MAY 2020 ISSUE
OW AT A GLANCE
CONNECTING OUR GOW COMMUNITY
A Message from Brad Rogers The Gow School’s Commencement is my favorite time of the year. From listening to our senior’s heartfelt speeches, to honoring our outstanding scholars and athletes, to hearing friends and family cheer our students on, it is an inspiring time for all. For our graduates, this meaningful chapter is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication. Although things look different this year, our hearts remain with our seniors, who have long been anticipating their on-campus Commencement this month. We are hopeful that we will be able to honor them at a ceremony in July. The accomplished graduates in the Class of 2020 include 28 men and 7 women who have been accepted to more than 110 colleges. This success hasn't come easily as most students experienced academic and social frustration before attending Gow. We know that individualized instruction, small classes, leadership opportunities, and Gow's exceptional teachers have helped them reach their full potential. We are so proud of our seniors and hope that these challenging times only bolster what they already know: They are bold. They are brave. And, they can overcome any obstacles they encounter. Congrats, to the class of 2020! Heidi Baust, our Applied Technology Department Chair, and her students, put together a wonderful video to honor our seniors. To view the video, click the link below.
CONTENTS
A Message from Brad Rogers 01 Innovative Admissions 02 Crimson vs. Navy 03 Gow Connection Series 04 Teacher Appreciation 05
Senior Video With all best wishes,
Brad Rogers Headmaster
Amazon Smile 06
MAY 2020
GOW AT A GLANCE
Innovative Admissions
Crimson vs. Navy
While there is no doubt that this is a challenging time for the Gow Admissions team, we have been blown away by their hard work and creativity when it comes to connecting new students and families to Gow. Doug Cotter '87, P'19, P'23, Gow's Director of Admissions, noted that they are now using Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and even FaceTime for campus tours and student interviews. In fact, they recently hosted their first ever “Virtual Open House” for the Gow School Summer Program on May 2. Families were given a virtual tour of the campus followed by a live Q & A session with Gow staff. To view the virtual tour yourself, click the link below:
Digital learning presents some unique challenges for faculty whose classes require hands-on activities and in-person coaching. Luckily, our Director of Athletics, Mark Szafnicki and our student council advisor, Meghan Mileham teamed up to offer students creative ways to stay active during the pandemic. Mr. Szafnicki and Ms. Mileham collaborated on weekly videos that provided athletic challenges to the entire student population. Mr. Szafnicki said, “The goal was to provide them with a physical challenge that didn't require any special equipment beyond what they have at home.” Ms. Mileham made things even more engaging by including the challenges in Gow’s “Color War” competition. Students, faculty, and staff were divided into two teams: Crimson and Navy. Each week, the teams competed for the highest score. According to Ms. Mileham, this healthy competition really allowed students to kick things into high gear! Mr. Szafnicki and Ms. Mileham presented a push-up/crunch challenge, a step challenge, a plank challenge, a tennis challenge, and a biking challenge. To watch Charlotte A. '21 kick off the step challenge, click the link below:
Gow School Summer Program The admissions process is not the only thing changing at Gow. Our summer programs will undoubtedly look a little different this year, as well. In addition to the normal Gow School Summer Program (GSSP) which consists of morning academics, afternoon and evening activities and sports, and adventurous weekend trips, Gow will also be hosting the Gow School Summer Session (GSSS) which is being offered to all currently enrolled students in grades 6-11. This new program will offer academic classes, SAT/ACT training, and hands on courses such as EMT training, Driver’s Education, and Robotics. Working within state guidelines, Gow is committed to doing whatever it takes to preserve the health and safety of its students over the summer and during the new school year. Mr. Cotter said, “For me, it’s about hope. It’s the sign that hangs on my door and it's what my office represents to families. Hope that things will get better. Hope that we can and will go back to changing students’ lives.”
Step Challenge In addition to these athletic contests, Mr. Szafnicki and his fellow coaches communicated with their athletes in a variety of innovative ways. Track and Field coaches sent out weekly running guides, Mr. Szafnicki created instructional tennis videos, and the lacrosse coaches collaborated on a series of videos to help their players improve their skills. Mr. Szafnicki said, “These videos are meant to be a resource for the athletes. We also want to use them in the future and on rainy days next spring. These are something that can be useful long-term for our students!”
MAY 2020
GOW AT A GLANCE
Gow Connection Series Over the past few weeks, we have hosted over 14 Zoom calls with 20 different graduating classes! Govians are enjoying reconnecting with old friends, recounting stories from the past, and sharing what these Gow Zoom calls mean to them: "Single best experience in a long while. Getting back in contact with my class was a dream of mine. My years at Gow will always be cherished. Seeing my old teachers and telling them what they meant to me was icing on the cake. I will never forget the school as long as I live. Thank you for making this all possible." -Gregory Forrest '92 "I have had the great fun and pleasure to reconnect with old friends. We have caught up on life, reminisced about the “old days,� and made plans to meet again whether it be on Zoom or in person. Our Zoom meetings have brought back the feelings of our brotherhood as Govians. We all came to Gow for the same reason. We all left Gow prepared to move into our futures with much more confidence than any of us could have imagined. Now, all these years later, I have been able to reconnect with men who were brothers then and are now extended family. Thank you Gayle and Gow for arranging these reunions." -Michael Bond '68 Thank you to all those who helped coordinate these calls and to all those who joined in the fun! If you'd like to set up a call for your graduating class, simply contact the Development Office at development@gow.org. If you're feeling nostalgic in the mean time, you can view past Gow yearbooks or past issues of the Gow Life magazine online! Click the link below to enjoy!
Gow-Archives
In addition to these Zoom calls, we are excited to announce that we have launched our newest online series entitled "Career Conversations." These weekly Zoom presentations provide an opportunity to hear from Gow alumni who are making a difference, and for the audience (that's you!) to ask questions. Our goal is to share more about their intriguing careers, to connect alumni, current students, and Gow families, and to encourage networking and mentorship opportunities. These calls will take place each Tuesday evening for the next six weeks and will allow Gow alumni to share inspiring stories about how dyslexia has affected their lives and careers, as well as the tips and tools they have used to succeed. Each presentation will be followed by a Q&A session. Our first call took place on Tuesday, May 19 at 8:00 PM (EST). Weston Lorenz '90, Matt Kleinberg '07, and Dan Crear '71 discussed their careers in the field of Sales and Marketing while John Bullock '80 moderated the call. A big thank you to our presenters and all those who participated on the call!
Join us for future calls! May 26, 2020 - 8:00 p.m. (EST) Cyber Security June 2, 2020 - 8:00 p.m. (EST) Engineering June 9, 2020 - 8:00 p.m. (EST) Construction & Making Big Projects Happen June 16, 2020 - 8:00 p.m. (EST) The World of Aviation June 23, 2020 - 8:00 p.m. (EST) Robotics June 30, 2020 - 8:00 p.m. (EST) Social Media and Networking
MAY 2020
GOW AT A GLANCE
Amazon Smile If there is a particular industry or topic you'd like to see us highlight during our Career Conversations calls, please don't hesitate to reach out to the Development Office at development@gow.org or 716.687.2074. In addition to this fascinating new series, the Development Office is currently working on the next Gow Life magazine and hope you will send a photo and update about your work, family, etc. To share your news and updated contact information, please click the link below.
Tell-Us-Your-News!
Teacher Appreciation Every year in May, we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week. Now, more than ever, we value the hard work and dedication of Gow's exceptional faculty. Our teachers' ability to adapt to distance learning by providing high quality, differentiated, online instruction these past few months has been impressive, to say the least. We are grateful for their compassion and expertise during these trying times. On behalf of The Gow School, we thank you!
Are you looking for ways to give without breaking the bank? AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the same low prices, vast selection, and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate .5% of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization. Tens of millions of products on AmazonSmile are eligible for donations! How to set up your Amazon Smile account to support The Gow School: Go to smile.amazon.com and login with your existing Amazon account or create a new one using your preferred email address. Once logged in, scroll down and type "The Gow School” in the box to pick your own charitable organization and click “Search.” Click “Select” to choose The Gow School Check the box acknowledging that you must visit smile.amazon.com each time you shop in order to support The Gow School and click “Start Shopping.” To donate directly to Gow online, simply click the link below. Your generosity and belief in The Gow School are especially meaningful during this time. Gifts from friends like you ensure our school remains strong and can continue to provide the dynamic programming and individualized support necessary to inspire student success!
Support-Gow