Torchbearer Spring 2010 | Volume VII | Issue 2

A P U B L I C A T I O N F O R P A RE N T S , A L U M N I A N D F R I E N D S O F H O L Y I N N O C E N T S ’ E P I S C O P A L S C H O O L

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SPRING 2010 | VOL VII | ISSUE 2

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Shakespeare’s comedy was presented with a ’60’s twist in the Upper School Players’ production this spring.

Lily Rolader and Callen Olsen

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The Middle and Upper School Players’ production paid homage to the 50th Anniversary of HIES.

Payton Anderson and KC Crewdson

Wick Simmons, Laura Sullivan, Shelby North, Joe Busch and Kendall Konenkamp Alex MacLellan and the Beauty School Dropouts

Sophia Sapronov and Lily Rolader

Caroline LaPointe and Edward Vear One of the many big, musical numbers

Emily Stockert, Rick Betts and Theresa Jespersen

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Sophia Sapronov and Hunter Gray

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Students in Allyson Marbut’s environmental science class study the effects of pollutants in the creek running through Sandy Springs’ Allen Park.

The famed American author and illustrator visited HIES this spring to discuss his children’s books with Lower School students and to share his insights to the AfricanAmerican experience with Upper Schoolers.

Addison Baitcher, Sarah Meyer, Kyle Donahue, Lily Rolader and Ellis Watson Eric Wypyski uses a Vernier temperature probe, which helps students make dissolved oxygen content comparisons, determining the health of the creek.

Beth Ward, Carter Ehlers, Allyson Marbut and O'Neal Wanliss

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4 | TORCHBEARER SPRING 2010 Ashley Bryan, Rekeyia Sherrell and Tay Rivers

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Robert Moore

Ninth-grade science students discover the joys of petrie dishes and test tubes.

Maggie Armstrong and Marguerite Bernard

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Chandler Cook

Creighton Aldridge and Emma van Beuningen

Katriana Simmons

Will Broms

Alan A. Lewis Pre-Schoolers don their bunny ears to search the grounds for Easter eggs.

Pre-School Assistant Teacher Pam Mullen helps her students search for eggs Principal Greg Kaiser checks out the haul of an Early Learner

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Our country’s bicentennial was probably the biggest celebration I’ll see in my lifetime.

I remember an entire year of red, white and blue, the Tall Ships sailing Boston Harbor and history buffs reenacting the battles of Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill and the Boston Massacre.

I also remember, though, that a few weeks after the Fourth of July an earthquake hit northern China, killing over a quarter of a million people. All of a sudden, patriotism became an afterthought.

The Golden Anniversary of Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School has followed a strikingly similar pattern. For months, our community celebrated the accomplishments of a small group of people and the institution that had blossomed as a result. Then, on January 12, 2010, news of the earthquake in Haiti shifted our focus from the past to the present, and from ourselves to those in need.

Throughout this spring, the people of Holy Innocents’ Episcopal Church and School have responded to the crisis in Haiti with a concern, action and a generosity that I find extraordinary. Our anniversary celebrations continued – understandably muted – but our focus was on the task at hand, helping people whose lives suddenly lay in the balance.

The fact that the earthquake affected people we’ve worked, played and prayed with had little to do, I believe, with our community’s response. I’m certain that HI would have been just as charitable had the disaster taken place anywhere on Earth. Our relationship with the people of Leogane made events perhaps more personal, but no more heartbreaking.

The ultimate line in our school’s Mission Statement, defining what the goals of an HIES education are, reads “… a sense of service to the world community.” If the events of the 2009-10 year are any indication, I'd say our school has done an exceptional job.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Nick Roberts ASSOCIATE EDITOR Peggy J. Shaw CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Dunn Neugebauer Michele Duncan Tamika Weaver-Hightower June Arnold Mary Chris Williams

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SPORTS RECAP

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FEATURES

Nick Roberts

GRAPHIC DESIGN Irby Heaton PHOTOGRAPHY Nick Roberts CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Gemshots Photographic HIES Yearbook Staff Alice Thompson John Porter Tryggvi Arnason Anna Taylor John Farrell

TorchBearer is published by the Offices of Admissions, Communications and Development of Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School. Special appreciation goes to the parents, faculty and staff whose contributions make this publication possible.

Every attempt has been made to ensure accuracy within this magazine. Please notify the editor of any errors or omissions and accept our sincere apologies.

Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor Please send to the attention of Nick Roberts, at nick.roberts@hies.org, or mail to: Nick Roberts Director of Communications Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School 805 Mt. Vernon Highway, NW Atlanta, GA 30327

Mission Statement Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School develops in students a love of learning, respect for self and others, faith in God, and a sense of service to the world community.

School Philosophy Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School offers an educational program encompassing academics, arts, athletics and spiritual formation. Through opportunities to grow intellectually, spiritually, physically and emotionally, students develop their individual worth and dignity. The challenging academic program prepares students

for higher education and emphasizes learning as a pathway toward ethical leadership and a commitment to the common good.

The school provides a welcoming and supportive environment, embraces the differences inherent in a diverse community, and embodies the inclusive Episcopal tradition of respect for the beliefs of others. Holy Innocents’ is an active community of faith engaged in local, national and international service to others.

TORCHBEARER SPRING 2010 | VOLUME VII | ISSUE 2 ARTICLES

22 | The Haiti Connection: Friendship, Heartache and Hope 32 | ‘What’s Past Is Prologue’ 34 | Sports Recap COLUMNS

20 | Principals’ Corner 50 | From the Head of School DEVELOPMENT

38 | From The Development Office 42 | 2010 GALA - 1959 Flashback 44 | A Heart For The Arts 46 | Class Notes

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Uisff!IJFT!Nvtjdjbot!Fbso!Bmm.Tubuf!Ipopst Tiffany Tang and Wick Simmons perform during an Upper School chapel service

Evan Gillon

The mission of the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) is to advocate for a quality music education at all levels and provide resources to help reach that goal. One of the group's best resources, it turns out, happens to be the Fine Arts program at Holy Innocents’.

This year, three HIES musicians – junior Tiffany Tang (violin), freshman Wick Simmons (cello) and 7th-grader Evan Gillon (chorus) – gained GMEA’s highest distinction, All-State honors. As All-State musicians, the three earned a trip to Savannah to study and perform

with the best musicians and conductors in Georgia.

According to HIES Director of Fine Arts Joshua McClymont, “The students who are able to make it to that level need to have an incredible amount of dedication. The onus is on them. If they don’t put in the time, it’s not going to happen. There’s no varsity jacket – the reward is very intrinsic.”

Fortunately, the HIES community will enjoy the rewards of these musicians’ hard work for years to come.

Premiere 7th Grader

Even if you went to the opening show dragon,’” she says. “But he’s really lazy – Emma, Mary Harris and Ford Morgan meet actor Rico Rodriguez of the opening night of the new, hit I tried to get him to jump through a hula movie, How To Train Your Dragon, you hoop, but that didn’t really work out. still weren’t the first person at HIES to Then I tried to get him to sit, but he’s too see the film. stubborn. Then they added all these cool DreamWorks Animation held the world effects – it was pretty funny.” premiere for the movie in Los Angeles As for Los Angeles, Mary Harris found this past March and in attendance was it… well, different. “We got to see Rodeo seventh-grader Mary Harris Morgan Drive and then we got to Beverly Hills and her family. Mary Harris had won the and everything was perfect. Even the VIP trip – plus $600 in spending money trash was perfect – that’s how well they – in a contest sponsored by the film’s keep the city.” producers.

The Morgans eventually made As it turns out, Mary Harris hadn’t their way to Universal Studios for even been aware of the contest. “My the premiere, braving the red carpet mom’s friend was like, ‘Can I film your paparazzi along the way. “They have daughter as an entry to a contest to this this huge theater – like crazy big. That’s movie that’s coming out?’” says the where we got to see the movie in 3-D, precocious seventh-grader. “And mom which was a lot of fun. Then we got to was like, ‘Hey sure, whatever.’” Then say ‘hi’ to the stars and take pictures her performance won the hearts of the with Manny, the kid from Modern Family producers.

– he’s so nice.”

“I took our fattest dog, Chipper, and put him Mary Harris says she loved everything about in a t-shirt and said something like, ‘Hi, I’m Mary the trip, including the movie. Her take: “Very funny.

Harris and I’m going to teach you how to train your Two thumbs up.”

Chipper, the fat dragon dog

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Robert and Sarah Minnear at the Loch Norman Scottish Games, where Robert won Professional Piper Of The Day and Sarah won Grade Four Junior Piper Of The Day

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When the expression “Music soothes the savage beast” was coined, it’s a pretty good bet the speaker wasn’t listening to bagpipes. “They’re loud,” says HIES sophomore Sarah Minnear. “And when they’re played for a long time, I mean they kind of get on you.”

Sarah is a grade four bagpiper. “Grade four is the second-lowest grade, but I’m hoping to get up to grade three,” she says.

Finding someone to help her toward that milestone shouldn’t be too difficult; her father, Robert, is among the finest bagpipers in America. “He has been a bagpiper since he was 14 – my great-grandmother took him on a trip to Scotland and he loved it so much that he just sort of picked them up,” says Sarah. “He kept getting better and better till he ended up playing with the top players in the world.”

Sarah, meanwhile, introduced her own talents to the HIES community at this spring’s chapel service honoring the chaplaincy of Patty Roberts. During the recessional, Sarah performed a remarkable rendition of Amazing Grace.

“When you play them, you get this feeling inside that you’re playing this powerful instrument that’s been around for hundreds of years,” says Sarah. “It’s kind of a war instrument.”

Sarah hopes, through her musical studies, eventually to achieve the same sort of expertise that her father enjoys. Her academic studies, however, may require a bit of separation. “My dad plays a lot,” she says, “and sometimes when you’re trying to do your homework, it just doesn’t work.”

Getting Into The Shoe Trade

As varsity wrestling coach at HIES, Jeff Walrich teaches his team tough and aggressive ways to do battle.

In his spare time, he shops for shoes.

Walrich, who also teaches video production and broadcast journalism and serves as 10th-grade boys dean, has an impressive collection of wrestling shoes. “I think I’m up to 34 pairs,” he says. “It’s my little passion.” The brightly colored collection grabs the attention of anyone entering his office. “My wife kind of questions what I’m doing. So yeah, mostly they’re here so they’re not in the house.”

According to Walrich, he came across his passion by accident. “I found this site called Flickr – it’s a photo-sharing Web site but I found out that it’s also like an underground wrestling trading site for shoes and gear. I did my first trade and it kind of became an addiction – I’d get shoes and someone else would like them, so we’d trade back and forth.”

So what does a collector look for in a pair of wrestling shoes? “Well, I’m loud so I like loud colors,” he says.

Walrich also discovered a lucrative side of the shoe trade. “I bought a pair for $150 and someone just offered me $310 for them – and I only had them for three months.”

As of press time, however, Walrich had no plans to quit his day job.

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Uvtlfhff!Bjsnfo Upperclassmen meet Airmen while working community event

When the George Lucas movie Red Tails, about the famed Tuskegee Airmen, comes out later this year, five Holy Innocents’ upperclassmen may view it a bit differently than their friends. C.J. James, Stephen Williams, Katriana Simmon, Rekeyia Sherrell, and Mallory Vaughn actually met several of the courageous World War II veterans during spring break, while working a Community Service Alternative event at the Atlanta Youth Academy.

“It was so exciting,” said Mallory, a Holy Innocents’ freshman, who helped with young children at the event, co-sponsored by HIES and the Atlanta Youth Academy. “They gave a big presentation and then answered questions like what they thought about being heroes.

They said they were just doing what they were meant to do in life.”

The Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American pilots in the Armed Forces, were trained at Tuskegee University and led into combat by Col. Benjamin O. Davis in North Africa. The Airmen flew C.J. James playing the keyboard. with distinction — particularly as bomber escorts — and are credited with 1,578 missions and destroying 261 enemy aircraft during the course of the war. They were honored with the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007, and their service led to desegregation in the U.S. Armed Forces.

“I was sort of in shock hearing them talk about it,” said Mallory. “They did all these things and then talked about it like it was just a day at the park.”

During the March 9 community event, HIES senior C.J. James wrote and performed a composition for the Airmen.

“C.J. (kneeling) Stephen Williams, Mallory Vaughn (standing from left to played both right) Keith White, C.J. James, Rekeyia Sherrell, unidentified Airmen, Sam Jones, Katrianna Simmon, and two other unidentified Airmen. the piano and violin for the gathering,” said Keith White, HIES Director of Community Outreach and Associate Director of Admissions, who accompanied students on the trip. “His piano piece was an original piece dedicated to the Airmen.”

Freshman Katriana Simmon, who worked the event alongside Mallory and C.J. said she particularly appreciated the Airmen’s message about focusing on what you want to be. “They were saying, ‘Just do what you want to do,’” she said. “I’ve always loved science and helping people, and I want to be a surgeon.”

For more information about the Tuskegee Airmen: http://www.tuskegeeairmen.org 12 | TORCHBEARER SPRING 2010

Holding Time In Her Hands Amanda Turner made history on April 10. The HIES freshman was given the honor of opening a time capsule that had been encased on the University of Alabama campus since May 28, 1907. The ceremony was part of a centennial celebration honoring Smith Hall, named in honor of Eugene Allen Smith, noted Alabama State Geologist and Amanda’s great-great-grandfather.

“They brought the cornerstone into Smith Hall and inside was a sealed box,” Amanda recalls. “They took a soft saw-blade to get it open, and I gently lifted up the top. A cigar was the first thing I pulled out, and then there was a shell. After that, we pulled out some newspapers. It was like a mirror image of the day.”

Just as meaningful to Amanda was that her grandmother, Marguerite Smith Turner Short, the only granddaughter of Dr. Smith, officially opened the ceremony.

Other items found in the capsule included: a scroll addressed “To the President of the University (Some Centuries Hence),” a cartoon about Alabama’s football team beating Auburn in 1906, and a gold ring once owned by Julia Allyn, the daughter of Eugene Allen Smith.

“It was amazing to see,” Amanda said. “You read about history, and you look at it as a story. But this makes you feel closer to it.”

Amanda is considered to be the “last heir” to Eugene Allen Smith, who served as Alabama’s State Geologist for 50 years, discovered Alabama’s rich mineral deposits, and created the first comprehensive geological survey of the state. Amanda has always known about her esteemed ancestor, but when she handled some of Dr. Smith’s own writings, “it was evidence that he had actually existed. This actually happened.”

And if Amanda could travel across time and deliver a message back to her great-great-grandfather, it would be this: “I wish I could be as successful as you were, by what you did for Alabama.”

Griffin Leadbetter is a rather remarkable second-grader. Diagnosed with epilepsy when he was just 14 months old, he refuses to allow his condition to interfere with his dreams – despite his mom’s concerns.

“My mom thinks I shouldn’t play football or lacrosse, because she thinks maybe they’ll make me have a seizure. But I want to be a football player. I don’t play in a league, but I always play with my friends.”

One of those friends happens to be Jason Snelling, a running back for the Atlanta Falcons and a fellow epileptic.

He and Griffin visited Washington, DC over spring break to petition congress for increased research funding. The following story appeared on the Epilepsy Foundation of Georgia’s Web site. We reprint it here with the foundation’s permission.

Georgia has a young, rising political star, and his name is Griffin Leadbetter. Griffin served as the Georgia delegate to the recent Kids Speak Up advocacy conference in Washington, DC. In this important role he met with many of Georgia’s most influential legislators to discuss the importance of funding epilepsy research through both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes for Health (NIH).

He also appealed for support of Access to Care, a program designed to bring better healthcare to rural areas.

Among the leaders Griffin personally met with were Congressman John Lewis, Congressman Phil Gingrey, MD and Senator Saxby Chambliss. He also met with the health issues liaisons for several other members of the Georgia legislative delegation.

After finishing his trip to Capitol Hill, Griffin joined his pal, Atlanta Falcons running back Jason Snelling, to lead one of the top teams in the National Epilepsy Walk.

Team Snelling/ Leadbetter raised more than $15,000 for the Epilepsy Foundation of Georgia.

He returned to classes at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, to share what was certainly a very interesting “What I Did on My Spring Break” discussion with his classmates. Griffin is the son of Grant and Bonnie Leadbetter of Atlanta.

With Congressman John Lewis

Griffin and friends, including Atlanta Falcon Jason Snelling

Gpvs!Tfojpst!Fbso!Fbhmf!Tdpvu!Sboljoh The Holy Innocents’ Class of 2010 includes four students who have joined the ranks of distinguished men such as Gerald R. Ford and Neil Armstrong by becoming Eagle Scouts.

Seniors Brian Anderson, Hunter Gray, Calder Marshall, and Andrew Watts earned the required merit badges, did service projects, and took special oaths to perform the obligations and responsibilities of an Eagle Scout, described in the 1911 Handbook for Boys as “the all-round perfect Scout.”

All four students contributed to the community while earning Scouting’s most coveted award. Brian built picnic tables and benches for an outside area at an Atlanta homeless shelter, Hunter constructed a planter at a senior citizens’ services center, Calder assembled several sets of pull-up bars on the Whitefield Academy campus, and Andy built hitching rails for horses around Chastain Park for the mounted patrol.

Brian’s project was particularly special to him since it was done at the Moncrief Center

homeless shelter, a place that his grandmother helped found. “He had been down there with me over the years helping out and he had a special place for it in his heart,” explained his mother, Susan Anderson. “Both of my boys were Eagle Scouts, and I think the boys not only got a lot out of it while they were going through it, but it’s helped with college and job applications,” Anderson reflected. “And the leadership they get out of it is so important.”

Calder said his project was not without obstacles, but meeting the stringent requirements of becoming an Eagle Scout was worth it. “All I really felt was a large sense of accomplishment for all of the work hours I had put in,” he said, “and I was thrilled to see such a good final result.”

More Scouts than ever—more than 50,000 a year—now earn the Eagle Scout Award, according to the Boy Scouts of America.

February 8, 2010, marked the beginning of a centennial year of celebration for the Boy Scouts of America, which is committed to inspiring and preparing future generations.

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DELIVERING HOPE TO ETHIOPIA

At Verdun's Peace Museum - Christie Huff, Avery Calhoun, Kaki Bennett, Kai Street, Jake McDowell, Alex Schwartz, Gretchen Glaze and O'Neal Wanliss

Outside the World War I Museum in Verdun

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Gerard Gatoux, Martine Faye-Gallinatti and Meredith Many

In at least one country, HIES junior O’Neal Wanliss used to be known as a man of few words. That all changed toward the end of spring vacation.

O’Neal, along with seven other HIES French students and teachers Gerard Gatoux and Meredith Many, spent their break on an exchange trip to our French sister school, Lycée Louis Bertrand, in Briey. “In the beginning of the trip, I was saying just a few words,” says O’Neal, “but toward the end I was having full-blown telephone conversations. I was talking to strangers in French. There are things that a book can’t teach you.”

Now entering its third year, the relationship between Lycée Louis Bertrand and HIES has matured into one of the finest, most productive cultural exchange programs in Atlanta.

According to Gatoux, the benefits of such trips extend well beyond academics. “I spoke with the parents and grandparents in Briey, and they were very enthusiastic about our kids and our kids were very enthusiastic about the families they stayed with. The human aspect is what makes this so special.”

In class one day, the two sets of students performed an exercise on stereotypes – sharing some of the generalizations they’d held toward each other before meeting in person. “One stereotype they had of us is that we chew gum all the time,” says O’Neal. “And we all like baseball. And horror movies — we always scream. One I heard all the time was that we talk a lot, and we talk fast. But we always chew gum.”

Any gum-chewing apparently didn’t get in the way of the traditional French greeting, however. And that was fine with O’Neal. “They’re more affectionate toward each other,” he says. “Here we shake hands or say, ‘What’s Up?’ But there you embrace each other and bisous — kiss both cheeks. It knocks down that personal barrier.”

With the HIES exchange program enjoying such remarkable success, there seem to be very few barriers remaining for our students in the world.

On tour in Briey Jake McDowell, Alex Schwartz, O'Neal Wanliss, Kai Street, Kaki Bennett, Christie Huff and Avery Calhoun

When Lower School cook George Philis was growing up in Ethiopia, his school had only wooden benches, and no air-conditioning or heat. For six years, however, Philis has been helping young Ethiopian pupils who have no school at all — only the sheltering branches of a large oak tree.

“This is my own thing,” says Philis, whose work is not connected to any organization. “If I help 20 or 50 people, it makes me happy, because I was one of them.

“I try to give them some hope.”

In 2004, Philis and his family began hand-delivering food, clothing, books, pencils, and medical supplies to the makeshift school in Awasa, Ethiopia.

Now, because of increasing travel costs — such as airline charges for extra luggage — Philis goes to Ethiopia every other summer, and often buys heavy books and the fabric to make children’s clothes once he’s landed in the ancient African nation.

“The children are just happy because I bring something for them,” says Philis, who immigrated to the United States in 1980 with help from Catholic Charities. “Like I give them something to write with, and I took them an alphabet (banner).”

One adult teaches 15-20 Awasa pupils preschool through kindergarten age. The teacher, who makes about $1 a month per child, must write on a blackboard nailed to the tree, and classes are canceled if it rains.

“It’s the poorest country,” Philis laments. “The government just would rather spend money on something else.”

The trips to Ethiopia take significant planning and organizing. For example, Philis tries to involve his own son and daughter (ages 11 and 12), as well as nieces and nephews. “I want them to know how self-disciplined the children are there and how they value life,” he explains. “This is the greatest country on earth but we take things for granted here.”

This summer, Philis will take supplies to Ethiopia and also help villagers, who are mostly farmers and shepherds, to lay the groundwork for a new school. It’s challenging work, he says, but rewarding.

“I want to do something for people on this earth before I depart. It moves me.”

To make a donation or help with the Ethiopian school project, contact Philis at SAGE Dining Services in the Lower School or call 678-773-5435.

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French and HIES students on a field trip in Briey TORCHBEARER SPRING 2010 | 15

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The 2010 Science Olympiad State Tournament Team: Standing left to right – Joe Stockert, Kevin Tang, Alex Smith, Carter Gillon, Akul Munjal, Robert Moore, Alex Nussey, Mr. Craig McGowan and Jack Walz. Kneeling left to right – Amanda Turner, Lever Stewart, Stuart Anderson, Ananya Munjal, Mr. James Jackson, Henry Owen, Russell Duncan and Amber Abernathy

BIG BEARS ON CAMPUS While this issue’s Big Bears On Campus may seem to shy away from the spotlight, the truth is that they’re just not motivated by notoriety. They have jobs to do and they do them – exceptionally well, we might add.

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Gerard Gatoux, Upper School French and Spanish teacher, has been selected as a Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction by The National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS), an organization that recognizes academic excellence at the high school level.

Gatoux was nominated by senior Kai Street.

The award honors teacher role models who have made a significant contribution to a student’s academic career, explained NSHSS President James Lewis. “Dedicated educators who exhibit a commitment to excellence deserve our highest praise and appreciation,” he said.

In a congratulatory letter to Gatoux, Claes Nobel quoted historian Jacques Barzun, saying that “in teaching you cannot see the fruit of a day’s work. It is invisible and remains so.” Nobel added that he hoped this award “does make visible the work that you do each day.”

Gatoux graduated from Ohio University with a BSED in 1976 and an MA in 1983.

An instructor at Holy Innocents’ since 1998, and department chair from 2003–2007, he has also taught at Ohio University and Ohio University Lancaster.

You can visit his Web site at lesbonsvivants.ning.com.

The Science Of Competition On Saturday, March 27, the HIES Science Olympiad team competed in the state competition in Augusta, GA. Facing their stiffest competition in years – and some of the most challenging events ever – our students performed amazingly well, coming in sixth out of 27 teams!

Middle School science teacher James Jackson gives special recognition to two ninthgraders, Amanda Turner and Robert Moore. “Each team is allowed up to five ninth-graders,” says Jackson. “And each student is allowed to compete for four years, beginning in sixth grade. Amanda and Robert, even though they’re now in Upper School, have taken leadership roles on this team. They’re always looking for ways to help, offering insights and experience that really benefit everyone involved – especially the teachers and parents.”

In the final tally, HIES took one first-place, two second-place, one third-place and two fourth-place finishes. Those events in which the team placed 1st through 10th are as follows: First place – Elevated Bridge – Stuart Anderson, Carter Gillon, Kevin Tang and Jack Walz Second place – Junkyard Challenge – Kevin Tang and Joe Stockert Second place – Write–it–do–it – Ananya Munjal and Carter Gillon Third place – Ecology – Akul Munjal and Lever Stewart Fourth place – Fossils – Alex Nussey and Henry Owen Fourth place – Meteorology – Alex Smith and Carter Gillon Sixth place – Solar System – Joe Stockert and Kevin Tang Seventh place – Ornithology – Lever Stewart and Robert Moore Seventh place – Wright Stuff – Amber Abernathy and Alex Smith Eighth place – Experimental Design – Ananya Munjal, Carter Gillon and Amber Abernathy Tenth place – Battery Buggy – Alex Nussey and Henry Owen This remarkable group of students is coached by HIES teachers James Jackson, Craig McGowan, Michael Poley, Janet Silvera, and Renee Gracon with the help and support of many team parents. Congratulations one and all!

Henry Owen and Alex Nussey prepare to launch battery buggy

Who:

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North toward home: Natalie, a native Atlantan, will head to the University of Pennsylvania this September. An Alpha-Omega at HIES, she looks forward to exploring a different environment. “In the South, it’s a lot more social and school life revolves around that. I wanted a big-name school that was very academic.”

A pro’s pro: Mr. Jackson has taught science for 22 years, the last four at HIES. His earlier stints included public schools in Coweta, Paulding, North Cobb, and Douglas Counties. “The quality of life here is much more relaxing to a teacher,” he says. “You feel you can get things done that you wouldn’t be able to in public schools. People are more geared for learning – the parent involvement… they care.”

Senior

High points at HI: “Holy Innocents’ has helped me be the student I am; it’s such a small, tight-knit community. I can walk into Mr. Durst’s office and talk to him about anything. I love how the teachers are so willing to help you out in any way. If you want to take a class, they’ll make it work for you.”

Dream career: “Originally I wanted to be a doctor, but I like international and government relations. I also wanted to spend more time with Spanish. But that’s what college is for—to find out what you want to do.”

Golden years: Natalie has shone in academics, athletics, and community service. She’s a National Merit Scholar and has earned recognition in Spanish, world history, English and science. She’s also been a cheerleader, a tennis and soccer player, and a board member for Horizons and ESL. “I’ve taught English at ESL since sophomore year. It’s fun to communicate with my students during breaks in their own language.”

Lever Stewart and Robert Moore study for their event

Reid Funston and Camiren Carter

Reflections on Haiti: Natalie was scheduled to travel to Haiti just after the catastrophic earthquake in January, but she refuses to dwell on the disaster or let fear hold her back from travel. “Things happen. That’s not going to stop me from exploring the world.”

Favorite faculty member: “Señor Gatoux was the one who helped me in AP Spanish. He’s very encouraging, a great spirit.”

16 | TORCHBEARER SPRING 2010

Stuart Anderson and Kevin Tang

Who:

Middle School Science Teacher, Science Olympiad Coach

From Columbus with love: Jackson grew up in Columbus, GA, and earned a BS in science from Columbus College, “Before it was a university,” he says. He earned his Master’s in Microbiology and in Science Education from the University of Georgia. “My first year, I taught earth science and I’d never had a course in it in my life. I went home each night and read the book then taught out of the book. I learned more about rocks and meteorology than I ever knew in my life.”

The joy of teaching: “I enjoy helping people learn,” says Jackson, “and it helps me learn just as much. I enjoy watching someone’s eyes light up for a fraction of a second – ‘Oh, now I see it!’ I call it the light bulb moment.” And he’s able to capture that moment in just about every area of science. “Except chemistry. I know just enough about chemistry to get us killed.”

The Olympic ideal: Mr. Jackson joined Department Chair Janet Silvera to coach the HIES Science Olympiad team the moment he arrived on campus. “I met Janet the first day I interviewed here, and when she heard I had Science Olympiad experience, her eyes just lit up,” he says. “She basically said, ‘Hire him,’ and I’ve done it ever since.”

Parenting tip: “People in public school warned me – ‘You’re going to have helicopter parents hovering around you,’” he remembers.

“I said, ‘Bring it!’ I would rather deal with someone like that than someone I can never get in touch with.”

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8TH GRADE SURVEY

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8TH GRADE SURVEY

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CHRIS DURST UPPER SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

Lily Rolader was visibly upset. An 11thgrader and a member of our Global Citizenship Program, Lily held the title of student leader and chief organizer of the Upper School’s Haiti Week initiative. Lily was responsible for obtaining schoolwide support and participation for the various activities of the week.

Those activities included a pancake breakfast, a special chapel service, a stirring address from Father Porter and a culminating assembly in honor of our Haitian friends.

At one point in the week leading up to the event, in Lily’s mind, the event was on a bridge to nowhere.

I’m certain that if Student Activities Director Terry Kelly or I had a dollar for all of the ‘why can’t we’ questions, we could have a nice chunk of change.

Middle School students are a giving people. Science tells us that the middle school student is stuck in a me-centered vortex of hormones and neurological change, but given the opportunity, our Middle School students (who are, remember, the Best in the Universe) can not only think beyond themselves, but think beyond the box. Their actions and generosity demonstrate that very clearly.

On my desk is a crimson wristband designed and distributed by the MS Student Council. It says, “HIES for Haiti” on it. The bracelet idea was one of their first responses to the crisis, and the

The expression on Lily’s face led me to believe that she was embracing the notion that the event could be a failure. It was at that point I knew we had been successful with Lily.

Well, the event went off fine; Lily and the rest of the crew raised more than $8,000. Sure, there were hiccups, misunderstandings, bruised feelings, and other issues inherent in studentled initiatives. Accompanying those challenges emerged a perspective about leadership that not many students get to experience. It is Lily’s appreciation for the challenges of leadership and the subsequent resiliency in the face of opposition that makes this exercise so valuable. My question always has been, “Can we replicate this experience for a larger number of students?”

Thanks to some forward thinking from Global Citizenship Program Director Quinton Walker, we may have found a way. Lily and the rest of her PGC senior cohorts will have the opportunity to participate in a social entrepreneurial incubator. The incubator is designed to support

object itself will serve as a reminder of our need for continued commitment to Haiti and its recovery. Many causes have adopted symbolic colors: pink for breast cancer, red for heart disease, orange for bladder cancer, or yellow for our troops. Our wristband is crimson for HIES. When someone asks a wearer about it, the explanation immediately links the school with the world community. Taking it off at night or putting it on in the morning provides a reminder, like a tiny voice, “Haiti”.

Wristbands are cool, they’re not girlie (very important to at least 50% of the population over here), and you can wear them anywhere – they go from day to evening, from school desk to swimming pool without the slightest fear of fashion faux pas. They provide a means for personal expression, and they tell people something matters to you, that something is larger and more important to you than you. Wristbands

THERESA JESPERSEN

DOROTHY SULLIVAN LOWER SCHOOL PRINCIPAL young adults with the resources—both intellectual and financial — necessary to develop and launch sustainable social enterprises. Hopefully, those social enterprises emerge as a result of a student’s passion and interest around a cause or need in the community. We will team students with experts in the business world, and whether it be in start-up ventures or non-profit management, we want students to explore the possibilities for creating change in our world.

We fully expect failure; but in order for students to make the type of difference in the world that we expect of Holy Innocents’ students, I believe you have to give them every opportunity to learn by trial and develop that sense of resiliency and responsibility.

Lily Rolader is fortunate to have had a bittersweet taste of leadership; she’ll be prepared for bigger challenges that lay ahead. Knowing Lily’s resolve, I wouldn’t bet against her.

are a “cause-specific” accessory: “HIES for Haiti” is a statement of commitment, a way to say, “This matters to me.”

Our Middle School students have contributed to our community’s Haiti relief efforts in many ways over the years. Money raised through our Scholastic Book Sales was given to our sister schools in Leogane, and the change and small bills collected over many Lenten seasons were directed to poverty relief efforts in Haiti via The Starfish Project. We have been listening to that tiny voice for a long time and have responded to the call.

I am incredibly proud of our students for their leadership and generosity, their inventiveness and sense of inclusion. They think beyond themselves, see beyond their doorsteps, and imagine a wider horizon than they might let on.

FRED ROWAN FAMILY MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

TERRI POTTER

On July 1, 2007, I began my first year as Principal of the Lower School following Rick Betts, who was named our Associate Head. Rick had done a remarkable job as Dorothy Sullivan’s successor. Upon her retirement in 2007, Holy Innocents’ honored Dorothy for her 30 years of distinguished service by naming the Lower School in her honor. So you see, all of this was a bit intimidating. How does one follow in these footsteps?

The foundation of the Lower School is built on determining what is best for our students and ensuring that they receive what is needed. The faculty and staff treat the students with respect and set boundaries. Children, as learners, need to be aware of academic and behavioral expectations. Each day, I see students holding doors open for one other, smiling and laughing, and being active participants in their studies and activities.

Service projects are an important part of our program. Students in all grades are involved with activities that

serve others. From helping dogs that have been neglected to entertaining folks at the Benson Center, our students plan and participate in these events which benefit the community beyond Holy Innocents’.

Our Fine Arts Department affords the students an opportunity to explore and discover their abilities in the visual and performing arts. Through our programs, students develop a love for painting or printmaking, or a deep appreciation for acting, singing, or playing an instrument.

Many programs stress the concept of student wellness. The physical education classes, health classes, and guidance services from our counselor place great emphasis on being a healthy person in both mind and body.

It is imperative that we prepare our students for the future and the demands of technology. The fifthgrade laptop program has provided our teachers with the ability to identify each student’s learning style and increase his or her comprehension and

understanding of the material.

It is amazing to witness the teachers and students learning from one another and exhibiting a true, authentic learning environment.

All of these areas are integrated with strong academics to give our students a solid foundation that will support them as they enter the Middle School years. So what have I learned this year in regards to following in footsteps? I am following those who have seen future needs and implemented a vision. The route forward may not be plotted in details, but with this clear vision, the direction will always be known.

Those of you who know me perhaps also know that I served for eight years in the United States Navy, beginning when I was 18 years old. My first two years of service were spent on active duty as a member of the flight deck crew of the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea, much of that time spent patrolling the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic.

My job on the flight deck was that of an aircraft director, meaning I was responsible for directing pilots as they taxied their aircraft around the flight deck, in preparation for take-off or after landing.

There are only a few times in my life when I can remember being so amazed at something that I was rendered dumbstruck, but one of them occurred the first time I ever worked on the flight deck at night. I was walking alongside a taxiing F-18 Hornet fighter aircraft, somewhere in the North Atlantic, when I happened to look up. What I saw literally stopped me in my tracks. There, in the sky, were more stars then I ever knew there possibly could be. A carpet of stars, stretching from horizon to horizon.

We were several hundred miles from the nearest land, so there was no light to drown out the thousands and thousands of stars. To add to the wonderful sight, every few moments, shooting stars would streak across the sky, easy to spot in the dark North Atlantic night.

Perhaps, if you’ve ever been on a cruise, this is something you’ve experienced.

But for an eighteen-year-old airman from Marietta, GA, fresh out of high school and a thousand miles from home, it was the most awe-inspiring thing I had ever seen. I was snapped back to reality

only when the wing of the aircraft I was walking alongside struck me in the back of the head, leaving me a different kind of dumbstruck!

I worked many nights over the next two years, and got to see that awesome sight many times. But it never failed to amaze me.

When I was a kid, a teacher once showed me the constellation of Orion, with its famous belt, and I was always proud that I could look up in the sky from my backyard at home and never fail to find it. So I would always look for Orion’s belt during those nights on the flight deck, too. And, of course, since we stayed above the equator, it was always there.

Life in the service can be a very lonely affair, and being far away from home, doing hard and dangerous work, you take your comfort where you can.

For me, being able to spot Orion’s belt in that beautiful night sky was always reassuring, because I knew that I could be back at home, standing in my own backyard, looking up at the sky and seeing the same thing. It may sound silly, but I always thought, “Well, if I can see Orion’s belt from my backyard, and I can see it here too, then I can’t really be that far from home.”

My hope is that that is a lesson we can share with the students we are blessed to work with in the Pre-School, and throughout all of the divisions at Holy Innocents’. The world outside of your own backyard is a big place, and there are going to be times when you will feel lost, alone and frightened. But it is important to remember that there are certain constants in the world... things that won’t ever change. First and foremost, God’s

love for each of us, and the love of our families, will always be there to provide comfort and strength in times of trouble.

And it is my hope that this school will serve that purpose, too, both for our students while they are here, as well as after they toss their caps in the air, ring the Senior Bell and head out on their own. I hope they know that, regardless of where life takes them, Holy Innocents’ will be here. A place that they can return to and know that, no matter where they have traveled or how much time has passed, this is still “home.”

Our Head of School, Mr. Duncan, has sometimes referred to his vision of this school as an “oasis” in troubling times.

It is a comforting thought, and one that I find myself often considering as we discuss who we are and what we want to be as a school. I want our students to know, from the first day they take a teacher’s hand and step onto the curb during carpool, that this is a place of safety, a place where they are known and a place where they are loved. And as I recall those stars above me, so long ago and so far away from here, my prayer is that they know, even in the darkest of nights, that there is magic to be found, and you can still find your way home, if you just know where to look.

ALAN A. LEWIS PRE-SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

GREG KAISER

FEATURE

FEATURE Bill Whitaker ’09, Thomas Fochtmann ’11 and Lee Ann Arnason

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HIES senior Corinne Bicknese with students in Leogane

Reverend John Porter never made it to Honduras.

Food For The Poor, the organization that had put together the mission trip he planned to take, had overbooked and he became the odd man out. “But we have a trip to Haiti,” they told him.

“But I don’t want to go to Haiti,” Porter remembers saying. “I was learning Spanish and wanted to go to Honduras. But their next trip to Honduras wasn’t for eight months.”

So, according to Porter, he went home and complained to his wife.

“She said, ’Why are you that way? You’ve got the time, why don’t you want to go to Haiti?’ And of course, she was right. So I called back and said I will go.”

He wasn’t sure, however, what to expect when he got there. “When I went to the airport, my wife started to cry. I said, ‘Mary, I’m going to be ok,’” remembers Porter. “She said, ‘That’s not why I’m crying.’ She said, ‘You’re going to ruin Thanksgiving.’ It was mid-November 2002, and there were two things I feared – that I’ll never love God again for presiding over whatever is down there. And that I’ll ruin Thanksgiving – I’ll come back and say, ‘No turkey, no potatoes! I can’t do this.’”

While Thanksgiving dinner was, indeed, served in his household, John Porter felt a different sort of gratitude that holiday season.

“What I discovered in Haiti was misery and poverty that I had never seen before. Omnipresent. No tourism, no industry. This was one of the worst times in Haiti – a lot of unrest, hatred of President Aristide for his failures. But I came back very generous and very gracious.

Because the Haitians don’t want what we have. They want us to know who they are. A guy there said to me once, ‘I don’t want what you are, I don’t want what you

have, but I’m tired of living like an animal.’ So I came back loving my life, loving God. “And that was their gift to me. Because they are not greedy – they don’t want your money. They want you.”

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If all had gone according to plan – if John Porter had put his Spanish lessons to use and flown to Honduras – the news of January’s devastating earthquake in Haiti probably would have registered on campus just as it did in the rest of the world: a tragedy on an island of nameless, faceless people, entering our minds for a few minutes during the evening newscast.

As it turned out, however, news of the earthquake became very personal at Holy Innocents’. Eight years after Porter’s first, reluctant trip, he and hundreds of parishioners, students, faculty and administrators could only watch the evening news and wonder if their good friends were still alive.

The news coming out of Haiti last January was horrifying – over 230,000 dead, millions homeless, countless medical emergencies, and relief efforts in disarray. The news coming out of Leogane, however, the virtual epicenter of the earthquake and the city where Holy Innocents’ had established strong, personal relationships, was non-existent. “Nothing,” says Rev. Tryggvi Arnason, “When I tried to call afterwards – dead silence – no satellite noise trying to connect, no busy signals – just total silence. Nothing.”

Father Jean Berthol, John Porter and Roger White 22 | TORCHBEARER SPRING 2010

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Arnason had become involved with the people of Leogane since the church’s first mission trip and had taken leadership of the program when Porter became acting rector at HIEC. He remembers how and why Holy Innocents’ had become paired with Leogane. “The bishop, Jean-Zache Duracin, connected Holy Innocents’ with St. Matthieu and the priest there, Jean Berthol,” says Arnason. “The main mission

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Bishop Duracin

of the Episcopal diocese of Haiti is to provide education – only half the children in Haiti receive an education. So if you’re talking about a third-world country that is trying to pull itself out of third-world status, one of the key components is education. If you have generation after generation where only half of the generation is educated, well that’s what you get…”

It proved to be a perfect fit – an American parish, with a wealth of resources and a successful school, helping a poor parish in the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, where education was the most prevalent need. “After we began to establish a relationship, our next question was what is it that you need?” says Arnason. “Jean Berthol said, ‘I have two classrooms in the school and the need for a larger school is here. So if you can help me build more classrooms, then that is what we need right now.’ So the new school complex was built, which has seven classrooms, two administrative offices, bathrooms for the boys and girls, which they did not have before – sanitary bathrooms – and a refectory, two kitchens and a dining room where the children can eat.”

Meanwhile back in Atlanta, the ministry gained momentum. John

In the last issue of TorchBearer, we profiled HIES senior Anna Taylor, who has made a number of pilgrimages to Haiti and had just spent three summer weeks there working on the Salt Project through the University of Notre Dame.

The project’s goal is to add iodine to salt to prevent Iodine Deficiency Disease, eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis and bring a variety of other health benefits.

Since last summer, however, Anna has hardly rested on her laurels. She has consistently led student efforts to assist our friends in Leogane (where she actually has many friends with whom she keeps in constant contact) and has lobbied the HIES administration to augment our school’s efforts in the country.

Needless to say, there was nobody on campus more shaken by the news of January’s earthquake. We sat down recently with Anna to ask her what it is about Haiti that brings about such efforts from an American teenager. What follows are a few of her thoughts:

Porter saw to that. “I got the school involved, thanks to Kirk Duncan and others,” says Porter. “Kirk and I went and we looked at this ratty school – you wouldn’t believe this school, it was just a lean-to shack, termite-ridden. And Kirk was with me just seeing it, because he’s got a big heart. And there’s a PTA meeting – 60 adults there, sitting in these broken chairs, filthy, talking about the education of their children!

“And I said to Kirk, ‘You and I, when we die, will not be saved if we don’t do something about this. Because this is our responsibility,’” Porter continues. “And he agreed. And ever since, the school has been really helpful in this ministry. They have taken ownership of two places – St. Marguerite in the mountains and l’ecole de Jean Baptiste.”

Much of what followed has been well documented. The overlapping partnership between the people of Leogane and the Holy Innocents’ Episcopal Church and School communities has resulted in three major construction projects – at St. Matthieu, St. Jean Baptiste and St. Marguerite (funded entirely by HIES).

In just eight years, where once 60 children had sporadically attended school in ramshackle buildings, over 600 now received quality educations in clean, modern complexes. A steady stream of visitors traveled from Atlanta to Leogane, solidifying a friendship, learning from each other, praying with each other, planning a future

FEATURE

with genuine potential. As the year 2010 dawned, the people involved with the program – both in Atlanta and Haiti – couldn’t have been happier or more optimistic.

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At first, it didn’t seem possible – a catastrophic earthquake had hit Haiti? Earthquakes don’t hit Haiti; hurricanes hit Haiti. Earthquakes hit California, Italy, Chile, and Japan. We all learned this in science class when studying plate tectonics. An earthquake in Haiti seemed as likely as one in New York or Chicago – it just doesn’t happen.

But here was the evening news reporting that an earthquake registering 7.0 had devastated the small island country, its epicenter just 20 miles from Port au Prince – in Leogane.

And then, as Tryggvi Arnason discovered, nothing.

For an agonizing week, the people of Holy Innocents’ endured an information void, time turning thoughts morbid.

Like a patient waiting for test results, the longer things get left to the imagination, the worse they become. By January 20, with no word from Leogane and news video showing only death, despair and destruction, many people at Holy Innocents’ had begun to lose HIES Senior Amanda Nelson

“You don’t realize how little they have until you live there for more than a week or two. Then you start getting hungry or tired, or tired of the food that you had for breakfast and lunch, then they heat it up again for breakfast the next day.”

“It’s not a remote village somewhere that you’ll most likely not be in touch with again. Haiti is a place where you can make connections with people and keep those connections. I can talk to them on the phone when I want. I can talk to some of them on the computer. They live in the same world.”

“You realize that they’re just like you. They have a different sense of humor than Americans, but they have girlfriends and boyfriends and parents and families and they care about their families. They want to make a better life for themselves, like anybody does. They try hard for everything, but they’re living in a different place that doesn’t have as much as our country does.”

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Uif!Tubsßti!Qspkfdu hope. Perhaps everyone was gone. Perhaps the previous eight years had just been swallowed whole by an act of God. But as we all know, God works in mysterious ways.

“The first person I heard from was Pierre Wesly at the residence where we sometimes stay – just a plea for help,” says Arnason. “‘We’re isolated, there is nothing.’ They sent an email blast to people who have been going there throughout the years – from the CDC and (University of) Notre Dame and Holy Innocents’. So he’s not answering my questions, but at least I know he’s alive.

Then on Saturday, he answered my email – he’d gone to St. Matthieu.

Jean Berthol is alive, most everyone is alive, but there is damage. On Tuesday, a week later, my phone rings and it’s Jean Berthol. ‘So great to hear your voice. Very few people of the church died – thank God that the school was not in session.’”

Word spread quickly through Holy Innocents’ that our friends had escaped the worst of the tragedy. But they were also still in jeopardy.

The fear that had gripped our community turned to relief and then to 26 | TORCHBEARER SPRING 2010

action, as more details emerged of their plight. As always seems the case on campus, students took charge of the situation.

“Ninety students showed up at an assembly for Haiti,” says John Porter. “And the response has been marvelous – not just because it’s money, but because students are actively involved. In fact, the students have led this. Not the leadership saying to the kids – you need to do something. They’ve said we want to do something – and what can we do? They’ve had a Haiti Week, Hoops for Haiti – it’s marvelous to see – wristbands, valentines. It’s been student-led, which I think is thrilling.”

Months later, there is still no exact word on how many people died or are homeless in Leogane or the parishes where Holy Innocents’ works.

Says Kirk Duncan, “I don’t know how thorough the information is that we’re receiving. There was some pretty significant damage – and the town of Leogane was pretty much wiped out. The church and school structures were damaged but not wiped out.”

But we know, at least, that most of the people we’d worked so closely with are alive and trying to get their lives back in order. Church services are held outside. Children are studying beneath trees in the continued on page 28

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.

Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?”

The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”

“Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and thousands of starfish? You can’t make a difference!”

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said… "I made a difference for that one.”

Original Story by: Loren Eisley “The Starfish story is where the name got started,” says Lower School chaplain Beth Lynch. “And it’s so perfect for what we’re doing, because we can’t save the whole country of Haiti, but we sure can make a difference in the lives of some.”

A mainstay at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal Church since the beginning of the parish’s relationship with Haiti, the Starfish Project quickly spread to the school. According to Lynch, “It’s really a time during Lent where we ask the kids to really be thoughtful about that – what small things they could give up or take on to help the people of Haiti.” When the earthquake struck a few weeks before Lent, the project took on a new sense of urgency.

“In the Lower School, each classroom has a jar – they call it the Starfish jar – and kids bring in pennies and nickels and quarters,” says Lynch. "Then we’ve done ‘Hats On For Haiti’ where each kid can bring in a dollar and wear a hat for a day. We sold pencils and bracelets and held a bake sale.”

To Lynch, something just as important as the funds raised is the effect such work has on the HIES students who perform it. She offers the following letter from third-grader Kennon Doughtie as an example: Dear Ms. Lynch, When I heard about the situation in Haiti I was scared and in complete shock. I wanted to do something to help. Then it occurred to me that I should save up money!!! I started that very second. Then I heard about the Starfish Project, I was so thrilled.

The first thing I did in art was to make a poster. It said Help Haiti, Be Kind, Be Good and Be a Better Person. It also said Lemonade and Cookies 50 cents each. When I got home I started selling right away. And as soon as you know it, the whole neighborhood was over helping. We ended up with $38. So I then added my money and the cookie and lemonade money and it was $48.22. Then I turned it in to school and my teacher was so proud.

That is just how I ended up here. Remember, Be Kind Be Good and Be a Better person and you, too, can help Haiti. I hope this money that me and my friends raised will help our friends in Haiti!!!

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B!Cjh!Ifbsu Big ideas don’t come only from big people.

The wonderfully successful Hearts For Haiti fundraiser this spring was actually the brainchild of one of HIES’ youngest students, Early Learner Ava Windley.

“Ava was well aware of the earthquake in Haiti due to all the media coverage,” says Ava’s mom, Linda Windley. “She didn’t know the extent of it, but she knew there were people who were hurt and in trouble.”

One night, as her parents watched the Hope for Haiti Now concert put on by George Clooney and other celebrities, Ava found a painting of a heart she’d created earlier in the day and told her dad Rod Windley, “Daddy, I want this heart to be for Haiti.”

“Of course, she melted our hearts,” says Linda.

Ava’s teacher, Heather Hahn, explains how that simple gesture

by Ava resulted in a donation of $217 to our friends in Leogane.

“The Windleys thought that was really a cool idea she had come up with. They were initially going to do a lemonade stand and sell the hearts in their yard. But then they decided to get the school involved.” Soon enough, students throughout the Alan A. Lewis Pre-School had created hundreds of hand-made valentine cards, which they sold during carpool and Upper School lunches.

“The cards were 50 cents apiece,” says Hahn, “so they sold a lot of cards.”

At a Pre-School chapel service later in the month, Ava had the honor of giving a Ava gives a check for $217 to Pre-School Principal check for the $217 Greg Kaiser and Head of School Kirk Duncan to Head of School Kirk Duncan and Pre-School Principal Greg Kaiser. “It was a sweet idea,” says Linda, “that ended up being not only fun, but for a great cause!”

28 | TORCHBEARER SPRING 2010

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courtyard. Food is becoming reliable again. Families are reuniting after months of separation. The aftershocks finally, mercifully stopped. Fear of the unknown has subsided. But the question everyone now asks is, “What next?”

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Nobody is exactly sure what the future of the Holy Innocents’Haiti relationship holds. The future, after all, has never gotten much attention in poor and developing countries. When there’s nothing to save, you don’t focus on what it is you might save for.

The future, though, is why John Porter went to Haiti in the first place – and it’s why hundreds of people have made the same trip over the years. They didn’t go there with the expectations that all would be fixed when they got back on the plane to Atlanta. They went there, instead, to sow seeds. And those seeds, when planted and nurtured for an appropriate time, will eventually bear fruit. That is the nature of development and relief work – to make people eventually no longer need you.

After the earthquake, though, new seeds need sowing.

The original school at St. Jean Baptiste

Kelly Moore '09, Father Jean Berthol, and MacKenzie Suttles '09

“The good news about the bad news in Haiti is that we have to start all over again,” says Porter. “Nobody can say we’ve done a lot there, we have to move on. Yes, everybody needs to move on, but this has gone back to the drawing board.”

Rev. Michael Sullivan, the rector of Holy Innocents’ since last summer, believes the earthquake will not only redefine the relationship, but also present new openings for development work. “Because the destruction of the infrastructure was so great, that gives us the opportunity to provide a kind of infrastructure that may not have existed in the past and may not have been possible in the past,” he says. “So while this is a disaster of epic proportions, I think we have to start looking beyond what we would have done – on the ground, given past reality – and look to rebuilding in a new way with our brothers and sisters there.”

“We have received a green light from the bishop to return,” according to Arnason, “but we need a place to stay, we need transportation – those are the logistics that we’re trying to figure out.

Our relationship with the diocese of Haiti is going to continue,” he

When he saw news reports of the Haiti earthquake, HIES third-grader Jeffrey Klopfenstein felt the same emotions we all had – sadness, fear, sympathy and grief. Unlike most people, though, Jeffrey didn’t stay glued to his TV for the latest reports. Instead, he went to work, with an idea to raise money for those suffering in the island nation.

“They kept showing people being saved and stuff on TV,” says Jeffrey, “and I got this idea.” Jeffrey enlisted his parents, Molly and Mark Klopfenstein, to help him gather materials so that he could design and produce pins in the colors of the Haitian flag, which he then sold during our school’s basketball games. Jeffrey also recruited his very first workforce – Molly and Mark. “One night my mom and I made 30 pins, but my dad had to help twist them.”

“We made about 75 pins,” says Jeffrey. “We sold them for $5. A lot of people gave us more, though.”

All told, Jeffrey raised over $700 for relief efforts.

According to LS Chaplain Beth Lynch, “Jeffrey stuck with the project and did this all by himself. With great seriousness he kept bringing in checks for the Haiti relief.”

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FEATURE

FEATURE

As for the long-term relationship, says. “I have no reason to believe Duncan has high hopes. “There anything other than that our are two things we can do as a relationship will continue through community. One is relational; as St. Matthieu and her mission and soon as it’s possible, we need schools. What happens next will to go down there with faces and be up to Bishop Duracin. There people so they can see we’re still are more schools and churches, connected and caring. As long even before the earthquake, that as it’s safe, we should continue structurally needed to be beefed encouraging our students to go on up or fixed or literally rebuilt. That the church trips. is one possibility. But we have also “Then on a practical level, I think been looking at initiating different the best thing we can do at this ways that we can support them – point – after we raise this initial maybe help the parents through money for reconstruction – is to micro-lending, or come up with start an endowment for Haiti. It ways that we can equip the parents Mary Porter with students in Leogane could be modest, maybe $200 and the community at large. Some thousand, that would pay for instructional costs and maintenance of the farmlands are very rich, but their agricultural knowledge needs repair for the places we’ve already built. For those three schools, it has help. Support them in some self-sustainable ways.” to get to the point where virtually any student who wanted to go there, Kirk Duncan hopes the tragedy in Haiti comes with a silver lining.

“We’d like to raise $100 thousand this year – through all the fundraising could.” we’re doing on campus for Haiti – to be put in the Leogane Relief Fund so that when we do know what they need, we’ll be able to respond immediately. That could be used on reconstruction or it might be a At some point, the schools Holy Innocents’ builds in Haiti will bit more basic – meals or medical supplies. We’ll be able to attend to graduate young people with a genuine potential for improving their whatever they need.”

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lives, escaping poverty and meeting people from developed nations on equal terms. At some point, the 2010 earthquake will become a memory, a distant, singular moment in Haiti’s history.

But relationships built on love and trust and faith endure. They’re made of hope – something the people of Leogane and Holy Innocents’ possess in abundance. “As the new rector of HI, it’s quite a heritage to inherit,” says Sullivan. “And the sacrifice that the people of this parish, church and school have made is pretty amazing to me. People have not only given, they have given sacrificially. People have gone to places that many people would never choose to visit. And they have embodied a kind of love and compassion that many rectors would give their right arm for. So that is a great gift to me and I am deeply grateful for the people who have made our relationship with Haiti a top priority.”

Hope, after all, is not the desire for a blessing; hope is a blessing.

Perhaps Emily Dickinson worded it best, when over 150 years ago she wrote: Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul, And sings the tune without the words, And never stops at all, And sweetest in the gale is heard; And sore must be the storm That could abash the little bird That kept so many warm.

I’ve heard it in the chillest land, And on the strangest sea; Yet, never, in extremity, It asked a crumb of me.

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One of the HI community’s favorite events is the annual Spring Fling and Fun Run, where children and parents walk and run laps around Baker Field to raise money for a local charity.

This year, though, two things were decidedly different.

For one, the charity benefitting from the fundraiser wasn’t local – all proceeds were donated to the Leogane Relief Fund to help those still suffering from January’s earthquake in Haiti.

Secondly, the morning of April 24 was a wet one, with rain and lightning turning Baker Field into a no-run zone. So the event was moved to the Main Gym, with participants completing laps around the upper level track.

“The decision was unanimous on which charity the funds should support ,” says Director of Development Michele Duncan.

“After the earthquake, Mary (Ray) and Carter (DeHaven) were entirely focused on the people in Haiti.”

The spirit of the walkers was hardly dampened by the rain, either. “You could tell by the kids’ faces that they were very, very serious about raising money to help the earthquake victims,” says Duncan. “When our students care strongly about something, they get to work.”

Fun Run co-chairs Carter DeHaven and Mary Ray

Donations to Haiti can be made through the Kirk Duncan Endowment Fund for Haiti (see page 40).

30 | TORCHBEARER SPRING 2010

TORCHBEARER SPRING 2010 | 31

FEATURE

FEATURE A weathered white obelisk along the Sope Creek, not far from Holy Innocents’, marks the gravesite of Dr. Daniel Dana Scriber, who died in Georgia on April 23, 1863. But what was this Yankee native doing in the Deep South during the 1860s? And how did he die?

Students in Holly Chesser’s ninth-grade English class have been contemplating these The Scribner family graveyard questions and others as part of a special writing unit designed Excerpt from short story to teach students how to do historical research and write fiction.

After a field trip to the small Sope Creek

by Holly Chesser cemetery, students began writing fictional !!!!Uif!xbs!bt!b!xipmf!xbt!b!usbhjd!xbtuf/! pieces based on the lives of the people B!Opsuifsofs!cz!cjsui!cvu!b!Hfpshjbo!gps!uif! buried there, and in other cemeteries Chesser has visited. mbtu!ufo!zfbst-!Es/!Tdsjcofs!gfmu!mjuumf!qbttjpo!

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Brantley Taylor and Tabatha Yelos

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32 | TORCHBEARER SPRING 2010

Brantley Taylor, Margaret Crewdson, Payton Calhoun, Catherine Bernard and Holly Chesser

Tabatha Yelos, Charisse Hughes, Gillian Finley, Kathryn Bernardini and Kendall Jackson rub gravestones

“They all have their own stories to tell,” says Chesser, “and the students approach this in different ways. It requires individual talent.”

Chesser’s class researched facts about the 19th century, for example, and looked into the life of Dr. Daniel Dana Scribner—even locating one of his Southern descendants. Then, Chesser modeled creative writing to her class by composing a short story based on the life that she imagined Dr. Daniel Scribner might have had—a life in which the doctor graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in1850 and was killed in Georgia while serving as a Civil War surgeon.

The writing exercise required not only imagination and talent, but also the use of accurate, historical facts.

“I had to go find out what a Minié ball would have looked like,” explained Chesser, a second-year teacher at Holy Innocents’.

“What would Dr. Scribner’s hair look like?

What would he be wearing?

“I was trying to show the kids what to look at in a simple piece of historical fiction.”

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The University of Pennsylvania, circa 1850

After doing some background research on their characters, the students began to blog about them, giving Chesser an opportunity to discuss what she calls “the aesthetics of a blog.”

Then, armed with facts and their own imaginations, students began writing their narratives.

“It’s a different and creative way to put our creative writing (not to mention research skills) to the test,” said freshman Payton Anderson. “The graves that we analyzed have really been a great inspiration. I never knew that so much history and information could be garnered from a gravestone! I’m really excited to see how my story unfolds.”

By the end of this interdisciplinary unit, students will have researched a variety of sources (such as gravestone epitaphs), compiled an annotated bibliography,

Rubbing a gravestone

learned a list of literary terms, and practiced creative writing. They have already done gravestone rubbings, and completed an assignment to find something in their own homes that revealed a family story.

The students have also made an impression on Charles Andrews, the great-great-nephew of Dr. Scribner, who is interested in genealogy, himself, and admires the students’ hard work.

It was Andrews who told the class that Dr. Scribner had graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s medical college, prompting students to try and find out what medical schools were like in the 1850s and which medical textbook Dr. Scribner would have used.

“I am impressed both with the highly creative learning unit Ms. Chesser has developed and her outstanding fictional story of Dr. Scribner, written as an example of historical fiction for her students,” said Andrews, whose great-great-aunt Sara Jane Ansley married Dr. Scribner. “Further background on Dr. Scribner, how he came to Cobb County and whether he was in the Confederate Army when he died, are still a mystery waiting to be solved.

“I know interesting details are still out there. We just need to find them.”

TORCHBEARER SPRING 2010 | 33

SPORTS

SPORTS

SPORTS RECAP Holy Innocents’ Athletics Enjoying Finest Year In School History

Over the years, there have been plenty of solid athletic seasons in Holy Innocents’ history, but perhaps none more so than the 2009-2010 campaign. With spring not yet complete, Bears’ teams from almost every sport have gone into postseason thus far, with one team earning a second-in-state finish. [

S O F T B A L L ] Perhaps the biggest turnaround season came in girls’ softball, where Coach Laura Thomas’s squad improved from a 5-19 season in 2008 to a second-place finish in Region 5A and a Sweet 16 finish. The Lady Bears topped Social Circle at home in the opening round of the playoffs before bowing out.

F O O T B A L L ] It began with the football program – in only its fourth year of interscholastic play. Coached by Ryan Livezey, the squad advanced to the Elite 8 before losing a close contest. Several players earned postseason honors, including Wills Aitkens – the MVP of Region 5A, and Peter Allen the co-Defensive Player–of-the-Year. AllRegion performers included Jordan Miller, Will Allen, Chase Brown, Adli [ V O L L E Y B A L L ] Coach Ruth Donahoo wasn’t to Kilic, Calder Marshall and Frank Fallon. be outdone in volleyball. After two straight Final Four finishes, Donahoo led her senior-less Lady Bears to an Elite 8 finish, also. Setter Anne Yanda earned All-State honors, while the team enjoyed a leadership-bycommittee, with different players stepping up on different nights.

Donahoo, by the way, has been tapped as the new HIES Director of Athletics beginning July 1. Everyone involved with the school is excited about her vision for the future of HIES athletics.

[ S W I M M I N G ] The swim team had two qualify individually – Bates Jones and Rebecca Hamm – and though they didn’t place, both swam their season’s best times at the State Meet at Westminster in mid-February.

The spring sports are wrapping up their regular seasons. Two girls’ programs secured bids at state for the first time in school history. Both teams entered postseason the first week of May.

[

L A C R O S S E ] Girls’ lacrosse qualified with an exciting come-from-behind 10-9 win over Darlington.

[

But back to this year’s results…

[

CROSS

COUNTRY

]

Girls’ cross country picked up the state runner-up trophy in Class A. Despite taking only third in Region 5A, the team geared up for a near state championship in Carrollton in early November, guided by Christine Georgakakos, Greer Gafford, Erin Peck and Callie Bergin. Individually, Georgakakos finished in the top 10.

[ B A S K E T B A L L ] As winter dawned, Coach Tony Watkins and his Lady Bears basketball team kept up the winning momentum. For the second season in a row, HIES had a 20-plus win season, a third-place finish in the region and a trip to the Class A tournament. Seniors Alex Williams and Elandria Thurmond were two of many who led; Williams earned All-Region honors for her fine play in postseason.

Boys’ hoops, meanwhile, finished the year at 14-12. [

W R E S T L I N G ] Wrestling, like volleyball, had no seniors on its roster. That didn’t stop Coach Jeff Walrich & Company from finishing tenth in state for the second straight season. Also, the Bears qualified for the State Duals for the first time in school history and [ G O L F ] Meanwhile, Casey Farrell led the girls’ golf had two wrestlers – Jason Grimes and Lee Davis – finish third in state in squad to a second-place finish in 5A. Farrell finished second in region their respective weight classes. Wes and Court Fanning also finished in individually and captured ninth in state last year.

The boys’ golf team emerged as region champs for the second the top eight. straight year and look to improve on last year’s third-in-state finish.

Blake Snellings and Watts Douglas provided the one-two punch at the 5A tournament.

SPORTS

GOODBYES

Uxp!Mpohujnf!Tubggfst!Sfujsjoh Next year, Holy Innocents’ will be missing more than 40 years of experience on campus, as two beloved members of our community – Lower School assistant manager of food services Curtis Battle and custodian Ruth Hollis – retire this May.

[ T E N N I S ] The girls’ tennis team secured itself a spot in the Class A event with a third-place finish in the 5A tournament in midApril. Senior Sarah Affleck led the team’s 3-2 win over OLM that put them in the tournament. Affleck fought off a match point in her comefrom-behind win that iced both the match and the trip to state.

[

B A S E B A L L ] The baseball team, backed by seniors Joe Austin, Wills Aitkens and Travis Stout, opened by winning 19 of it first 25 games and is an odds-on favorite to earn a bid at state.

[

L A C R O S S E ] Boys’ lacrosse has an excellent shot at postseason for the fourth straight year and has compiled its fourth straight 10-plus win season.

[

S O C C E R ] Boys’ soccer qualified on the last day of regular season with an exciting 2-1 win on the road over Pace. Jake Decker and Thomas Savage were two of many who led the squad.

[ T R A C K ] In track, the girls emerged as 5A champs, with region champ Megan Westmoreland (300-hurdles) and secondplace finishers Alexandra Juneau (pole vault), Rebecca Hamm (long jump) and the 4 X 100 and 4 X 400 relays teams all advancing to state. Though the boys hadn’t competed at region as of this writing, defending 400-meter state champion O’Neal Wanliss was the leading point-getter going into postseason.

36 | TORCHBEARER SPRING 2010

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“I’ve seen a lot,” 71-year-old Curtis Battle says, just days before retiring as an assistant manager of food services in the Lower School.

He’s seen years on the family farm in Warrenton, GA, where he helped grow cotton, corn, and beans, and went to church in a mule-drawn wagon. Years at Emory University, where he began work as a dishwasher at age 15 and moved up to the rank of chef over two decades. And years living near Auburn Avenue where he was apt to run into Muhammad Ali, former Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson, and, yes, Martin Luther King, Jr. Battle has also seen a lot since joining Holy Innocents’ in 1994.

“It’s grown,” he reflects. “They used to not go any higher than the eighth grade. The Upper School, that was a Fulton County school. I watched the first graduation here.”

What impressed him most during his years at Holy Innocents’, though, are the people. “I love them—the students, the teachers.

It’s almost like you work for each individual because they’re so appreciative,” he explains. “And the little children—they’re kind of like our children.”

Holy Innocents’ has loved Curtis Battle, too. Faculty and staff members talk about his “old-school charm,” kindness, generosity, and “servant’s heart.” And they showed their affection with a celebration on April 30 in the Lower School cafeteria, featuring a special plate handmade by little hands, and a signed banner that read, “Curtis, You Are The Very Best.”

The celebration was kind of a love offering, says Principal Terri Potter, for “one of the most caring people I’ve ever met.”

Battle now plans to spend more time with his grandchildren, work on his acre of land, and take care of family.

Of his time at Holy Innocents’, Battle says he’s proudest of taking only one sick day in almost 17 years and going the distance—“the distance of what a lifespan is for a man.”

As for advice for new employees coming into the workforce, Battle offers this bit of wisdom: “If you work and maintain a decent job, that will set your life in the right direction.”

Ruth Hollis’ biggest claim to fame at Holy Innocents’ may well be the time she tackled a runaway iguana.

Clearly fearless around reptiles, Hollis remembers the day that one of Janet Silvera’s iguanas escaped down a Middle School hallway. “The men were standing around saying, ’What are we gonna do?’” she remembers with a grin. “And I just ran and jumped on him!”

Hollis’ “can-do” attitude extends to her work at Holy Innocents’, where, over 28 years, she’s been a custodian, a housekeeping manager, and now, as her career winds down, a tireless member of the night crew.

“One time, when I was off campus for a few days, she made sure the classroom bearded dragon got fed,” recalls environmental science teacher Renee Gracon. “Earlier this semester, I found Ruth scrubbing the large metal sinks in the science labs so they would sparkle for parents’ night. She is committed to making the appearance of HIES as positive an experience for students and visitors as the education that goes on under the roof.”

“I started off with the little-bitty kids, pre-school and kindergarten,” Hollis says. “Then they moved me up to Riley. I’ve worked all over campus.”

Some things, though, have never changed; students are still aware of her watchful eye. “I can go down the hall and if one of them is doing something that’s none of their business, I’ll just look at them,” she says. “They’ll stop, and go, ‘There goes Miss Ruth.’”

Being surrounded by young people is one of the things Hollis loves the most about Holy Innocents’. She has raised two daughters and seven stepchildren, and plans to spend more time after retirement with her 17 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, and an adopted child with cerebral palsy.

Hollis also plans to work on a house and land she owns in Roberta, GA, where she keeps horses. But the first thing she will do after retiring June 30, is hit the beach. “My first plan is to see Aruba!” she says cheerfully. “It’s a beautiful place and a friend wants to go there with me.”

Hollis says she’ll miss Holy Innocents’ because, after more than two decades, it’s become like another home.

“But I need to do some of the other things I want to do, and spend some time with family. I think 65 is good enough for me.”

TORCHBEARER SPRING 2010 | 37

FROM THE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE

Annual Fund Volunteers Get The Job Done

This year – and every year – Holy Innocents’ has been blessed with a committed group of parent volunteers working in support of the Annual Fund.

Three times a year, these volunteers gather together to call fellow parents and ask for their support. Thanks to their efforts and the generosity of our families, the Annual Fund is able to provide the school with funds that can be used wherever its greatest needs may lie: classroom equipment, faculty salaries, campus maintenance, or anything else that makes our students’ educational experience the best it can be.

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On October 19, 2009, 115 golfers gathered at White Columns Country Club for the Booster Club’s annual golf tournament. White Columns, a new facility for the tournament, proved to be gracious hosts. Each foursome enjoyed the new venue not just because of the beautiful course but also because they were photographed at one of the holes with their names in lights. The top sponsor for the tournament was The Coca-Cola Company at the 50th Anniversary level. The Booster Club raised $47,000 for the school’s athletic programs and studentathletes’ personal growth and development. This year’s chair, Clay Snellings ’82, stated that “it was a great day of fellowship with HIES families and we raised awareness for athletics at the school.”

Committee Members Clay Snellings, Chair Steve Earle, President, Booster Club David Birdwell Chris Burnett Mike Corsini Reg Cook Chip Fife Dan Forrestal Bill Hollett Mike Johnson John Jokerst Joe King Bill Lenhart Greg Lyles Marc Minotto Marvin Palmore Bob Rasmussen William Rousseau Scott Saltmarsh Scott Sizemore Marty Spearman Rick Taylor JT Thomson Butch Woodyard Randy Yanda 38 | TORCHBEARER SPRING 2010

Annual Fund parent volunteers dial for dollars in Curtis Library

FROM THE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE

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Former Headmaster Alice Malcolm and former Associate Head Dorothy Sullivan joined Kirk Duncan on the program at the State of the School’s 50th Anniversary Dinner. There were over 130 attendees made up of former and current Board members, donors, and former faculty and administrators.

“Each of us has our own stories, our individual chapters with this place,” said Dave Stockert, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, in introducing Malcolm, who served as interim headmaster from 1974–1975 and headmaster from 1983–1996. “We have a common focus to make HIES students better citizens of the world.”

In a soft yet steady voice, Malcolm recalled Holy Innocents’ memories “that could fill a whole book” — such as teaching art in a Quonset hut, buying the Riley School property, dedicating the Fine Arts Building, and establishing the Upper School, with its first graduating class in 1995.

“Through all those years, the outstanding memory is the wonderful people who were

working with me,” Malcolm said. “They were people who dreamed, and cared.”

Former Associate Head of School Dorothy Sullivan lauded Malcolm by mentioning the former headmaster’s vision for Holy Innocents’.

“She never waivered from that,” Sullivan recalled. “She always kept her eye on the future and what was important. And I never knew a student who didn’t love her.”

Dorothy also shared memories from her 30 years at HIES. Stockert praised Head of School Kirk Duncan for his leadership since 2003. “In the past seven years, we’ve accomplished great things under Kirk’s leadership,” said Stockert, referring to achievements such as increased diversity, gains in financial aid, and a cuttingedge technology program.

“So thank you, Kirk, for adding your chapter.

Now we enter these next 50 years stronger, and the Board of Trustees is energized about the part we will play.”

Former Headmaster Alice Malcolm Ginger and Robert Mallis and Pat Engel

Jenny West Schneider, Daughter of Holy Innocents’ first Headmaster, Lillabel West

Donation For Lower School Accelerated Reader Field Trip Thanks to a donation from Lorri and Forrest McClain, Lower School, Lower School students were able to visit the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville, GA, as part of the Accelerated Reader Challenge. The Lower School believes in the power of reading and strives to develop a love of reading in our students. The reading challenges are the perfect vehicles to achieve that goal.

Jed Dorsey, Lorri McClain, Susan Rapoport, Terri Potter, and Donna Jo Austin

Sonia Barbalho, Alex Crumpler and Dorothy Sullivan

Gift Received For Social Entrepreneurship Incubator As Part Of The Global Citizenship Program An anonymous donor has generously given funds for a Global Citizenship pilot program. This program, designed for seniors in the Program for Global Citizenship, is an opportunity for students to identify and address a societal problem on a local or global scale. Through their

Shamoya Bailey, Lily Rolader, Elizabeth Johnson, O'Neal Wanliss, Carter Ehlers and Austin Ukanna

work with community partners, all students draft business plans and, pending approval, launch their social enterprises which address a societal problem. Global Citizenship students can apply for funding from the Social Entrepreneurship Incubator in the amount of $2,500.

TORCHBEARER SPRING 2010 | 39

FROM THE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE

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Thanks to the generous support of a number of parents and grandparents, the school has completed the Edward E. Ford Foundation Challenge to support the Program for Global Citizenship. Everyone who contributed made this grant possible but special thanks should be given to Jim and Sarah Walton and the Turner Broadcasting System for contributing over 60% of the challenge.

This grant will provide funds for students to travel during the summer as part of the Program for Global Citizenship requirement.

List of Donors Anonymous Mr. and Mrs. C. Samuel Ehlers Mr. and Mrs. Andrew H. Garber Mr. and Mrs. Stephen B. Graham Mr. Raymond Inglett Mr. and Mrs. Steve Inglett Mr. and Mrs. James B. Meathe Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rhea Mr. and Mrs. Stacey J. Schacter Ms. Cameron Ives and Mr. David Stockert Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. Mrs. Marguerite Turner Short and Mr. Winthrop Short Jim and Sarah Walton Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Watts

FROM THE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE

DONOR RECOGNITION EVENT Tdjfodf!

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Epobujpo As part of the Holy Innocents' Episcopal School's 50th anniversary celebration, the school held an event in September 2009 to recognize donors past and present. This event was an opportunity for the school to

Thanks to an anonymous donation, the Science Department received funds to purchase probes, balances, a weather station, as well as electrophoresis apparatus. The probes and balances allow the science teachers to run labs without worrying about whether or not they are needed by another teacher. The electrophoresis apparatus will allow the Honors and AP Biology students to run DNA and protein analysis, and have a better understanding of their application in genetics, molecular biology and forensics. The weather station allows the Upper School environmental science and Middle School science students to collect and analyze real time data on their computers.

Expansion Of The Strategies Program The HIES Middle School Strategies Program has been in place since 2001 and has supported many students over the years, with 46 students currently enrolled in the program.

Because of the success of the Strategies Program, we feel it would further benefit our students to expand it into both the Lower School and Upper School. Our initial plan is to support the 4th and 5th grades in the Lower School and the 9th and 10th grades in the Upper School. An expanded Strategies Program will build a bridge of support for our students with learning differences, from Lower through Upper School, and thus provide our families with new options to remain within the HIES community. To date we have received a number of generous donations to support this program, which will allow us to begin the expanded program in 2010-2011. A complete list of donors will be provided in the Annual Report.

thank the donors for what they have done to make HIES the school it is today. A Lifetime Giving Society was also established to recognize those donors who have made gifts of $250,000 or more over their lifetimes.

Lever Stewart and Jim Price

Kirk Duncan and Mary and David Haddow

Lou Bailey, Amy Hollett, and Janet Quirk

Lorin and Matthew Middelthon and Donna and Mark Mason

Debbie Vaky, Rick Shunnarah, Peggy Farnham, Brent Farnham and Rev. Michael Sullivan

Yuwadee and Peter Landskroener and Rick Betts

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In honor of our eighth Head of School, Kirk Duncan, and his service to Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School from 2003-2010, the school has launched a special campaign to endow a fund for Haiti.

The Kirk Duncan Endowment Fund for Haiti has been created to honor the school’s commitment to helping the people of Haiti. This endowment will provide funds 40 | TORCHBEARER SPRING 2010

for operating expenses such as teacher salaries, student tuition and classroom supplies.

Gifts and pledges for this special opportunity will be accepted through June 30.

Please contact Michele Duncan at (404) 303-2150 ext. 193 if you wish to make a pledge, or visit www.hies.org to give online.

Kirk Duncan and Sue Groesbeck

Pete Bailey, Greg Gates and Dave Stockert

PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION 50 TH ANNIVERSARY GALA

Jill Kampfe, Susan Franco, Nancy Patterson and Brindley Johnson

Erik and Sally Belenky and Lorin and Matthew Middelthon

Bill Hollett, Dave Stockert, Marty Quirk and Steve Earle

Mike and Brindley Johnson and Cindy and Mark Stroman

Paula Collins and Puppy

Kitty and Alston Correll

Tim and Julie Maxman

The Uncle Mike Band

Meg Harrington and Catherine Pittman

Kirk Duncan and Lori Snellings

Gala Flashback 1959

Left to right: Vanessa Birdwell, Kitty Correll, Catherine Pittman, Michele Nelson, Jenny Pittman Cantrell, Susan Franco, Paula Collins, Becky Wallis, Cynthia Bailey. Seated in car: Stephanie Snider

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After months of anticipation, the HIES 50th Anniversary Gala – Flashback 1959 – put the pedal to the metal on Saturday, March 27, in the Main Gym. Approaching the main entrance, guests passed through a gauntlet of gorgeous classic cars, melding into a humming crowd of bobby-socks, letter sweaters and crinoline gowns. By the end of the night, a crowd of over 600 had made Flashback 1959 one of the most successful events in our school’s history.

Auction tables overflowed with exclusive items and the Uncle Mike Band kept the dance floor packed throughout the night. Food and drink and smiling faces abounded in every corner. While our school’s 50th Anniversary gave us reason to celebrate, this was a night to remember.

Probably the biggest question surrounding Gala – what would it be like in the gym? – was answered immediately upon entering; the space had been utterly transformed into a stunning, swirling, elegant ballroom, with lush floodlights, retro centerpieces and wall-coverings. The makeover was remarkable, with our very own gym looking like a high-budget Hollywood set right out of 1959. Everyone agreed that the atmosphere at Gala seemed even more festive because of the location. And best of all – the money saved in facilities fees now goes right into the education our children receive at HIES. A heartfelt congratulations – and THANK YOU – goes to the entire Gala Committee for hosting such a wonderful evening.

42 | TORCHBEARER SPRING 2010

Committee List Gala Chair: Gala Co-Chair: Corporate Sponsor Chair: Marketing: Silent Auction: Class Art Chair: Class Basket Chair: Teachers Treasures Chairs: Patron Party Chairs: Catalog Chairs:

Programs and Signage: Invitations: Logistics and Decorations: Host Committee: Check In/Check Out:

Kitty Correll Stephanie Snider Charles Schoen Michele Nelson Becky Wallis Ramie Little Paula Collins Jenny Pittman Cantrell and Ginger Mulherin Mary Beth Gibson, Meg Harrington, and LeAnne Shaw Laney Cahillane, Shannon Cullens, Cynthia Sours Bailey, Stephanie Vettese, and Katherine Welden Sibet and Bruce Freides Jill Kampfe Susan Franco, Jill Kampfe, and Nancy Patterson Bonnie Leadbetter Dana Ponder

Allison Sample

Joshua McClymont

Catherine Pittman

Major Wesley Green

Rick Betts

Karen Barney

Laurie Leonard

Dr. Melisa Rathburn-Stewart

Christina Price

Cammie Ives

A HEART FOR THE ARTS ART AND FASHION SHOW The Fine Arts Alliance really demonstrated that “50 Never Looked So Good” at A Heart for the Arts Art and Fashion Show on the morning of January 29, 2010, at the Biltmore Hotel Georgian Ballroom. FAA is appreciative of its sponsors for assisting with the success of the event. Packed to the ceiling with 250 guests, everyone was amazed by the parents, faculty and staff who served as models courtesy of Tootsies and Miller Brothers Inc. After an amazing lunch prepared

by Carole Parks Catering, guests purchased various pieces of artwork, jewelry, and white birds made by an organization from Haiti. The Fine Arts Alliance raised about $40,000 toward the arts programs at Holy Innocents’.

Back Row – Michele Nelson, Carol Luther, Alexis Vear, Kristina Blass, Meridy King, Mary Bev Barrett, Nora Borne, Lori Ainsworth Front Row – Leah Henry, Alesa McArthur, Wendy Money, Jennifer Weiss

Committee List Chair Treasurer Art Chair Fashion Chair Jewelry Chair Sponsorship Chair Patron Party PR/Communications Logistics Chair Co-Chair Volunteers Decorations Catering Check In & Out Invitations Program Signage 44 | TORCHBEARER SPRING 2010

Tracy Merrill

Kristina Blass Catherine Bennett Wendy Money Jennifer Weiss Mary Bev Barrett Michael Johnson Nora Borne and Alexis Vear Michele Nelson Lori Ainsworth Charles Schoen Mary Bev Barrett Meridy King Alesa McArthur Michele Duncan Tamika Weaver-Hightower Beth Greene Anne King Sibet Freides TORCHBEARER SPRING 2010 | 45

CLASS NOTES

CLASS NOTES

CLASS OF 1995

CLASS OF 1996

CLASS OF 1997

CLASS OF 1998

CLASS OF 1999

CLASS OF 2000

Class Representative:

Class Representative:

Class Representative:

Class Representatives:

Class Representatives:

Class Representatives:

Nicole (Thomas) Thibo: nicole.thibo@ritzcarlton.com

Jenny (Graham) Beeson: jagraham1978@yahoo.com

Emilie (Collins) Murphy: emiliecmurphy@gmail.com

John Morgan: Jfmua2@aol.com

Jennifer (Cavanaugh) Brown: jennifer.brown @hies.org

James Capo: jhcapo@gmail.com

Effie (Swartwood) Thompson: effiesthompson@gmail.com

Samia Hanafi: samhanafi@gmail.com

Nitara Carswel

Drew McDonald: tam1980@gmail.com

Sarah Oddsen: sarahodd@hotmail.com

Holli Austin Belaski and her husband, Jeremy, are thrilled to announce the birth of their first baby!

The Belaskis welcomed a son, Jeremy “Remy” Herrin Belaski, on August 18, 2009 at 3:33 a.m. He was born in Laramie, Wyoming weighing 6 lbs and measuring 19 inches. He is a wonderful baby, and the family is enjoying every second together.

Remy is pictured above.

Ian Marshall has been a licensed realtor for six years in Atlanta after years in the financial services industry as an analyst. Ian has real estate teams in Charlotte, Nashville and Austin. He founded Ian Marshall Realty, Inc. in 2008 and is based right down the street from Holy Innocents’ in Sandy Springs.

Currently, there are 14 agents in Atlanta and Austin Chandler '01 and Cliff Berryman '01, both graduates of Holy Innocents’, are agents with his firm. The Atlanta web site (ianmarshall.com) alone has had over 1.3 million unique visitors over the past 5 years.

Ian currently resides in Dunwoody.

Heather Haralson Williams and her husband, Dick, welcomed their baby who was born on April 7, 2009. His name is Patrick Conley Williams. The Williams family resides in Cincinnati, Ohio.

46 | TORCHBEARER SPRING 2010

Keith Dangel and his wife had a son, Henry Michael Dangel, on July 16, 2009. He was 7 lbs 12 oz.

Raine Crumpler Hyde and her husband, Hunter, welcomed Evelyn Grace on August 4, 2009. Raine can’t believe Evelyn Grace is now 9 months old!

Raine is working for TAPPI, a nonprofit organization, where she does event planning for educational conferences in Norcross.

Elizabeth Shelly Polosky and her husband, Steve, had a little boy named Benjamin Wolfe Polosky.

Benjamin was born November 30, 2009. The couple also have two girls (Caroline, 4 and Sara, 2).

Stephanie (Spottswood) Scurlock and her husband had a baby on February 17, 2009.

His name is Gregory Blair Scurlock, III, and they call him “Tripp”. The couple also have a daughter, Pope, who will be 3 years old in May. The family lives in Greenville, SC.

Sarah Hays Blankenship and her husband, Jeremy, welcomed a daughter, Adelaide Elizabeth Todd Blankenship, on December 28, 2009. Adelaide is their first child. The family lives outside of Richmond, Virginia.

Matt Little and his wife, Anna Cate, had a baby girl.

Caroline Graham Little was born on August 21, 2009.

Sara Newens is pursuing an M.F.A in Documentary Film and Video at Stanford University. Her most recent film Top Spin follows the progress of Ariel Hsing, a rising table tennis champion and Olympic hopeful.

Casey Aderhold Ritchey and her husband, Thomas, welcomed their son, Preston Thomas Ritchey on June 24, 2009.

Merrit Kuh Miller and her husband, Duncan had identical twin boys on July 13, 2009. They were born prematurely and were in the hospital for a couple of months. They are doing very well now. The boys bring them such joy and keep Merrit and Duncan on their toes! Never a dull moment!

Katie McGoogan Weeks and Jace Weeks welcomed their first child, Adair Sheffield Weeks, on November 12, 2009 at 7:54 a.m.

Adair weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces and was 20 inches long. They’re so in love!

Jennifer Saffold Collins and her husband, Jeffrey, joyfully welcomed their daughter, Lida Saffold Collins, into the world on July 15, 2009. The Collins family resides in Buckhead.

Jennifer continues her litigation practice with the Business Litigation group at Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC. Jeff spent the fall semester teaching junior level studio at the College of Architecture at Georgia Tech and also opened his own firm, Jeffrey Collins Architect, LLC. Katie Werk Barber is currently living in Roswell with her husband, Jay, and daughter.

Maya Athaliah Barber was born on January 15, 2009 at Northside Hospital, weighing in at 7lbs 1 oz.

Jay and Katie, as a husband/wife team, just published their first fantasy adventure book in August, entitled Spellbound: Book One of the Chronicles of Aronshae by J.K. Barber.

Book two in the series is due out late 2010.

Douglas Davis II married Sammye Martin on June 27, 2009 in Montgomery, AL. Doug is working at Samford University as a Technology Manager in the School of Nursing.

Doug and his wife, Sammye are pictured above.

Lindsay Kittrell Morton and her husband Brian are excited to announce the birth of their son, Dominic Conway Morton! Dominic was born on February 16, 2010, weighing 7 pounds 1 ounce.

CLASS OF 2001 Class Representatives: Matt Freeman: msfreeman@gmail.com Ellen Williams: ellenvwilliams@comcast.net

Joslyn Heldrich will be marrying Austin Lawhead on June 12, 2010. The wedding will be at All Saints Catholic Church and the reception at Joslyn’s parents’ house in Dunwoody. Two HI alums will be among her 10 bridesmaids, Muriel Chrisman ’01, and maid of honor, Lisa Accetturo, ’01. Joslyn’s five sisters will also be in the bridal party.

Joslyn is so excited and the couple can’t wait. They will continue living in Atlanta.

Meaghan Torbert McCord has recently moved to London to study at Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design in order to receive a M.A. in Design with a focus in jewelry.

Stephanie Saffold was married to John Berthelsen on April 10, 2010. They are living in Cumming, GA.

TORCHBEARER SPRING 2010 | 47

CLASS NOTES

CLASS NOTES

CLASS OF 2004

CLASS OF 2008

Class Representatives:

Class Representatives:

Winterfest Reception On a chilly evening in January, 60-70 alumni and parents of alumni gathered in the Gym Skybox for a reception and Holy Innocents’ Golden Bear basketball.

Alumni were happy to see faculty and their former classmates. The past parents were elated to visit with old friends.

Amy Fore: amycfore@gmail.com

CLASS OF 2002 Class Representatives: Katie Kirtland: kirtlkr@bellsouth. net Alley Pickren

Alexander Crumpler and Sonia Barbalho got engaged on December 31, 2009 while on a trip to Natal, Brazil to ring in the new year with her family and cousins. They are planning their wedding for May of 2011 which will be held in either Switzerland or Atlanta.

Collins Marshall: harry.marshall@ml.com Gordon Silvera: gordon.silvera@gmail.com

Lauren Deedy is receiving her Master of Philosophy Degree from Trinity College this spring, and has recently gotten engaged to Mark Noonan of Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, Ireland.

Susan Little is graduating from the University of Georgia with a Master of Marketing Research degree in May and has accepted a job with a marketing research analytics and consulting company in Ohio called Dunnhumby.

CLASS OF 2005 CLASS OF 2003 Class Representatives: James Jackson: JJDAWG84@UGA.EDU Emily Weprich: emily.weprich@yahoo.com Caroline Wimberly

David Immerman now resides in Los Angeles (Sherman Oaks) California. He is currently the lead guitarist for season 9 American Idol finalist Allison Iraheta. In February, he accompanied Allison on a radio promotional tour and performed with her and the band at Ryan Seacrest’s Rock Your Town Concert in New York City. Also performing were finalists Kris Allen and Adam Lambert.

James Milner will be completing a twoyear M.A. program in Conflict Resolution through the Department of Government at Georgetown University in May. James will be moving back to Atlanta.

Anthony Tarantino and his wife Melissa are expecting their first baby in May. It is a girl and her name will be Isabella Grace Tarantino.

Class Representatives: Tyler Rathburn: tratt@comcast.net Rachel Shunnarah: rach521@uga.edu Kate Sternstein: kasternstein@davidson.edu Allyson Young: youngan@auburn.edu

Tyler Rathburn is finishing his first year of dental school at the Medical College of Georgia.

CLASS OF 2006 Class Representatives: Kaitlin Duffy: duffykc@auburn.edu Miller Edwards: edwardm@auburn.edu Anna Pickren: annapic@uga.edu

Class Representatives:

ALUMNI HAPPENINGS 5th Grade Career Day Brian Hall ’99 spoke to an eager and curious group of fifth grade students in Curtis Library about his career. Why were they so curious you ask? Brian works as a camera operator, director of photography, and steadicam owner/ operator. He has worked on a few TV shows - FOX’s COPS, ABC’s Wife Swap, and 7 seasons of MTV’s Real World.

The students enjoyed hearing Brian’s Holy Innocents’ experience and passion for filming and how he turned a hobby into his dream career. After graduating from Holy Innocents’ in 1999, he attended and graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a BA in television production. Brian’s upcoming work will be following Rapper Jay Z on his concert tour and filming a documentary.

Amy Schwartz: amy8700@hotmail.com

Samantha Curtis was accepted into the School of Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia and will begin classes in August!

CLASS OF 2007 Class Representatives: Charlotte Bissell: cmb123@comcast.net Sarah-Elizabeth Kirtland: kkirtla@clemson.edu Taylor Pack: pack_t@bellsouth.net Emily Phillips: goldengirl188@aol.com

William Fochtmann was selected as cocaptain for the 2010 Clemson Men’s Lacrosse Team.

48 | TORCHBEARER SPRING 2010

CLASS OF 2009

Brian Hall '99 with 5th-grade teacher Debbie Koehler

FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND LINKEDIN Join the Holy Innocents’ Alumni Association on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. This will keep you connected to the school with news and events. To follow us on Twitter, go to @HIESbears.

TORCHBEARER FALL 2010 ALUMNI CLASS NOTES IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SUBMIT CLASS NOTES FOR THE FALL ISSUE OF TORCHBEARER, PLEASE CONTACT TAMIKA WEAVER-HIGHTOWER AT TAMIKA @HIES.ORG OR 404.303.2150 EXT. 181.

LOST ALUMNI Name Carter L. Hatcher Nooshin F. Bagheri (Farhidvash) Holly P. Bond Jordan Q. Brown Christopher L. Lardner Ryan P. Mayo Katherine L. Schultz Mary Cone Christopher B. Chappell Benjamin J. Gaudreault Susan L. Humphlett Kathryn N. Wegman Heather M. Yager Tibor G. Cseley George M. McCord Zachary A. Yager Laura H. Bond Elizabeth M. Fowler Lauren D. Friedrichs John P. Gallagher Holly M. O’Keefe Bryan T. Pitney Robert A. Schiess Alexandra J. Allen Katharine M. Duke KyeLynn Hitchins Jasmine Nadja M. Smiri Lawson B. Thompson Amanda S. Wolfe Patrick M. Anderson Marie J. Comeaux Sean P. Coughlin Noah K. Hauber Elizabeth C. Masterson Matthew A. Nickerson Nathan M. Rajotte Stephen A. Satterfield Jane C. Huang Ginny Coleman Shaquita N. McWilliams Hailey M. Appling Whitney M. Block Tyler J. Marquardt Lauren E. Taylor

Class 1995 1996 1996 1996 1996 1996 1996 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1998 1998 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2002 2002 2002 2002 2002 2002 2002 2002 2003 2004 2004 2005 2006 2006 2006

TORCHBEARER SPRING 2010 | 49

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

ALPHA OMEGA CLASS OF 2010

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The Class of 2010’s Alpha-Omegas enjoyed a reception and dinner at Maggiano’s on April 22. Hard to believe it has been 13 years since they first got together as a class!

We wish the very best of luck to this extraordinary group of young men and women. We’ll miss you!

By Kirk Duncan

The 17th lesson in the wise and ancient teachings of the Tao Te Ching states: The best rulers are scarcely known by their subjects; The next best are loved and praised; The next are feared; The next despised: they have no faith in their people, And their people become unfaithful to them.

I conclude my time at Holy Innocents’ as I began – humbled to be a part of this thriving Episcopal school community.

In 2003 the school was on the precipice of unprecedented growth and change.

Preceding my time was a period of transition between the tenure of the beloved head, Alice Malcolm, and the headship of Sue Groesbeck, who ushered in a rigorous era of facilities and program growth.

I walked into a “diamond in the rough,” as one consultant described the school back then. The community was ready for a time of peace and increased prosperity, to refine its identity as a leading Episcopal school, further improve the facilities, continue building program, help the adults in the community build trust in one another to work effectively for the best interests of the students entrusted to our care. Well, some of those objectives were indeed met, some more fully than others. But, on the whole... mission accomplished, I think.

50 | TORCHBEARER SPRING 2010

When the best rulers achieve their purpose Their subjects claim the achievement as their own.

In other words, maybe the best legacy a leader can leave is no legacy at all.

Perhaps the best a leader can do is to leave an institution more secure and confident in itself to serve its members as charged by the institutional mission, the tenets of which transcend any one personality. At its best over the past seven years, the good people here – faculty, staff and volunteers – felt trusted and confident that the school leaders trusted them to do their good works. They were empowered to stake a claim in the operations of the school and to know that their voice could make a difference in the lives of students. What ensued was an unleashing of the Holy Spirit in our community and a flow of good will, love, creativity and positive results on behalf of our students.

In 2 Corinthians 9:8, St. Paul writes:

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

I have discovered in my time here that, to create a community of abounding grace, it takes many who are faithful, dedicated, patient, kind, talented, creative, tenacious, forgiving and loving. There is an elegance... something sublime even... when members of a community feel respected and valued – when they tap into the Christ light that shines in each of us, creating an atmosphere within which much is accomplished for students. And all of this unfolds effortlessly – or so it seems. I recently heard stated: The illusion of effortlessness requires great effort indeed.

These past seven years, I am proud to have been a part of the unleashing, blessed to have been a witness to the good work of this extraordinary community. I am prayerful that the years ahead for our beloved school will prove to be as fruitful as the first fifty years have been.

Holy Innocents’ will always be in my heart and prayers.

The 2010 HIES Alpha Omegas: Brian Anderson, Joe Austin, Price Barnett, Bo Beauchamp, Corinne Bicknese, Joseph Busch, Vince Capparell, Natalie Decker, Christine Dial, Watts Douglas, Claire Edwards, Alexandra Eigel, Casey Farrell, Conley Fendler, Greer Gafford, Gracie Galloway, Erin Gates, Hunter Gray, Sarah Hamill, Rebecca Hamm, Annie Henderson, Tyler Heyman, Erin Hogan, Adli Kilic, Lauren Klopfenstein, Elizabeth Link, Robert Margeson, Sammy McMillan, Cara Murphy, Amanda Nelson, Hannah O'Brien, Sophia Sapronov, Thomas Savage, Morgan Sawicki, Samantha Brooks Schell, Olivia Stockert, Christina Touzet, Andy Watts, and Eric Wypyski

Farewell and God bless to all.

TORCHBEARER SPRING 2010 | 51

After one of the longest and coldest winters in memory, tulips and daffodils brought a welcome splash of color to campus.

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