The Lamp Fall 2016

T H E

L A M P

A NEWSLETTER FROM OLDFIELDS SCHOOL

VOLUME 8, NUMBER 1 FALL 2016

Celebrate Oldfields’ 150th Anniversary at Alumnae Weekend 2017!

You must register by April 18 to attend Alumnae Weekend!

In order to encourage as many as possible to share and rejoice in this once in a lifetime event, the School has decided to forego all fees for Alumnae Weekend 2017 and to welcome you back at no charge whatsoever!

In return, we hope that you will choose to make a donation in honor of the 150th Anniversary or a beloved faculty or staff member, as Oldfields could not fulfill our mission without the vital financial support of our alumnae and friends.

Alumnae Weekend Highlights • Dedication of The Hawley and Wendy Rogers Wing on Friday evening, April 28 • Traditional reunion class dinners off campus on Friday evening, April 28, after the dedication • 150th Gala Celebration on Saturday evening, April 29 – dinner, dancing, fireworks!

Mark your calendars! Register online! Make your travel and hotel reservations! Encourage your friends to join you!

You won’t want to miss the best Alumnae Weekend ever when we celebrate Oldfields’ 150th Anniversary on April 28-30, 2017.

The full schedule of activities can be found on the School’s website.

It will also be included in your official invitation, to be mailed after the first of the year. There will be plenty to do on campus as you spend those precious moments renewing old friendships and catching up!

You can register online or by contacting Joan Jermakian ’81 P’15 at 443-662-1018 or at JermakianJ@OldfieldsSchool.org.

You must register by April 18th in order to attend at no charge.

We are expecting the largest turnout in Oldfields’ history! What fun you’ll have seeing so many familiar faces as you return to your old stomping grounds! You may even feel like a teenager again!

Taking care of the School you love!

SPIRIT CAMPAIGN

The

By Anne Ragland Finney P'97, Director of Development

$12

$10.2 million raised!

$1.8

The Spirit Campaign continues to grow, as contributions from alumnae and alumnae parents for the Riding Program, the Anna Austen McCulloch Endowment, and a large unrestricted gift continue to swell the Campaign’s coffers!

$10.2

Giving back to Oldfields is contagious!

Everyone wants to be a part of providing the means for Oldfields to offer the very best education for young women today, to innovate and stay current while treasuring our traditions, and to preserve our beautiful, historic campus.

MILLION

MILLION TO GO

MILLION SECURED

There’s still time for you to make a gift – or even a second or third gift – as we dedicate ourselves to raising the remaining $1.8 million that will take us to our $12 million goal. And your dollars will have more of an impact at a school the size of Oldfields than they will at your college or graduate school!

What was your favorite thing about Oldfields? The way your physics or English teacher opened your eyes to a totally new way of thinking that led to your success in college? Make a gift to our endowment in honor of that special teacher!

The warm and sheltering buildings that are the visible embodiment of the feeling of family that defines Oldfields?

Make a gift for campus preservation!

Were your happiest hours spent up at the barn?

Make a gift in support of the Riding Program!

Not sure what you might want to give to? Unrestricted gifts are the most valuable of all, because they give the administration the flexibility to use them wherever they are needed most.

We’re almost there! And with your help, we’ll meet and surpass our goal!

There are many worthy organizations asking for your support, but as Oldfields girls, our first priority must be Oldfields, our sacred charge. If we don’t, who will?

What did the 200+ family members experience when they attended Fall Family Weekend?

F A M I L Y

un and friends!

dventure

ind-blowing talent

nteresting classes

ove and laughter

our daughter's dreams coming to life!

SHOUT OUTS!

We are always overwhelmed by the generosity of the Oldfields community.

Thank you to each and every one of you who support Oldfields in so many ways!

Alumnae Gatherings Celebrate Oldfields 150th Birthday!

Upcoming Alumnae Gatherings Thanks to the kindness of Nancy Palmer P’12, the Baltimore Gathering in celebration of the 150th will be held at Caves Valley Golf Club on November 16. This is an event you won’t want to miss!

Carol P’14 and Madeline Henderson ’14 hosted a festive luncheon for an enthusiastic group of alumnae and Parny Hagerman at the Edgartown Yacht Club on Martha’s Vineyard on July 22.

Caves Valley Golf Club

Mary Ellen Burke Partel ’59, Alyssa Boyle Starzyk ’92, Parny Hagerman, Head of School, Carol Henderson P’14, Marigil “Gil” Moran Walsh ’69, Madeline Henderson ’14, Patty Reese Vanderwarker ’62, Gay Richardson Smith ’68 Trustee, Class Agent

Carolyn Gibbons Abernethy ’66 hosted a wonderful event in Nantucket at her home, Hellazpoppin, for Parny Hagerman and a lively group of OS alumnae on July 24.

Silly Sillcox Repko ’72 and Lisa Wood Wright ’84 kicked off our 150th celebratory year with the first 150th official birthday party for Oldfields! They hosted a fabulous green and white 150th themed luncheon, held at The Stanwich Club in Greenwich, CT, on October 13 that was attended by some of Oldfields’ most ardent alumnae, in addition to Parny Hagerman and Anne Finney.

Thanks to Board Chair Hilary Gardner Swain ’72 and her aunt, November 30 will find us celebrating the 150th in New York City at the New York Gathering, to be held at the New York Yacht Club in their magnificent Beaux-Arts landmark building.

New York Yacht Club

How do

you wish to be remembered?

CREATE YOUR LEGACY Remember Oldfields in your will or trust

Front row: Vicki Meier Linnartz '86, Ilana Feldberg Adelman '88, Addie Goldfrank '96, Lisa Wood Wright '84. Back row: Lysi Le Comte '06, Silly Sillcox Repko '72, Dede Alexandre Le Comte '72, Anne Finney P'97, Carolyn Gibbons Abernethy '66, Stephanie Strubing Flinn '57, Lila Cummings '62, Parny Hagerman

FOUNDERS DAY2016 Oldfields Parents Association The Oldfields Parent Association really outdid themselves this fall! The entire campus was transformed by the gorgeous fall-themed decorations everywhere you looked! Oldfields never looked so beautiful (until they decorate for Christmas…)!

In case you haven’t heard, IT’S OLDFIELDS’ 150TH ANNIVERSARY! We have all kinds of special events planned for our year-long celebration.

The first big event was a special twist on our usual Founder’s Day. A new video was created depicting what the early life of the School was like and was shared with our students. Our founder, Anna Austen McCulloch, was a remarkable woman, and Oldfields still carries out her mission of offering young women a well-rounded education in a nurturing and caring environment. The girls loved the video! Visit www.OldfieldsSchool.org/150 to see it for yourself.

The Fall Family Silent Auction, the OPA’s only fundraiser of the year, was a huge hit, with a room bursting at the seams with exciting items on which the students and parents could bid – which they did with great enthusiasm. A special thank you to all the families, friends, and faculty who donated items for the auction! The proceeds will fund all of the OPA’s activities for the benefit of our girls throughout the year. Thanks for all those hours spent for the love of Oldfields and our girls!

Stay tuned for all the fun events and gifts for our girls that the Oldfields Parent Association has planned for the rest of the year.

The biggest thanks of all go to the OPA officers, President Jennifer Singer P’18, Vice President Trish Redding P’17, Treasurer Julie Selby P’17, and Secretary Kerry Angelos P’19, ’21, who not only organized, but also implemented the beautiful decorating and the highly successful auction.

The presentation was followed by the traditional walk up to Immanuel Episcopal Church to lay a wreath on Anna’s grave. After Dubious sang and remarks were made by the Reverend Kingsley Smith and Dr. Hagerman, all departed the ceremony with a new appreciation for our founder.

The event was even covered by the local Baltimore Sun newspaper!

That evening, a lovely picnic was held on Commons Lawn that concluded with the lighting of individual cupcakes for each girl and the community singing “Happy Birthday” to Oldfields!

HIGHLIGHTS

Academic Update Robust Learning Support At the very core of the Oldfields mission is the goal of meeting every girl where she is and providing an environment which enables her to reach her fullest potential. The Academic Department continues to improve the options each student has available:

Academic Update Investing in More Girls!

Last year, thanks to the generosity of alumnae Glennie Reynolds Martin ’59 and Wendy Goodyear Griswold ‘63, the 10th grade was treated to a special seminar program, Invest in Girls.

The goal was to teach high school girls financial concepts, expose them to female role models in the financial field, and introduce them to career paths in finance.The program was very well received by the girls!

For the 2016-2017 school year, Blair Bartol MacInnes '63 and Martha Fenwick Dewing '63 joined Glennie and Wendy in their generosity and expanded the program so that it is now available for 10th, 11th, and 12th graders!

Thank you, Oldfields sisters, for giving back to the new generation of Oldfields girls!

• A full-time Director of Learning Support, Laura Weiss, pictured at left, was hired during the 2015-16 school year, and her role continues to expand. Every student has the opportunity to meet with Laura for help with time management, organization, problem solving, and other strategic tools necessary for academic success.

• T he peer tutor program, also managed by Laura Weiss, continues to grow with 12 tutors available to meet one-on-one with any student who requests help. It’s amazing to witness how sometimes a peer can make a connection when others cannot.

The student-staffed Writing Center is also available during evening study hall for the girls.

• T he Academic Strategies Program is designed to fit seamlessly into a student’s schedule, allowing one-on-one support with a learning specialist one, two, or three times a week, with scheduled feedback to the parents on a regular basis. The program has proven to be so popular that three, part-time specialists have been hired. The goal of the program is to have girls transition out of learning support once skills have been mastered.

Admission Update The graduating class of 2016 was one of Oldfields’ largest in recent history, with 51 girls walking down Graduation Hill, which made for a very busy Admission Department this summer! Sixty-five new girls have joined our community from:

Athletics Update It seems as though the universe gives every team its time in the sun. At Oldfields this fall, it’s volleyball who is shining! Under the direction of new head coach, Bree Schaaf, varsity is currently ranked 3rd in the conference and anticipating a strong finish. As a 2010 Olympian in the sport of bobsled and a Division I collegiate volleyball player, Bree knows a thing or two about teamwork! Team captains, Ashley Allen’17, Annemiek Cuppen ’17 and Isabel Zavada ’17 have also been instrumental in the team’s success. Junior varsity, coached by Mary McQuinn-Vinyard, is also crushing it this year! Both varsity and junior varsity are in excellent positions approaching the championships. Congratulations to all our volleyball players and coaches!

California China Colorado Florida Kenya Louisiana Maryland Massachusetts

New Jersey New York Nigeria North Carolina Pennsylvania Rwanda Texas Virginia

Keep up the good work, Admission! The Open House season is in full swing for the 2017-18 school year. If you know anyone who might be interested in being an Oldfields girl, give Admission a ring at 443-662-1009!

YOU MUST REGISTER BY APRIL 18 TO ATTEND ALUMNAE WEEKEND!

REGISTER ONLINE AT WWW.OLDFIELDSSCHOOL.ORG

ALUMNAE WEEKEND APRIL 28-30, 2017

ANNIVERSARY

th

A GLORIOUS CELEBRATION OF OLDFIELDS'

Oldfields School

1500 Glencoe Road Sparks Glencoe, MD 21152

www.OldfieldsSchool.org