6 Senior
Experience
10 Arts Day 2019: Harmony
DOCK Mennonite Academy SPRING 2019
Learning gets 2
PERSONAL
CONTENTS SPRING 2019
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Learning get personal
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Senior Experience: Hands On
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Arts Day 2019: Harmony
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Campus Happenings: All-School
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Campus Happenings: EC to Grade 8 Campus
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Campus Happenings: Grades 9 to 12 Campus
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Alumni News
ON THE COVER: Eighth grade students (l to r) Lydia Hwang, Eli Alderfer and Sophia Lacher make some adjustments to their tiny house model, which they built in “Innovation Class”—part of a new project-based curriculum designed to help students learn the 21st century skills they will need. ABOVE: Isaiah Alderfer (left, as Jacob) and Ian Besnard (as Joseph) enjoy their roles in the 2nd grade musical, “Joseph,” which they performed on Grandparents’ Day March 22. Dr. Conrad Swartzentruber Superintendent Dr. Sharon Fransen Assistant Superintendent Martin Wiens Principal, Grades Nine to Twelve Bronwyn Histand Principal, EC to Grade Eight
Patti Baker Director of Finance and Operations Robert Rutt Director of Advancement Douglas Hackman Director of Admissions Kathleen Gordon Director of Marketing
BOARD OF TRUSTEES James Gunden, Chair P. Scott Heckler, Treasurer Rina Rampogu, Secretary Tasha Alderfer ’97 Mark Bergey ’88 Suzi Berry Beny Krisbianto Chad Lacher ’93 Scott Landis ’82
Lamplighter is published by Dock Mennonite Academy 1000 Forty Foot Road Lansdale, PA 19446 Jay Gordon, Editor Mike Landis, Photography www.dock.org
Superintendent’s
MESSAGE
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oday was Dock’s annual Arts Day. While this day of celebrating the arts has changed over the years, many alumni point to this day as one of the most significant days in their four years of high school. Each high school grade prepares music, dance, visual arts, culinary arts, creative writing, and fabric arts as they compete against other grades. After countless practices and an all-day performance schedule, Arts Day culminates in an evening program. This is not traditional education. This year each Middle School student took “Innovation Class.” Students collaborated and developed amazing projects on a given theme (see more starting on page 2). This is not traditional education. In Personal Finance class at the high school campus, students served as financial advisors and met with community members to review their finances and give advice. This is also not traditional education.
“We don’t want to hold onto traditional methods simply because that is the way we have always done education.
We are a small, nimble school that can move quickly in a positive direction.”
In the Literature of War and Conflict class, students recently spoke with a Living Branches resident about racism and prejudice. Our teacher was impressed with her students’ maturity and ability to engage such a difficult topic. This is not traditional education. The landscape of formal education is rapidly changing. For many years, educators and parents have noted that the shape of education has not changed significantly for well over a century. In traditional education, the teacher possesses the knowledge and facts. The teacher’s primary goal is to transmit that information to the students. Meanwhile, my young granddaughters will likely be hired for a job that doesn’t currently exist. They will have ready access to information and facts. They will likely need to train more frequently for their jobs than was expected for my career path. Authors and consultants have proposed various programs and models for our schools over the years. Project-Based Learning, or PBL, is one phrase that describes many of these programs. Several key ideas run as themes throughout the PBL approach. - To best prepare our students for the world they will encounter, they need to have skills in critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and communication. - When a student realizes that learning connects to real life, the level of learning is significantly elevated. Interacting with an authentic audience helps build that connection. - Teaching students how to get the information they need, while effectively sorting through the massive volume of information available, is paramount in preparing them for life beyond school. - Finding a student’s passion is critical in the process of tapping into his/her greatest potential for learning and finding direction for future involvement in the world of work and service. At Dock, we strive to be a leader in this movement toward an exciting future in education. We don’t want to hold onto traditional methods simply because that is the way we have always done education. We are a small, nimble school that can move quickly in a positive direction. Our Board and Administration are excited about finding even better ways of engaging our students and inspiring them toward authentic learning. In this issue of Lamplighter, you will read of changes we are already making. In the coming months you will hear more about a new model that we will introduce for our Middle School next year. Learning is truly exciting and inspiring!
Dr. Conrad Swartzentruber, Superintendent
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Eighth graders Emma Celenza (left) and Celeste Derstine make their presentation on a Spanish Immersion experience to the Dock Board of Trustees. The presentation was students’ “passion project”—the culmination of their Middle School Innovation Class.
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DOCK Mennonite Academy
Learning gets
PERSONAL
A growing body of research says students are better prepared for college, and for life, when they are invested in hands-on, experiential learning. The trend is already having a significant impact on Dock classrooms.
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t their January 2019 meeting, Dock’s Board of Trustees received an unusual curriculum proposal for a Spanish Immersion experience at the Early Childhood to Grade 8 Campus. The proposal wasn’t unusual because of the content; the board has great interest in offering such a program. It was unusual because it didn’t come from a teacher or administrator—but from two 8th grade girls, Celeste Derstine and Emma Celenza.
“It was impressive that they wanted to present this to the board in the first place, but even more so the confidence they had in what they were presenting. They made a good case,” said Dock Superintendent Dr. Conrad Swartzentruber. “They had a well-organized Powerpoint, but what impressed me more were their answers to some of the questions board members asked. For example, they were able to cite statistics about the percentages of Americans speaking various languages. It was clear they had learned a lot more than what they presented.” The desire for deeper learning about Spanish language and culture exhibited by these two middle school students represents some of the firstfruits of a wave of hands-on, experiential learning opportunities across both Dock campuses. Traditional classroom teaching, centered on lecture, discussion and testing, is quickly giving way to curriculum that revolves around student curiosity and passions while teaching life skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-posing/solving.
“Projects give students the opportunity to apply the skills they learn in school to realworld situations. These skills will help students succeed in college and in their careers.”
— Dr. Sharon Fransen Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction
“There is so much deep learning and skill development that takes place outside the school day. We want to get more of that learning into the classroom—to make the ‘membrane’ between school and the rest of the world more permeable,” said Dr. Sharon Fransen, Dock’s Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction. When that happens, student engagement and motivation increases dramatically. “I recently spoke to a Dock alum who is now in college, and he said he was designing his own major,” Dr. Fransen added. “The trend is for students to take more responsibility for their learning, which will make them feel more engaged and empowered to take what they‘re learning and apply it. It’s more personalized education.” Lessons from the Tiny House project The education “buzzword” for this is Project-Based Learning, and it has been the focus of a new Innovation Class for Middle School students at the EC-Grade 8 Campus. The class began with a few small-scale projects to get students’ creativity flowing. For example, one class had to create a marketable product using some basic supplies— paper clips, rubber bands, paper and a few straws. Students came up with everything from wind chimes, to clothes hangers, to a belt purse. In another exercise, students selected one of 10 random items and had to describe a new, alternative use for that item.
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3 “These are great life skills that students are learning—skills that will help them in virtually every area of their lives later on.” — Mrs. Cheryl Ryder, Innovation Class faculty Students soon graduated to more robust and involved projects, such as researching, designing, and building prototypes of a tiny house. “It was interesting to see students focus on different things,” said Mrs. Cheryl Ryder, one of the Innovation Class teachers. “Some were all about the space-saving aspects of the design, while others wanted to create an environmentally friendly house, and some focused on factors related to aesthetics and beauty.” “Our job was to help them realize that, in a project like this, all of those pieces are connected,” said Mr. Nathaniel Freed, also part of the Innovation Class teaching team. “You need to answer the question, ‘Why would anyone want to live in this tiny house?’”
1: Innovation Class students learned about the environmental, design and aesthetic aspects of tiny houses, but also sharpened 21st century skills such as collaboration, communication, and creative problem-solving.
Along the way, students presented their ideas to a pair of professional architects, learning design insights and receiving feedback on their own prototypes. In project-based learning, these architects constitute an “authentic audience” and are an important part of the learning process. “An authentic audience means you’re presenting an idea to someone who might actually want the product, or someone who plans to use it,” said Mrs. Jayne Longacre, who also helped teach the Innovation Class. “It’s not just a presentation to your classmates, or your teacher.”
2: Innovation Class students designed and built scale models of tiny houses based on feedback from an “authentic audience”—real architects Michael Panachyda and Dock alum Kyle Nice (‘01), who helped build tiny houses for the homeless with Help Make it Rain, a service agency founded by his Dock classmates, Austin and Julie Landes.
Students almost always worked in groups, and Mrs. Ryder said it was interesting to see different leaders emerge, and for others to learn how to respond to the leader when they didn’t agree. “These are great life skills that students are learning—
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DOCK Mennonite Academy
Project-Based Learning
skills that will help them in virtually every area of their lives later on,” she said. “These students are going to be doing jobs and creating products that haven’t even been thought of yet,” added Mrs. Longacre. “You need to be able to convince someone to invest in your idea, and that requires research and presentation skills. Also, in the classroom, once a research paper is done, it’s done. But in the real world there is often more work necessary to fine-tune a product or project. We’re trying to help students build the stamina for sustained thinking and problem-solving.” 21st century skills Collaboration, communication, creative problem-solving, public speaking—these are 21st century skills, Dr. Fransen said, and they are at the heart of project-based learning and the curriculum changes under way across the Dock school system. Another student learning from the Innovation Class is that research goes well beyond simply looking up a few websites. For their presentation, for example, Ms. Derstine and Ms. Celenza used quite a few of these 21st century skills as they conducted a number of surveys and interviews to help build their case for Spanish Immersion.
3: Principles of project-based learning helped inform Dock’s first-ever Experiential Day in early January, providing students with hands-on, outside-the-classroom learning experiences such as this trip to the National Liberty Museum in Philadelphia. See Campus Happenings (page 18) and visit the Lamplighter Extra page on the Dock website to learn more about Experiential Day.
Lamplighter Extra View extra content from this story online: - Innovation Class photo galleries - A story about the hands-on learning that took place on Experiential Day at the Grades 9-12 Campus, including student feedback - Celeste Derstine and Emma Celenza’s Spanish ImmersionPowerpoint from their board presentation Go to www.dock.org/ lamplighterextra
At the Grades 9-12 Campus, many of these skills came into play recently when students in Mr. Zach Bower’s Personal Finance class assumed the role of financial advisors. Students contacted people from outside the school and arranged to meet with them—the most authentic audience you could possibly have. In the first meeting, subjects shared some of their financial information with students, who then worked in groups to come up with a financial plan to help their client save money. Mr. Bower also invited Steve Schwendy, a local Everence financial advisor, into the class as a guest speaker; students were invited to contact him whenever they had questions during the project. Then, in a second meeting, students shared their proposed financial plan with the "client" and incorporated their feedback. “There was a clear difference in the level of student motivation and engagement in this project compared to a more traditional case study assignment,” said Mr. Bower. For example, he said, students came up with questions themselves that he normally would ask, and they learned valuable “soft skills,” such as crafting their own emails to clients and scheduling meetings on their own. What did students take away from the experience? Mr. Bower surveyed them at the end of the assignment, and many said their most important learning was about finances—but quite a few also found great value in the process: • “The importance of planning financially depending on where you are in life. Your financial plan when you’re 20 will not be the same a couple years later.” • “To look at all of the options in a situation before making a decision.” • “How to work with and relate to others. It’s always interesting working with a group, but this group worked well together.” • “We learned what it feels like to be an actual financial advisor and thinking for someone else.” • “If I can find these things for a client, I can also compute how much I need to save monthly for myself. I will definitely be using this knowledge in the future.” Harnessing the knowledge learned in school for future use is exactly the goal of Dock’s new direction in curriculum, said Dr. Fransen, and project-based learning will help students across all grades be better prepared for a rapidly changing world. “Regardless of profession, most of what any of us does in our jobs is project- and problem-oriented, as we work with others to solve problems and move ideas forward,” she said. “These projects require teamwork, research, creativity, asking questions, taking risks, failing, and trying again. Research shows that well-designed projects motivate students to gain knowledge and remember it in meaningful ways. “Projects also give students the opportunity to apply the skills they learn in school—thinking critically, solving problems, working in teams, making presentations—to relevant, real-world situations,” she added. “These skills will help students succeed in the future, both in college and in their careers.”
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During Senior Experience week, the learning is
HANDS ON
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DOCK Mennonite Academy
There is nothing like a week “on the job” to give students a feel for the careers they’re interested in.
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mong high school seniors, Dock’s Kennedi Wells is more the exception than the rule. She has already determined she will attend Liberty University’s School of Business in the fall to pursue a bachelor’s degree in business administration, and her focus will be digital marketing and advertising. And yet the week she spent working on a digital marketing project at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association during Senior Experience in January still helped open her eyes to what her calling might entail. Wells did some ground-level work on a digital library to promote the ministry of Millie Dienert, “the First Lady of Prayer” who organized worldwide prayer support for Graham’s crusades. Much of her work involved meetings with family and staff to plan the design and organization of the website. “The difficult part was trying to help people gravitate less toward simple, one-page, ‘church bulletin’ websites, and toward a more modern, visually aesthetic website,” she wrote in her Senior Experience journal. “I had to negotiate a lot, and this showed me what it would be like to work for a client, because you have to listen to their ideas and needs, but you also need a creative eye, to verbalize what will look best, and then try to meet them in the middle.”
Nolan Bolton’s classes at Dock proved helpful when he shadowed Partner Jim Rittenhouse (photo, left) and the other accountants at Detweiler Hershey & Associates. “I felt a sense of accomplishment when I knew some of the terms and concepts from classes I had taken,” he said. “I also learned a lot about myself, that I should do something I’m good at, something I love to do, something I want to do every day.”
The experience raised questions that she will spend the next few years answering. If digital marketing is her calling, will she prefer the creative or technical side of the business? Will she embrace the freedom of freelancing, or the security of working for a company? Either way, she knows one thing for sure as a result of her Senior Experience: “I will definitely take the hands-on skills I learned into the future,” she says. Valuable experiences Hands-on, experiential learning may be generating lots of buzz in the world of education these days (see Learning gets personal, page 2), but Dock has been embracing the concept of hands-on learning for years, and one of the best examples is Senior Experience, where seniors spend a week outside the classroom, in the field, job shadowing in careers they feel they may have an interest in pursuing, or learning how to serve others. Sometimes the experience confirms those vocational interests, and sometimes it sends students running the other direction. In all cases, however, the experiences are valuable. “I feel like I am truly blessed to have had this opportunity in my senior year to shadow different people in the hospital to help me figure out what I want to do,” said senior Brooke Bozarth, who shadowed in several departments at Doylestown Hospital. “I have determined that I want to be a trauma nurse. I love the thrill of being in the hospital and having different things happen every day.” As he shadowed at his alma mater, Penn Christian Academy, Matt Lacek also felt affirmed in his calling as a teacher. “My experience was quite valuable. I was able to hone my teaching skills, and work on how I deal with students,” he said. “I learned how much goes on behind the scenes in a classroom, and how well I can handle those things. I learned which styles of teaching work for me, and which ones do not. I feel extremely accomplished with what I did there. I liked being able to connect with students—some of whom actually remembered me from when I attended.” What kind of hands-on learning did our other seniors experience? Read the following excerpts to see how their future paths may have been influenced by a week “on the job.”
An “up close and personal” look at the challenges a 5th grade teacher faces made Alexis Landis want to be one that much more.
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For Sydney Cardy, who spent the week backstage at several different Broadway productions—“a dream come true,” she said—Senior Experience was valuable for steering her away from some career choices in the theater field. Alexis Landis Franconia Elementary School It’s been great looking at the different challenges a teacher has to go through, and to see kids learn in different ways—some faster, some slower, some visual, some hands-on. I had fun learning and re-learning things as well. It’s funny because some fifth graders really ARE smarter than you sometimes. I was the most involved today. I got to be the judge of a writing contest and got to grade their tests. Two of the kids hugged me, and at the end of the day, one of the girls said, “I will never forget you, Miss Alexis!” I really just want to go back and finish out the year with them. They have made me want to teach even more.
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Micah Souder Penn Airways/Heritage Field Shadowing the pilots and mechanics was a lot more fun because it was hands-on work and I was learning useful things for the future. The pilot had to do a preflight check because he was headed to Florida. He had to go over the whole aircraft and make sure everything was working properly. My time at Heritage Field opened my eyes to all the work that goes with my dream career. I hope to keep in contact with them; in fact, I’m thinking about joining their pilot program so that I can get my pilot’s license.
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‘Moving mountains’: Service makes a lasting impact, too Elissa Odeh and Aliyyah Haggard did not know what to expect when they signed up for a Mennonite Disaster Service trip to South Carolina to help homeowners there recover from a flood. “I was amazed at the amount of work that goes into cleaning up a house after flood damage,” Haggard said. “I was so glad that we got to meet the homeowner. Hearing his story was sad, but it made my experience so much more meaningful.” “I will never forget the look on the homeowner’s face,” added Odeh. “He was so thankful for what we did. We changed his life and helped him through a difficult time, and that’s when I felt God’s presence.” Getting a taste of a real work environment can impact student’s college and career choices, and perhaps even turn a life in an entirely new direction. But many Dock seniors choose to serve during their Senior Experience— and those choices can also have life-long impacts.
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“I found my experience [at the Mennonite Central Committee Resource Center in Harleysville] to be extremely meaningful,” said Steve Seachrist. “I gained an understanding of what MCC does and how it earns income. I do not know what direction my life will take, but I know I will always have a deep respect for nonprofits and the work required to keep them running. I hope I can continue to volunteer from time to time.”
Senior Experience
Nicole Ford Phoenix Physical Therapy One thing the therapist explained to me was that, toward the end of a patient’s time in therapy, it is important to do exercises that mimic things they would do at work. For example, one patient was recovering from a back injury, and her job consists of lifting boxes, going up ladders, and pushing things around, so he designed exercises to replicate that sort of work. This will allow him to evaluate whether she is ready to go back to work. The main goal of therapy is to get motion and strength back first, then get the patient ready to go back to their everyday life without any issues. Jacob Gordon Bergey’s Automotive, Thompson BMW I liked it so much I want to repeat it over and over. I am just ready to work. I will have a job at an auto dealership eventually. I have lots of knowledge and it can be used at a dealership. I already know my passion; I just need to pursue it.
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Kate Strickland St. Luke’s Hospital In the hospital I was able to feel satisfaction by helping others and attending to their needs. Though I was only allowed to observe closely, I felt as if I had touched so many lives just with my presence. I felt accomplished on day two when a resident asked me if I wanted to practice intubating a mannequin, which I was able to do on my first attempt.
1: Brooke Bozarth’s week at Doylestown Hospital convinced her that a career as a trauma nurse is the direction she wants to pursue. 2: Micah Souder got a step closer to his dream career in aviation during a week at Penn Airways and Heritage Field in Limerick. A pilot’s license could be next! 3: At Phoenix Physical Therapy, Nicole Ford learned a great deal about the relationship between surgery and physical therapy, and the importance of communication between doctors and therapists.
4 Christine Chen also appreciated her experience with MCC—through Care and Share Thrift Shoppes. “In a short period of time, I felt a strong connection to the Mennonite community,” she said. “It made me think more deeply about the word ‘community.’” Students learned there is a deep satisfaction that comes with serving. “I learned the value of hard work, and I know that we helped out the camp by finishing different projects on their ‘to do’ list,” said Micah Zehr, who was part of a group that worked at Bethany Birches camp in Vermont. “I enjoyed finishing a day of hard work knowing that I was helping someone else. I felt a sense of accomplishment with every project we finished.” Senior Xander Duerksen (photo left) had a similar experience closer to home, at Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore in Chalfont. “[Our supervisor] stopped by when I was finishing up my last skid and expressed his thanks,” Duerksen wrote in his Senior Experience journal. “He told me it was such a blessing to have Austin [Nice] and I helping in the warehouse. He told me that with our help, they had been able to ‘move mountains’ this week. That was humbling to hear. It feels good to help people.”
4: Jacob Gordon didn’t just get to hang out around awesome Corvettes and Camaros at Bergey’s Automotive, he learned about the car business from two Dock alumni who are already employees— Grant Souder (’16) and Maura Shisler (’17).
La’akea Fujita (right) also worked at ReStore for the week, and had a ‘God moment’ of her own. “I noticed they had special needs kids helping to put the priced items on the floor. They were all extremely friendly,” she wrote in her journal. “Eliza [Fraser] and I organized the shelves, and one of the special needs kids was unloading some items next to us. His name was Tyler. He saw me holding a tissue to my nose and asked me what happened. I said, ‘My nose is bleeding.’ He asked me my name, and then he said, ‘I’m going to pray for you.’ It was so touching, and I was about to tear up. It was one of the highlights of the week.”
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The pleasing arrangement of parts. Balance. Symmetry.
HARMONY D
ock senior Kate Strickland was awarded first place in the Fabric Arts category during Arts Day 2019 for her wall hanging, which incorporated a piece of weathered driftwood from the Maine coast with hand-woven macramé knots hanging from its limb. Her description of how the piece tied into the Arts Day theme was also worthy of a blue ribbon. “For me, the first thing that comes to mind is the way in which the rope does nothing on its own, but once it becomes woven together with other pieces in harmony, it is no longer a rope, but a work of art,” she said. “To me, this is an illustration of how God intends for us to work together in Christian community, with each of us weaving our gifts and abilities together to make beautiful harmony.” Arts Day on the Grades 9-12 Campus is a day to celebrate students’ God-given talents, abilities and creativity. Students performed in stage events and created entries in culinary arts, fabric arts, visual arts, creative writing, photography, and technology that expressed their understanding of harmony. Entries in each category are judged, and classes compete for top scores. In addition to a wall hanging, students also found harmony in everything from the beautifully blended voices of the Wailin’ Jennys to the perfectly balanced flavors in a Nutella Raspberry Trifle. “This Trifle is a
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combination of flavors that not only taste wonderful separately, but as a whole form a richer and deeper experience,” said sophomore Isabella Benner, who layered chocolate cake, Nutella mousse, raspberry compote, homemade whipped cream and buttery toasted Oreo crumbs to create a blue ribbon entry in the Culinary Arts category. “These parts all play a delicious role in creating one beautiful dessert.” Seniors Laura Bergey, Abby Morgan, and Nicole Ford showed some soul as they covered the Wailin’ Jennys song, “One Voice.”
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“This song speaks to the power of people living in unity,” the trio wrote. “Starting off solo, the singer stands alone, but as more voices join in, the sounds blend together to create something new and beautiful. As the senior class has experienced throughout their time at Dock, when we live in unity, each person contributes something valuable to the life and work of our community.”
RIBBON WINNERS
2 1: Ninth grader Laurel Latt played the third movement from Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Sonata in D Major.” Different notes and tempos, she said, “must be perfectly combined to create a piece that is pleasing to the listener.” 2: The senior skit, written by Aya Berry, was a fantastical story based on the Edward Hicks painting, “The Peaceable Kingdom”—which was inspired by the prophet Isaiah’s vision in Isaiah 11:6-8. 3: Senior Kate Strickland’s macramé wall hanging shared a blue first place ribbon with Abby Morgan’s quilt, in which different fabrics, colors, and patterns came together to create something beautifully functional. 4: Students heard four languages—Korean, Chinese, Indonesian, and English—in the song “Way Back Home” performed by Keira Chung (pictured), Songheon Kang, Isabelle Li, and Marciella Shallomita. “Music is the most fascinating thing in the world,” the trio wrote, “because it breaks down language barriers.” 5: Sophomore Isabella Benner’s prize-winning Nutella Raspberry Trifle.
Creative Writing 1st – Hannah Landis (11) 2nd – Ashley Mellinger (12) 3rd – Shaina Freeman (12) Culinary Arts 1st – Isabella Benner (10) 2nd – Macy Balmer (12) 3rd – Lydia Longacre (9)
Thank you to Sam Williams ’20 for the design of this year’s Arts Day poster.
Fabric Arts 1st – Abby Morgan (12) and Kate Strickland (12) 2nd – Rachel Jin (11) 3rd – Carissa Derstine (11) and Judy Ding (10) Photography 1st – Cailey Ridge (11) 2nd – Olivia Messina (11) 3rd – Luke Sharp (10) Visual Arts 1st – Aya Berry (12) and Katelyn Sellars (12) 2nd – Zoe Li (11) 3rd – Miguel Santiago (11) and Katie Trapp (11) Technology 1st – Juniors 2nd – Freshmen 3rd – Seniors People’s Choice (voted by students) 1st – “Rain Blood” (band) – Juniors 2nd – “This Feeling” (dance) – Sophomores 3rd – “Boom Bayah” (dance) – Sophomores
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Overall Scoring 1st – Seniors 2nd – Sophomores 3rd – Juniors
THANK YOU to our Arts Day judges: Creative Writing Culinary Arts Fabric Arts Photography Stage Events Visual Arts
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Charlene Rauch Suren Pakhtigian Melanie Baker Libby Musselman '58 Michael Bishop '77 Janet Davis Alicia (Landis) Rodgers '06 Libby Musselman '58
Visit www.dock.org/artsday for more photos, and the Arts Day 2019 playlist on our YouTube channel for Arts Day videos. SPRING 2019 Lamplighter
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All-School
CAMPUS HAPPENINGS
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ALL-SCHOOL SERVICE PROJECT Dock held an All-School Service Project on March 12, with students, parents, faculty and staff helping to bring comfort to refugees in Iraq and Ukraine by coloring and knotting quilts, coloring Ukrainian eggs, sampling authentic comfort food from those countries, playing badminton, packaging pencils and band-aids, and even duct taping two of our staff to the wall. We also enjoyed the support of two local partners, Mennonite Central Committee
and the MCC Material Resource Center in Harleysville. The Dock community collected over $1,100 in donations, as well as 2,600 pencils, 7,500 band-aids, and 6,500 bags to put them in—and we had fun every step of the way. Visit our web page at www.dock. org/service to see all of the photos from our Service Night— and one very special video!
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1: Sharon Swartzentruber (far left), coordinator of the MCC Material Resource Center in Harleysville, helps students knot a quilt. 2: Hundreds of dollars were raised $1 at a time trying to duct tape Mr. Ryan Detweiler and Mrs. Jayne Longacre to the Longacre Gym wall. 3: In addition to a tournament for the badminton “professionals,” Dock’s Service Night also included a session for beginners like kindergarten student Aubrey Jernigan. 4: Students Jessy Guo and Steve Wang claimed the badminton tournament championship.
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RECORDS FALL ON PI DAY…. Each year on March 14 (3.14….Pi Day) students in Mr. Dana Gehman’s math classes are challenged to memorize Pi to as many decimal places as they can (Pi can be calculated infinitely, and has no pattern). This year, 9th grader ZiJian (Zi) Li was the big Pi Day winner with a new school record of 500 places—smashing the old record of 333 places. Zi is pictured here with his prize, a giant cookie from Giant. Junior Rachel Jin also broke the record with 431 places. Congratulations to both students on their impressive accomplishment!
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4 STUDENTS, TEACHERS FACE OFF ON THE CLASSH-ROOM Teams of students and teachers from both of Dock’s campuses competed recently on the popular Fox 29 game show, The ClassH-Room. The ClassH-Room is a triviabased game show for teachers and students in grades 7-12. Each episode features students and teachers from the same school, competing against each other to try to win funds for their chosen charities. The show airs weeknights at 6:30 p.m.
1 1: The High School student team, in green sweatshirts, included (l to r) Louis Cocco, Sydney Leaman, and Nicole Ford. Faculty team members, in gray sweatshirts, included (l to r) Mr. Ron Hertzler, Mrs. Kathy Kennel, and Mrs. Kellena Smith.
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2: Middle School Student Council members had fun shopping for items to donate to Keystone Opportunity Center in Souderton. 3: Haley Harper is interviewed by reporter Bruce Gordon for Fox 29’s story on Dock donating its winnings to Keystone Opportunity Center.
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4: Dock’s Middle School team included 8th graders (l to r) Haley Harper, Marlyse Giesbrecht, and Simon Hershberger…for the WIN!
Middle School students featured in the December 4 episode included (l to r in photo above) Haley Harper, Marlyse Giesbrecht and Simon Hershberger. The faculty team competing against them included Mrs. Kaci Hunsberger, Mrs. Claire Wanamaker, and Director of Marketing Mrs. Kathy Gordon (a pinch-hitter for Mr. Michael George, who was under the weather). The High School student team included Louis Cocco, Nicole Ford, and Sydney Leaman, while the faculty team included Mr. Ron Hertzler, Mrs. Kathy Kennel, and Mrs. Kellena Smith. Dock’s mascot, Christopher the Pioneer, was also in attendance for the taping. As a result of Dock’s participation on Philly Fox 29’s The ClassH-Room, we were able to share our $1,000 winnings from both episodes with two charities, Keystone Opportunity Center and Mennonite Disaster Service. Fox 29 even ran a separate story on our Middle School students shopping for items to donate to KOC. That’s what you call a “win-win”! Visit our website at www.dock.org/thewindow to read the full ClassH-Room story, including photos and links to both episodes and the story about our shopping trip for Keystone Opportunity Center.
….WHILE ANOTHER PIE DAY IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER! Celebrating Pi Day always makes our mouth water—because we automatically think of the delicious strawberry pies that are one of the signature food items at our annual Country Fair & Auction! Dock’s 58th Annual Country Fair & Auction is right around the corner—SAVE THE DATES and plan to attend on May 17-18, 2019. See more details on Dock’s website at www.dock.org/cfa
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EC to Grade 8
CAMPUS HAPPENINGS
MIDDLE SCHOOL THEATER PERFORMS MUSIC MAN JR. Dock’s Middle School Theater sparkled in three sold-out performances of Meredith Willson’s six-time Tony Award-winning comedy, The Music Man Jr., featuring some of musical theater’s most iconic songs, including “76 Trombones,” “Wells Fargo Wagon,” and “Til There Was You.” Filled with wit and warmth, The Music Man Jr. was family entertainment at its best. For a complete cast listing, performance photos, video and more, visit the show’s web page at www.dock.org/musicman
WINTER CAMP CELEBRATES CHINESE NEW YEAR As part of a partnership with China USA International, Dock hosted 20 Chinese students on our EC to Grade 8 Campus for a Chinese Winter Camp. Dock students and their families joined together with our Chinese students for a special afternoon celebration, enjoying many aspects of Chinese culture. All in attendance had the opportunity to learn to write in Chinese and some even tried their hand at making dumplings. Everyone enjoyed eating dumplings and other delicious Chinese cuisine as part of the celebration of Chinese New Year!
READING LIKE A BOSS Students in Mrs. Kelly Kratz’s first grade class enjoyed a reading celebration recently, and the theme was “Boss Day.” Students dressed up to read “like a boss” and even had a “board meeting” to share what they learned from their books.
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MIDDLE SCHOOL PROJECT FAIR Dock Middle School students displayed the results of some of their learning to family and friends at Dock Project Fair 2019. Projects and demonstrations included 6th grade Tiny House and Social Studies projects, 7th grade Health and Computer Projects, and 8th grade Innovation Arcade, Reading/Writing, CO2 cars, and Phys Ed games. All work showcased at the fair reflected sustained student inquiry, creativity and deep learning.
FIFTH GRADERS SKYPE WITH AUTHOR Dock 5th grade teacher Mrs. Kaci Hunsberger hosted a Skype session with her students as they celebrated World Read Aloud Day! Students skyped with author Ellen Potter and were excited for the opportunity to interact with her and ask questions about becoming an author, writing a book, and getting published.
STUDENTS SELECTED FOR PMEA BAND FESTIVAL Eden Loux, Kaitlyn Good and Corbin Tenney were selected to participate in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District 11 Elementary Band Festival. They joined over 100 of the top music students from Bucks and Montgomery Counties to rehearse and present a concert on Friday, January 25, at Upper Perkiomen High School. Congratulations to these outstanding musicians!
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Grades 9 to 12
CAMPUS HAPPENINGS
STUDENTS PERFORM WITH PHILLY YOUTH ORCHESTRA Congratulations to Dock juniors Madelyn Bergin (left) and Greta Schrag, who performed this season with the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra. Greta played oboe in the ensemble, while Madelyn was section leader for the flutes. The PYO is an auditioned group for musicians 14 to 21 years of age
that uses extraordinary music education through the pursuit of music excellence to inspire a strong sense of character, discipline, commitment, and community for a diverse student population. Madelyn and Greta attend practices every Saturday in Philadelphia.
TOURING CHOIR KICKS OFF SEASON The Dock Mennonite Academy Touring Choir has kicked off its 2019 season with concerts at Towamencin Mennonite Church, Fairview Village Church, Souderton Mennonite Church, and Carnegie Hall in New York City. You are invited to attend the concerts remaining on the choir’s spring schedule: Spring 2019 Touring Choir Itinerary April 12-14 Mennonite Schools Council Choral Festival, Lancaster, PA April 28 Salford Mennonite Church, 9:00 a.m. May 19 Franconia Mennonite Church, 10:15 a.m. May 22 Dock Spring Concert, 7:00 p.m. June 2 Blooming Glen Mennonite Church, 9:30 a.m. June 2 Zion Mennonite Church, 7:00 p.m.
Thank you to Carolina Fraser ’19 for the photo on the cover of this year’s Touring Choir program.
June 8 Dock Commencement, 6:00 p.m. The Touring Choir ignites a passion for service to others through music, as evidenced by these comments from Touring Choir alumni: “I constantly connect songs to occurrences in my life, and being able to learn more songs in this group was a blessing. The choir has become a family.” “I like the way Ms. Grimes connects with the text of the songs we sing. We don’t just sing songs because they sound nice, but because they resonate with something deeper within us all.”
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DOCK BUSINESS STUDENTS LEARN FROM THE PROS Textbooks, lectures, and videos are great, but when it comes to learning about business, can there be a better teacher than someone who runs a business? Students in Mr. Mike Lambright’s Intro to Business course had some golden opportunities to learn first-hand from local businesspersons who helped them understand complex topics such as commercial loans, franchising, retail, operating as a non-profit, and the legal issues involved in starting a business. “There is no limit to the information about business that students can access online or through print media,” said Mr. Lambright. “However, a live inclass discussion with a real-life business owner is the best way to expose students to the world of entrepreneurship. Hearing about the risks, rewards, challenges and passion from community business leaders enables me to inspire my students and help connect school with community.” In addition to Will Bergey (’67) of Bergey’s Electric (pictured, below), other business leaders who spoke to the class include Doug Clemens (Clemens Food Group), Dock board member Suzi Berry (Travel Haus), Michael (‘77) and Robert Bishop (Bishop’s Excavating), Henry Rosenberger (‘63, Rosenberger’s Cold Storage), Steve Hunsberger (‘87, Indian Valley Chamber of Commerce), John Duerksen (Univest), Kevin Moyer (Lansdale School of Business), Sheryl Derstine (‘78, Franconia Heritage Gift & Clothing Shop), Marty Wolfe (PrintWorks), Kyle Zehr (Franconia Insurance & Financial Services), former faculty member Bernie Wallerich (Atlanta Bread Co.), and Scott Landis (‘82, Landis Supermarket).
HANDS-ON LEARNING ABOUT SOLAR Dock students now have a hands-on learning opportunity about alternative energy right in their Environmental Science classroom, thanks to a generous donation from Bergey’s Electric. Over the winter, Bergey’s installed a solar panel in Ms. Valerie Metzler’s classroom that provides real-time data so that students can learn more about solar energy as an alternative to fossil fuels and other energy sources. While Bergey’s donated the panel itself and the labor to install it, other equipment for the installation was purchased with the David Souder Endowment Fund. Souder was a member of Dock’s Class of 1963, which funded the endowment and continues to oversee its use. “We are grateful for Dale Bergey’s commitment to this project and the generosity of Bergey’s Electric,” said Dock Director of Advancement Robert Rutt.
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Grades 9 to 12
CAMPUS HAPPENINGS
DOCK’S FIRST-EVER EXPERIENTIAL DAY Dock held its first-ever Experiential Learning Day on January 4 for grades 9, 10, and 11. Students had both half-day and full-day options for on- and off-campus learning experiences, and were able to sign up for the activity of their choice. “At Dock we realize that significant learning happens outside the traditional classroom, so we planned a day for experiential learning,” said Dr. Sharon Fransen, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction. “We know students learn about the world and other peoples through innovative experiences, play, and reflection. We envisioned a day where teachers would share areas of expertise or passion, and students would learn something not found in our formal programming.” Experiential learning is the process of learning through participation rather than by listening to a lecture or reading about a topic. Learning opportunities for students ranged from Spanish language immersion to tours of the National Liberty Museum and Penn Museum in Philadelphia, sustainable farming practices, shooting and editing better photographs, creative writing workshops, and many others. Dock’s first Experiential Learning Day was held the same week that seniors were off campus doing some experiential learning of their own during Senior Experience—a full week of job shadowing and/or service opportunities that help many seniors discern college and vocational interests (see Hands On, page 6). Dock administrators and faculty are currently finalizing plans to extend the Experiential Day concept to a full week in the school calendar for 2019-20. “Some schools have a ‘mini-term’ with several days of experiential learning in which activities are planned around one topic,” said Dr. Fransen. “We will try that in the future, but this year we got a taste of what that could be like for us as a school community. It was exciting to learn together.” Learn more about Dock’s Project-Based Learning initiative on page 2 of this issue.
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DOCK COOKS CROWNS 2018 WINNERS The Dock Cooks 2018 culinary competition found the perfect seasonally appropriate theme: Anything and Everything Pumpkin. Dock Cooks features teams of student chefs competing to create scrumptious (and beautiful) dishes that will win over the taste buds of faculty judges. Once again, our student chefs did not disappoint, serving up an eclectic mix of goodies that made the judges' job extremely difficult—in a good way! There were pumpkin bars, pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin pie (in a jar!), pumpkin soup, pumpkin dip, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cinnamon rolls, pumpkin cake, pumpkin crisp, pumpkin tart, and even pumpkin dumplings and pumpkin fried rice. It may have been one of the most creative Dock Cooks competitions ever. In the end, the numbers yielded these results: • Winning the 3rd place ribbon for their delightful Pumpkin Donuts with Salted Carmel Glaze were Regan Zehr and Makenna Rodriguez (above, center). • The 2nd place ribbon went to Peter Liang and Leo He (left) for their innovative Pumpkin Soup and Deep Fried Pumpkin Dumplings. • The 2018 winners of the Dock Cooks competition, for their sensational No Bake Pumpkin Pie in a Jar—as pretty to look at as it was delicious to eat—were seniors Macy Balmer and Laura Bergey (right). Congratulations to ALL of our student chefs for their hard work and creativity. You helped make Dock Cooks 2018 a competition to remember!
DOCK PLAYS INSTRUMENTAL FESTIVAL Dock’s Concert Band and Orchestra combined their talents with those of musicians from Eastern Mennonite High School at the Mennonite Schools Council Instrumental Festival Feb. 28-March 1 in Harrisonburg, VA. which culminated in a concert on Friday evening. The orchestra practiced and performed under the direction of Guest Conductor Don Brubaker, while the Band was directed by Richard Adams. Dock will host the Instrumental Festival next year. Also, congratulations to senior Ryan Kratz, who was selected to both District and Regional Choirs this year!
DOCK SENDS TEAM TO ACADEMIC COMPETITION Six Dock students participated in the 2019 Montgomery County Academic Competition on March 5 in Norristown. Sponsored by the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, the competition featured 19 teams, with the top team going on to compete at the state level. The competition consisted of two matches, in which Dock competed against two other teams for points. Each match had two rounds, and a round had two parts: 10 “toss-up” Jeopardy-style questions, and a “Fanfare” round in which each team had the opportunity to answer up to six questions in 60 seconds. Congratulations to Dock team members (left, l to r) Ming Xue, Tyler Rotelle, Alexa Kennel, Ashley Mellinger, Jie Ji, and Claudia Zhang.
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ALUMNI
NEWS
The new leadership team at Pinebrook Christian Retreat Center includes (l to r) Darren Gehman, Finance Manager; Chad Strausbaugh (Site Director), Abby Strausbaugh (Front Desk Manager), and Facilities Manager AJ Longacre (’09), with wife Hailee and children Daphne and Joel.
Golf weather is here! Dock’s Spring Golf Tournament is Monday, May 6, at Mainland Golf Club. Today is a great day to register your foursome or become a sponsor! Go to www.dock.org/golfregistration
ALUMNI NOTES 1967 Martha (Whitermore) Dillon, of Lancaster, died on February 19, 2019, at Paramount Senior Living in Maytown. She was 68. Born July 24, 1950, in Alberta, Canada, “Marty” was the daughter of the late Pastor David Whitermore, and Marion (Yost) Whitermore. She and her family were members of Grace Mennonite Church in Lansdale, where her father had served as pastor. Marty graduated from Messiah College and then earned her Master's Degree in psychology from the University of Hartford. Marty worked for 10 years with the Veterans Administration in New Haven, CT, undertaking clinical research on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). She then taught psychology for 20 years at Central Connecticut State University, Shippensburg State University, and Montgomery County Community College. Martha is survived by her husband of 45 years, Michael Dillon, her daughter, Elizabeth Cunningham, her mother, Marion Whitermore, brothers David Whitermore (’72) and Mark Whitermore, and many nephews and nieces.
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2003 Ashley Moyer, one of Dock’s 2018 Alumni of the Year, graduated in December 2018 from Temple University’s School of Public Health with a Doctorate of Nursing Practice. She is currently a critical care nurse at Fox Chase Cancer Center.
2005 Isaac Shelly continues to serve as Treasury Manager for Rosetta Stone in Harrisonburg, VA. In May 2019 he will complete his MBA at James Madison University. As part of his graduate program, he and his wife Rebecca spent time in Vietnam and Thailand, giving Isaac the opportunity to study culture and emerging markets.
2009 A.J. Longacre (top) is the Facilities Manager at Pinebrook Christian Retreat Center in the Pocono Mountains near Stroudsburg. AJ will oversee improvements of the buildings and grounds at Pinebrook, which has been under the stewardship of Spruce Lake since October 2018.
2016 Emma Chimera has accepted a summer position as a nurse extern in the Emergency Department at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She is currently a junior at the University of South Carolina. “I am so excited to be learning and experiencing more of what my career in nursing might look like,” she said. “I’m hoping this will be a help in getting hired for a full-time position when I graduate in May of 2020.”
ALUMNI
NEWS
Maddison Landis and her Messiah College teammates capped an amazing indoor track season by shattering the distance medley relay record at the Tufts National Qualifying Meet at Tufts University. Maddison and three teammates ran an 11:53:61 in the relay, breaking the previous record by nearly 17 seconds.
2017 Amber Clemens had her paper, entitled Children’s Educational Television: Equipment for Living in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, accepted to the Eastern Communication Association's Undergraduate Scholars Research Conference. Amber will present her paper at the conference in Providence, RI, in April. She is a sophomore communications major at Messiah College. Brian Miller graduated from Universal Technical Institute in February 2019 with an associate’s degree in diesel and industrial technology. Upon graduation, he immediately began a 15-week Peterbilt certification.
See more alumni news and photos at dock.org/alumni
Send us your News www.dock.org/alumni/send-us-your-news Did you just get married? — Have a new baby? — New job? New degree? — Did you recently receive an award or recognition?
Alumni of the Year Nominations We are seeking Alumni of the Year nominations! Have you heard of a classmate's recent success in their industry? Do they have a tremendous service record and should be recognized for it? There are three categories (male and female in each): Outstanding Achievement, Distinguished Service, and Young Alum of the Year. Help us recognize those who have graduated from Dock and continue to strive for great things. Nominate your alumni at www.dock.org/alumni/alumni-ofthe-year
We'd love to share your news!
Weekend ‘ 19 October 4 & 5, 2019
Join us in celebrating Dock’s winter athletic teams and student athletes!
SPRING SPRING2019 2019Lamplighter Lamplighter 25 21
NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE
PAID
DOYLESTOWN PA PERMIT NO 640
EARLY CHILDHOOD TO GRADE EIGHT
420 Godshall Road Souderton, PA 18964 215.723.1196
GRADES NINE TO TWELVE
1000 Forty Foot Road Lansdale, PA 19446 215.362.2675
WWW.DOCK.ORG Dock Mennonite Academy inspires and equips each student to serve with a global perspective by integrating faith, academic excellence and life-enriching opportunities in a Christ-centered community.
58TH ANNUAL COUNTRY FAIR & AUCTION May 17-18, 2019 Dock’s biggest fundraiser of the year is also the most delicious AND the most fun! BBQ chicken, strawberry pies, and lots of other goodies in the food tent. Trampolines, inflatables, pony rides, a Dodgeball & Donuts tournament, live music, helicopter candy drop, kids’ games, and a live auction—there’s something for everyone! Mark the dates—the CFA is your one-stop destination for fun! See details on our website at www.dock.org/CFA
UPCOMING EVENTS EC to Grade 8 Calendar APRIL 2019
April 16-22 — Easter Break, No School MAY 2019
May 6 — Spring Golf Tournament, Mainland Golf Club May 9 — Elementary Spring Concert, 7:00 p.m. May 14 — Early Childhood to Grade 8 Admissions Open House, 4-6 p.m. Invite a friend! May 17-18 — 58th Annual Country Fair & Auction, EC-Grade 8 Campus May 27 — Memorial Day, No School
Grades 9 to 12 Calendar APRIL 2019
April 16-22 — Easter Break, No School MAY 2019
May 6 — Spring Golf Tournament, Mainland Golf Club May 11 — Junior-Senior Banquet, 5:30 p.m. May 17-18 — 58th Annual Country Fair & Auction, EC-Grade 8 Campus May 22 — Grades 9 to 12 Spring Concert, 7:00 p.m. May 27 — Memorial Day, No School
