgrades of the core infrastructure that feeds everything on which we rely. Enhancing our electrical circuit capacity, connecting the remaining campus buildings via fiber optic cable, and updating older data lines — thanks in part to a generous donor — will accommodate
new technology tools, with more data and faster speed, in a seamless user experience for everyone in the community. We also look to integrate more of the available maker tools into disciplines across the school, exposing a greater number of students to the tools of the future. Creating a school-wide, accessible environment where students can dream up an idea, design a prototype using the tools we have, and build a finished product by themselves will have tremendous impact. Adopting a long-term view of all updates to technology hardware will ensure future adaptability and allow for the flexible learning and gathering spaces that will foster collaboration and keep students at the center of everything we do.
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Fall/Winter Fall/Winter 2019 2019 21 21
Five Years In
HOMETOWN: Park City, UT AFTER FOXCROFT: College of Charleston FIVE YEARS OUT: After majoring in psychology and art, she hopes to work in criminology or art therapy. SHE DID IT: This summer, Khaki partnered with Park City’s Kimball Art Center to host a group for young girls to talk and create around the theme of body image. FAST FACTS: She is an IT (daughter of an alumna, Penelope Lehman-Kinsey ’88) and was Assistant Hound Cheerleader as a senior.
Marion Couzens, Director of Institutional Advancement
Deborah Anderson, Chief Operating Officer
A Magical Place Foxcroft’s beautiful campus offers lessons and landscape for students to grow, learn, and thrive By Deborah Anderson, Chief Operating Officer, and Marion Couzens, Director of Institutional Advancement
N
o matter what decade an alumna graduated, Foxcroft’s 500-acre campus provided a landscape in which she could grow, learn, and thrive and which united her across generations with other women
who called this magical place home. Each alumna has a memory of her favorite place on campus: the vast woods on an autumn trail ride, the view of the mountains from the library courtyard, Foxhound Lane with its glorious pink canopy of cherry blossoms, Miss Charlotte’s Garden, or even senior porch.
22 Foxcroft Magazine
Recognizing that additions to the campus must be done thoughtfully and deliberately to preserve this order, Foxcroft’s Board of Trustees adopted a Campus Master Plan in 2003 that represented their “original and best thought for space and program locations as determined by the School’s needs and goals at the time.” The first projects completed under this plan, the construction of the maintenance facility in 2008 (aka Sally’s Service Center) and expansion of the Athletic/Student Center in 2010 (aka Activities) provided our operations staff, athletic department, and community with much needed space and greatly improved facilities to better serve our students. In 2013-14, the Board publicly announced the Centennial Campaign, a $75 million fundraising effort focused on building our endowment to ensure our financial future and on a residential initiative to upgrade our living spaces as called for in the 2003 Campus Master Plan. At its completion — ahead of schedule and over goal — the campaign celebrated a strengthened endowment and the construction of Stuart Hall; the upgrade of Applegate, Dillon, Orchard and Reynolds; and improved faculty housing with the construction of two new houses and a variety of enhancements to other homes. Stuart Hall, Foxcroft’s first Gold LEED-certified building, opened in summer 2013, during the silent phase of the campaign, and the two new houses, located near Sage House, were ready for the 2017-18 school year. The existing dormitories got new bathrooms, flooring, lighting, furniture and fixtures during this time.
The campaign also facilitated the repurposing of Foxcroft’s oldest dormitory — Court — as the School’s Welcome Center. This decision reflects the Board’s careful analysis of what is best for the future of the School. The cost to renovate Court, which had significantly deteriorated, as a dorm was prohibitive. Rather than tear down this beautiful building which was a special home to many alumnae, the Board chose to celebrate its prime location in the center of campus and receive all visitors to begin their Foxcroft journey there. As Foxcroft entered its second century, the Board — understanding that master plans “are living documents that are fluid and adaptable, responding to inevitable evolutions within schools, such as changes or revisions to program as well as new priorities,” — adopted a revised and expanded version of the 2003 campus master plan. It is this document, approved in 2016, that guides the Board in its buildings and grounds decisions today. continued on page 25
An Uncommonly Beautiful Campus Accomplishments Opened Court Welcome Center Finished renovating and upgrading four existing dormitories Completed the Residential Initiative and strengthened endowment through the Centennial Campaign, which was concluded ahead of schedule and over goal Built artificial turf athletic fields and practice track (see “New Fields, New Perspectives,” p. 24)
Welcome!
What was once a dormitory lounge, now greets visitors to Admissions, Institutional Advancement, and the Business Office.
Established community garden for academic and extra-curricular use Enhanced Audrey Bruce Currier Library and Archives Improved faculty housing through renovation and new construction Rebuilt Library Courtyard and other walkways Installed system of French drains in Miss Charlotte’s Garden Bolstered security with swipe cards, emergency alert system, and campus safety coordinator Fall/Winter 2019 23
Five Years In
From its very inception, Foxcroft could boast a special location in Virginia’s horse country with uncommon natural beauty. Once called an architect’s dream by a visiting artist, the core campus is divided into segments, each one reflecting different aspects of school life — academic, residential, and athletics. Instead of being a hodgepodge of buildings created as needs arose, our campus makes sense.
New Fields, New Perspective Home Field Happy
By Caroline Fout ’13
Our athletes are ecstatic about playing on synthetic turf everyday because it gives them a leg up on the competition.
After the first 20 minutes of field hockey preseason as a brand new college athlete, I was spent. My feet were dragging, my lungs were burning, and the thought of running after one more bullet-speed ball was almost too much to bear. Playing on turf for the first time ever, as a freshman at Hobart and William Smith Colleges (HWS), was a rude awakening. The women I played with had played on this kind of smooth, level field surface from the beginning of their field hockey careers. They had played on it with their high school teams, they had played on it with their club teams, and they knew it well — just as current and future Foxcroft athletes will, thanks to the two synthetic turf fields installed behind the Student/Athletic Center last year. Taken off natural grass and the spontaneous, interfering undulations of the earth, field sports become entirely different entities altogether. Ground balls in lacrosse are quicker, soccer passes are smoother, and field hockey balls can be pushed all the way down the field with ease. Players can nix the over-running and have confidence that the quick-traveling ball will reach the desired teammate in such a timely manner that their opponents are left doing all the leg-work. This sounds great, but playing on turf requires a different kind of athlete, one who can maximize opportunities with the ball, and use the speed of the surface to their advantage. I’d be the first to admit, this is no easy task.
24 Foxcroft Magazine
That first day at HWS, though, I just thought I needed to become a faster player. My brain twisted itself into knots devising ways to keep up with the blindingly fast speed of the ball on turf. Maybe I need to start running sprints in the morning with a big bag of sand tied around my waist. Maybe I should run through sand at the same time . . . After a few practices, I had something of an epiphany whilst drenched in sweat after running through 30 minutes of passing drills: The more I passed to my teammates, the less I had to run. Of course, most of my teammates knew this already. To avoid getting too far into the technicalities of field hockey — it is but one of the sports that benefits from being played on our wonderful, smooth new fields — the way in which turf forces teams to play as a unit is essential. Building a dynamic team through a dynamic surface is quite important to the advancement of each individual player. It may be hard to look back with fondness on the annoying, constant echo of, “There’s no ‘I’ in team!” that your old PE teacher used to rattle off as an inspirational halftime quote, but she did have a point.
Foxcroft team sports have always had a wonderful dynamic, no matter what type of surface games are played on. The School’s new turf fields will not change the charisma that has been there all along, but it will change the way in which players walk onto the field, as well as the confidence they bring — in each other and to the game. It was great playing the Fox/Hound alumnae field hockey game on the new field at Reunion this spring. Playing on the turf again made me realize just how fit I was in college to play on that surface, because I could hardly run 20 yards without feeling like I was going to pass out! The girls played well on the surface; clearly they have advanced how they play due to these new fields.
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Fast Fout Caroline was a standout field hockey player on Foxcroft’s grass but felt really slow when she took on the turf in college.
In the spirit of our philosophy that “Everything we do is curriculum,” this era of building became a handson learning experience for Foxcroft students. Project Green Build, a seminar series created in conjunction with the architects and engineers responsible for the construction of Foxcroft’s first green building, Stuart Hall, provided a score of students the chance to learn to read a set of construction drawings, to lay footers, and to watch the drilling of geothermal wells. A roaring success, the seminar series became the formula for additional learning opportunities, with Court’s extensive renovations becoming the focus of the next seminar series for our students. Project Rebuild, as it was called, explored the restoration of an old building through more hands-on opportunities for students and stimulating presentations by architects and engineers. A third series, looking ahead to the renovation of Schoolhouse, began last year. Other campus projects that have taken place over the past five years reflect the rapidly changing technological needs of the community as well as the challenges of addressing deferred maintenance on a 100-year-old campus. Since 2015, we have
New Digs Two family-friendly faculty residences were built near Sage House.
installed a new roof and doors on the Jean duPont McConnell Stables and Riding Arena; made a host of improvements to the Audrey Bruce Currier Library, including a new skylight, carpet, LED lights, and electrical upgrades; replaced the library courtyard and surrounding walkways; installed a drainage system in Miss Charlotte’s Garden; and more. The School’s infrastructure and technology delivery systems were also upgraded to meet new operating and educational demands, and security measures addressing safety were implemented. The successful completion of the Centennial Campaign and other restricted gifts afforded the School an opportunity to replace two well-worn grass fields with a state-of-the-art synthetic turf complex which supports our field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and softball teams, and includes a practice running track as well. In addition to enhancing Foxcroft’s athletic program the complex also brings area teams and camps to campus — along with many middle school girls who may, one day, decide to attend Foxcroft!
Fall 2019 Fall/Winter 2019 25 25
Five Years In
continued from page 23
As we look to the future, two elements of the 2016 Campus Master Plan remain to be realized — a new performing arts center and a comprehensive upgrade of our academic spaces, including Schoolhouse and the Music Building. This series of projects, which is in its conceptual design stages, will provide spaces and technology for 21st century learning. Not only will the interior layout of these buildings support the best pedagogy for teaching girls, but the exterior spaces also will be enhanced so that they may be used as outdoor classrooms, a stage for theater productions, or a laboratory for environmental education. The completion of these projects will take time and a considerable amount of funding. When finished, however, the impact they will have on the depth and breadth of the Foxcroft experience will be powerful. As it has in the past and as it will continue to do in the future, our campus enhances the extraordinary work of our faculty and staff, shaping generations of young girls into confident and talented women who will lead in a rapidly changing world.
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26 Foxcroft Magazine
The Innovation Lab In October 2017, Cathy McGehee and Alex Northrup cut the ribbon to Foxcroft’s marvelous maker space.
Five Years In
CODE RUNNER Betsy Altenburger ’21
By Lindsay O ’Connor
HOMETOWN: Purcellville, VA LOOKING AHEAD: She thinks she’d enjoy a career in white hat hacking or web development SHE DID IT: Betsy started a Cyberpatriot Cyber Defense Competition Team at Foxcroft this fall. FAST FACTS: Betsy was named All-State in field hockey after helping Foxcroft to the state championship game last fall and placed 8th in the 800 meters at the 2019 state track and field championships in the spring.
Good Timing Betsy arrived on campus just in time to enjoy both The Innovation Lab (top) and the turf fields.
Whether she is competing in a championship field hockey game, helping another student use the high-tech laser cutter, or writing an entire K-8 curriculum to get children excited about computers, Betsy Altenburger ’21 brings passion and self-awareness to all that she does.
Lab intern, helping other students navigate the sophisticated
Foxcroft’s campus — particularly several improvements that have coincided with her time here — have provided wonderful settings for her to pursue those passions. The Innovation Lab at Foxcroft School (TIL@FXC), which houses that laser cutter, opened just before her freshman year, fueling Betsy’s passion for STEM. The artificial turf field and running track were completed during her sophomore year. Betsy, a standout athlete in two sports, has spent hours on them, as well as taking long weekend runs on the cross country trail. “It’s nice to run someplace so pretty, and it is very relaxing,” she notes.
This summer, Betsy used an Inspired Learning grant to further
Another place you’ll find Betsy is TIL@FXC. One of the most enthusiastic early explorers of the facility, she has used it for both personal and class projects, and serves as an Innovation
responsible digital citizenship and the logical reasoning that
equipment. She has delved further into STEM subjects as a TARC rocket team member, an AP Computer Science student, and a participant in the Academic Concentrations program. her computer knowledge and skills, and spread this knowledge to students far beyond Foxcroft. Following the problem-based learning that STEM teacher Dan Hales uses to teach coding, she created a series of lessons for elementary and middle grades learners on internet safety, plagiarism, and the basics of coding. Unlike most coding curricula, though, Betsy’s lessons do not require students to use computers. Computer Science Unplugged, as it is called, focuses on the ethical reasoning required for underlies all coding. The curriculum is accessed via a website — which Betsy built after taking a Web Development Bootcamp.
Fall/Winter Fall 2019 Fall/Winter 2019 27 27
Emily Johns, Assistant Head of School for Student Life
It Starts with the Heart Student Life aligns programming to move a caring community towards values-based leadership By Emily F. Johns, Assistant Head of School for Student Life
O
ur student leaders jump into each academic year with enthusiasm and a strong determination to empower their peers, cultivate a feeling of team, and nurture an inclusive school community. They plan
gatherings and ice-breakers to draw girls in, educate newcomers on our values through small group discussions, dorm meetings, orientation games, skits, and information sessions. They organize New Girl-Old Girl bonding activities, plan “class chills” of movies or crafting, orchestrate a field day or scavenger hunt, and facilitate school-wide honor discussions.
28 Foxcroft Magazine
Five Years In
Amidst all the activity, there are special moments, not to be missed. Some of my favorites include when a New Girl astounds her peers by singing a solo during Battle of the Dorms, or a senior stands up in Morning Meeting to talk about how we can do a better job of respecting our community spaces; or the Reynolds dorm leaders recount telling bedtime stories — of tradition, connection, and friendships — to freshmen on the sleeping porches. The moments for mission that we witness each day are difficult to enumerate. Foxcroft girls’ hearts are big and their desire to make each girl feel welcome, known, and included is palpable. These snapshots give us a window into who we are, how we live, and what makes Foxcroft, Foxcroft. This is a school where students are at the helm, driving, shaping and nurturing the community culture. This is no accident. Those beautiful little moments are the fruits of careful planning, mindful teaching, and consistent, persistent mentoring. Our leadership philosophy and leadership program — informed by our knowledge of best practices for girls and of our own students — has been expanded and integrated into numerous aspects of student life more intentionally in recent years. And what it does, first and foremost, is provide our students with a firm foundation in our shared values of respect, integrity, kindness, and service.
It's no wonder, then, that the theme that continues to emerge from our leadership workshops is one of fostering a positive and inclusive community. Student leaders want to feel accessible, relatable, and supported; they want all their peers to feel known for who they are and valued for what they bring to the table. Toward that end, girls call their peers to task, delve into courageous conversations about difficult subjects, challenge us to share our diverse human experiences, and urge us to consider — and embrace — our inherent differences. continued on page 31
Leadership Training In addition to retreats to begin and end each school year, leaders attend monthly sessions for learning and planning.
Fall/Winter 2019 29
An Honorable Endeavor By Steven McCarty, English Department Chair and Student Council advisor This spring, Student Council voted to change the name of “Judicial Council” to “Honor Council.” The change stemmed in part from a desire to hearken back to the School’s past, when the Honor Board was responsible for character education, but the decision is also meant to demonstrate a commitment to Foxcroft’s current values and to align with the development of Foxcroft’s Honor Code and Honor Pledge. The name change is a culmination of hard work from the Head Prefects, especially Jacina Hollis-Borges ’17, Melanie Fann ’18, and Amanda Clemente ’19, who drafted and implemented the Honor Code and Pledge. Honor Council is a normative body, not a judicial one. Its role is to make students familiar with the School’s values of kindness, respect, integrity, and service, and then to help those who fall short of the values to regain the trust of the community. The process has two parts: if a student violates a major school rule, then the Honor Council’s function is to help the student understand how her actions ran counter to the culture we want to uphold at Foxcroft. The second portion is to help her regain trust in the community. While a student may have to face consequences, including
I Pledge Each fall, the entire community discusses and then signs an official Honor Pledge.
peer intervention, community service, and suspension, the process aims to be restorative, not punitive. In my visits to other schools and conferences to investigate how they run groups or delegations similar to Honor Council, I have found that several aspects of Foxcroft’s council make it special. The most noticeable is that each grade level
Steve McCarty, English/History
(with the exception of freshmen) has at least two representatives on the council. Some schools have only seniors on their councils; others have all adults. The gradelevel model gives our body a variety of perspectives, i.e. a challenge that the sophomores are facing may not have been a problem when the seniors were that age. The process is student-owned and studentled, with a senior elected by the entire Foxcroft community conducting the meeting. Adult advisors mentor the representatives, but it is up to the student members to establish and reinforce the School’s values.
30 Foxcroft Magazine
I recently came across a thread on Twitter where a teacher asked, “How can I keep my kids from plagiarizing?” I suggested that the discussion should not be on “preventing plagiarism,” but rather on being a responsible member of the academic community by using proper attribution. The change in wording is a small one, but in principle it is huge — and it shows how different Foxcroft is from other schools. We do not seek to prevent a student from doing something and then find appropriate ways to punish her when she does it; we want to demonstrate and encourage the right way, and then find ways to help when the student goes astray. In the near future, the members of the Honor Council will be the leading voice on School values in each grade, guiding peers in discussions on what it means to be a Foxcroft graduate. Honor Council helps girls to walk upright on their path at Foxcroft, and then to take those values and walk upright in the world.
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Five Years In
Tough talk continued from page 29 Three vibrant student clubs — We the People (diversity and inclusion), Global Cultures (formerly International Club), and Hand-in-Hand (LGBTQstraight alliance) — have demonstrated exceptional leadership and collaboration in this area recently. With the goal of challenging each member of the community to gain a broader understanding of our differences and biases, they joined forces to facilitate school-wide diversity conversations in various contexts — seated lunch conversations, a Silent Movement activity at Morning Meeting, and “Courageous Conversations” in the dorms. These experiences shifted perspectives on the ways privilege and difference are experienced in our community, inspiring Student Council members to research the affordability of and access to activities, transportation, and meals off campus after away games and other outings. The Student Council also awarded “Club Impact Grants” to help underwrite events that foster cultural experiences, such as the International Gala and a movie outing to see The Hate U Give, and honored the Global Cultures Club and We the People this spring for “consistently living out their clubs’ missions and goals, and aligning with Foxcroft’s mission and values.” Our efforts to grow values-based leadership at Foxcroft extend beyond our work with student leaders, reaching into academic and co-curricular spheres. Each fall, we kick off the year with an all-school leadership conference to rally the community around a common theme, shared language, and essential skills. Conference keynote speakers — we’ve featured diversity and inclusion educator Jada Monica Drew and “fear-facer” Michelle Poler the past two years — ground students and faculty alike with shared wisdom about community engagement, innovative leadership, courage, and self-acceptance. Our faculty supports the conference by sharing their expertise through fun, relevant skill-building workshops on topics that range from goal-setting and team-building to time management and effective communication. A reimagined Academic Planner that is tied to each year’s overarching theme and filled with pertinent concepts, activities, and conversation-starters; regular advisory meetings that help faculty and students connect, set goals, and reflect on their progress; and Student Council’s “Hang out with a Leader” nights (aka HOWLs) for student-led discussions for New Girls on topics of interest such as mixer etiquette, getting along with your
Student leaders sometimes lead conversations about difficult subjects, making sure each girl is known and valued.
roommate, and preparing for exams — these, too, support the program. They foster individual self-awareness and self-confidence, they build a strong, interconnected residential community. And they are based, first, last, and always, on the School’s values. This values-based approach is critical. It inspires us to be versatile and adaptable, but it also connects us to one another through our core Foxcroft identity, something that is bigger than us, that will guide us and anchor us, something that will keep our vision “clear” and our hearts “clean,” as founder Charlotte Haxall Noland put it in the School Prayer.
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A Residential Community of Understanding Hearts Accomplishments Student-led process articulated core values, honor code, and honor pledge Changed Judicial Council name to Honor Council and created student chair position Expanded Leadership Program, developing curriculum and training time Adopted Diversity Philosophy and hired a director of diversity and inclusion Supported student/employee/alumnae diversity and inclusion groups and initiatives with programming and funding Restructured residential program with dorm teams and unified programming Increased opportunities to connect students with alumnae and surrounding community through internships and service learning Fall/Winter 2019 31
A Look at a LEADER Bella Smith ’20
By Katherine Murphy
HOMETOWN: Midlothian, VA LOOKING AHEAD: Bella hopes to major in International Relations and then travel the world and help others. QUICK BIT: She enjoys playing video games and trying new foods. FAST FACTS: Bella is Student Head of School and the Fox Team Assistant Cheerleader
Standing before the entire Foxcroft Community, delivering her speech for Student Head of School, Bella Smith ’20 is calm and collected. Her voice does not shake. Her hands do not tremble. She appears as a woman who knows herself deeply, and her confidence fills the room. However, she admits to the crowd that she has not always felt this way. “With being half black and half white, I have experienced racism and still do. It wasn’t until I came here [Foxcroft] that I really started to think deeply about myself.” Bella says her exploration of self began in the classroom where discussions around diversity, race, and gender quickly spilled into conversations between her and her friends in the dorms and the Dining Hall. “The topics brought up awareness of the challenges of being a woman and being a black woman . . . these conversations and experiences at Foxcroft put me in the place of selfempowerment and strength that I am in today.” Bella took that feeling of empowerment and ran with it, finding her unique voice and using it to expand the culture of inclusion and diversity at Foxcroft. Her efforts include being the Co-Head of Foxcroft’s diversity and inclusion club, We The People, helping to organize last January’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration,
32 Foxcroft Magazine
and moderating Courageous Conversations with Foxcroft Women, an event hosted by the Alumnae Council Diversity and Inclusion Committee during Reunion Weekend — just to name a few. However, for a leader like Bella, there was still more to do. Embracing and expressing her self-awareness, passion, and voice, Bella ran for and was elected Student Head of School for 2019-20. In her new role, she says she will continue in her effort to make Foxcroft a more inclusive and diverse place and aspires to “help people step out of their comfort zones and celebrate our differences and similarities in our community and the world.” She adds, “I also want to inspire other girls and to let them know they are important and can achieve anything they want to.”
All In! As Student Head of School, Bella aspires to help create an inclusive community that embraces everybody’s differences.
Five Years In
Let It Shine! Sharing lifelong bonds — and telling the world about it By Marion L. Couzens, Director of Institutional Advancement, and Karla Vargas, Director of Enrollment Management and Marketing
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ne of our young graduates tells the story of being a college student in Seville, Spain, for a summer program and posting a picture of where she was on Instagram. Immediately, she got a response from
a classmate who lived elsewhere in Spain, asking, “Where are you?” Turned out they were down the street from each other.
Fall/Winter 2019 33
All Ages No matter when they graduated or where they ended up in life, Foxcroft women find instant connections.
In this issue’s “Gone Away,” another alumna, Amanda Wiedenmayer Wood ’87, writes, “It is a small world after all! What an amazing surprise to have Mary Motion ’13 turn up at Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott Racing in Sydney [Australia] where I have worked for the past seven years. We have had a great time together and thanks to the instant Foxcroft bond, we’ll be friends for life!” These types of experiences are not uncommon. Foxcroft’s promise of a lifetime of friendships and global connections is a gift that each graduate takes with her when she leaves the School. She knows she has her people, those from her sleeping porch or class, those with whom she shared laughter and stories, who know her perhaps better than anyone else, and whom she can count on throughout her life. The shared bond and strength of their connectivity crosses generations, uniting this community of Foxcroft women. These bonds foster success while students are on campus and after they graduate from Foxcroft. Current research on student retention in colleges suggests that the best way to ensure student
34 Foxcroft Magazine
In 2019, as we endeavor to seat a class of mission-appropriate students, the most persuasive and effective tool that we have to share with prospective families is the strength of our community and the life-long friendships and connections that the Foxcroft experience provides. The Office of Enrollment Management (aka Admissions) tells the School’s story boldly by showcasing this connectivity. For example: Last year, we received an inquiry from a wonderful family in Texas. The prospective student was slated to attend another girls’ school in our region, but stumbled upon our website
All Together! New girl or old; day student or boarder, everyone is drawn into the community during Opening Days.
a little late in the process. During her overnight visit, as she sat eating ice cream and laughing with our girls — who were inviting her to spend another night, to stay for the rest of the year, and to continue their friendship postvisit — the happiness in her eyes was profound. She had found her people, and they had welcomed her with open arms. Prospective families often come to us looking to find that extraordinary school described to them by a friend, a graduate, or a parent. They are often skeptical and even a little wary. But, when they interact with our students and faculty, they find those descriptions to be real. What they are most impressed with, what continued on page 37
Karla Vargas-Kennedy, Director of Enrollment Management and Marketing
Fall/Winter 2019 35
Five Years In
success is to help students develop relational skills and to provide opportunities to create community. Connectivity, more than grit, resilience, or any other attribute consistently leads to success. No surprise to us: From its earliest days, Foxcroft has understood that a sense of belonging can be a game-changer for young women.
A Deeper Dive into International Waters By Rebecca Wise, Director of International Student Services
Global Citizens Director of International Student Services Rebecca Wise helps students from near and far learn to work, travel, and laugh together.
Whether a new Foxcroft student is coming from Jakarta, Mexico City, or Middleburg, she is already a global citizen. Technology is fostering exciting connections among cultures, and we see that reflected clearly in our student body. Here’s a quick example: In the past, I have encouraged students from Korea to share their music and entertainment — already wildly popular in Asia — with their American friends. Now, our American students arrive wearing t-shirts for Korean boy band BTS and doing the dance moves to “Boy with Luv.” This level of sharing, facilitated by platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, has deepened the way we think about cultural exchange. Through our international student program and global competence initiatives, Foxcroft helps students explore beneath the surface of culture (aka entertainment, food, holidays), and get to the real work of understanding and
36 Foxcroft Magazine
communicating. In my American Experience classroom, international students dive right in with our opening unit, which invites the girls to investigate American values and norms by interviewing peers and teachers. These early conversations help students feel more connected to the School and more confident asking questions when they encounter a confusing situation. Students then write argumentative essays — which they ultimately send to School administrators — advocating for a change they would like to see at Foxcroft. When Ms. Johns or Ms. McGehee writes them back to discuss their idea, the students know their voice matters here. Our International Ambassadors program also goes beneath the surface. Both American and international students can apply to be Ambassadors, whose primary role is to welcome and mentor incoming international students. Each new international girl starts talking with her Ambassador over the
summer, so that when she arrives on campus, she already has a friend and is better prepared for life in America. During the school year, Ambassadors ensure international students are adjusting, making connections, and finding the confidence to share their stories with the community. Listening to the new girls’ challenges and helping to solve problems, Ambassadors also host monthly sessions on topics such as culture shock, homesickness, and conflict management. In the wake of news about universities policing international students’ language use, several Ambassadors decided to research language policies and prepare a presentation to faculty on best practices. And beginning this fall, the Ambassadors will have a seat on Student Council, allowing them to advocate for the international student body in a more formal way. Foxcroft’s Global Studies concentration, launched in 2018, equips girls with the skills to investigate a subject they’re passionate about and make real change in the world. For example, some of our students’ current Global Studies projects include working with an organization to help children in need in China, conducting interviews about the experience of first language use while living abroad, and researching sustainability issues in global fashion. Foxcroft is also expanding its global citizenship programming with workshops for student leaders on intercultural communication and study abroad trips to Peru and China, while our student-led groups, like Global Cultures Club and We the People, help to promote dialogue across a wide range of experiences. Between our robust international student program and our global approach to education, Foxcroft is equipping our students to think beyond borders. We are seeing the fruits of these efforts in the way our students travel together, work together, and dive into unfamiliar situations with confidence and empathy. These skills will serve them for a lifetime, whether they find their calling across the world or across the street.
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Community and lifelong bonds are among Foxcroft's strongest selling points." says Karla VargasKennedy, Director of Enrollment Management and Marketing
Accomplishments Grew student enrollment, financial aid, and access to weekend activities Established eight Ruth T. Bedford ’32 Merit Scholarships for the Arts
continued from page 35
Expanded and invigorated international program
is indeed exceptional about this community is that this sense of belonging and connection is not new; it is woven into the fabric of Foxcroft, and has been since Miss Charlotte first decided to create a school that girls would hate to leave.
Executed comprehensive rebranding plan
Sharing Foxcroft’s proverbial light under a bushel has never been particularly difficult when done in person or on a campus visit, but in today’s digital world that is not enough. The 21st century landscape demands that we tell our story more boldly, more often, and more clearly.
Established “Cluster” Reunions to foster relationships among neighboring classes
The School’s updated mission statement, promises, and values, completed in 2015, inspired a reexamination of our messaging and story-telling priorities in the midst of an increasingly noisy and complex world. Comprehensive research and thoughtful innovation yielded a major rebranding of our logo, seal, website, and graphic guidelines the following year. The explosive growth in social media, as well as marketing and communication delivery systems, challenged us to master and leverage these digital tools in order to rise above the noise and tell our story. On the flip side, this growth in digital access has enabled us to engage with our own Foxcroft community around the globe and allowed our alumnae and parents to enhance their connections to each other through dedicated social media groups. As we look to the future, we continue to explore new ways to take our light out from under our bushel and to tell our story boldly both through print and digital media. It is our graduates, however, who are our most powerful voices as they share their stories about Foxcroft and the girls they met here who are now the women they cherish.
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Launched a new website Developed a robust social media presence
Reimagined Parents’ Weekend as a family affair Raised visibility and reach beyond campus with conference presentations and community partnerships Introduced The Foxcroft Circle as the School’s annual fund identity Nurtured and showcased student achievement in sports, arts, and service learning
New Look In 2016, a major rebranding of the School put the popular fox and hound icons front and center.
Fall/Winter 2019 37
Five Years In
Connectivity
A Lifetime of Friendships and Global Connections, Boldly Shared
Fast Friends Qianhui (Wendy) Xiu ’19 and Lily Fortsch ’19
By Laura R. Fortsch ’89 (Lily ’19, Amelia ’22)
WENDY’S HOMETOWN: Qingdao, China AFTER FOXCROFT: Mount Holyoke College LOOKING AHEAD: I want to be the CEO of my own fashion company someday. SHE DID IT: Wendy served as Student Head of School for 2018-19. MOST IMPORTANT THING LEARNED AT FOXCROFT: Be proud to be a woman!
LILY’S HOMETOWN: Alexandria, VA AFTER FOXCROFT: The College of William and Mary LOOKING AHEAD: I might be a dentist or pharmacist, but I don't really want to plan that far in advance. SHE DID IT: MVP of the varsity tennis and soccer teams as a junior. MOST IMPORTANT THING LEARNED AT FOXCROFT: How to advocate for myself.
In November of Lily’s freshman year, she called to ask if her classmate, Wendy Xiu, could come home with us for the Thanksgiving break. Wendy’s original plan to travel to New York had changed, she wasn’t able to get to China, and needed a place to go. Initially, I was on the fence. Ten days is a long time to spend with someone you don’t know, and part of our vacation would be with my extended family, who have a tendency to be loud and chaotic. I felt that Wendy was either going to be miserable or become family.
Senior year, Wendy invited Lily and two other classmates to China for Spring Break. They visited Beijing and Xi’an before traveling to Wendy’s hometown of Qingdao. Wendy and Tao Feng introduced the girls to favorite restaurants, historic landmarks, and hometown friends. Lily had an immersive, once-in-a-lifetime global experience that would not have occurred without this connection formed at Foxcroft. Wendy — and Foxcroft educators! — inspired a passion for travel and learning about other places and cultures that led Lily to make study abroad programs a priority when choosing a college.
Remembering the times that my Foxcroft classmates came home with me when I was a student, though, I quickly told Lily to bring Wendy home with her. After cultural outings to Mount Vernon and Colonial Williamsburg, adventures in ice skating, noisy dinners with all the cousins, and Black Friday shopping, Wendy became a beloved member of the Fortsch family! Over the years, Lily and Wendy’s friendship deepened and Wendy continued to be a frequent visitor to Alexandria. When Lily’s sisters were applying to Foxcroft, Wendy provided sisterly words of encouragement and support. When Wendy’s mom, Tao Feng, visited campus, my Foxcroft daughters enjoyed amazing meals that she prepared at Spur and Spoon.
FoxcroftMagazine Magazine 38 Foxcroft
Lifelong friendships are at the heart of the Foxcroft experience, not only between the students but also between families. At graduation, our families were thrilled to reunite and strengthen our relationship despite the language barrier. When we gathered in Alexandria afterward, we laughed at stories about our children and bonded over shared hopes and concerns for our daughters as they embark on the next stage of life and learning. Although Wendy and Lily are heading in different directions this fall, I know that the Foxcroft bond and modern technology will keep us all connected for years and years to come!
Commencement 2019
1 High Spirits, High Fives, and Hugs The Class of 2019 had a fine time at Foxcroft’s 105th commencement By Cathrine Wolf, Director of Communications
T
he weather could not have been any better nor the spirits any higher on May 24 when the 46 members of the Class of 2019 — representing seven countries, 11 states, and the District of Columbia — gathered in Miss Charlotte’s Garden for Foxcroft School’s 105th commencement.
Under sunny skies and the proud gazes of family faculty, and friends, Senior Speaker Kayla Lee reminisced about the previous four years at Foxcroft, prizes were presented, Head of School Cathy McGehee acknowledged the Class’s achievements, and Board of Trustees Chair Anne Michele Lyons Kuhns ’87 awarded diplomas to the lively group, which clearly enjoyed reaping the rewards of their hard work — thrusting diplomas toward the sky, dispensing high fives, and hugging everyone.
1, 2. CELEBRATE! Whether collecting diplomas or dispensing hugs, Lizzie Schmidt (right) and her classmates were demonstrably delighted at graduation.
2
Fall/Winter 2019 Fall/Winter 20193939
3
In a return appearance to the graduation podium, featured speaker Stephanie Young ’00 — who was Senior Speaker for her class over a decade ago and who currently teaches history and social science at Foxcroft — seized one last opportunity to “prepare these girls for life off this campus.” The “cram session,” as she called it, delivered four lessons that were pertinent and profound:
4 3. CRAM SESSION History teacher and Foxcroft alum Stephanie Young shared four last lessons before the Class left. 4., 5. GOT IT! After receiving their diplomas, Carsyn Betz gave out high fives and Amanda Clemente flashed a huge smile. 6. SHARE IT Brianna Ma ’20 and brand new graduate Ify Nwaonyeneho share an epic embrace after the ceremony.
40 Foxcroft Magazine
1. FOREGO NEGATIVITY in favor of singing your own praises. 2. RISE ABOVE THE DESIRE TO FIT IN by becoming the person you want to be, one that you can love and respect. 3. SAVOR RELATIONSHIPS, but don’t be afraid to let go of the unhealthy ones. 4. REMEMBER THAT YOU TEACH PEOPLE how to treat you by how you treat yourself. “When you all leave through these gates,” Young said, “you will be in a position to meet new people, forge new relationships, and have new experiences. Remember that your actions towards yourself will influence how others treat you. This includes everything from what you put on your body to what you put in your body. It includes the things you stand up for and the things you march against, the things you’ll give voice to and the things you suffer in silence.
you want to be, exclusive of everyone else in your life. Define yourself, period. Not in relation to anyone else . . .
”
— Stephanie Young ’00
5
“Ultimately, we accept the things we think we deserve. Trust me, you don’t just deserve the best — you deserve to define what the best is, for you,” she concluded.
6
In some ways, the Class of 2019 already defines the best. It includes two National Merit Scholarship Commended Students, 15 AP Scholars, and nine students selected to the Cum Laude Society, four of them as juniors. Members of the class will attend Stanford, Clemson, Howard, Mount Holyoke, Ohio State, Parsons School of Design, Washington and Lee, William & Mary, and the universities of North Carolina (Chapel Hill), Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and Wyoming. Collectively, they received 177 offers of admission from 120 colleges and universities — including Oxford, Emory, Notre Dame, Michigan, Rice, Vanderbilt, and six different universities of California (including Berkeley), so they had plenty of choices. And, as Young pointed out, they will have plenty of choices going forward. Given what they have learned at Foxcroft and achieved already, it’s fair to say that senior speaker Kayla Lee is not alone in her expectations. “I am so excited to see what you all will accomplish!” she said. So are we.
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WATCH BOTH SPEECHES FROM COMMENCEMENT 2019 AT
foxcroft.org/commencement2019/speeches
Fall/Winter 2019 41
Commencement 2019
do you want to “be?Who Imagine the person
Glory, Laud, and Honors LEIPHEIMER EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AWARD GOES TO JOHN SCHARFENBERG (1) History teacher John C. Scharfenberg, a former Capitol Hill staffer who carries a copy of the U.S. Constitution in his pocket and does his best to make sure his students understand it, received the Mary Louise Leipheimer Excellence in Teaching Award from Head of School Catherine S. McGehee May 23 at the annual Awards Assembly.
“He makes sure that they read closely and hone critical thinking skills, that they write clearly, and that they convey an argument persuasively. Most importantly, he makes sure his students become engaged citizens.” Before teaching, Scharfenberg served Committee on Banking and Finance for the U.S. House of Representatives and as a Program Manager for the Transportation, Security Administration’s
“Since 2012, John Scharfenberg has
Department of Homeland Security.
done more than make sure his students
At Foxcroft, he has taught U.S. History,
have a strong understanding of U.S.
World History, and electives in
history and government,” said McGehee.
Government, Constitutional Law, and Revolutions.
amazing teacher is that he sets high expectations for his students and never stops pushing us to be the best that we can be,” wrote one sophomore who McGehee quoted in her presentation. “His passion for helping us improve as historians, writers, and people is so obvious and genuine. He also makes
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LOCKHART SERVICE AWARD PRESENTED TO HEIDE HOTCHKISS (2) Residential Coordinator and Reynolds Lead Dorm Parent Heide Hotchkiss has prepared scores of new students for boarding school success with a winning combination of high expectations,
“What makes Mr. Scharfenberg an
1
2
on the senior professional staff for the
delicious apple pie which is a giant plus.” The Mary Louise Leipheimer Excellence in Teaching Award was established in 2014 by Foxcroft’s Board of Trustees
practical lessons, creative fun, and hugs. She has organized countless special events, decorated dance floors and dormitories, applied makeup and created costumes for shows and pageants, and helped hundreds of students navigate all manner of concerns. And she serves as an advisor to the Freshman Class and the Foxcroft Christian Fellowship (FCF). In May, “Miss Heide” was recognized for all of her contributions when she was named the eighth recipient of the Jane Lockhart Service Award, which annually honors an employee who
to honor the retiring Head of School
“exemplifies a personal commitment
who spent 40+ years at the School as
to and understanding of all of our
a teacher and administrator.
students — with an emphasis on all.”
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A Selection of Student Awards*
in 2009, has helped create Foxcroft’s outstanding Freshman Program. She introduces them to The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, provides residential experiences that are aligned with ninthgrade curriculum goals, and shares fun
Valedictorian/Pillsbury Prize
dormitory traditions such as Dutch Blitz
Salutatorian
and making Christmas tree ornaments for
KAYLA LEE ’19 (3)
the seniors. She also teaches life skills — from how to use a vacuum and wash clothes, to strategies for resolving roommate issues.
Junior Award for Scholarship TAM LE ’20
Perhaps most importantly, noted Head of School Cathy McGehee, “Our students will tell you that Miss Heide is no pushover. It’s hard to get one by her; whether it be
Charlotte Haxall Noland Award KAYLA LEE ’19
Miss Ida Applegate Award
room inspections or sign-in, she holds
BELLA BIGELOW ’19
students to clear and high expectations that help them live on their own.”
Dudley Prize
The Lockhart Award was established in worked at Foxcroft for 50 years (1966-2016).
WENDY XIU ’19
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Josie Betner Mallace Award LIZZIE SCHMIDT ’19
Mildred Greble Davis Award
Employee Honor Roll
ABBY ALL ’20
Becky Award
BETSY ALTENBURGER ’21
For years, employees have received a Foxcroft chair when they reached 25 years of service to the School. Starting this spring, they don’t have to wait so long to be recognized. At the year-end employee celebration, Head of School Cathy McGehee introduced a program, created by the Benefits Committee task force, that acknowledges every five years of tenure. The gifts range from a service pin (for five years) and crystal bowl (10) to the traditional chair (25). Beginning
3
SYLVIA YUAN ’19 (4)
tournaments, Grey’s Anatomy marathons,
2012 in appreciation of Jane Lockhart, who
Commencement Reunion 2019 2019
Hotchkiss, who came to Foxcroft in 2000 and began working with the ninth graders
4
Elebash Award
ELLA SIEBENTRITT-CLARK ’22
Miss Charlotte’s Trophy (Best Rider) KAYLA LEE ’19
Teresa E. Shook Award (Athletics & Sportsmanship) LEAH SCHUSTER ’19
National Merit Scholarship Commended Students CHLOE GREEN ’19 ANNE KICKERT ’19
with 15 years, the recognition includes a cash gift that increases with years of service. In addition, an Employee Honor Roll listing those who have served 15 years or more is in the works.
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* A complete list of awards may be found at foxcroft.org/commencement2019/awards Fall/Winter 2019 Fall/Winter 20194343
Reunion 2019 April 12-14 saw more than 100 women return to campus to celebrate reunions spanning from the 5th to the 70th! The weekend was full of joyous reconnections, hearty laughter, and lively events, including the popular Friday night reception at Covert, the dedication of the new turf fields, and a Fox/Hound March In and field hockey game! Alumnae celebrating their 10th, 30th, and 45th reunions took advantage of the new cluster format and found that more really is the merrier!
At the ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION DINNER on Thursday evening, Alumnae Council President-Elect Ginny Robbins ’91 announced the 2019 recipient of the Distinguished Alumna Award: her classmate, Jennifer Fill Crooks (see page 49). Alumnae Council member Kate Hartshorn Domanski ’96 welcomed the Class of 2019 into the Alumnae Association and recognized the newest class representatives, Sarah Elhilow and Wendy Xiu.
It was standing room only Friday at COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS WITH FOXCROFT WOMEN as five alumnae panelists and two student moderators (right) discussed Unconscious Bias and Challenges for Women in College and Beyond. Hosted by the Alumnae Council Diversity and Inclusion Committee, with assistance from Foxcroft’s student diversity and inclusion club, We the People, the event allowed for a meaningful exchange across generations of Foxcroft women.
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Foxcroft Values Come to Life “I had no idea what I wanted to do when I was at Foxcroft,” admitted Melanie Lozier Henke ’89 on Friday, April 12 as she kicked off Foxcroft’s fourth annual Reunion Weekend Alumnae Career Day. Coming from the Senior Vice President of Operations at Freeman, one of the world’s leading brand experience companies, this confession immediately piqued the interest of the assembled students, faculty, trustees, and alumnae. Melanie went on to share the many twists and turns in her career journey and, in the process, delivered a simple but powerful message. After changing her major “at least eight times,” Melanie earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Child and Family Development from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree in teaching from Piedmont College. While looking for a teaching job, she inquired about working part-time at Freeman, the company where her father worked. Little did she know, she was stepping into a remarkable career. Despite her father’s stellar career in sales, Melanie forged her own path and ended up taking a full-time position in operations.
“My dad would have loved for me to go into sales,” she noted, adding that sales and operations are “kind of like Foxes and Hounds — they need each other but they both think they are the superior team.”
“
Live your values — respect, integrity, kindness, and service. They are not just for your Foxcroft life. They will carry you through your entire life . . .
”
Over the course of the next 22 years and with the help of several mentors, Melanie rose through the ranks to become Freeman’s first female operations leader. She’s responsible for the strategy, leadership, direction, and goals of Freeman’s entire operations department — a far cry from her original plan of becoming a teacher. While you can’t always control the challenges and changes you face in your career and in life, Melanie told students, there is one thing you can do that will
always ensure success: “Live your values — respect, integrity, kindness, and service. They are not just for your Foxcroft life. They will carry you through your entire life . . . These values 100 percent set you up to work with people. No matter what job you have, at what level, at any time in your life, follow these values.” It was clear Foxcroft and its values were integral to shaping Melanie’s life and career journey. As she stated, “I was totally ignorant that being a woman could have been a disadvantage to me. It truly never crossed my mind. After all, I am a Foxcroft girl and we can do anything we want.”
Fall/Winter Fall/Winter 2019 2019 45 45
Reunion 2019
The fourth annual CAREER DAY was a huge success! The event began with a laudable keynote address by Melanie Lozier Henke ’89, Senior Vice President of Operations at brand experience company Freeman (below). Afterwards, a dozen alumnae panelists representing a diverse range of careers hosted breakout sessions with students where they tapped into the year’s academic theme of trailblazing by sharing the twists and turns of their own career paths.
“
I feel energized and reminded of who I am when I come (back to campus).
”
— Member of the Class of 1988
Spring showers could not dampen the excitement at Friday night’s RECEPTION AT COVERT, hosted by Head of School Cathy McGehee. Alumnae from 1949 to 2014 gathered together to reminisce about their experiences at Foxcroft and share their life journeys since leaving its gates.
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Reunion 2019
At the ALUMNAE BRUNCH Saturday morning, Head of School Cathy McGehee recognized five devoted women stepping off of the Alumnae Council — Council President Amanda Hartmann Healy ’98, Carol Der Garry ’79, Karen Lilly ’84, Lisa Hubbard Patterson ’89, and Annie Bishop ’98. In one of her final acts as president, Amanda announced that Sheldon Gerry Withers ’61 and Barkley Boutell Henning ’73 had been elected emeriti members of the Council in honor of their many years of dedicated service to Foxcroft. In addition, the Class of 1959 and Class of 2010 (above) received the inaugural Reunion Giving Awards, for older classes and younger classes, respectively.
Saturday afternoon, alumnae gathered for the DEDICATION OF THE TURF FIELDS, the SPORTS HALL OF FAME INDUCTION of Grand Prix show jumper Sloane Coles ’07 (below, center, with Sports Hall of Fame founder Fred McMane and Cathy McGehee), and some FOX/HOUND FUN. After March In and cheering led by student officers, enthusiastic spectators saw a fast-paced alumnae/student Fox/ Hound field hockey game on the new fields before heading off to class dinners. It was clear Fox/Hound team pride lasts a lifetime. Go Foxes! Go Hounds!
Fall/Winter 2019 47
Class Photos
48 Foxcroft Magazine
If you are interested in serving as a Reunion Co-Chair or participating in Career Day, please email the Office of Institutional Advancement at advancement@foxcroft.org.
Save the Date! REUNION 2020: APRIL 16-18 Classes Scheduled to Return: 5TH REUNION: 2015 20TH REUNION CLUSTER: 2001, 2000, 1999 25TH REUNION: 1995 40TH REUNION CLUSTER: 1981, 1980, 1979 50TH REUNION: 1970 55TH - 80TH REUNIONS: 1965, 1960, 1955, 1950, 1945, 1940 Class of
1949 Fall/Winter 2019 49
Reunion 2019
Our sincere thanks to the Reunion 2019 Co-Chairs, Class Representatives, and panelists! Your time and effort helped make this year’s Reunion one of the best yet. THANK YOU!
From the . . . Board of Trustees Chair Anne Michele Lyons Kuhns ’87 I am honored to serve as Chair of a talented and deeply committed Board of Trustees during an exciting and growth-oriented time in our School’s history. The start of Foxcroft’s second century was not only marked by a year-long celebration of our first 100 years, but also by the installation of Cathy McGehee as our 10th head of school and our largest fundraising effort to date, the $75 million Centennial Campaign.
Now, five years later, our school is soaring. Under Cathy’s leadership, our academics are strong and model how girls learn best; our financial foundation is solid, thanks in large part to the successful completion of our campaign two years early and almost $5 million over goal; and the enhancements to our plant through construction and renovation have brought most of our buildings up to par with our programs. None of this would have been possible if it were not for the support of our alumnae, parents, and friends whose belief in and commitment to the School will have a significant effect on future generations of Foxcroft students. As a board, our main responsibility is to establish strategic priorities and steward the School’s resources in order to meet our mission and to ensure the School can continue on for many years to come. With Ruth Bedford’s historic $40 million bequest, we were given an incredible opportunity five years ago to re-imagine the future of our school, to shine the light on the continuing value and power of girls’ education, and to put Foxcroft on a new trajectory. Building on the foundation established by past leaders who set a precedent of careful, thoughtful stewardship of our School, the Board, after much contemplation and deliberation, voted to allocate the $40 million Bedford bequest to our endowment where it would be preserved in perpetuity. The endowment has since
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tripled in size and now supports over 30% of the School’s operating budget. This increase in annual income into the budget is being used to support eight new Ruth T. Bedford ’32 Merit Scholarships for the Arts of $25,000 each per year, additional financial aid, faculty salaries to retain and attract exceptional educators, and the maintenance of 47 buildings and 500 acres, all while keeping the cost of tuition at or below inflation. The Centennial Campaign made a lasting impact. It put Foxcroft more prominently on the map as one of this nation’s top boarding schools. This unprecedented financial support, combined with our habit of careful stewardship and our awareness of Miss Charlotte’s exhortation to “keep up with the times,” has allowed us to ensure stability while embracing change. There is still work to be done as we look to the future, specifically the renovation of Schoolhouse and the Music Building and the construction of a performing arts center. However, with strong and visionary leadership in place, with the Board’s fiduciary direction, and with the ongoing support of our alumnae, parents, and friends, we will ensure that our School will remain a vibrant center of learning and a welcoming home for generations to come.
A Man of Service The Board honors Bill Weeks for his service The Distinguished Service Award was created by the Foxcroft Board of Trustees in 1984 to honor Anne Kane McGuire ’52, who served as a trustee for 13 years, including six as Chair of the Board during a period of extraordinary difficulties for the School. The award is the highest honor given by the trustees and is reserved for those who demonstrate the highest standards of dedication, integrity, and service to the School. On April 12, Board Chair Anne Michele Lyons Kuhns ’87 presented the 32nd Anne Kane McGuire ’52 Award to William H. Weeks. Excerpts from the citation Bill received follow.
What do real estate, horses, insurance, cranberries, and Foxcroft have in common? William Howard Weeks, or Bill, as he is known to all of us. For the past 18 years, Foxcroft has been blessed to have Bill on its team. From that fortuitous day when he visited with Alexa ’02 — the first of his three daughters to attend Foxcroft — to the successful completion of Foxcroft’s
Centennial Campaign, Bill’s work, wisdom, and leadership have had a powerful impact on this School and its future. [In 2001, when Bill joined the Foxcroft Board], the School was in the middle of its Gateways to Excellence Campaign to raise $30 million for Foxcroft’s endowment, and Bill, who had served on the boards of Green Farms Academy
and Tabor Academy (his alma mater), brought an expertise in development and in buildings and grounds that was invaluable . . . When asked what goals he had for the School, he responded, “To make Foxcroft as great as it can be!” Bill has worked to do just that. He and his wife, Olivia ’76, generously and quietly supported many vital projects from Sally’s Service Center and the stables, to the Residential Initiative and endowment. Most recently, as acknowledgment of one of Foxcroft’s signature programs, they created the Weeks Family Award for Exceptional Proficiency. Bill chaired the Advancement Committee and served on several other committees, including Investment and Finance. His understanding of financial sustainability helped lay Foxcroft’s strong financial foundation. Perhaps his most significant contribution came about through his stewardship of Ruth Bedford ’32, which resulted in the largest bequest ever given to an all girls’ secondary school. Although Bill thought he could retire when his Board term was completed, Foxcroft was not ready to let him go and asked him to co-chair the Centennial Campaign. This campaign exceeded all expectations closing two years early and $4.9 million over goal! Only then, did the School let Bill take a breath! Bill’s laughter, wit, expertise, guidance, and leadership are still felt. He has always put Foxcroft to the front, exploring ways to make the School its very best. As he is fond of saying, “I love what the School did for my daughters.” Bill, we love what you and Olivia have done for Foxcroft.
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Fall/Winter 2019 51
From the Board of Trustees
AWARDED Bill Weeks, pictured here with Cathy McGehee, Anne Michele Kuhns, and his wife, Olivia Fry Weeks ’76, received the McGuire Award in April.
From the . . . Alumnae Council President Ginny Robbins ’91 I am thrilled to be stepping into the role of Alumnae Council President, and to continue working with this incredible group of women who have achieved so much. In reflecting on the past five years, and what we have accomplished since Foxcroft’s Centennial, I must acknowledge the outstanding leadership of past Presidents Sheldon Gerry Withers ’61 and Amanda Hartmann Healy ’98.
As Foxcroft moved into its second century, the Alumnae Council worked to make the Centennial Celebration both a wonderful event and a spark of energy that would spread through the hundreds of alumnae celebrating our School. We have been busy ever since! The REUNION COMMITTEE supported the transition to the Cluster Reunion format, introduced in 2017, as well as changes to the schedule, which give classmates more time together on Saturday. The committee continues to discover and plan activities that allow alumnae to get the most out of Reunion Weekend. The SOCIAL COMMITTEE has brought alumnae together to enjoy each other’s company both near and far. Locations, activities, and hosts change depending on interest but the Committee hosts three events each year that you can put on your calendar in advance: Reunion Weekend’s Mimosa Mingle, a tailgate at the Virginia Gold Cup in October, and a Jingle & Mingle holiday happy hour in downtown DC. Over the past five years, the CLASS REPRESENTATIVE COMMITTEE has had many names, including Young Alumnae and Networking, but its task has remained the same: connecting different generations of alumnae for success in life and career. The committee hosts a weekend workshop each fall, encouraging Class Representatives to return to campus for open discussion with each other and to learn more about Foxcroft today via panels of current students and faculty, and a presentation by Head of School Cathy McGehee.
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The DIVERSITY & INCLUSION COMMITTEE came into being after the success of the Centennial Celebration’s Diversi-Tea, which brought students and alumnae together to honor Foxcroft’s rich history of diversity of people and experiences. The Committee works to acknowledge and understand our past, to celebrate alumnae stories, and to be a resource for current students who want to continue the conversation. In 2018, the Committee launched Courageous Conversations with Foxcroft Women. Inspired by a book of the same name by Glenn E. Singleton, these are opportunities for open discussions about the many differences, and similarities, among Foxcroft women, and how these have changed — or remained the same — through the years. A keystone of Reunion Weekend, recent Courageous Conversations topics have included Unconscious Bias and Challenges for Women in College and Beyond and Working Toward Equality. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time on Foxcroft’s Alumnae Council thus far, and I cannot wait to see what the future brings. It is my sincere hope that we will continue to nurture the strong bond that all Foxcroft women share, no matter the decade. Whether it be by hosting a cocktail reception, organizing a group gallery tour, serving on a committee, or sharing news of the outstanding triumphs of our classmates — each of us will always be connected to each other and our School.
Uryadi’s Village supports orphanages and families in regions where major segments of the population live in extreme poverty. Its mission goes beyond offering relief; it wants to empower the local people by creating a self-sustainable orphan village that is not reliant on foreign aid. The key is finding solutions to three major problems: clean water, proper sanitation, and food sourcing. But how?
A Beautiful Example Jennifer Fill Crooks ’91 receives Distinguished Alumna Award The Distinguished Alumna Award is given by the Alumnae Council to honor an alumna who embodies the core values of the School: respect, integrity, kindness, and service; has honed a passion that she discovered while at Foxcroft and is sharing it with the world. An alumna can be nominated for her expertise and her accomplishments in her profession, or for her contribution of positive, long-lasting change within her community
JENNIFER FILL CROOKS ’91 was selected
as this year’s Distinguished Alumna for her extraordinary work with Uryadi’s Village, an international nonprofit that she founded. Classmate Isabella ‘Simmie’ Askari nominated her, writing, “Jennifer is a beautiful example of how we can all make a difference in the lives of other individuals and in other communities.”
Added Alumnae Council President Ginny Robbins ’91, “I believe that is Jennifer’s root personality trait. She is the embodiment of Foxcroft’s core value: an Understanding Heart.”
A world class rider, Jennifer competed on the international Grand Prix show jumper circuit, participating in 11 Nations Cups. In 2004, though, when she traveled to rural China to adopt her daughter Sophie, Jennifer found her next calling: caring for underserved children, specifically orphans. In 2014, Jennifer founded Uryadi's Village, named after her longtime showjumping partner, a white mare named Uryadi. Later she learned that Uryadi is the name of an annual festival in India that celebrates and empowers children — making it the perfect title for her organization.
Jennifer went back to school. She became a certified nurse practitioner and took a course called Permaculture Design for International Development & Social Entrepreneurship. Permaculture is the conscious design of an agricultural system that integrates human activity with natural surroundings, creating efficient, selfsustaining ecosystems. This inspired the construction of Wolayta Village, which began in 2016, in Soddo, Ethiopia. The village design consists of a series of family-style huts, a community center, health clinic, bakery, garden for growing healthy food, and a factory to make mitten, a protein-rich Ethiopian staple. The goal is for Wolayta to serve as a model for villages that meet their own basic needs while nourishing the community and ecological systems around it. Always busy, Jennifer splits time between Soddo and Sandpoint, ID, where her family — which includes 11 children adopted from around the world — and Uryadi’s Village fundraising are based. And she travels to events that fuel the nonprofit’s work, like the $36,500 CSI2* Jump for Uryadi’s Village Grand Prix, held in British Columbia June 1. Won by Brazilian Olympian Eduardo Menezes, the event raised more than $100,000. “What an INCREDIBLE day!” Jennifer wrote on the nonprofit’s Facebook page. “We are so humbled and grateful to have such an incredible community to ensure that every child gets the care and love that they deserve.” And those children are grateful to have Jennifer.
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Fall/Winter 2019 53
From the Alumnae Council
LOVING Distinguished Alumna Jennifer Fill Crooks ’91 has adopted 11 children — including Tegen — from around the world.
From the . . .
Presenting the Parents’ Association Awards each spring is a special treat.
Parents’ Association President Elise Brown (Seabrook ’19, Harriet ’21) Over the past five years, the Foxcroft Parents’ Association (PA) has worked in myriad ways to engender a sense of community among the parents and with the faculty and staff of Foxcroft. While the PA has a couple of well-established initiatives each year with the Silent Auction and support of the athletic program and student life activities, parents also volunteer in other ways, creating opportunities for engagement and participation in school life for families who are near or far. The Silent Auction, our only fundraising event, has raised more than $150,000 over the past five years and continues to be an essential element of the PA’s success. In 2014, the PA embarked on an important technological upgrade to the Auction — mobile bidding, which enabled bidders to participate and follow the action online. It revolutionized the bidding process, provided immediate notification to winning bidders, and greatly simplified the Auction checkout process.
This year, two new community-building traditions were born. On Friday evening of Family Weekend, the PA coordinated a Family Fête that combined a grazing-style BBQ and live music with the Auction, encouraging everyone to mingle as they browsed and bid on auction items. In April, the PA and Head of School Cathy McGehee hosted an Opening Night reception at Covert for parents of students, as well as faculty and staff, involved in the spring musical. When additional funds are available, the PA supports ad hoc funding requests. Since 2014, these requests have funded a diverse array of items, benefiting a broad spectrum of the Foxcroft community:
• Two SmartBoards (science labs) • Commercial grill for dining services • FoxHound Auditorium upgrades • Refurbishment of the lounge near FoxHound
Each year, the Auction involves a small army of parent volunteers — from acquiring items, to data entry, to set up, and checkout. It’s an intense, but also fun and rewarding way for parents to give back to the School.
• Pink warm-up t-shirts for Breast Cancer Awareness Month
PA Funds touch many aspects of life on campus. In addition to donating 10% of Auction proceeds to The Foxcroft Circle annually, traditionally funded activities include Wintermission; the Parents’ Association Semi-Formal; Tally-ho!; support for each class, dorm, and Fox/Hound team; and student enrichment trips for freshmen and seniors.
• Equipment and supplies for Roomies kitchen
Another long-standing initiative is faculty and staff appreciation, which on an everyday basis takes the form of coffee service in the Faculty Lounge and in Sally’s Service Center (maintenance facility). In 2017, the PA introduced a holiday Wine & Cheese so that parents, faculty, and staff could share conversation, food, and drink in a relaxed setting.
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• K2M STEM Competition • Kilts for Fox/Hound • Ballet barres
In 2017, volunteers from each class were selected to serve as Parent Class Representatives for The Foxcroft Circle. Since then, parent participation in The Foxcroft Circle has increased from about 30% to 50%. In 2019, an International Parent Liaison was added in to find ways to engage that community in the life of the School. The past five years have brought new and expanded initiatives for community building, even as traditional efforts have continued apace. Going forward, the PA will continue to look for ways that it can strengthen community and enrich our daughters’ experience.
1. Elizabeth Burns ’19 and her mother, Jennifer Murphy ’89 2. Penelope Lehman-Kinsey ’88 (right) and IT Khaki Kinsey ’19 had company for the celebration. 3. Laura Rhodes Fortsch ’87 has two ITs in the family: Lily ’19 and Amelia ’22. 4. Tessa Bovell Walker ’87 and her daughter, Jordan ’19
2 Relatively Speaking Parents all become part of the Foxcroft family when their daughters matriculate — unless they are already connected, through work, other children, or having attended the School themselves. When the first daughters of alumnae came to Foxcroft, founder Charlotte Haxall Noland (aka Miss Charlotte) invented a special name for them: ITs, which stands for Ideals and Traditions. At Commencement we captured the four Class of 2019 IT girls with their proud mothers.
3
Fall/Winter Fall/Winter 2019 2019 55 55
Gone From Away the Parents’ Association
1
Looking Ahead Planning for the next five years and beyond By Lisa Bard Knowles ‘78, Board Member
A
t its July meeting, the Board of Trustees reviewed the significant
accomplishments of the 2015-16 strategic plan, “Her Future Is Our Future,” many of which are featured in this issue of Foxcroft.
Given that major priorities have been completed or are well underway, the Board is embarking on a strategic planning process that will assess where we are and determine what our focus will be in the coming years. The outcome of this strategic planning process will guide our priorities for the future. I am honored to have been asked to chair the Strategic Planning Task Force coordinating this initiative. Furthermore, I am proud that our School is on such solid footing with strong leadership and devoted staff and faculty. It’s exciting and heartening that we are taking a proactive approach and planning for the future. The task force includes individuals who represent the various stakeholders in our School’s success. This group will work closely with an outside consultant, Katherine Whitney, of Warren Whitney, who has 30 years of experience working with clients, including non-profit educational institutions. Katherine has also served as a Board member at several
60 Foxcroft Magazine
In August, Katherine Whitney conducted a valuable session with faculty.
“
Foxcroft is in a wonderful position. The strategic plan will help to build on that strong foundation to remain relevant and fresh while honoring important traditions.
”
— Katherine Whitney, Director, Warren Whitney Management schools, one of which is an independent girls' school. She is familiar with current best practices and, we believe that Foxcroft will benefit from her experience, perspective, and insight. Katherine will be on the Foxcroft campus numerous times this fall facilitating discussions and conducting surveys to discover which key topics should be addressed in our updated strategic plan. She visited in August to meet with faculty and staff, and work with the task force.
She will meet with the Board of Trustees at their September meeting and plans to also talk with students during that visit. In October, she will be on campus during Family Weekend to meet with parents. Later in the fall, she will conduct a survey of all of our constituents. This is an exciting opportunity for each member of the Foxcroft community to help shape the future of our School. I thank you in advance for your participation in the process as your voice is invaluable.
•
2 1 3
4
Strategic Planning Task Force Members TRUSTEES
1 Existing Schoolhouse 2 Performing Arts Center
Lisa Knowles ’78, Chair
3 STEAM Wing
Kate Hastings ’78
4 Music Building
Anne Michele Kuhns ’87 Natalie Wiltshire ’95 ADMINISTRATORS Cathy McGehee Deborah Anderson Marion Couzens Emily Johns Matt Norko Courtney Ulmer Karla Vargas FACULTY Steve McCarty Kristine Varney PARENTS Carter Eskew P ’21 Vicki Threlfall ’81 P ’21
A Peek Into the Future Renovating and expanding Schoolhouse, which was built in 1952, remains a key project as Foxcroft’s lives into its second century! Hord Coplan Macht’s conceptual renderings of the future Schoolhouse renovation include a new STEAM wing, a performing arts center, and a renovated Music Building, which will be returned to its original purpose after many years of housing the school store, mail room, and Business Office. Schoolhouse will be renovated to create learning spaces that support Foxcroft’s innovative curriculum and pedagogy for teaching girls the way they learn best.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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ADMISSION OPEN HOUSES OCTOBER 14 • DECEMBER 6 JANUARY 17 • APRIL 24 foxcroft.org/admission/visit
October 18 • Musical Revue: Foxstock October 25-27 • Family Weekend November 22-23 • Fox/Hound Field Hockey and Hunt Breakfast December 8 • Christmas Pageant January 17 • Winter Theater: The Lottery by Shirley Jackson January 18 • Think Pink Basketball Tournament January 24 • Paul K. Bergan Poetry Festival February 28-29 • Fox/Hound Basketball
Congratulations to the Class of 2019!