2 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Inside This Issue
Faculty & Staff
Campus News
125th Anniversary Gala, a True Celebration............................ 3 R-MA Celebrates 125th Anniversary with Founder's Weekend.................................................................... 4 Early History Reveals Challenges and Triumphs.................... 6 Front Royal-Warren County Chamber of Commerce Honors R-MA with Community Impact Award...................................... 8 All Aboard: STEAMing Beyond 125.......................................... 9 AFJROTC Earns Distinguished Unit Award.......................... 10 R-MA Academics Moving Full STEAM Ahead........................ 11 Band & Chorus Continue to Make R-MA Proud..................... 12 R-MA Drill Team: Marching Up and Onward......................... 12 Board of Trustees Welcomes Three New Members................. 13 Flight Program Success & Updates......................................... 14 Thomas-Sualley Earns Silver in Regional Science Fair Competition............................................................................... 14 Honor Society Inductions......................................................... 14 Students Celebrate Diverse Cultures...................................... 15 Reflections on the NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade: A Cadet's Persepective.............................................................................. 16 R-MA Awarded Secure Our Schools Grant.............................. 16 Mike Starling '88: Pursuing Potent Positive Character and Effective Leadership................................................................. 17 Parents' Association Corner..................................................... 18 Stephen Czarda '08 Returns to Speak at Middle School Promotion Ceremony................................................................ 19 Middle School Honorees........................................................... 20 Middle School Students Reach for Excellence........................ 21 Corps Commander Claims Valedictorian Honors................... 21 Even Salutatorian's Dreams Can Change.............................. 22
After 20 Years of Service, Williams Moves on......................... 30 Staff & Faculty Notes............................................................... 30 With Foundation Laid, Leasure Shifts Back to Upper School............................................................................. 31 Staff & Faculty Quarterly Awards for 2016-17....................... 31 From Development to Advancement, Office Continues to Support the Mission................................................................. 32
Alumni & Advancement
Class Notes............................................................................... 33 Generous Servant-Leaders Remembered................................ 36 In Memorium............................................................................ 36 The Society of 1892: The Foundation of the Future............... 37 In Honor of Our Generous Donors........................................... 38 125th Gala Sponsorships......................................................... 43 125th Anniversary Founder's Weekend Sponsorships........... 43 Alumni Rise to Annual Fund Challenge................................. 44 Tributes..................................................................................... 47 Class of 1970 Announces Class of 2020 Essay Contest Winners.................................................................................. 48
Athletics
The Redemption of Champions................................................ 49 Mikayla Reifert '17 Wrestles to 5th in States......................... 51 Yellow Jackets Earn Second in DAC....................................... 53 Silek Named Delaney's Best.................................................... 53 Fun with the Family: R-MA's 2nd Annual Alumni Lacrosse Game...................................................................................... 54 Jeffrey Collins '17: One for the Record Books......................... 55 Athletic Honors......................................................................... 56
Class Night Honors.................................................................. 23 125th Graduating Class Celebrates Achievements................ 24 125th Graduating Class Carries on College Acceptance & Scholarship Traditions............................................................. 26
About the Cover
As 2017 draws to a close, R-MA takes one last look back at the past 125 years, while at the same time moving forward with innovations that will continue to prepare students for college and for life.
Correction:
Michael Patten '21, pictured above, was awarded the Most Improved Player Award for the Middle School Soccer Team in the fall of 2016. The photo printed in the Winter/Spring 2017 issue was incorrect.
Randolph-Macon Academy admits persons of any race, gender, color, religion, nationality, and ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. R-MA does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, color, religion, or national or ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
A Message from the President Ladies and Gentlemen – we’ve just wrapped up another successful year for R-MA by graduating a remarkable group of young people who will go off to successful lives. It has been a busy time, filled with new and exciting opportunities for our students, staff, and faculty. Just a few examples: Thanks to many people, but particularly thanks to Donna Bogart P'03, '07, we hosted the 125th Anniversary Gala at Westwood Country Club. This event showed the very finest of what R-MA stands for; it gave us a venue to thank five incredible individuals who have been so very important to the financial strength of our Academy; and it raised tens of R-MA President Brig Gen David Wesley, thousands of dollars for the endowment. USAF, Retired, at the R-MA 125th That event was quickly followed Anniversary Gala. by Founder’s Weekend, which included unprecedented participation from the good people of Front Royal and Warren County—I wish every person reading these words could have seen the wonderful variety of events, displays, and delicious food we shared with our neighbors. Coming during the same week when R-MA was selected as the winner of the Chamber of Commerce’s Impact Award, I can only say that our relationship with the local community is strong and getting stronger every day! This event was a combined effort by the entire staff, faculty, and students under the superb leadership of Celeste Brooks P'12, '21. We’ve conducted a branding study that will shortly produce an updated core brand concept for the Academy, enabling us to better reach those students who are interested in attending R-MA. We’ve completed an academic audit, yielding tools to further modernize both our teaching methodologies and the tech tools we provide to our teachers. In every way, we seek to attain and exploit the cutting edge of the most effective ways to prepare our graduates for a challenging world. One example is our move to one-to-one computing: providing a device for every student and teacher on campus. Another example: expansion of our Flight Program by adding drone construction and piloting classes. This growing arena of flight operations challenges us to excel in a new realm and R-MA, as always, will play to win. As we modernize many things, we’ve hired Mike Starling ’88, Lieutenant Colonel, USMC (Ret), to return to The Hill as the Chairman of Leadership and Character. We’ve asked Mike to devote the first several years of his tenure to strengthening and deepening our commitment to the Honor Code, enhancing the leadership opportunities our students receive, and to building the character that has always set R-MA graduates apart from their peers. We may adopt modern tools, but our values remain the cornerstone upon which R-MA was founded by the Methodist Church 125 years ago. Many of you have seen the excitement brought about by these initiatives and advancements, and you have responded with a strong show of support. We know we are on the right track when our constituents, who are here day-in and day-out, eagerly make a gift to the Annual Fund. This is what we saw happen in May as one-third of the graduating Class of 2017 chose to make a donation to their school. We also continue to see growing support among the faculty and staff, with 92.8% of us giving back to the Academy. These are indeed exciting times, but I’ll close with something that has not changed: your Academy continues to keep its promise to parents, delivering on their investment by once again sending every one of our seniors and postgraduates off with a college acceptance (247 college acceptances for 61 graduates and post-grads), and more than $6 million in college scholarship offers. I hope you will come see us soon…it is a great time to be at R-MA! Warm regards,
David C. Wesley Brigadier General, USAF, Retired President 2 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
The Sabre The Magazine of Randolph-Macon Academy Affiliated with the United Methodist Church SUMMER/FALL 2017 Volume 96 Number 2
Published by the Office of Public Relations Editor Celeste M. Brooks P’12,’21 Staff Copy Editors Cooper Bourdon '11 Clare M. Dame
Amy M. Harriman Jonni Mahr
Photography Misti Walters
The Sabre is published twice a year for alumni/ae, parents, students, and friends of Randolph-Macon Academy 200 Academy Dr. Front Royal, VA 22630 (540) 636-5200 Fax (540) 636-5419
www.rma.edu
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Randolph-Macon Academy Board of Trustees
RADM John D. Stufflebeem '70 Chairman Mr. Henry D. Light ’58 Vice Chairman Mr. Eric D. Anderson '88 Secretary Mr. Rodney Deane, Jr., P’95 Treasurer Mr. Harry G. Austin III ’75 Ms. Donna J. Bogart P’03, ’07 Mr. Eric D. Carlson ’73 Mr. Glenn Carrington P’08 Mr. Joe Hadeed '84 Mr. Stuart Hester P'16 Ms. Lucy Williams Hooper Ms. Patty Keenan Ms. Pamela McInnis Maj Gen David Puster, USA, Retired ’75 Mr. John D. Simar ’68 Ex-Officio Members Dr. Susan Gawalt P'14, '16, '20 Ms. Heather Grossman P’16, ’18, ’21 Ms. H. Scarlett Kibler ’89 Rev. John Peters, Representing Bishop Sharma Lewis Rev. Larry Thompson
President
Brig Gen David C. Wesley, USAF, Retired
125th Anniversary Gala, a True Celebration by Cooper Bourdon '11, difficult, but he still had to be the best man he could Communications Assistant possibly be for his family. If he were to quit on himself, then he would be quitting on his family, and R-MA kicked off its he quickly decided that was not an option. 125th Anniversary with a gala, Celebrating Knowledge, Despite the severity of his injury and misfortune, Leadership and Character, he was able to lighten the mood for the crowd by held at Westwood Country making them laugh; his wit and humor about his Club in Vienna, Virginia, on situation are incomparable. He admitted to how Saturday, April 8th. There worried he was that his daughter would be terrified of were 180 guests in attendance him due to his injuries. Then, with that incomparable and the night was a smashing humor, he explained that Chloe still loved him and success. Many of these guests wanted to play with were alumni and friends of him. He figured the Academy who came out he probably looked to show their support and to like every teddy bear celebrate R-MA’s history. Chloe ever had, with his short limbs and “Through the generosity Above, SSG Travis Mills jokes with big body. The crowd of many donors to the R-MA Board of Trustees Chairman John roared with laughter, Gala effort, R-MA has Stufflebeem '70 as the R-MA alumnus but more importantly, created a 125th Anniversary introduces the war hero to the audience. To with admiration and Scholarship which will be the surprise and delight of many guests, gratitude for Mills’ awarded to a deserving Mills remained at the gala for quite a while, spirit and wonderful R-MA cadet each year,” noted answering individual questions (as shown attitude toward life. R-MA President, Brigadier at right) and posing for photos. General David C. Wesley, Colonel Frank USAF, Retired. “More importantly, this endowed 125th Anniversary Link P'17, USAF, Scholarship is a legacy we leave for deserving cadets for the next 125 Retired, Commandant of Cadets at R-MA, said, “It was an honor to years and beyond.” have Travis Mills as our guest speaker for the Gala. His determination to move forward despite the adversity he has faced is the kind of The evening began with a cocktail hour where guests caught up with old friends while making new ones. Some reminisced of the past, attitude we strive to instill in our cadets at the Academy. He helped remind us that it’s not the situation that defines our character, it’s how others talked about the present, but they all looked forward to the future. Once cocktail hour concluded, guests were brought to the main we respond.” ballroom. They entered through the sabre arch, presented by R-MA Once Mills concluded his speech, the band DC Transit claimed cadets, which set the tone for the grand evening. the stage. Everybody took advantage of the dance floor and brought their boogie shoes with them. As people moved to the music, Mills Wesley initiated the event by honoring the top five donors met with anyone who sought the pleasure of his in R-MA’s 125-year history. These company. They shook hands, took pictures, and engaged champions of the Yellow Jacket in light-hearted conversation with a truly inspirational community include George Mathias man. Others raced to the snack bar in pursuit of ’54, Stanley Fulton ’49, Harlan Crow The Apple House’s famous Apple Butter Cinnamon ’68, and the late Arthur Fulton ’49. Donuts. The final donor wished to remain anonymous. General Wesley paid The evening could not have happened without the homage to each one of these Yellow help and guidance of many amazing people. One in Jackets for giving back to their beloved particular was Donna Bogart P ’03, ‘07, who served as Academy without a thought of See Gala, page 8 reciprocation. After honoring the donors, the guests were treated to an amazing story of grit and perseverance. Retired Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills of the 82nd Airborne addressed the crowd as he stood on two prosthetic legs and gestured with one prosthetic arm. Mills lost all four of his limbs to an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) while Above, Upper School Academic Dean serving a tour overseas. He is one of Jonathan Ezell and his wife, Lisa five people from the Wars in Iraq and Cobb, show they can light up the dance Afghanistan to survive such an injury. floor, to the sounds of the band DC Mills explained that coping with Transit, which provided the evening the accident at first was extremely entertainment (pictured at right). 3 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Campus News
R-MA Celebrates 125th Anniversary with Founder's Weekend by Cooper Bourdon '11, Communications Assistant
The Randolph-Macon Academy community threw a campuswide celebration on Saturday, April 29th, and with terrific results. Over 300 alumni and people from the local area, in addition to more than 300 students, employees, and family members, came to “The Hill” to enjoy a day full of fun, food, and festivities. “This was an opportunity for the R-MA community to connect to the Warren County community,” explained Director of Public Relations Celeste Brooks P'12, '21. “We wanted to open our campus to allow our neighbors to learn about R-MA. At the same time, making this a free event was a way we could thank the local community for their support throughout our history.” The most obvious example of that support was the “Great Fire of 1927,” in which the main building on campus burned to the ground, displacing all of the students and the faculty who lived on campus. The people of Front Royal opened their homes, allowing the school to continue for the year. The day itself was reflective of R-MA’s history—early on, things didn’t go according to plan. The Academy’s indebtedness grew in the early 20th century—not exactly the auspicious beginning the founders had expected. For the Founder’s Weekend Community Celebration on Saturday, there was not one, but three unexpected torrential downpours, along with thunder and lightning between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m., causing organizers to make last-minute adjustments to the day’s plans. However, by 11 a.m., when the celebration was about to start, the sun was back out and a wonderful day was ready to shine. The day started off with The Yellow Jacket 5K, organized by Adventure Enablers, with R-MA’s Josh Ilnicki taking first place. Just after the celebration officially opened came the much-anticipated teddy bear drop by the R-MA Flight Department. The Academy’s Cessna 172 came in low, barely over the tree tops, surprising the group of cheering spectators. As the plane soared over Riddick Field, the passengers dropped 125 teddy bears onto the field, to the delight of those gathered. The remaining campus activities kept students, employees, and guests busy all day. The cornhole tournament attracted over 50 people, with divisions for both teams and singles. Children and teenagers enjoyed the petting zoo, carnival games, obstacle course, and Zero Shock Stunt Jump, just to name a few. The food trucks, provided by The Apple House and Mama Lucie’s Kitchen, were slammed all day. Mama Lucie’s ran out of French fries after two hours! Guests
R-MA faculty and students dominated the Yellow Jacket 5K Run, which took place during a downpour on Saturday, April 29, 2017 as part of Founder's Weekend. 4 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
happily grabbed their food and sat down in front of the R-MA talent show in the tent known as “The Hive” to witness the musical and artistic talents of R-MA faculty and students, while not far away at the face-painting tent, other R-MA students were using their talents to create elaborate designs on happy young faces. The community vendor fair saw a steady stream of people during the early hours of the celebration, as did the R-MA History display located in Stan Fulton Hall. The shuttle buses and the hay ride tended to people all day without a break. After shows by Blue Ridge Wildlife Center and Steve Foster’s Amazing Grace, the day was capped with potentially the longest ice cream sundae the Shenandoah Valley has ever seen, provided and sponsored by C & C Frozen Treats. The words “Memories on a Spoon” are written on the side of the C & C truck, and owner William Huck surely dealt out a fantastic memory. The sundae measured 12.5 meters (just over 41 feet) of vanilla ice cream topped with whipped cream and sprinkles, and each third of the 41 feet had either chocolate, strawberry, or butterscotch syrup. Once the sundae was completed, everybody yelled out in unison, “125 years!” and dug into the delicious ice cream of C & C Frozen Treats. “The day could not have been such a success without everyone involved,” said R-MA President Brigadier General David C. Wesley, USAF, Retired. “The grounds, maintenance, and housekeeping crews, led by Don Williams, were incredible in their effort and diligent in their execution. The countless number of volunteers from the R-MA faculty, staff, and student body made sure the day went on with no problems and maximum efficiency. I am A young fan gets a hug from Chase, one very proud of how our folks of the characters from PAW Patrol. pulled together to make this happen. However, I would be remiss if I did not recognize the 125th Founder’s Weekend Committee, led by R-MA Public Relations Director Celeste Brooks. Their tireless effort and sacrifice made the day a possibility and a success.” The weekend concluded on Sunday, beginning with the 125th Anniversary Community Chapel Service, during which several R-MA students received the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, or both. There were approximately 100 people in attendance for this event. The grand finale of the weekend was the R-MA Spring Concert, featuring the band, chorus, and handbells. R-MA’s administration expressed a special thanks to the many sponsors who made the weekend possible, including the "Presenting Sponsors" of Exclusively Faces Cosmetic Surgery and Medispa, the R-MA Alumni Association, Shenandoah Foot & Ankle Center, and Valley Health. The "Event Sponsors" were Aba Cole, C & C Frozen Treats, Fork’d Food Truck, Blue Ridge Hot Air Balloon, Lester and Mowery’s Pharmacy, and Wells Fargo. The "Media Sponsors" included 92.5 WINC FM and The River 95.3 FM. Additional sponsors can be viewed on page 43, or on the R-MA website at rma.edu/125thanniversary-sponsors.
The R-MA Flight Department dropped 125 teddy bears onto Riddick Field, much to the delight of those 12 and under who ran out to collect a bear to take home.
The Zero Shock Stunt Jump (pictured at left) was a hit with the more daring, while the 12.5-meter ice cream sundae provided by C&C Frozen Treats (pictured at right) was the perfect ending to a hot and humid day.
The weekend concluded with a confirmation ceremony on Sunday morning, followed by the band, chorus, and handbell concert that afternoon.
"The Hive" was the center of entertainment, with students, faculty, and staff showing off their musical, athletic, and artistic talents throughout the day. 5 The Sabre ď ˇ SUMMER/FALL 2017
Campus News
Early History Reveals Challenges and Triumphs
by Cooper Bourdon '11, Communications Assistant
Board of Trustees, “I desire to call your attention at this time to the liquidation of the longstanding debt on the institution, the last The early years of Randolph-Macon Academy (R-MA) were $3,000 having been paid off in April 1922.” The original debt stood at indeed difficult and characterized by struggle. The Academy debt $28,000, but grew to $40,000 over the years. The typhoid epidemic of was up and revenue was low due to a variety of circumstances: 1913 added $12,000 to this debt giving the school an overall $52,000 typhoid fever struck the campus in 1913 and cost the school $12,000 to pay off (that translates to $1,293,637.96 today). ($298,531.84 in today’s economy) to combat; ministerial students Principal Melton gave high praise to former R-MA Principal and sons of ministers received significant discounts on their tuition, and Randolph-Macon College (R-MC) President/Chancellor Dr. making it difficult to meet budgetary needs; and there was a high William Waugh Smith for beginning the liquidation process in 1900. turnover of faculty and staff, resulting from the Academy's inability Dr. Smith’s “heroic efforts” decreased the $40,000 debt to $17,500, not to pay its teachers their full salaries--only 75% of faculty salaries were including the typhoid expenses, by 1915. After 1915, R-MA’s Field guaranteed. Agent and member of its Executive Committee, Dr. Homer Henkel The faculty turnover impacted the retention rate among students, Sherman, was pivotal in the final liquidation of the remaining debt. as did the inadequate heating in the dormitory, which made certain His efforts, along with support from the Baltimore Conference of rooms unlivable during the winter time. The lack of comfortability in the Methodist Church, liberated R-MA from its indebtedness and the dormitory was a frequent complaint among cadets and the utilities brought on five happy and fruitful years. of the building received a large amount of criticism as well. This resulted in a banner year in 1925. The Academy built a new indoor swimming pool along with a gym, which later became the academic building known as Rives Hall. Physical plant improvements were approved and enrollment increased by 31 percent. Things could not have been better for the Academy. Then came January 10, 1927. It was a cold and quiet morning in Front Royal. The sun had not yet risen over the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah River when fire sirens consumed the air around 4:00 a.m. Randolph-Macon Academy was on fire! Men and women throughout the town raced toward the raging inferno and did whatever they could to help. Through the good Lord’s protection, there were no deaths during the incident, merely a couple of injuries as boys jumped from the third story windows onto bed sheets being held by their fellow classmates and residents of Front Royal. The cause of the fire is unknown to this day. It began in the cellar of the building and spread rapidly. The phone lines were down so several boys ran to the house of the school physician, Dr. Hansborrow, to tell him of the fire and to call the fire department. When the fire truck arrived, the hill was too icy for it to reach the burning building. The only thing left to do was to catch final glimpses of the stately The student body of 1915-16. building as it burned to the ground. The town assembled at the courthouse by 11 a.m. that same day Despite the early struggles of the Academy, things became to discuss where the displaced R-MA students would live for the significantly better as the 1920’s approached. The Academy replaced remainder of the school year. A housing committee was formed to the steam heater and was able to pay its teachers the full salary they handle the placement of the boys. It was a tremendous success. The deserved. This helped retention and enrollment a great deal. In 1917, committee received 100 volunteers more than the number needed to the military program became part of Randolph-Macon Academy, help shelter the boys. with the introduction of the National Defense Cadet Corps. "The Three days later, the Randolph-Macon College Board of Trustees new Military Feature was declared an advantage, contributing to a met to take action towards rebuilding and continuing the school. They better attitude, increased enrollment, better discipline and deportment, agreed to move forward with reconstruction of the school and to have and better physical condition for its doors open in time for the 1927-28 the boys," according to Eunice school year. Messrs. John P. Pettyjohn Karnes Knight's book Randolph& Co. estimated the cost of the new Macon Academy A Proud Heritage: A building to be $254,000. Front Royal Promising Future. was quick to lend a helping hand once The 1918-19 school year was again. Some 65 businessmen signed the first academic session for which a bond of $25,000 to help with the R-MA had a waiting list. In fact, payment of the new building. enrollment was so great that part of The final structure was magnificent, a local hotel was rented out by the designed with a southern colonial Academy in case of overflow. The style and placed on the same plot as Academy’s greatest milestone came the original building in order to retain in 1922: R-MA finally paid off all the surviving pool (still on campus to its debt from the construction of its this day). The new, beautiful domed building in 1892. building opened its doors for classes Charles Melton, the Academy’s Hear Elsie Upchurch, a Front Royal native and a friend to R-MA, in October, just nine months after the principal at the time, told the recall watching the fire of 1927 at youtu.be/ypsyl4H9q0E Great Fire of 1927. 6 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Front Royal Mayor Hollis L. Tharpe visited R-MA during Spring Family Day on April 13, 2017, and presented the Academy with this proclamation, honoring the Academy for its 125th Anniversary. Tharpe's visit was made on behalf of the entire Front Royal Town Council. 7 The Sabre ď ˇ SUMMER/FALL 2017
Campus News
Front Royal-Warren County Chamber of Commerce Honors R-MA with Community Impact Award On Thursday, April 27, 2017, just before the start of the 125th Anniversary Founder’s Weekend, the Front Royal-Warren County Chamber of Commerce hosted their annual Awards Dinner, where they honored Randolph-Macon Academy with the Community Impact Award. Chamber of Commerce Chairwoman Katie Tewell '97 equated this award to a “Lifetime Achievement Award.” Emcee Mike O’Dell read the following citation in recognizing R-MA for its “incredible impact” on the local community: The winner of our Community Impact Award has contributed greatly to the wider community, from helping clean coins out of the Skyline Caverns wishing well to painting picnic tables at a local park. Throughout the years, they have raised money or provided volunteer help for Habitat for Humanity, Kiwanis, Meals on Wheels, Homes for Our Troops, House of Hope, and the Chamber of Commerce. They have made toys for, and volunteered at, the local Humane Society. They have visited nursing homes and assisted living facilities. They have worked with the Warren Coalition’s Youth in Action to put warning stickers on alcoholic beverages to help discourage underage drinking. They have collected food and coats for the local Salvation Army, coats for Child Protective Services, food for Doc Smith Baskets, stuffed animals for first responders, books for the Warren County Sheriff ’s Office, and toys for the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots program. They have assisted in cleaning up the Shenandoah River, gleaned apples for the needy, and hosted Red Cross blood drives. They coordinate with local churches to perform work for those in need through Kelsey’s Big Give and take an annual trip to Washington, DC, to feed the homeless with Teens Opposing Poverty. They also have packaged food with Rise Against Hunger. Their staff have served on numerous boards within the local community, such as the Salvation Army, Samuels Public Library, the Front Royal Police Foundation, and Habitat for Humanity. They have also been involved in organizations such as Rotary, the Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis, the Front Royal Women’s Resource Center, the Front Royal Oratorio Society, Virginia Master Naturalists, Friends of the Shenandoah River State Park, the Warren County Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee, Blue Ridge Arts Council, Blue Ridge Educational Center, the Air Force Association, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and many others. This year’s recipient has been instrumental in bringing the world to Front Royal. In the 2000s alone, they have welcomed people to Front Royal from 47 different countries from Angola to Zimbabwe. The recipient is now celebrating its 125th anniversary, and will open up its campus to the public for a community celebration on April 29th, with a community chapel service and spring concert to follow on April 30th. For their incredible impact to the Front Royal-Warren County Community we award the Community Impact Award to RandolphMacon Academy.
Gala, continued from page 3
chair of the Gala. “Once I stepped foot on ‘The Hill’ 17 years ago as a parent, I knew R-MA was a special place,” Bogart said. “I have seen first-hand the successful leaders that R-MA produces. That is why I chaired this oncein-a-lifetime anniversary gala. The Academy has a rich history and we were committed to commemorating and recognizing that history. I believe this event did just that.” Wesley praised Bogart for her efforts and said, “Though it was a dream for us, this Gala is a success because Donna Bogart is not a dreamer…she’s a doer!” Former R-MA President Major General Henry M. Hobgood, USAF, Retired, commented, “The 125th Gala was a wonderful tribute to the proud heritage of RandolphMacon Academy, its dedicated faculty, staff and students.” 8 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
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All Aboard: STEAMing Beyond 125 by Kara Lewallen “Floating with the Microbes” In honor of Randolphwas headed up by R-MA science Macon Academy’s 125th teacher Dr. Nicholas Bongio. Anniversary, 42 fifth through Friends of the National Zoo eighth grade students from (FONZ) Education Programs R-MA and the Warren Specialist Kristin Black and County community came Dr. James McNeil of the together at R-MA’s Middle Smithsonian-Mason School of School on Saturday, February Conservation (SMSC) led the 18th for a full day of joyful session “Effects of Lyme Disease STEAM (Science, Technology, on Humans and Wildlife.” Engineering, Arts, and Math) During “Phun with learning. This event was Physics and the Van de Graaff co-sponsored by Virginia Generator,” students learned the STEAM Academy in hopes principles and concepts behind of raising awareness of the how the generator works, by Summer STEAM program the using hands-on models and organization offers. Additional computer simulations. Students R-MA Science Teacher Nick Bongio assists a student from Warren County support was provided by the in the afternoon session built during the STEAM event held on February 18, 2017. Center for Excellence in mini Van de Graaff Generators Education. and explored static electricity and electrons further. The Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum opened the morning Various forms of chemical and physical reactions were explored in with a roller coaster design-build that got the students’ minds and “Don’t OverREACT with Chemistry.” Students designed their own bodies going up and down as they worked in teams using pool experiments to test which factors could increase the rate of reaction. noodles, cardboard tubes, marbles, and an assemblage of other tools The session ended with explosive results when the teams combined to create roller coasters with twists, turns, loops, and slopes. The hope their efforts to create a tower of exploding foam! was that their marble would land in a cup at the end. Let’s just say, “Floating with the Microbes” involved an exploration of this challenge had students losing their marbles. microscopic forms of life in our local water systems as well as the Following the design-build, students divided into groups and creation of a mud battery. Students used voltmeters and LED bulbs spent the morning rotating through four mini-labs that involved to test the battery. Lots of discussion followed as students realized the hands-on topics in physics, chemistry, and biological sciences. A limits and possibilities of such an invention. pizza lunch break was taken after which students spent two hours The SMSC/FONZ team’s interactive lesson, “Effects of Lyme diving deeper into one of the four topics that was of interest to them. Disease on Humans and Wildlife,” helped participants gain an Specific topics covered during the day included “Phun with Physics understanding of the interactions of disease vectors with human and and the Van de Graaff Generator” led by Kara Lewallen and fellow wildlife populations. Microscopic study of the vectors and outdoor R-MA science teacher Colonel John Casserino, USAF, Retired. role playing of the interactive life cycle had students running in a “Don’t OverREACT with Chemistry” was led by R-MA science frenzy from each other. teachers Hannah Bement and Samadara Jayarathne P'23, while After the deep-dive, the whole group came together to listen to a panel of individuals, spanning a variety of science fields, share what their everyday career life involves. Student co-moderators, Haley Clingerman (R-MA, eighth grade) and Dillon Lewallen (Warren County Middle School, sixth grade) inquired of the panelists what skills they use in their careers, what their favorite part of STEAM is, what inspired them to pursue their career, and what advice they would give to their middle school selves if given the chance to go back in time. Panel members included Dr. Shamik Das, Department Head of the Emerging Technologies Department at The MITRE Corporation in McLean, VA, and several familiar faces from sessions earlier in the day: McNeil, a lifelong bug nerd with a B.S. from Cornell University and a Ph.D. from Penn State University (both in entomology); Black, who received a B.S. in Psychology from James Madison University and began her career working with animals at SeaWorld and also as a civilian with the United States Navy; and Bement, who is a Yale-educated environmental scientist. 9 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Campus News
AFJROTC Earns Distinguished Unit Award Laing Named Outstanding Instructor
by Celeste Brooks P'12,'21, Director of Public Relations The VA-091 Air Force JROTC unit at Randolph-Macon Academy has once again earned the Distinguished Unit Award (DUA), an honor awarded to only about 40% of the Air Force JROTC units in the world. “The award is not only based upon inspections, but also upon goals that the cadets establish,” explained Col John Quattrone, USAF, Retired, who is the Senior Aerospace Instructor at the Academy. “They met or exceeded all of their goals.” Those goals included educating the student body so that there were fewer repeat honor council violations, having above a 92% average on uniform inspections, achieving a 100% senior class four-year college acceptance rate, visiting the R-MA Middle School at least three times during the year, averaging at least 13 hours of community service per cadet, and performing at least 30 community service color guard details. Although his personnel offered guidance and had to complete some paperwork, Quattrone said most of the credit belongs to the cadets. “I give them credit for coming up with some good goals--realistic goals,” he said. “Some of them were difficult to attain, but they persevered and met or exceeded all their goals.” In addition to the unit award, R-MA’s TSgt Tina Laing was singled out as a recipient of the Outstanding Instructor Award, an honor awarded to only 175 instructors in all of Air Force JROTC. TSgt Tina Laing, USAF, Retired Quattrone nominated her for the honor due to her outstanding work across all aspects of her job. He specifically named her counseling activities with her mentees and the Academy’s Falcon Scholars, as well as the fact that when the department was at 50% staffing, she was one of those two people that
kept the department functioning effectively and helped ensure that more than 250 cadets continued to receive a stellar AFJROTC education. She also developed an academic skills course that taught firstyear cadets about proper study habits and comprehension strategies. In addition, she was the instructor who oversaw the R-MA President Brig Gen David C. Wesley, Academy’s drill team, USAF, Retired, places the Distinguished Unit Award ribbon on the R-MA Guidon, assisted by which won multiple Corps Commander Dongeun "Amy" Go '17, as awards this year. The AFJROTC Senior Aerospace Instructor Col John Quattrone, department received USAF, Retired, observes. one last honor before the end of the school year. As one of the first schools to host a National Defense Cadet Corps unit in the 1917-18 school year, and one of the first to adapt the Air Force JROTC program when it became available, R-MA was recognized with a Founding Unit streamer. This streamer was sent only to the "original units that existed at AFJROTC’s founding," according to the letter provided to Quattrone. It was placed on the R-MA guidon at the Final Parade.
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by Celeste Brooks P'12,'21, Director of Public Relations During the 2016-17 school year, Randolph-Macon Academy developed a stronger focus on STEAM, or Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math. It began with the offering of Geospatial Information Systems during the year, and was further developed with offerings planned for the 2017-18 school year.
before, and do your own analysis. Even Google can’t do that.”
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and Other Upcoming Classes The recreational use of drones is increasing at a steady pace, and the number of potential jobs is increasing even more rapidly as new uses for the small UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) are developed each day. In fact, according to Christopher McFadden’s GIS Re-Cap article “What Types of Drone-Related Careers Are There,” published R-MA’s Geospatial Information Systems class, a college-level on interestingengineering.com on July 6, 2017, “There are a class taught by Col John Casserino, USAF, Retired, has proven predicted 100,000 drone-related careers set to flood the jobs market to be a resounding success. While the class has no homework, no over the next few years. These will range from aerial photography quizzes, no tests, and no exams, it is not for the faint of heart. It is a and/or cinematography to mapping and modeling, not to mention course intended for problem-solving students with inquisitive minds, thermography to name but a few.” those who are more interested in asking questions and obtaining With the combination of Air Force JROTC and a Flight Program information to help answer that question than in memorizing facts. already in place on campus, R-MA is in a unique position to give its “This class is project-based,” Casserino explained. It requires students the skills to take advantage of this opportunity. This past year, students to combine creativity with research skills. They can develop the two departments opened up a club that would build drones to be projects by answering questions such as “What am I interested in? used in a national drone competition. What kind of question can I come “We didn’t develop the program as fast up with regarding that interest? as we wanted to, but we got a good start,” How can I answer that question?” said R-MA Director of Flight Training and That creative part is the hardest Operations Ryan Koch. “Building the drones part, according to both Casserino took longer than expected.” Koch said part and Samuel Uzoma ’18, the only of the reason for this was that many of the junior to take the class in the 2016students were learning as they were going. For 17 school year. “You can take four example, some of them were soldering for the days trying to figure out what to first time as they built the UAVs. Those who do,” said Uzoma. stuck with it became creative as the program Once that part is over, the progressed; when a prop guard broke during application is next. “The students a test flight, one of the students attempted to use a software application to use R-MA’s 3-D printer to build a new one investigate and analyze a situation instead of ordering a spare part. (Koch noted in spatial terms, such as on a map that the part did not work; the student tried or a globe,” said Casserino. “They again and eventually had to go back to the have to acquire data. Sometimes it drawing board.) already exists in the program, some “We learned a lot and with it being a they may have to look up, or they yearlong class next year, we will have the time may have to change the project if needed to make some real progress,” said they can’t get the data they need.” Koch. One project example examined That new course, “Unmanned Flight Jacob Gehly '20 flies a drone on the R-MA campus. the typical hospital locations in Operations,” will introduce the students to the relation to school locations, broken down by county in Northern aeronautical science of small UAVs, and provide the instruction needed Virginia. The student examined the physical distance between the to take the Federal Aviation Administration’s written exam to earn a buildings, both in a straight line and by road. She examined the speed Remote Pilot Certification. It will cover topics such as the scientific limit, stoplights, and other factors, and determined that only 29% of understanding of aerodynamics, unmanned aircraft construction, schools in Northern Virginia were within five minutes of a hospital. remote aircraft systems and components, meteorology, human factors, The heavily populated Arlington County was at the top of the list, imaging, and real world applications, to name a few. The students will with the schools averaging only 3.5 minutes from hospitals. The have full use of the Academy’s inventory of drones, which includes two sparsely populated Clarke County had schools located as much as 20 Quadzilla quadcopters and six Blade Nano QX quadcopters. minutes away from hospitals. Casserino said the information could be Koch and the Air Force JROTC staff are still intent on used to answer the question of, “If I had funds to build a new hospital, participating in a national competition. However, the collaborative where would I build it?” As Casserino pointed out, the answer would possibilities between departments beyond just the Flight and vary, depending on whether the decision was made based on schools AFJROTC departments also get Koch excited. “There are a lot of or population. things we can do with this program, modifications that will apply to “This class allows you to ask a really complex question that needs other academic departments and areas like engineering and physics. It geospatial information to answer it, look at things, and determine allows experimentation for carrying loads—how the craft is engineered, what meets the greatest need,” said Casserino. “These projects can be whether it is affected by weather, temperature. There is tremendous as practical as could be, or they could be fun.” potential for academic program overlap and real world learning.” Uzoma, an avid sports enthusiast, used his project to answer This isn't the only new, exciting course being offered for the questions about R-MA’s future athletic facilities. “I asked ‘Do we have 2017-18 school year. There is also an Entrepreneurial Class and the space for a new gym, pool, and parking lot?’” he said. “I learned a Biotechnology at the Upper School, while the Middle School is lot. It’s a one-of-a-kind software. You get to see things you didn’t see offering Robotics, Coding, and Makers. Watch rma.edu and social media accounts for information on the happenings in these classes. 11 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Campus News
Band & Chorus Continue to Make R-MA Proud by Ed Richards, Band Director Kathleen Fedzer ‘18 of Falls Church, VA, on clarinet; Tradarius Fourteen R-MA Bandsmen and five members of the R-MA Gadson ‘18 of Norfolk, VA, and Jack Song ‘20 of Shenzhen, China, Chorus traveled to Norwich University in Northfield Vermont on on alto saxophone; Omar Bran ‘17 of Markham, VA, on tenor February 24-26 for the 41st Military School Band and Choir Festival. saxophone; Parker Overstreet ‘17 of Luray, VA, on trombone; and Ben The three day festival, sponsored by the Military School Band Schoonover ‘17 of Winchester, VA, and Hong Li Liu ‘19 of Shanghai, Association, featured a concert band composed of military high school China, on percussion. Noelle Kramer ‘19 of Richmond, VA, and Jacob and college cadets under the direction of Lieutenant Colonel Philip Gehly ‘20 of Front Royal also participated in the drum major clinic. C. Chevallard, USAF, ret., former Commander and Conductor of the Chorus members who participated in the Festival Choir U.S. Air Force Academy Band. There was also a cadet choir directed included: Wenxi Cai ‘20 of Chengdu, China; Zhirui Chen ‘20 of by CW4 Kathleen Landas, USA, who is the 99th Regional Support Beijing, China; Jiatong Han ‘20 of Huai’an, China; Citlaly Sosa ‘20 of Command (RSC) Staff Bands Officer. Senior Chief Musician Baltimore, MD; and Fengze Yang ‘18 of Wuhan, China. Michael P. Bayes, Drum Major of the United States Navy Band in The Military School Band and Choir Festival is a highlight of the Washington, DC conducted a clinic for military high school and year for the musicians from R-MA. It is an opportunity to perform college drum majors. with a high quality band and choir composed entirely of the best The R-MA bandsmen earned several musicians from military academies and colleges prestigious gold and silver medals at the festival. from across the nation. Jacob Karen ‘19, from Winchester, VA, who The band continued its march of excellence was awarded a silver medal for being selected as through the remainder of the school year, as the first chair clarinet in the Festival Concert Band, R-MA Band and the Parade Unit (Flag Corps, was also selected by Chevallard as the Outstanding Color Guard and Corps Staff ) took home several Festival Band Musician and was awarded a gold awards from the 2017 Apple Blossom Festival. medal. In the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival Ryan Latham ‘18, from Amissville, VA, Firefighters’ Parade held on May 5th, the Yellow was awarded the gold medal for Outstanding Jackets claimed 1st Place for Military School Drum Major after winning the Drum Major Bands and 1st Place Band Overall. In addition, Competition at the Festival. Noelle Kramer ’19 took 1st Place Drum Major. In Yuyang Wang ‘19, from Shanghai, China the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival Grand earned a silver medal for being selected as first Feature Parade held the following day, R-MA took chair trumpet in the Festival Concert Band. 1st Place in the category of Military School Band. Other R-MA Cadets who participated in Also at the Apple Blossom Festival, R-MA the Festival Concert Band included: Connor was represented among the princesses by Amelia Gamma ‘20 of Darnestown, MD, on flute and Ryan Latham '18 took home the MSBCF Schloesser '17 of Front Royal. piccolo; TaJour Gadson ‘18 of Norfolk, VA, and Outstanding Drum Major Award.
R-MA Drill Team: Marching Up and Onward
by Cooper Bourdon ’11, Communications Assistant On Saturday, January 28th, the R-MA drill team traveled to North Stafford High School for a drill meet with high hopes that met with success. There were five events and seven schools at the meet; R-MA cadets earned two first places and two second places. Tajour Gadson ’18 commanded the Inspection team as they were awarded first place. Members of the unit were Victoria Voellm ’18, Ian Mounts ’19, Nate Stewart ’19, Tradarius Gadson ’18, Taeho Joung ’18, Jonathan Bunker ’20, Grayson Galeone ’18, Max Berman ’18, and Ben Kopjanski ’20. R-MA was also awarded first place in Unarmed Regulation and received a perfect score, plus bonus points, earning a total of 328 points out of 300. The flight was commanded by Yifei Peng ’17 and its members were Tajour Gadson ’18, Victoria Voellm ’18, Omar Bran ’17, Yupei Mai ’17, Jian Li ’17, Delong Zeng ’19, Fatoumata Diallo ’19, Nate Stewart ’19, and Gillian Rydholm ’18. The Color Guard, commanded by Victoria Voellm ’18, received second place. The color guard members included Chenxi Lei ’18, Shaui Gu ’18, and Kaibing Yang ’18. The last event was the drill knock-out, where 60 cadets filed in and executed any commands given to them by the commander. R-MA’s Taylor Wreath ’20 finished second place out of the 60 participants. On April 28th, the team helped to celebrate the 125th Anniversary of R-MA by demonstrating their talents in Downtown Front Royal. This was more of a challenge than it sounds, as the team had to 12 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
change their routine to adapt to a narrower staging area—and get up early the next morning to head to the biggest and most important meet of the year. On April 29th, while most of the Academy was celebrating Founder’s Weekend, the drill team once again hit the road, this time heading to the Air Force Association’s Virginia State Drill Meet at Atlee High School in Mechanicsville, VA, to face off against 20 other high schools from Virginia. Drill Team Instructor TSgt Tina Laing, USAF, Retired, was bursting with pride when they returned from the meet. The team had faced off against schools that had drill as an elective during the school day; R-MA’s drill team members must get up early in the morning to practice; this means they must perfect their maneuvers with half of the practice time many other units have. Laing pointed out that while they did not win the overall competition, the team has continued to rise against the challenges facing them and move up in the standings, little by little, over the past few years. In 2014, they won only 2nd Place for Unarmed Regulation. In 2015, they took two honorable mentions for Color Guard and Armed Exhibition. (Honorable mentions are teams who placed 6th - 10th.) In 2016, they earned four honors: 3rd for Color Guard, 5th for Armed Exhibition and two honorable mentions for Armed Regulation and Unarmed Exhibition. This year, the team claimed five awards: 3rd place for Unarmed Regulation, 4th for Color Guard, and three honorable mentions, one each in Inspection, Unarmed Exhibition, and Armed Exhibition.
Board of Trustees Welcomes Three New Members by Celeste Brooks P'12,'21, Director of Public Relations In recent months, R-MA has welcomed three new members to the Board of Trustees. These personnel bring a plethora of expertise and enthusiasm to the Academy; the rest of the board, along with the administration, faculty, and staff, look forward to working with them. Joe Hadeed, a 1984 graduate of Randolph-Macon Academy, is President and CEO of Hadeed In Home and Office Cleaning Services. Hadeed Carpet Cleaning started as a small family business in the Del Ray community of Alexandria and now employs over 100 people. Joe believed that a combination of great service and marketing would introduce Joe Hadeed the business to a much wider and appreciative audience, and time has proven him correct. Hadeed now serves clients from the Carolinas and up the East Coast as far as New York, with the ability to work on the smallest, treasured works of art to embassy-sized masterpieces. The business has also grown to include maid services, wall-to-wall carpet cleaning, and other specialty cleaning services. Joe has supported local schools, Senior Services of Alexandria, United Community Ministries, The Alexandria Police Foundation, Dogs on Deployment, The Fund for Alexandria’s Child and The Fairfax County Domestic Violence Shelter for Women and Children. He has volunteered his time in the Alexandria City Detention Center as a speaker and mentor, and was recognized by the Sheriff ’s Department of Alexandria for his efforts. Joe currently serves on The Board of Trustees of The Inova Alexandria Hospital Foundation and also actively promotes the work of Childhelp, an organization that works to prevent abuse and to help families recover from abuse. Stuart Hester, the Charlotte Regional Executive and Senior Vice President for Community First Bank in Charlotte, NC, is the
Stuart Hester with his son Ben, R-MA Class of 2016, who is currently enrolled at The Citadel. This photo was taken at R-MA's graduation ceremony in May. (Courtesy photo)
father of R-MA 2016 graduate Ben Hester. Stuart, a military school alumnus himself, graduated from Elon University in 1989 with a B.S.B.A. in Management. He has worked in the banking industry ever since, holding positions at the vice president level with Wachovia Bank of Granite/ First Commerce Bank, and First Community Bank, and at the senior vice president level with Bank of Commerce,
New Dominion Bank, and BlueHarbor Bank. Outside of his work, Stuart is an avid supporter of his community. He is currently a Director of Carolina Business Capital and a member of East Gastonia Rotary Club. He is also a former member of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce and a current volunteer for both NC Bankers Association and United Way of Central Carolinas. In the past, Stuart has served on the Board of Trustees for Hargrave Military Academy and has also served as Church Council President of Lutheran Chapel Church. Patty Keenan, PCC, is the most recent addition to the Board of Trustees at Randolph-Macon Academy. Patty is the Principal and Executive Coach of Keenan Insights, Inc., which is a highly respected nationwide coaching practice. Through her company, she has coached nearly a dozen CEOs and hundreds of senior leaders, and guided a CEO and his staff through a merger and acquisition valued at over $1 billion. She is a Professional Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation, and was an Executive-in-Residence and Adjunct Faculty with Stetson University, where she taught Leadership and Vertical Development in the University’s Executive MBA program. Patty’s early career path took her through six promotions in 12 years Patty Keenan at GE before she formed (Courtesy photo) her own company. She holds a B.S., cum laude, in Business Administration/ Marketing from the State University of New York at Albany. Patty serves on the board of the Richard O’Beirne Memorial Foundation, which was created in honor of her father to help develop leaders in the construction industry. She actively supports Catholic Charities Atlanta as a mentor for the leadership class and a member of the steering committee. She also has been an assistant girls’ lacrosse coach for Fulton County Schools. 13 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Campus News
Flight Program Success & Updates by Celeste Brooks P'12, '21, Director of Public Relations Two seniors managed to hit milestones in the flight program this school year. Seated on a pile of pillows, Sasha Matson ’17 successfully achieved her goal when she flew her first solo flight on November 17, 2016, beating her personal deadline of Thanksgiving break. Parker Overstreet ’17 became a private pilot at the Front Royal Airport on May 18, 2017. This was the culmination of his flight training at R-MA which began in 2015 during summer flight camp. At that time he wanted to become Sasha Matson '17, seated on a pile of a doctor and had no idea that pillows, completed her first solo flight in aviation would become his passion. November 2016. Now he is attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, training to become an airline pilot. R-MA’s flight program typically averages five to eight solos and two private pilots within one year. The flight program this year was impacted by major maintenance that extended unexpectedly into the school year, poor weather conditions throughout the year, and the departure of Flight Director Laura Abraham in April. Ryan Koch has been named the Director of Flight Operations and Training, and with the addition of Mark Kramer P’19 as a flight instructor for the 201718 school year, the program looks to be even stronger this fall, as it has added the Unmanned Flight Operations course, taught by Koch. Kramer is teaching Ground School.
Honor Society Inductions The following students were inducted into their respective honor societies during Spring Family Day on April 13, 2017:
National German Honor Society
National English Honor Society
Katherine Babineau ’20 Jonathan Bunker ’20 Ho Tin Cheng ’18 Ziyang Deng ’20 Gabriel Dubin ’18 Xiangwen Guo ’17 Emmett Heeg ’18 Josiah Herring ’20 Taeho Joung ’19 Jacob Karen ’19 Noelle Kramer ’19 Hanyu Liu ’18 Gillian Rydholm ’18 Andrew Sullivan ’20 Princess Uzoma ’20 Lillian Walker ’17 Alan Williams ’20 Kaibing Yang ‘18
Ho Tin Cheng ’18 Anastacia Chineme ’18 Fatoumata Diallo ’19 Kathleen Fedzer ’18 Shuai Gu ’18 Brittany Rojas ’19 Nathan Stewart ’19
National Spanish Honor Society Anastacia Chineme ’18 Alpha Diallo ’20 Taylor Wreath ’20
National French Honor Society
Parker Overstreet '17 shows off his private pilot certificate.
Thomas-Sualley Earns Silver in Regional Science Fair Competition On Tuesday, March 7th, ten Middle School and eight Upper School students traveled to James Madison University for the Regional Science Fair. The students earned this opportunity by placing in the top levels of the school's science fairs held in February. At the regional competition, Sidique Thomas-Sualley '21 won a Silver Medal in the Junior Environmental Science category for his project entitled, "To Mold or Not to Mold." 14 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Molayooluwa Babatunde ’20 Fatoumata Diallo ’19 Kathleen Fedzer ’18 Binrong Fu ’17 Khalila Karefa-Kargbo ’19 James Ross ’20 Alexis Spears ’20 Citlaly Sosa ‘20 Nathan Stewart ’19 Liwen Zhang ’18
National Math Honor Society Ho Tin Cheng ’18 Anastacia Chineme ’18 Zhiyuan Gao ’19 Jacob Karen ‘19 Christian Lesko ’19 Taeho Joung ’19 Nathan Stewart ’19 Liana Trupiano ’18 Di Wu ’19 Fenze Yang ’18 Delong Zeng ’19 Junzhe Zhang ’19
National Junior Honor Society Minjun Choi ‘22 Caitlin Cunningham ’22 Haorun Luan ‘21
National Honor Society Fatoumata Diallo ’19 Zhiyuan Gao ’19 Delong Zeng ’19 Dongfang Zhang ’19 Tiwanioluwa BayoAdeyemo ‘18 Kathleen Fedzer’18 Alexander Fekkes ’18 Sarah Vaughan ’18 Jeffrey Dinackus ’17
Students Celebrate Diverse Cultures Proceeds go to UNICEF
by Cooper Bourdon ’11, Communications Assistant Stir-fry, pierogis, hand-rolled sushi, plantains, Brazilian-styled pork tenderloin, and even authentic Chinese fried rice. These were just a few of the cuisines that were on the menu for the annual Randolph-Macon Academy International Night. This is a heavily anticipated event for the student body. It gives the Yellow Jackets a chance to sample food they have never tasted, learn about the unique culture of their classmates, and to simply have a good time. International Night does not just provide culture and nourishment for the students, but philanthropy as well. It is hosted by R-MA’s International Club and collects a great deal of money for their cause. All profits made
by the International Club during the 2016-17 school year went towards the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in an effort to provide aid to children growing up in developing countries across the globe. International Club President, Stephen Okonkwo ’17, said, “We all had the common goal to raise money for school supplies to give to kids who may not be as privileged as we were growing up with our resources and education.” After everybody dined on several plates of food, it was time to begin the evening’s fashion show. Students from China, South Korea, Vietnam, Nigeria, New Guinea, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, and more, sported the garbs of their country for everyone to see. “It was an amazing night,” said Okonkwo. “It was exciting to see so many different cultures and how proud people were of their heritage. Okonkwo continued, “The whole team was definitely nervous because there was a lot going on behind the scenes that made things a little complicated initially, but at the end of the day it was a huge success.” 15 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Campus News
Reflections on the NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade: A Cadet's Perspective by Hong Li Liu This Saint Patrick’s Day, the R-MA Parade Unit marched in New York City (NYC) as part of the Annual NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the largest Saint Patrick’s Day parade in America. The Parade Unit was made up of the Cadet Wing’s Corps Staff, Color Guard, Band, and Flag Corps. Consisting of more than one hundred cadets, roughly one-third of the Cadet Corps, this impressive formation marched in front of over three million live viewers and many more televised ones. Marching is an important part of what the Corps of Cadets does; not only is it a part of R-MA’s deep military tradition, but it is also a reflection on the professionalism of the AFJROTC cadets of R-MA. “It’s amazing to see over 100 cadets march perfectly in-step during the parade,” says Advanced Aerospace Instructor MSgt Stephen Pederson, USAF, Retired, whose high expectations for his cadets were more than met. It’s not surprising that the cadets received so many cheers and applause from spectators. After years of marching excellence, New York’s Drum Major Ryan Latham '18 leads the band past St. Patrick's Cathedral in New landmark 5th Avenue, which serves as the parade route, has York City during the St. Patrick's Day Parade. become very familiar to R-MA cadets. This year’s trip to “It was amazing to lead the corps to represent our school in the NYC, however, brought fresh and unfamiliar things. middle of New York City! Lots of people, mesmerized by our music With extra funding from the Air Force that encouraged more and marching, enthusiastically cheered for R-MA. I am grateful for Cadet in Action trips, this year’s trip included a side visit to the the opportunity to perform in a once-in-a-lifetime event! Like many Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum. The funding also allowed the other R-MA students, I will never forget this unique experience in parade unit to include the R-MA Flag Corps, a fifty-cadet unit that New York,” said Cadet Colonel Dongeun "Amy" Go '17, who led the includes every U.S. state flag. parade formation.
R-MA Awarded Secure Our Schools Grant
L-R: R-MA’s Director of Support Services, Don Williams; Vice President of Development and Alumni Programs, Kittie Abell P'13; R-MA President, Brig Gen David Wesley, USAF, Retired; WCSO’s Sheriff Daniel McEathron; Administrative Assistant to Patrol Division, Donna Brady. On February 1, 2017, Warren County Sheriff, Daniel McEathron presented Randolph-Macon Academy President Brig Gen David Wesley, USAF, Retired, with a check in the amount of $127,960, which was awarded to the Sheriff ’s Office through a Community Oriented Policing Secure Our Schools Grant. This brings to completion a seven-year collaborative project between the Sheriff ’s Office and Randolph-Macon Academy to provide the Academy’s campus with a much-needed video security system. 16 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
What Did You Miss at R-MA This Summer?
Plan to join in the fun at R-MA next summer! Details about the 2018 summer program will be released January 5, 2018.
Mike Starling '88: Pursuing Potent Positive Character and Effective Leadership by Cooper Bourdon '11, Communications Assistant Lieutenant Colonel Michael Starling, USMC, Retired, and 1988 Randolph-Macon Academy (R-MA) graduate, has returned to “The Hill” in Front Royal, VA, this time as an employee. His mission: to coordinate talents of faculty and staff towards molding the young minds at R-MA into effective leaders through uniform and focused lessons of character and leadership. Starling has been appointed by R-MA President, Brigadier General David C. Wesley, USAF, Retired, to the new position of Chair of Leadership and Character. His charge is to ensure the development of each student to resemble the portrait of the R-MA graduate. This includes being intellectually curious and adventurous, confident to lead others, self-aware, selfassured, well-mannered, respectful, and resilient. Starling is well versed in character and leadership along with training others on the subject. He came from a military family where these lessons were part of his upbringing. He then attended R-MA where these lessons were solidified. After graduation, he attended the Virginia Military Institute and became an officer in the United States Marine Corps. He has a career of educating, training, and leading across the globe, but one thing has always remained the same: character and leadership have been crucial to every success. Character and leadership go hand in hand, and it is important that each student fully grasps the value of both. History has witnessed great leaders who used their gift of leadership for destruction and chaos due to low character and ethics. There have also been men and women with a tremendous amount of character, but they lack the leadership to move their peers
towards a worthy cause. In the words of Norman Schwarzkopf, a four-star General in the United States Army, “Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.” Before one can lead, he or she must first be able to follow. It is the same concept for character and leadership. Before students can be taught leadership, they must first learn the tenets of character. What do we consider character though? It is living honor above self. It is being confident, yet humble. It is cultivating physical and moral courage, applying self-discipline, and being a great teammate. Our students apply these tenets of character as the cornerstone of their leadership. But what is leadership? It is maintaining one’s integrity in the face of temptation. It is exercising initiative and, though a leader, exhibiting the act of followership. It is being a team builder and effective communicator, and leading in order to serve. This is not something the students develop behind a desk. This is something they live in their daily routine. It is a culture, not just a class. Students are not simply defining character and leadership, they are applying it to all areas of life. They will ask themselves, “How did I perform today? For my interests or others? Did I do the right thing every time? Especially when it got tough? Did I do what was expected of me? Did I lift others today?” It is not enough to tell a student what character and leadership are. They must have a guide to help them answer such essential questions. Using much of the development efforts that existed around campus, Starling has provided this guide, and will see it implemented across campus and in all facets of life at R-MA.
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Campus News
Parents’ Association Corner Greetings from the Parents' Association! We are very excited for the coming year! We want to welcome all parents and grandparents to join us at our meetings. At each meeting, we try to have a speaker from the Academy. The speaker is available to answer questions that pertain to their area within the school. Please see the PA Corner in the announcements for meeting times, speakers and ways to get involved. Our goal is to provide support to the various programs at the Academy--programs that directly impact our children. Throughout the year, we provide the Academy with both monetary support and the support of our time through helping
set up activities, chaperoning, or through other avenues. Whether it is one time for a couple of hours or on a regular basis, we encourage you to come and get involved. Our main fundraiser is our used clothing sale--help is always needed to wash uniforms, tag items, organize the sale, and run the sale. We also run the concession stand at football games and organize concession stands for the basketball games. All of this has combined to allow us to provide funds for mentoring programs, teacher grants, and student activities. Parents, I want to personally thank each of you for your continued support. I truly appreciate every helping hand and donation. All time and money directly benefits the students. In the spring, many of us had the joy of watching our children graduate and move onto the next phase in life: college. As always, that annual event means changes in the leadership of your Parents' Association. Our officers for the coming year are: President: Susan Gawalt, MD, P'14, '16, '20 Treasurer: Heather Grossman, P'16, '18, '21 Secretary: Cristina Lussier P'18 Upper School Representative: Susan Glasscock P'18 Middle School Representative: Shawn Richmond P'23 If you have any questions in regards to the Parents' Association, you may reach me at sgawalt@pediatric-assoc.com.
Susan
Susan J, Gawalt, MD President of Parents' Association
hank you toRandolph-MaconAcademy for T helping to create a brighter future by teaching outstanding values and providing an exceptional education to the children of our community.
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18 The Sabre ď ˇ SUMMER/FALL 2017
Stephen Czarda '09 Returns to Speak at Middle School Promotion Ceremony by Celeste Brooks, P'12, '21, Director of Public Relations
On June 1, 2017, 28 eighth graders—along with their families, friends, and Randolph-Macon Academy staff and faculty—gathered at Boggs Chapel in eager anticipation of the Middle School Promotion Ceremony. This year provided a special treat, as R-MA graduate Stephen Czarda, Class of 2009, returned to speak to the R-MA Class of 2021. As has become a Randolph-Macon Academy Middle School tradition, Principal Derrick Leasure provided some key statistics about this eighth grade class: • The average eighth grader held a GPA of greater than 3.4 in any given quarter. • Half of the class was on the Principal’s List or President’s List every quarter. • This group was the first R-MA eighth grade class to take the PSAT, and they collectively scored in the top third. • 100% participated in an interscholastic sport. • The class posted over 1,000 hours of community service this year. • 90% of the class took high school classes at R-MA Upper School. Leasure honored the “lifers” who had been at the Middle School since sixth grade: Yazmin Blell, Jessalyn Brooks, Lily Grossman, David Idah, Daniel Peterson, Sidique Thomas-Sualley, Jotrina Vamboi, and Nathan Whaley. The entire eighth grade class was then blessed to hear from a relevant and engaging speaker as Czarda shared his story. Czarda attended R-MA from sixth grade through twelfth grade, making him a “lifer.” He then went on to attend George Mason University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in health, fitness, and recreation resources, with a concentration in sports management, and a Master of Science degree in sports and recreation studies. He is now the Senior Writer and Content Coordinator for the Washington Redskins. Czarda caught the students’ attention early on, saying that in spite of coming to R-MA “under one of the worst possible situations, I am standing here today – happy, healthy and proud of who I’ve become – because of this place,” he announced. He went on to describe to the class the tragic circumstances that brought him to R-MA. His mother was diagnosed with tongue cancer (a rare cancer normally diagnosed
Top row, left to right, are "lifers" David Idah, Daniel Peterson, Sidique Thomas-Sualley, Jotrina Vamboi, and Nathan Whaley; front row, left to right, are Yazmin Blell, Jessalyn Brooks, and Lily Grossman.
in heavy drinkers or smokers, though she was neither). After a hardfought battle, she passed away in January 2002. Czarda and his brothers came to R-MA’s summer program that year, as their father sought to provide a stable environment for his three children. That fall, two of them enrolled at R-MA. “Despite not knowing the good of being at R-MA as a 12-year-old and despite being so abrasive with my teachers and the dorm supervisors – Ms. Tiffany Bronson in particularly – every single faculty member showered me with love even when I was, perhaps, the angriest little kid in school that year,” Czarda said. “These same people, though, laid a foundation for me Stephen Czarda, who graduated to live a much more positive life from R-MA in 2009, was the based on their example.” featured speaker at the Middle School Czarda recalled R-MA staff Promotion Ceremony. and teachers throughout the years who had assisted him, and the friends he made at R-MA, who are still some of his best friends today. He noted that he had never been involved in football before his Washington Redskins position—in fact, even his digital media experience was limited to an internship in 2012. However, what has helped make Czarda successful are skills he credits to his R-MA education. Although he admitted disliking study hall and having to carry an agenda, he said they taught him two key habits: “Set out a period of time to get all of my work done. And write down and plan out everything I need to accomplish in a given day, week, month and even year.” Czarda also said he still lives by the four virtues he learned at R-MA Middle School, and even has them printed out and “tucked away” at his desk: • Leave it Better Than You Found It. • Anything That Hurts Another Person is Wrong. • I Am Responsible For My Actions. • I Take Pride in Myself. “They are a foundation, a framework for our lives—use them as guides forever,” he advised the students. “Whether you’re on social media posting about the latest fads or in the academic setting with classmates interacting faceto-face (yes, you still need to), do not forget these virtues.” Now that this talented group of young men and women have conquered middle school, they embark on the next challenge of their journey: high school. And it is a challenge for which they are well Excited by the prospect of the care-free summer ahead, the new Middle School graduates hurry out prepared. of the chapel after the promotion ceremony.
19 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Campus News
English 6 Literature Most Outstanding Peyton Kaufman ‘23 Most Improved Ugo Odom ‘23 English 6 Composition Most Outstanding Payton Sullivan ‘23 Most Improved Jiseong Choi ‘23
English 7 Literature Most Outstanding Minjun Choi ‘22 Mohit Bisbey ‘22 Most Improved Caitlin Cunningham ‘22 Minjoon Kim ‘22 English 7 Composition Most Outstanding Haorun “Bernie” Luan ’21 Mohit Bisbey ‘22 Most Improved Matthew Foreman ‘22 Elianne Gihozo ‘22 English 8 Composition & Grammar Most Outstanding Jessalyn Brooks ‘21 Most Improved Autumn Thomas ‘21 English 8 Literature Most Outstanding Jessalyn Brooks ‘21 Most Improved JJ Banek-Gabelle ‘21 Civics Most Outstanding Joe Evertson ‘22 Most Improved Matthew Foreman ‘22 Geography Most Outstanding Minjun Choi ‘22 Most Improved Minh Vu ‘22 US History Most Outstanding Chanul Koku-Hennadige ‘23 Most Improved Ugo Odom ‘23 World History Most Outstanding Jessalyn Brooks ‘21 Jotrina Vamboi ’21 Most Improved JJ Banek-Gabelle ‘21 Destinee Thomas ’21 General Math Most Outstanding Luke Parks ’23
Middle School Honorees Most Improved Ugo Odom ‘23 Math Plus Most Outstanding Payton Sullivan ‘23 Most Improved Luke Habiby ‘22 Pre-Algebra Most Outstanding Nkeng Ngosong ‘21 Most Improved Autumn Thomas ‘21 Algebra 1 Most Outstanding Jotrina Vamboi ‘21 Most Improved Haoyuan Deng ‘21 Pre-Algebra Most Outstanding Mohit Bisbey ‘22 Most Improved Rere Babatunde ‘22 Earth Science 6 Most Outstanding Jiseong Choi ‘23 Payton Sullivan ‘23 Most Improved Ugo Odom ‘23 Life Science 7 Most Outstanding Minjun Choi ‘22 Most Improved Luke Habiby ‘22 Physical Science Most Outstanding Haley Clingerman ‘21 Most Improved Haorun “Bernie” Luan ’21 Physical Education 6 Most Outstanding Chanul Koku-Hennadige ‘23 Most Improved Ugo Odom ‘23 Physical Education 7 Most Outstanding Devlin Montgomery ‘21 Minjoon Kim ‘22 Most Improved Alex Self ‘22 Luke Habiby ‘22 Physical Education 8 Most Outstanding JJ Banek-Gabelle ‘21 Most Improved Michael Patten ‘21 Art Most Outstanding Payton Sullivan ‘23 Most Improved Caitlin Cunningham ’22
20 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Yearbook Most Outstanding Will Ponczak ‘23 Most Improved Haorun “Bernie” Luan ’21 Computer Skills Most Outstanding Minjun Choi ‘22 Most Improved Luke Parks ’23 Henry Scott '23 Digital Piano Most Outstanding Elianne Gihozo ‘22 Most Improved Bobby Starrs '22 Beginning Band Most Outstanding James Li '21 Most Improved Nicolas Gaina '21 Middle School Band Most Outstanding Jiseong Choi ‘23 Most Improved Luke Habiby ‘22 Upper School Band Gabe Hutto ‘22 Kunze Li ‘21 Photography Most Outstanding Haoyuan Deng ‘21 Most Improved Minjoon Kim ‘22 President’s List Jessalyn Brooks ‘21 Minjun Choi ‘22 Haorun “Bernie” Luan ’21 Principal’s List Mohit Bisbey ‘22 Jiseong Choi ‘23 Caitlin Cunningham ‘22 Joe Evertson ‘22 Matthew Foreman ‘22 Lily Grossman ‘21 Peyton Kaufman ‘23 Chanul Koku-Hennadige ‘23 Autumn Thomas ‘21 Jotrina Vamboi ‘21 Gold Star Awards Ameera Anderson-Dade ‘23 Yazmin Blell ‘21 Jessalyn Brooks ‘21 Jiseong Choi ‘23 Haley Clingerman ‘21 Peyton Kaufman ’23 Haorun “Bernie” Luan ’21 Ugo Odom ‘23 Daniel Peterson ‘21 Will Ponczak ‘23
Caleb Richmond ‘22 Payton Sullivan ‘23 Autumn Thomas ‘21 Jotrina Vamboi ‘21 Student Council Association President: Jessalyn Brooks ‘21 Vice President: Jotrina Vamboi ‘21 Secretary: Haley Clingerman ‘21 Treasurer: Gabe Hutto ‘22 Sgt. At Arms: Rere Babatunde ‘22 National Geographic Bee 3rd Place: JJ Banek-Gabelle '21 2nd Place: Joe Evertson ‘22 Bee Champion: Haorun “Bernie” Luan ’21 Speech Contest 6th grade: Honorable Mention: Nnamdi Odom ‘23 3rd Place: Jiseong Choi ‘23 2nd Place: Ameera Anderson-Dade ‘23 1st Place: Payton Sullivan ‘23 7th grade: Honorable Mention: Elianne Gihozo ‘22 3rd Place: Luke Habiby ‘22 2nd Place: Joe Evertson ‘22 1st Place: Alex Self ‘22 8th Grade: Honorable Mention: Lily Grossman ‘21 3rd Place: Autumn Thomas ‘21 2nd Place: Jessalyn Brooks ‘21 1st Place: Destinee Thomas ‘21 Math Counts Minjun Choi ‘22 Haoyuan Deng ‘21 Kunze Li ‘21 Haorun “Bernie” Luan ’21 Jotrina Vamboi ‘21 Liangpu Yu ‘21 Interact Club Awards Ameera Anderson-Dade ‘23 Rere Babatunde ‘22 JJ Banek-Gabelle ‘21 Tien Bui ‘21 Yazmin Blell ‘21
Jessalyn Brooks ‘21 Haley Clingerman ‘21 Caitlin Cunningham ’22 Joe Evertson ‘22 Matthew Foreman ‘22 Lily Grossman ‘21 Gabe Hutto ‘22 David Idah ‘21 Peyton Kaufman ‘23 Kunze Li ‘21 Nethaneel Loolo ‘23 Nkeng Ngosong ‘21 Cade Nutt ‘21 Nnamdi Odom ‘23 Michael Patten ‘21 Will Ponczak ‘23 Graham Randlett ‘21 Caleb Richmond ‘22 Alex Self ‘22 Bobby Starrs ’22 Payton Sullivan ‘23 Sidique Thomas-Sualley ‘21 Autumn Thomas ‘21 Destinee Thomas ’21 Jotrina Vamboi ‘21 Nathan Whaley ’21 Interact Leadership Award Lily Grossman ‘21 Interact Service Above Self Award Haley Clingerman ‘21 Next Highest Hours Served Payton Sullivan ‘23 Female Athlete of the Year Lily Grossman ‘21 Male Athlete of the Year Sidique Thomas-Sualley ‘21 Sportsmanship Award Devlin Montgomery ‘21 Most Improved Dorm Citizen David Idah ‘21 Most Outstanding Dorm Citizen Yazmin Blell ‘21 Most Genteel Female Award Jotrina Vamboi ‘21 Most Genteel Male Award Minjun Choi ‘22 Lincoln Award JJ Banek-Gabelle ‘21 Aim High Award Jessalyn Brooks ‘21 Haorun “Bernie” Luan ’21
Middle School Students Reach for Excellence by Cooper Bourdon '11, Communications Assistant
R-MA Middle School students receive various recognitions at the end of the school year, ranging from Most Improved and Most Outstanding Student in an individual classroom, to the honors reserved for individual eighth graders who have excelled in the areas of Knowledge, Leadership, or Character. For this issue's profiles we have selected two of these outstanding young people. JJ Banek-Gabelle '21: Lincoln Award Winner
This year’s Lincoln Award winner for the R-MA Middle School was the fun and outgoing JJ Banek-Gabelle ‘21. BanekGabelle was an enthusiastic student who made great use of his time, both socially and academically. He enjoyed the structure of R-MA and thrived under it as an A/B student. Banek-Gabelle was particularly grateful for the relationships he made at R-MA, one in particular with his classmate Lily Grossman ’21. “Things are either cool or uncool in the eyes of middle schoolers,” explained Banek-Gabelle. “Lily helped me realize that it doesn’t matter what other people think as long as you’re being you. It’s the best thing you can be.” Banek-Gabelle lived in Sierra Leone in West Africa, but moved to the Democratic Republic of the Congo this past summer. He tragically lost his parents at the tender age of six and was adopted by his father’s boss and good friend. He came to R-MA for the structure and higher level of academics. You can tell, just by sitting down with the young man, how passionate and driven he is. “I like having a plan,” said Banek-Gabelle. “I like the structure and keeping an agenda that keeps me on task.” His desire for a higher level of education was not lost among his teachers. Health and Physical Education teacher Joshua Ilnicki spoke highly of Banek-Gabelle. “JJ is one of the most affable students I have ever met,” said Ilnicki. “Not only does he possess great charisma, but he also has a high level of integrity. JJ is not one to back down from a challenge either. He is a very dedicated student that strives for success and the drive to achieve it.” Ilnicki was a crucial part of the R-MA experience for BanekGabelle and served as not only a mentor, but as a father figure as well. “He was great at calming me down whenever I got worked up about something,” explained Banek-Gabelle. “He also helped me with whatever I needed, whenever I needed it.” Another favorite teacher of Banek-Gabelle’s is Christopher Peter. Peter thought the world of Banek-Gabelle, but particularly enjoyed what the young man brought to his classroom. “During my geography class, JJ would often speak up to add something personal from his past. These moments impacted the entire class positively and influenced a deeper understanding of life and culture in Western Africa,” said Peter.
Jessalyn Brooks: Aim High Winner Those who know Jessalyn Brooks ’21 are more than aware of how great of a student she is. The first thing they will tell you is how hard a worker she is and how much she cares about her grades. Even as an eighth grader this year, she took three classes at the R-MA Upper School. “I was pretty nervous because I wasn’t sure if I could handle the workload,” said Brooks. “I got used to it though and ended up doing really well, which has given me confidence going into my freshman year.” Brooks is not just an academic. She played volleyball and basketball for the R-MA Middle School and excelled in both as she was named the Most Valuable Player for the girls’ basketball team and received the Most Improved Player Award for the volleyball team. On top of being a driven student and accomplished athlete, Brooks was the president of the SCA, and she is philanthropic with her spare time. She participated in numerous roadside cleanups and this year’s trip to Washington D.C. as part of the Teens Opposing Poverty (TOP) group. She helped package food and snacks and handed them out to the homeless. Brooks attended the R-MA Middle School for all three years, grades six through eight, making her a middle school “lifer.” Each student is assigned a mentor during their time at R-MA, and Brooks' mentor, Karen McManus 'P'08, '13, resembled a proud mother. “Jessalyn is a terrific young lady,” said McManus. “I have had the pleasure of not only having her as a student, but as a mentee. She is a great role model as she takes her studies seriously, knows what she wants to accomplish, and gives 100% to everything she does.” This fall she shed the green polo of the R-MA Middle School and began sporting the Air Force blues of the R-MA Upper School.
Amy Go, Corps Commander, Claims Valedictorian Honors Dongeun "Amy" Go ended the school year just as impressively as she began it. Go had the honor of being selected to hold the position of Corps Commander for R-MA's Air Force JROTC unit. She was the first international student in R-MA's history to be awarded this position. She performed her job well this year, earning her the General MacArthur Foundation Award this spring. The General MacArthur Foundation Award is awarded to the “most soldierly performance by a senior class cadet considering academics, athletics, and leadership in accordance with detailed standards developed by each institution.” The awards do not stop there for Go. During Class Night in Boggs Chapel on May 25th, she was awarded the James M. Mills Military Excellence Award, the Social Studies Medal, and the George M. Wines Most Unselfish Service Award. She was also named valedictorian, an honor which was presented during graduation. 21 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Campus News
Even a Salutatorian’s Dreams Can Change experiences he gained at R-MA still by Celeste Brooks, P'12, '21, Director of Public Relations prepared him for his future endeavors. When Lucas Costa was in eighth grade, he had a He worked hard, earning eight dream: to go to the U.S. Air Force Academy. The goalvarsity letters in four different sports, oriented teenager did some research and determined including soccer, wrestling, track, that attending R-MA was a logical step to get there. and lacrosse. He was a member of “This was the best place to do it,” he observed. “It the National Honor Society, as well had everything I needed to get to the Academy.” as the English, math and Spanish To no one’s surprise, Costa earned the honor societies. He was also the appointment to the Academy, along with acceptances drill team commander, developing to Babson College, University of Oregon, University valuable leadership skills as he of Virginia, and Virginia Tech. But along the way, guided the team to take first overall something had changed for Costa. at a competition held at nearby “I went to the summer seminar in my junior Massanutten Military Academy, and year, and I decided then that I did not want to go third in the national competition to the Air Force Academy,” Costa admitted. Still, hosted by the Association of Military he continued on the path, completing the Academy Schools and Colleges of the U.S. application; it was hard to give up what had been his Even with all of his activities, he dream, especially when it was within reach. However, as Costa continued through his high Salutatorian Lucas Costa '17 accepts a plaque and maintained his high grades. There were two valuable skills that school career, he did not find a re-kindled desire to medal from R-MA President Brig Gen David C. Costa learned as a result of the culture enter the Air Force. Instead, he developed an interest Wesley, USAF, Retired. at R-MA. “I had to learn a lot about in studying finance, eventually deciding that he wanted how to be independent,” he said. “I got here, a thousand miles away to major in that area in college. That shift caused him to decline the from my parents, and I had to do things I never had to do before. Like acceptance to the Academy, and instead accept the offer to attend the I had to figure out what to eat on the weekends—things I wouldn’t Honors Program at Virginia Tech. have to think about at home. And I learned time management and “My views kind of changed,” he said. “I became interested in how to prioritize, especially during my junior year. I would work on private equity. I hope to start something at Tech before I graduate. something, then put it aside.” Consulting is another path I’m interested in.” A friend at Virginia This fall, R-MA’s Homecoming King will head to Virginia Tech Tech told Costa about their investment club, and it caught his interest. with a solid foundation, knowing that his hard work and R-MA’s “It’s the biggest in the country,” he explained, “and they all manage a program have combined to give him the skills he needs to chase his portfolio.” dreams—even if those dreams change again. While Costa’s life goals changed, the lessons he learned and
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Class Night Honors
Classroom-level awards, various military awards, and general community service and citizenship awards are given out in various ceremonies leading up to the end of the school year, providing recognition to each student who has persevered to rise above his or her classmates during the year. These awards are listed on www.rma.edu/blog/2016-17-academic-awards. Among these stars are students who shine brighter still, who have held themselves to an even higher standard; these students are recognized during Class Night with the highest honors Randolph-Macon Academy awards.
Athletic Awards
Military Awards
Pat Spears Junior Mile Alexander Fekkes ’18
“Cadet in the Arena” Leadership Award Zainab Salami ’17 Lucas Costa ’17
Pat Spears Senior Mile Benjamin Schoonover ’17 Pat Spears Most Improved Award Jeffrey Collins ’17 Football Sportsmanship Award So-So Eke-Spiff ’17 Outstanding Sportsman Award Joseph Leichsenring ’17 C. Lyle McFall Coach of the Year Jeff Moxie Scholar/Athlete Award Lillian Walker ’17 Ryan Latham ’18 Distinguished Athlete Award Lily Ruch ’18 Athletes of the Year Female: Lillian Walker ’17 Male: Alex Ndongo-Seh ’17
Air Force Association AFJROTC Award Jianxiong Li ’17 James M. Mills Award Dongeun Go ’17 Commandant’s Award Mikayla Reifert ’17
Music Awards Herbert Gray Wyatt Medal Benjamin Schoonover ’17 Outstanding Instrumental Musician Medals Ziyin Chen ’18 Jacob Karen ’19 Yuyang Wang ’19 The Semper Fidelis Award Ezra Embrey ’17 John Philip Sousa Band Award Benjamin Schoonover ’17
Outstanding Choral Musician Medals Yipei Peng ’17 Musay Taylor ’17
Academic Awards German Medal Sarah Vaughan ’18 Spanish Medal Anastacia Chineme ’18 French Medal Gery You- Ghosal ’17 Drama Medal Zainab Salami ’17 English as a Second Language Medal Yen Binh Hoang ’17 English Medal Lucas Costa ’17 Journalism Medals Hong Li Liu ’19 Gillian Rydholm ’18 Math Medal Xiangwen Guo ’17 Science Medal Taeho Joung ’18
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Social Studies Medal Dongeun Go ’17 Kemper History Medal Parker Overstreet ’17 Jesse K. Brennan Medal Edmund Loolo ’18 Boyd M Guttery ’45 Humanities Medal Ben Schoonover ’17 National Honor Society President: Dennis Ponn ’17 Vice President: Dongeun Go ’17 Community Service Officer: Yupei Mai ’17 Parliamentarian: Benjamin Schoonover ’17 Secretary: Yifei Peng ’17 Treasurer: Onimitein Georgewill ’17
Special Awards Sewanee Award for Excellence Kathleen Fedzer ’18 The Daughters of the American Colonists Award Gillian Rydholm ’18 Stephen C. Harriman ’82 Outstanding Character Scholarship Award Ian Whalen ’18 The Most Genteel Female Award Onimitein Georgewill ’17 The Most Genteel Male Award Stephen Okonkwo ’17 The Athena Award Yifei Peng ’17 The Lincoln Award Parker Overstreet ’17 The George M. Wines Most Unselfish Service Award Dongeun Go ’17 The Best All-Around Cadet Benjamin Schoonover ’17
23 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Campus News
125th Graduating Class Celebrates Achievements Without you all I don't exactly know who or what I would've become, but I know I can confidently say I have a bright future to look forward to because of Randolph-Macon. -Mikayla Reifert '17, Senior Luncheon by Celeste Brooks P'12, '21, Director of Public Relations Excitement and tears intermingled during Randolph-Macon Academy’s graduation as the Class of 2017 proudly celebrated their accomplishments, with 100% of the class earning college acceptances. In fact, the 59 seniors and two postgraduate students earned 242 acceptances to 145 different colleges and universities, with over $6 million in college scholarship offers. In addition, seven Falcon Scholars at R-MA earned admission to the U.S. Air Force Academy. After celebrating their graduation from the Air Force JROTC program during the Final Parade held on Friday, May 26th, the 68 students gathered in Melton Memorial Gymnasium on Saturday, May 27, 2017, surrounded by family members, friends, faculty, staff, and alumni of the Academy. During the ceremony, the soonto-be-graduates were treated to speeches by valedictorian Dongeun “Amy” Go and commencement speaker Maj Gen Mark Anthony Valedictorian Amy Go '17 kept things light during Brown, the Vice her speech to her fellow graduates. Commander, Air Education and Training Command (AETC), Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. Both speeches were light-hearted, full of good advice with enough laughter to keep the attention of all those present. “Although many of us have come from different countries, we have succeeded in communicating with each other. R-MA has become
our home and the common language we speak,” said Go during her speech. Recalling some of the challenges the seniors had faced during their R-MA years, Go added, “So never forget why you are climbing the hill that you are, because the view is pretty from the bottom, but Maj Gen Mark Anthony Brown, Vice it is truly magnificent Commander of the Air Education and Training once you reach the Command, was the commencement speaker. top.” Brown likewise encouraged the class to face future adversity head-on, and expressed confidence that they were ready for life’s challenges. “You are a great generation and based on your choice to be a part of an academy like Randolph-Macon, you have already gotten a head start in life and I believe if you hold onto what you’ve learned here at the Academy, especially as it relates to character and virtue, your story, like the stories of those that came before you, can end well,” he said. Brown spoke of the poem “The Ladder of Saint Augustine” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. In it, Brown explained, “he warns us that no matter what route we take, life has ups and downs. The question is how we handle those ups and downs.” He went on to quote Longfellow: “The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.” Longfellow, according to Brown, “shows that he understands that though the journey is unchangeable and filled with faults, flaws, and failures that we would love to change, even a pile of problems gives us something we can build on. If, out of the ashes of our mistakes, we learn wisdom, and if we use that wisdom to gain great heights, then it can be said that, in the long run, those challenges, like rungs on a ladder that we may struggle to grab, are in the end used to move us up a little higher. They turn out to be good for us.” Brown -Ferner "Omar" Bran '17, Senior Luncheon added, “Challenges produce champions,
No matter who you are and no matter how long you have been here, it is undeniable that you have made some friends that you can consider family. As we go our separate ways, always remember that Randolph-Macon Academy will always be a home to us. 24 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
R-MA has taught me in particular to get out of my comfort zone and explore how I can impact my community. -Stephen Okonkwo '17, Class President, Class Night
So, next year when we're in college, and we're overwhelmed with papers and exams and whatever else, you can think back to your time in high school and say, 'I've got this.'
obstacles are opportunities, and trials…Thank God for the trials because they can result in triumphs.” Brown continued on, telling the story of Gen Walter Boomer, USMC, Retired, a 1956 alumnus of Randolph-Macon Academy. He recounted Boomer’s heroic efforts in the Vietnam War for which he was awarded the Silver Star, and his leadership of the Marines during Operation Desert Storm. Brown then went on to remind the students of their own football team and the seemingly impossible win against St. Anne’s Belfield this past fall. “A fighting spirit, perseverance, resilience, and teamwork…were crucial to the victory,” Brown exclaimed. “Please don’t ever lose that fighting spirit and don’t you dare give up!” The Class of 2017, the 125th graduating class of RandolphMacon Academy, then received their well-deserved diplomas. They will now move onto a variety of colleges and universities. Valedictorian and Corps Commander Amy Go will attend “The Harvard of Canada,” McGill University. Salutatorian Lucas Costa of Oregon plans to attend Virginia Tech, Honors College. Class President Stephen Okonkwo of Nigeria will attend American University. The senior voted as “Best All-Around Cadet,” Ben Schoonover of Winchester, will head to the University of Oregon.
--Lucas Costa '17, Salutatorian, Class Night
R-MA has shaped me into the person I am today, and as you can see, the transformation is not little, but huge. -Yifeng "Helen" Peng, Senior Luncheon
A group of soon-to-be graduates receive a standing ovation after their musical performance during Class Night.
Don't be intimidated by any obstacle; always forge ahead. --Edwin Ikhinmwin '17, Senior Luncheon
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Campus News
125th Graduating Class Carries on
College Acceptance & Scholarship Traditions Continuing the trend of the last decade, the Class of 2017 garnered over 240 college acceptances and more than $6 million in college scholarship offiers! Following is the list of college acceptances for the Class of 2017. The colleges the students were expected to matriculate to this fall are listed first, with additional colleges following.
Temuunkhuslen Batbayar San Diego Miramar College
Austin Battaglia Radford University Longwood University Shenandoah University West Virginia University
Alex Blell George Mason University Central Connecticut State University Georgia State University Ohio University (Arts & Sciences) Old Dominion University Virginia Commonwealth University West Virginia University
Ferner Omar Bran Hampden-Sydney College Norwich University
Jiatian Chen Virginia Tech Baylor University University of Pittsburgh
Seonwoo Chung SUNY Buffalo State College Clarkson University Drexel University
Jeffrey Collins California State University, Sacramento Sonoma State University
Lucas Costa Virginia Tech Babson College University of Oregon United States Air Force Academy University of Virginia
Austin Davis
Jeffrey Dinackus
Dongeun Go
Gettysburg College Arcadia University Christopher Newport University Dickinson College Loyola University Maryland University of Mary Washington Randolph-Macon College Saint Joseph’s University Ursinus College
McGill University University of British Columbia University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign University of Virginia
AyebaSopreye Eke-Spiff East Carolina University Clemson University High Point University Loyola University Maryland University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Ezra Embrey Salisbury University West Virginia University
Timothy Fajembola Syracuse University The University of Arizona Georgia State University Texas A&M University
Matthew Flynn (PG) Marion Military Institute (U.S. Coast Guard Scholars Program) University of Colorado, Boulder Virginia Tech Air Force ROTC Scholarship Recipient
BinRong Fu The George Washington University University of California, Santa Cruz Florida Institute of Technology University of Massachusetts, Amherst (College of Engineering) Michigan State University Pennsylvania State University Virginia Tech
Onimitein Georgewill University of Maryland, College Park The George Washington University Pennsylvania State University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Virginia Tech (Engineering)
Towson University East Carolina University Mount St. Mary’s University West Virginia University 26 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Xiangwen Guo University of Virginia Florida Institute of Technology Purdue University Virginia Tech (Engineering)
Xuanyu Guo Virginia Tech American University Binghamton University University of Connecticut Drexel University Indiana University at Bloomington Michigan State University Pennsylvania State University Rochester Institute of Technology Stevens Institute of Technology
Yen Binh Binh Hoang
Xiangwen Li Pennsylvania State University Miami University, Oxford Rochester Institute of Technology Syracuse University
Joseph Link
Lord Fairfax Community College Old Dominion University
Yupei Mai Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne University of California, Davis Loyola University Chicago Michigan State University University of Nevada, Las Vegas Pennsylvania State University University of Washington
Tanyi Makia Howard University East Carolina University Old Dominion University Towson University West Virginia University
Nii Kojo Mante
American University (School of Business) Saint John’s University
Howard University Hofstra University Towson University
Sarah Hoeing
Sasha Matson
Sweet Briar College Cedar Crest College Hollins University
Edwin Ikhinmwin University of Virginia Georgia State University Pennsylvania State University St. John’s University - Queens Campus
Jacob Lee
Southern Illinois University, Carbondale University of Dubuque Lewis University Middle Georgia State University
Thomas Minchew Lynchburg College Radford University University of Virginia’s College at Wise
University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign Calvin College Central Michigan University Colorado State University Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg
Nicholas Mohey-El-Dien
Joseph Leichsenring West Virginia University Lycoming College McDaniel College
Towson University Capitol Technology University Frostburg State University George Mason University
Jianxiong Li
Alexander Ndongo-Seh
American University Florida Institute of Technology Illinois Institute of Technology Lynn University
Flagler College The University of Akron Regis University Western State Colorado University
Nkeng Morfaw
Marymount University Mount St. Mary’s University West Virginia University
Olivia Nganga
Montgomery College, Rockville New England College
Mackenzie “Julia” Norton West Virginia University
Stephen Okonkwo American University George Mason University James Madison University Marymount University
Annalee Opsahl Becker College Indiana University of Pennsylvania West Virginia University
Parker Overstreet Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach
Yifei “Helen” Peng The George Washington University Boston University University of California, Irvine University of Maryland, College Park Pennsylvania State University The Ohio State University
Nataly Perez Radford University The University of Akron Bridgewater College Emory & Henry College Lynchburg College Marymount University
Dennis Ponn Louisiana State University East Carolina University Hampden-Sydney College High Point University James Madison University University of Maryland, College Park Ohio University Seton Hall University Susquehanna University Virginia Tech West Virginia University Air Force ROTC Scholarship Recipient
Mikayla Reifert The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina Mary Baldwin University Norwich University West Virginia University
Hao Ru
Zhixi Song
The Ohio State University University of California, Santa Cruz University of Connecticut University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Pennsylvania State University Syracuse University
Indiana University at Bloomington Pennsylvania State University
Corban Ruch Virginia Tech
Zainab Salami The University of Texas, San Antonio Cedarville University Grace College Hollins University Houston Baptist University University of Mary HardinBaylor University of North Texas Simpson College Texas A&M University-San Antonio
Morgan Sauter Norwich University Towson University Valley Forge Military College Virginia Tech Army ROTC Scholarship Recipient
Amelia Schloesser Shenandoah University Radford University West Virginia University Wittenberg University
Benjamin Schoonover University of Oregon University of North Carolina at Asheville
Joseph Silek James Madison University West Virginia University
Musay Taylor Marymount University Marietta College Old Dominion University
Victor Tong Pennsylvania State University James Madison University Michigan State University University of Toronto Washington State University
Lillian Walker Whitman College Christopher Newport University University of Denver Eckerd College Elon University University of Mary Washington University of Puget Sound Willamette University
Amanda Whaley Adelphi University George Mason University Gettysburg College Hofstra University Marymount University Molloy College Pace University, Westchester Campus Radford University Seton Hall University Utica College
Cong Xu Arizona State University University of California, Santa Cruz University of North Carolina at Charlotte Pennsylvania State University West Virginia University
Yiting Xu Griffith University University of Illinois at Chicago (College of Architecture & the Arts) Indiana University of Pennsylvania Johnson & Wales University (Providence) La Trobe University Le Cordon Bleu Australia Pty Ltd Miami University, Oxford The Culinary Institute of AmericaNY (Main Campus)
Gery You-Ghosal Arizona State University Hood College Prince George’s Community College West Virginia University
Jia Jun Yu Pennsylvania State University George Mason University Michigan State University University of South Carolina Congratulations to the 2017 Falcon Scholars, who earned appointments to the U.S. Air Force Academy Class of 2021:
Seth D’Allessandris Sean Freeman Connor Grant Martin Huffman Nakai Lake Megan Lopez Giovani Pomales
Welcome to the club! Remember to subscribe to the Dome Dispatch to keep informed about what your fellow alumni are up to! Send your email address to alumni@rma.edu. Keep up with what's going on: rma.edu/alumni-event Find us on Facebook too! 27 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Campus News
28 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
29 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Faculty & Staff
After 20 Years of Service, Williams Moves On by Cooper Bourdon '11, Communications Assistant The greatest joy Williams found at R-MA was when he witnessed For the past 20 years, Randolph-Macon Academy (R-MA) has a teenager take responsibility for themselves. “You know, there were had the pleasure and benefit of the hard work and dedication of Mr. certain kids who I did not think would make it to graduation day, Michael Sean Williams P’20. Those who have been in contact with but they proved me wrong; I loved it,” said Williams. “To see a young the Academy since 1997 know the name, the face, and the bald dome person turn it around and make this place a good experience for them which rivals that of Sonner-Payne. and their families brought all the joy in Williams was originally hired as the the world. Watching them come back Assistant to the Commandant, and he to R-MA as alumni and as productive had his work cut out for him. “I was here members of society is even better.” when a man named Major General Henry For Williams, it was special to be ‘Mack’ Hobgood was our President,” said a part of such a great change in the Williams. Hobgood made his vision of Academy’s direction. It made a shift the Academy’s future clear to Williams. from the old, “your grandfather’s military “He wanted to get rid of anyone who did school,” to a college-preparatory school not want to be here,” explained Williams. with an Air Force Junior ROTC program “Both students and faculty/staff.” This was designed to mold young people into good part of an effort to bring R-MA closer citizens. “I’m just proud to have been a part to the standards of a college-preparatory of something so positive,” said Williams. school. “As a father of an R-MA student, it brings It seemed the way to handle students, me great comfort knowing that my son back then, was to make sure they just will attend a great Academy that has come stayed out of trouble. “We needed to a long way.” change that,” said Williams. “I would Although Williams has hung up his rather ask, ‘How is so-and-so doing today? hat as the Director of Student Life, he is Michael Williams with Jeffrey Collins '17 just after the still present at R-MA. He is driving buses, Are they having fun?’ Not, ‘Did they at graduation ceremony in May. least stay out of trouble today?’” announcing football games, and assisting Williams never took anything the with the Parents' Association, as his son kids said or did personally. He knew it was just the rebellious nature Alan is a member of the R-MA class of 2020. of teenagers at work. “I did not do a lot of talking my first year,” said Filling the big shoes of Michael Williams is a man named Todd Williams. “I often provided a safe place for them to just vent, or Davis. Davis, much like Williams in 1997, has his work cut out for even explode in some cases. Better they do it in my office than in the him at R-MA. The Academy is making a lot of changes to propel classroom.” That was always Williams’ goal at R-MA; to see what they its campus further into the 21st century. Davis will continue to build could do for the student before things got bad. “If you sense a kid is on the work Hobgood and Williams started 20 years ago, with the about to get upset, send them to me,” said Williams. intention of moving the residential life program from good to great.
Staff & Faculty Notes Upper School Academic Coordinator Christine Bennett attended the 2017
Chaplain Joshua Orndorff was ordained
English Teacher Bryan McCabe
Effective January of 2017, Major Gifts
Director of Admission and Financial Aid Amy Harriman recently completed
Social Studies Teacher Andy Harriman, Math Teacher Alexis Meares, and English Teacher Brandon Sloan attended the weeklong
Administrative Professionals Retreat in Richmond, VA on April 26th.
and Planned Giving Officer Jay Smith began serving on the Board of
Directors for the Tri-State Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). He chairs the Diversity and Ethics Committee. He also earned Blackbaud Certification in the Raiser's Edge at the level of Fundamentals 2017.
Director of Services Don Williams
has completed three courses through Coursera and University of California Continuing Education Institute: Initiating and Planning Projects, Budget and Scheduling Projects, and Managing Project Risk and Changes. 30 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
as an Elder in Full Connection in the United Methodist Church on June 17th at the Virginia Annual Conference.
the Leadership in Enrollment Management Certificate Program through University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education. She was awarded a scholarship for this program through The Enrollment Management Association and presented at their Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA, in September 2017. On January 17, 2017, Cadet Life
Supervisor Linda Taylor, Athletic Director Frank Sullivan, and Commandant Frank Link attended the
VAIS Webinar “Risk Management Strategies for Off-Campus Trips and Activities.”
renewed his Virginia teacher certification in English, and attended an AP Art History Summer Institute in June 2017.
Stanley E. King Counseling Institute in North Andover, MA in late June. The Institute focused on the various listening and counseling techniques necessary for dealing with the issues many students face in adjusting to and living the independent/ boarding school life.
Director of Public Relations Celeste Brooks has been elected to serve a threeyear term on the Board of Trustees for Samuels Public Library, effective July 10, 2017.
With Foundation Laid, Leasure Shifts Back to Upper School Ballard Selected as Middle School Principal
by Celeste Brooks P’12, ’21, Director of Public Relations As he looks back at his tenure at R-MA Middle School, Derrick Leasure can be proud of the foundation he laid and the direction in which he pointed the school. He has, as the Middle School values extol, left it better than he found it. Leasure came to R-MA in 2008 as the Assistant Dean for Academics at the Upper School, and became R-MA Middle School’s principal in 2010. Over the past seven years, he strove to move the middle school in a more interactive direction. “I tried to approach middle school education as hands-on lab work,” he explained. “That’s why we put in the MIDI [Musical Instrument Digital Interface] lab, re-vamped the science lab, and created a photo lab for photography and video, to be used by any teacher. That led into the next phase of adding a maker space, which is in essence another lab. They lend themselves to creative work.” While moving in this new direction requires a lot of time and resources, Leasure noted that it is what the Academy Derrick Leasure becomes the needs to be doing. Upper School Assistant Dean Another area he concentrated on for 2017-18. was those responsible for teaching the students—as faculty members retired or left the Academy, Leasure wanted to ensure he was bringing in the right mix of people. “I wanted fresh, engaging people who share the concept of the class as a lab rather than a sit-in-place space,” he said. He said he sought out people who were “nurturing and mentoring, knowledgeable but engaging with kids.” The third area which saw great strides was getting students involved with competitions, both on a school level and a regional level. “We had the speech contest and science fair in place already,” he acknowledged. “We added the National Geographic Bee and reinstated a Math Counts team. We have plans to have Lego First for robots, rocketry, drone competitions—there are all kinds of things in the works.” Tony Ballard, who has been at R-MA for two years as a Middle School teacher and is now moving up into the Principal position, agrees with Leasure’s concepts and looks forward to building on the foundation his predecessor has left. “When you come back to it later in life and ask a student what they learned in seventh grade or eighth grade history, they may have trouble recalling information, but they
can probably recall projects they did or problems they resolved, and the research they did to get to that point,” he said. Ballard has two main goals for his first year at the helm as principal. The first is to continue to improve the academic program, an effort that is being supported with the hiring of two new teachers, one of which will focus on the new Innovation Lab and how students can create and discover with the tools there. “We want to challenge students. We want them to learn the Tony Ballard will assume skills that will carry on for a lifetime.” the position of Middle School Ballard explained these skills as turning Principal this fall. the students into collaborative workers, strong communicators, creative thinkers, and critical thinkers.” The second area Ballard intents to focus on is character development. “We want to provide the tools they need to make them the most effective citizens they can be,” he said. Ballard also hopes that he can help eighth grade parents and students understand the value of the Upper School academic and college counseling programs, so that when they are deciding where they want to attend high school, R-MA is at the top of the list. Leasure is now in a unique position to help make that happen, having experience with both schools and moving back to the Upper School this fall as Assistant Dean. “I’m eager to get back into the college-prep aspect, and reengaging with some colleges, re-discovering what they are now,” he said. “It’s not the same as it was eight years ago. Their approach is different; there is a reduced emphasis on the SAT and ACT. I believe the emphasis on maker space and digital learning is a part of that.” Leasure emphasized that careers are even different than when he was last at the Upper School. As a college-prep school, he pointed out, “We have had the philosophy of we don’t want the kids doing vocational training, because that isn’t our mission. I think that is becoming drowned out by the kids’ need to create, and we need to make a curriculum that will match that need. They will be creating new things, such as apps, and developing things we don’t even know about yet. We need to help them navigate that process.” With the addition of the classes Coding, Makers, and Robotics at the Middle School, and Unmanned Flight Operations, Biotechnology, and Entrepreneurs at the Upper School, R-MA is well on its way to supporting that navigation.
Staff & Faculty Quarterly Awards for 2016-17 Employee Awards
First Quarter: Robert Brower P'20 Second Quarter: Corinna Cousineau Third Quarter: Craig Campesi Fourth Quarter: Celeste Brooks P’12, ’21
Coach Awards
Fall: Frank Sullivan P’20, ’23 Winter: Jeff Moxie Spring: Brandy Hudson
Mentor Awards
Faculty Awards
First Quarter: Christine Meyer Second Quarter: Chris Peter Third Quarter: Ryan Koch
Team Awards
First Quarter: Kara Lewallen Second Quarter: Michael DeMato Third Quarter: Kim Cramer P’12, '14 Fourth Quarter: John Casserino
First Quarter: Science Department Second Quarter: Upper School Academic Office Third Quarter: Housekeeping Fourth Quarter: AFJROTC 31 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Alumni
From Development to Advancement, Office Continues to Support the Mission
by Celeste Brooks P'12, '21, Director of Public Relations Regardless of the changes in personnel or titles over the years, the alumni/development/ advancement office has consistently supported the mission of Randolph-Macon Academy, forging and maintaining relationships with alumni and raising the funds needed for R-MA students to have a successful and meaningful experience that would prepare them for college and life beyond. The summer months of 2017 Kittie Abell P'13 served as brought a new round of these R-MA's Vice President for adjustments to the Alumni/ Development from 2011-2017. Development Office, beginning with the departure of the Vice President of Development and Alumni Affairs, Kittie Abell P'13, in June. Abell, who had been at R-MA since early 2011, provided a steady hand for the development and alumni office during the transitions between R-MA presidents Maj Gen Henry M. Hobgood, USAF, Retired; Maj Gen Maury H. Forsyth, USAF, Retired; and Brig Gen David C. Wesley, USAF, Retired. Thanks to Abell’s foresight to bring in a planned giving officer, Jay Smith, the Academy has seen an increase in planned gifts in recent years—and as every fundraiser knows, planned giving is a huge factor in securing the future health of a non-profit organization. R-MA Director of Development and Alumni Affairs Christine Meyer was selected to replace Abell based on her superb work since her arrival at R-MA in 2010, as well as her experience in development and fundraising. Although she began her career as a journalist, Meyer became enamored with the world of non-profits. She has worked at museums, social service agencies, and educational institutions, cultivating a depth of knowledge and level of talents that the senior administration at R-MA knew would serve the Academy well. Her track record at R-MA only added credence to that belief, as she has managed to increase alumni giving participation from only 5.3% when she arrived to well over 9% for each of the last two years. In addition to the shift in leadership, the office name and
organization are changing. The department will now be known as the Advancement Office, which is the more common term used among private schools. Meyer, whose title is now the Director of Advancement, explained that it is a term that is a more current description of what the team’s function is supposed to be. “The department’s purpose is not just about the annual fund and organizing events,” she said. “It is to advance the mission of the school.” Meyer takes a team Christine Meyer was tapped as the Director of Advancement, a position approach to running the which replaced the Vice President for advancement office, conscious that every accomplishment Development on the senior staff of the school. Meyer has been at R-MA takes multiple hands. “Our since 2010, and took on her new role goal is to deepen the culture of philanthropy among all of our effective this past July. constituents,” she said. “With General Wesley, there is a new energy to accomplish wonderful things, from the new branding concepts, to the academy studies…it is the most fantastic time to be here, in this position and as part of this team, as we move the school forward.” In May, the department welcomed Kenneth Eye as the new Advancement Coordinator. Eye is a 2016 graduate of Virginia Tech, where he was a member of the Corps of Cadets and majored in criminology. With the shifts in the department, Smith has been assigned the new role of Major Gifts and Planned Giving Officer, a role Meyer believes will move the Academy forward and help secure its future for the next 125 years. Meyer also hopes to welcome two new members to the team very soon. The Academy has listed two new positions for the department: the Director of Annual Fund, who will focus on the dayto-day operations of the annual fund, and the Alumni Engagement Coordinator, who will create the monthly Dome Dispatch, lead Homecoming efforts, and staff the Alumni Board. At the time of print, both positions were still open. Interested parties may visit rma. edu/current-openings to check if the positions are still listed.
Randolph-Macon Academy thanks the following Media Partners for their support of the 125th Anniversary Founder's Weekend Community Celebration on April 29, 2017:
32 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Class Notes
All of these Class Notes first appeared in the e-newsletter, The Dome Dispatch. If you are not receiving The Dome Dispatch and would like to be added to the distribution list, please e-mail alumni@rma.edu or sign up at www.rma.edu/Alumni-Updates.
1950s
coaching certification classes to youth soccer coaches across the state. He continues to serve as director of Chip Rohr’s Soccer Camp, which is in its 39th year of operation.
The latest book of Ben F. Oswald ’53, Johnny De Silver, Reflections of a Candy Cop, details events from the years he spent as a federal investigator for the US Food and Drug Administration. This is Oswald’s 10th
book published by Synerge Press. His first non-fiction work, it joins seven novels and two collections of short stories already in print and as ebooks. He noted, “What’s next? Possibly a book about my years as a cadet.” (Photo above.)
Members of the Class of 1955, Dave Bowers, William Mertz, and Bill Hall, along with their wives, visited campus in May to inspect the bricks bearing their names on the Alumni Terrace. They were happy to be back on campus and share some great tales about “the Hill,” many involving their time on the football team. (Photo above.)
John Fisher ’58 reported that he
underwent surgery for his “first replacement part” in February. With his new left knee, he had surgery in March on the right knee. “I should be better than new for our class’s 60th reunion in 2018,” he reported before surgery. “Looking forward to seeing everyone.”
Colonel George A. Pasquet, USAF, Retired ’59, his wife Gee Gee, and other
members of their church attended a service in Boggs Chapel during the 2016-2017 academic year and handed out Gideon Bibles after the Monday morning service. (George and his wife are pictured in the center of the photo above.)
1960s Chris Stark ’62
(photo above right) had lunch with Jay Smith of the Development Office in February to start planning the group’s 55th reunion in October. Chris looks forward to seeing everyone from the Class of 1962 back on “The Hill” in October. In 2016, Chip Rohr ’66 retired from the Virginia Youth Soccer Association Coaching Education Staff after 35 years of teaching
Harold Robinson ’68, pictured above
with his wife, Tracy, visited R-MA in January. Harold addressed the entire Corps of Cadets on the importance of leadership and shared ideas he has cultivated throughout his career in high school and college football coaching. He challenged each student to take advantage of every opportunity that R-MA offers. After his retirement in 2001 from the U.S. Army as a Lieutenant Colonel, Terry Hunter ’68 served as an Army Civilian at Forts Monroe, Eustis, and Sam Houston. His Army civilian career has now taken him and his wife, Stephanie, to Stuttgart, Germany. When they last lived there, it was still “West Germany” and Terry was a Second Lieutenant in Manheim.
David Sullivan ’68 is CEO of Coulter
Boyd Pictures, whose film “The Ducks and Dogs of Glen Lakes” premiered to a sold out crowd in March 2017 at a Dallas, TX, Studio Movie Grill. The light-comedy film featured more than thirty voice-over artists from six different countries. A sequel is in the works!
1970s
The Class of 1970 treated the Class of 2020 to a pizza dinner at the Melting Pot in Front Royal in January. When the Class of 2020 graduates, the Class of 1970 will be celebrating its 50th reunion. The Class is 33 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Alumni to reverse Alzheimer’s disease. Kent was the recipient of R-MA’s 2015 Distinguished Alumnus Award. The treatment has been successful in animal models and the next step is to test their therapies in human cells donated by patients and healthy volunteers. This will allow Cognetis to refine the treatment before testing it in actual patients.
her experiences with the organization Autism Speaks, which is dedicated to promoting solutions, across the spectrum and throughout the lifespan, for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. The students made a donation to the organization on behalf of Christina’s son, “Peanut.”
2000s
Doug Driscoll ’11, who is serving in the
Alex Boulden ’06 and Kirstin Johnson serving as mentors to the students while they are at R-MA. (Photo of Melting Pot dinner above.)
Bill O’Daire ’78 and his wife Barbara,
were married in a ceremony in St. Petersburg, FL, after Thanksgiving 2016. Since they were moving and settling into a new home in Fairfax Couty, VA, after the wedding, they postponed their honeymoon for a summer Europe trip. (Photo below.)
2010s
US Air Force in Italy, is part of an amateur football squad, the Brescia Bengals. The team ended its regular season with a 6-2 record and participated in a playoff game in June.
founded Allstate Portfolio Acquisitions in 2009. They purchase distressed consumer debt from creditors and work with the consumers with their accounts. Additionally, Bill is a consultant to credit lenders within their accounts receivable. “We are looking forward to visiting R-MA in the fall,” he wrote earlier in the year.
1990s
Corey Slone ’92 has been flying for
United Airlines for 11 years and is currently a Boeing 747 First Officer. On a flight to Tokyo earlier this year, he met up with classmate Ichiro Yoshida ’92. “It had been 25 years since we had seen each other but it was as if we kept in touch all these years,” he wrote. Corey and Lannye, his wife of 18 years, currently live in Waller, TX, and have three daughters and a grandson. (Photo below.)
Ryan Ochoa ’12 (pictured above, center)
graduated in May from the U.S. Naval Academy and is heading to pilot training in Pensacola, FL. His younger sister, Ixel Ochoa ’15, is also attending the USNA; she is in her second year.
George Beals ’13 and Carissa Vaccaro ’13, the first Falcon Scholars to attend Christina Harper Smith ’08 spoke to the Middle School Interact Club, sharing
R-MA, have graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and have headed to their first
See Class Notes, continued on next page
Alumni Event: Volunteer Leadership Retreat
Dr. J. Kent Werner, Jr. ’97, a
neurologist and neuroscientist from Johns Hopkins University who founded Cognetis Therapeutics, is focusing on a new approach 34 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
More than 30 volunteers gathered in January 2017 for the Volunteer Leadership Retreat. The agenda included presentations on all aspects of the Academy, from finances and admissions to academics and the military program, as well as Homecoming 2017 planning.
’14 successfully defended his Wing
Class Notes, continued from previous page
Open title in February. Naji claimed his second title in as many years after earning a 4-1 decision over his opponent. He was part of the Air Force team who competed at the National Collegiate Boxing Association (NCBA) Tournament’s Western Regional Championships in March.
Louisa Stanwich ’14 teamed up with
classmates at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University to create the documentary, Manzo, on how something as simple as a school garden is changing lives for these west Tuscon elementary-school students. asssignments. R-MA currently has 21 Falcon Scholars attending the USAFA, including Carissa’s brother, Anthony Vaccaro ’15. George is pictured above; Carissa and Anthony are pictured below.
Director of College Counseling CMsgt Mary Gamache, USAF, Retired, served as a chaperone on the February trip to Norwich University in Northfield, VT, for the 41st Military School Band and Choir Festival. While at Norwich, she visited with two R-MA alumni, Emma Bunker ’16 and Bryan Mazzola ’14. (Photo below: Mary Gamache, Emma Bunker, Bryan Mazzola.)
Maddie Chafin ’14, a cadet at the U.S.
Coast Guard Academy, is pictured front and center when Kathie Lee and Hoda boarded the ship in May for a live television broadcast. The U.S. Coast Guard Barque Eagle is the only active commissioned sailing vessel in American military service.
Van Nguyen ’13 (pictured below, left
side of photo), who works for UNICEF, was on hand in May to accept a check from the R-MA International Club, represented by Edwin Ikhinmwin ’17 (center of photo below) and Stephen Okonkwo ’17 (on right in photo). The International Club held fundraising events throughout this past school year and was able to donate $3,700 to international relief efforts.
U.S. Air Force Academy junior Naji Bseiso
35 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Alumni
Generous Servant-Leaders Remembered This spring, Randolph-Macon Academy lost two beloved members of the community, whose generous hearts and staunch support over the years led to various improvements throughout campus.
Art Fulton '49 Art Fulton ’49 passed away on February 24, 2017, at the age of 97. Mr. Fulton served on the R-MA Board of Trustees from 19822010. During much of this time, he was the Vice Chairman of the Board.
Mr. Fulton loved to help R-MA students; over the years he provided scholarships, bought football uniforms, paid for band trips and even had cushions made for the first few rows of Boggs Chapel because he found the seats were too hard. On the larger scale, he sponsored the construction of the Band and Maintenance building and more recently helped re-pave the campus sidewalks. Upon his retirement from the Board of Trustees in 2010, Mr. Fulton was presented with the American flag at the Memorial Ceremony during Homecoming, as a gesture of gratitude for his years of service and dedication. At the R-MA 125th Anniversary Gala held this past April, Mr. Fulton was posthumously honored as one of R-MA’s top five donors of all time. Only a few months later, R-MA lost another avid supporter when Conrad Koneczny ’51 completed his life’s journey on May 19, 2017. Mr. Koneczny served as President of the R-MA Alumni Association from 1988 to 1991 before joining the R-MA Board of Trustees in 1993. He was a current member of the Board of Trustees at the time of his death. He served on both the Finance Committee and the Development Committee during his tenure. Mr. Koneczny was known for his
Conrad Koneczny '51
generosity to both R-MA and his church, and for playing the part of Santa at Christmastime. Like Mr. Fulton, he attended R-MA events regularly, and he truly believed in the school and its values, as demonstrated through his loyalty and devotion. The R-MA family fondly remembers both of these men, and is grateful for their years of leadership by example and their passion for Randolph-Macon Academy and its students.
In Memorium
We recall with love and fondness those whose passing we have learned of since the last issue of The Sabre. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families.
Rev. W. Emory Trainham ‘41 (July 14, 2016)
Jerry Wagner ‘58 (April 23 2017)
Henry Faucette ‘70 (September 6, 2016)
Edward J. Wunder ‘46 (May 6, 2016)
Frederick Savage ‘63 (June 4, 2017)
Jordan Maxfield ‘70 (November 14, 2016)
Richard L. Davis ‘49 (January 23, 2017)
Edwin Harper ‘64 (January 28, 2015)
George McCormick, Jr. ‘70 (March 22, 2017)
Art Fulton ‘49 (February 23, 2017)
James Joyner ‘64 (March 3, 2017)
Walter Hurley ‘76 (May 16, 2017)
Conrad Koneczny ‘51 (May 19, 2017)
Mark Binda ‘68 (February 16, 2017)
Jack Paddie III ‘99 (December 28, 2015)
James Bailey ‘54 (December 12, 2015)
Terry Cundiff ‘69 (May 9, 2017)
Christopher Donals ‘07 (January 20, 2017)
Harold Norrish ‘54 (February 24, 2014)
J. Richard Dildy ‘70 (February 3, 2017)
Keith Buhrman ‘09 (August 21, 2016)
Woodrow Ford ‘58 (January 4, 2017)
36 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
The Society of 1892: The Foundation of the Future The Society of 1892 is comprised of individuals—alumni, parents, and friends—who have included a bequest provision for Randolph-Macon Academy in their estate plans and individuals who have arranged a gift to R-MA via a planned giving vehicle, such as trusts, annuities, and life insurance policies.
Mr. Eric D. Anderson ‘88 Anonymous (x3) Mr. J. Douglas Austin ‘79 Mr. Harry G. Austin, III ‘75 Mr. Richard C. Beall ‘53* Mr. Dale W. Becker ‘47 Dr. Richard Belinic Mr. Dallas O. Berry ‘59* Mr. Kent R. Blyler ‘61 and Mrs. Elaine M. Blyler Mr. Warren D. Boyer ‘70 Mr. Harold L. Brubaker* Mr. William J. Bundick ‘52 Mr. James W. Burke ‘58 Lieutenant Colonel Kevin J. Callanan Robert R. Chaffiot ‘51 and Robeana G. Chaffiot Mr. Ray C. Coffman, Jr. ‘51 Dr. C. B. Cook ‘41 Mr. Lawrence H. Cook, Jr. ‘55* Colonel Charles V. Corder, Jr., USAF, Retired ‘53 Mr. W. R. Cosby ‘21* Mr. Rodney E. Deane, Jr. Joseph O. ‘65* & Catherine E. Ecsi Mr. Joseph M. Edge ‘41* Mr. Jay S. Fifer ‘58 and Mrs. Virginia Fifer* Ms. Catherine Foard Fort* Petty Officer 1st Class Charles W. Fretwell ‘79 Mr. Arthur H. Fulton ‘49* Mrs. Ethel R. Garber* Mr. Charles P. Given ‘23* Mr. C. S. Godfrey ‘54 Mr. Edward R. Golob, Jr. ‘65 Mrs. Georgina J. Grant* Mr. Boyd M. Guttery ‘45
Mr. Robert P. Hansen Dr. Timothy S. Harlan Mr. George W. Helfrich ‘54* Mrs. Ruby T. Hite* Major General Henry M. Hobgood, USAF, Retired Mr. Gary L. and Lucy W. Hooper Mr. George C. Hurt, Jr. ‘54* Colonel Arthur D. Johnson, USA, Retired ‘53 Mr. David F. Johnston, Sr. ‘58 Mr. D. Watt Jones, Jr. ‘61 Mr. I. Lewis Jones, III ‘59 Dr. Joseph H. Kite, Jr. Mr. Wendell H. Kline, Jr. ‘88 Mr. Conrad E. Koneczny ‘51* Mr. Jack M. Kump, Jr. ‘69 Mr. Thomas J. LaPlante ‘77 Mr. ‘David Wesley Lawrence ‘70 Mr. R. Paul Lawrence ‘87 Mr. and Mrs. Henry D. Light ‘58 Dr. Walter E. Linaweaver, Jr. ‘46* Mr. Franklin P. Long, II ‘52* Mr. and Mrs. James F. Luck, Jr. ‘57 Dr. Frank F. Lusby ‘19* Mr. George S. Lux, Jr. ‘52 Mrs. Judy Markendorff Mr. Joseph M. Mast ‘49 Mr. George D. Mathias ‘54 Mrs. Margaret H. Mathias* Mr. James H. McCormick ‘37* Mr. James S. Meatyard ‘55 Captain Richard I. Merrill, USA, Retired ‘39* Mr. David W. Moore, Sr. ‘53 Mr. Robert A. Moore, Jr. ‘50 Mr. Walter L. Nalls, Jr. ‘56 Mr. John A. Nicodemus ‘57*
Leave a Legacy. Through gift planning you can leave a legacy at Randolph-Macon Academy so that the mission of educating future generations of students continues. Perhaps we can assist you and your advisors in developing a gift plan that meets your financial and philanthropic goals. There are numerous ways to remember R-MA in your estate plans. Two very basic planned gifts are bequests, and insurance or retirement plan beneficiary designations.
Lieutenant Colonel David B. Novy, USAF ‘92 Mrs. Helen C. Payne* Mr. Stewart C. Payne ‘18* Mrs. Peggy L. Payne Mr. George Tyler Peter ‘55 Reverend George V. Puster, Sr.* Mr. Charles B. Richardson ‘53 Mr. Forrest E. Ricketts, Jr. ‘46* Mr. Richard G. Sheltman ‘22* Mr. Fred W. Shertenlieb ‘29* Mr. Joseph F. Silek, Jr. ‘77 Mr. and Mrs. John D. Simar ‘68 Rev Jay and Mrs. Helen Smith Mr. Elbert L. Smith ‘30* Mr. Bryant O. Smith, Jr. ‘49* Mr. Edward C. Stevens ‘50* Ms. Sara S. Stolzenberg* Mr. Charles E. Strother, Jr. ‘58 Mr. Robert R. Stuart, III ‘64 Rear Admiral John D. Stufflebeem, USN, Retired ‘70 Dr. Charles B. Swaim ‘77 Mr. William G. Thomas ‘57 Mr. Thomas H. Trant ‘71 Colonel Trevor D. Turner, USA, Retired* and Mrs. Lois Turner Mrs. Elsie S. Upchurch Mr. A. Leigh Walker, Jr. ‘65* Mr. John S. M. Wayland ‘48 Brigadier General David C. Wesley, USAF, Retired and Mrs. Lesa Wesley Mr. Beverly B. Williams ‘53* Mr. Michael S. Williams H ‘17 P ‘20 Colonel Arvin S. Williams, USAF, Retired* Mr. Thomas F. Williamson ‘58* *Assembled for the Final Rolll Call
If you desire to make a gift and receive an income as well, then charitable gift annuities and charitable trusts are two ways to provide benefits for both you and R-MA. Alumni and friends who remember R-MA in their estate plans are invited to join the Society of 1892, R-MA’s planned giving recognition club. To further explore the benefits of gift planning, or to answer any questions, please call Jay Smith, Director of Planned Giving and Alumni Outreach, at (540)636-5343 or email him at jsmith@rma.edu. 37 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Advancement
In Honor of Our Generous Donors
The individuals listed below supported Randolph-Macon Academy with gifts between July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017. An asterick (*) indicates a member of the R-MA family who passed away during the same time period. (Please note that this list includes only cash or stock gifts to any unrestricted, restricted, or endowment fund.)
The Chairman’s Circle ($100,000+)
Mr. and Mrs. Gary L. Hooper Mr. and Mrs. Henry D. Light ‘58 Mr. and Mrs. Skip Lyles ‘65 Mr. and Mrs. George D. Mathias ‘54 Major General and Mrs. David W. Puster, USA, Retired ‘75 Mr. and Mrs. Joseph F. Silek, Jr. ‘77 Mr. and Mrs. John D. Simar ‘68 Lynne & Bob Spivey ‘59 Mr. and Mrs. Claude A. Stokes, III ‘65
Mr. and Mrs. Allan L. Gohrband ‘56 Mr. Boyd M. Guttery ‘45 Mr. Stanley E. Fulton ‘49 Mr. and Mrs. Stuart L. Hester The Estate of George C. Houlton High School Hurt, Jr. ‘54* Lieutenant Colonel L. W. Houston, Jr., USMC, Retired ‘57* The President’s Circle Colonel Douglas R. Huthwaite, ($50,000+) USA, Retired ‘69 and Falcon Foundation Lieutenant Colonel Patricia Mr. and Mrs. Edward H. Huthwaite, USA, Retired Lane, III ‘61 IBM Corporation The McMichael Family Mr. D. Watt Jones, Jr. ‘61 Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Conrad E. Virginia Conference of the United Commandant's Club Koneczny ‘51* Methodist Church Mr. Jack M. Kump, Jr. ‘69 & Mrs. ($2,500+) Joan A. Wheeler Mr. and Mrs. Eric D. Anderson ‘88 The Academy Circle Mr. and Mrs. Eric D. Carlson ‘73 L&L Delivery Inc. ($25,000+) Lantz Construction Co. of Central Coca-Cola Bottling Horatio Alger Association of Winchester, Inc. Company Distinguished Americans, Inc. Mr. William G. Lawrence, Jr. Mr. Rodney E. Deane, Jr. Mr. Dallas O. Berry ‘59* Mr. and Mrs. John K. Marlow Mr. and Mrs. Robert Kocher Mr. and Mrs. James F. Fort, Jr. ‘70 Reverend & Mrs. Joshua Orndorff Mr. and Mrs. Richard H. The Scott Electric Foundation Marriott, Jr. ‘63 Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. United Security Alliance, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Perry G. Paris, III ‘57 McDonald ‘89 Rear Admiral and Mrs. John D. Corps of Cadets Club Mrs. Pamela M. McInnis Stufflebeem, USN, Retired ‘70 ($10,000+) Mr. and Mrs. George L. Reverend and Mrs. Lawrence R. Mr. John E. Lane, III McIntyre, Jr. ‘69 Thompson Edward H. Lane Foundation Mr. K. John McLelland ‘69 Winchester District United Mrs. Lucy H. Kennedy Dr. and Mrs. Julian A. Methodist Church Mr. William R. Lane ‘69 Moore, Jr. ‘74 Mary & Daniel Loughran Mr. and Mrs. Robert T. VA 91st Club ($1,000+) Foundation Nussey, Sr. ‘59 Adler Architecture, LLC Mr. and Mrs. Warren K. Montouri Mr. and Mrs. Kent R. Blyler ‘61 Mr. G. Edwin Richards Mr. Herbert N. Morgan Ricker College Scholarship Mrs. Mimi F. Boulden Mr. and Mrs. Richard J. M. Sethness Products Company Mr. and Mrs. Herbert O. Poulson ‘56 Mr. and Mrs. Stephen L. Brown ‘66 The Estate of A. Leigh Shankle ‘76 Mr. and Mrs. R. Edwin Brown Walker, Jr. ‘65* Shenandoah Foot & Ankle Center Dr. and Mrs. Bruce T. Carter ‘62 The Estate of Mr. Bryant O. Dr. and Mrs. William K. Black & Gold Club Smith, Jr. ‘49* Collins ‘50 ($5,000+) Mr. and Mrs. Samuel D. Snead ‘66 Community Foundation of North Anonymous Lieutenant Colonel R. Purdy Spell, Central Florida Mrs. MyeongSeon Ban and Mr. USAF, Retired ‘49 Mr. and Mrs. Lee F. Cowper ‘70 Chunlim Go Commander and Mrs. Francis C. Ms. Nancy Davenport General and Mrs. Walter E. Stark, III, USN, Retired ‘62 Deeley Enterprises LLC Boomer, USMC, Retired ‘56 Mr. and Mrs. Edward G. Stiles ‘72 Mr. Sandy Deeley, III ‘68 Mr. Glenn R. Carrington Mr. and Mrs. William G. Mr. Thomas M. Dozier ‘59 Chaffiot Family Foundation, Inc. Thomas ‘57 Dr. and Mrs. S. Boyd Eaton ‘56 Mr. and Mrs. Robert R. Mr. C. Edward Tinsley, III ‘63 Mr. and Mrs. L. Thomas Chaffiot, Sr. ‘51 United Methodist Higher Garner, Jr. ‘70 Mr. Richard W. Dodd ‘61 and Ms. General Board of Higher Education Foundation Cheryl L. Grandfield Mr. George E. Weeks, II ‘66 Education & Ministry of the Dr. and Mrs. Brett A. Gamma Mr. and Mrs. Walter E. United Methodist Church Mr. and Mrs. Joseph P. Hadeed ‘84 Mr. and Mrs. Peter V. Walker Werner, III ‘74 Major General and Mrs. Henry M. Mr. and Mrs. Giuliano Gnugnoli Brigadier General and Mrs. David Hobgood, USAF, Retired C. Wesley, USAF, Retired 38 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Dr. William C. Wetsel ‘66 and Dr. Sheila Collins Mr. and Mrs. Harry I. Wilson, Jr. ‘57 The Winston-Salem Foundation
Flight School ($500+)
Mr. William N. Abelkop ‘70 and Ms. Valerie Katzen Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Abell Apple House Self Storage LLC Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States Mr. and Mrs. Harry G. Austin, III ‘75 Mr. and Mrs. Eric W. Barker ‘70 Mr. Dale W. Becker ‘47 Mr. Carl J. Birckner Mr. and Mrs. Eric C. Birckner ‘73 Mrs. Pepper McFall Blankinship Mr. Robert F. Boyd Mr. and Mrs. Rich Burgess Mr. and Mrs. Craig Campesi Mr. and Mrs. Stephen N. Churchill ‘88 Mr. and Mrs. Bernard W. Cline, Jr. ‘70 Mr. and Mrs. Bill Curl ‘66 Mrs. Clare Dame Dr. and Mrs. Dirk S. Dixon ‘56 The Honorable and Mrs. Robert H. Downer, Jr. ‘66 Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan C. Ezell Mr. Richard R. Lowman, III ‘66 and Mrs. Melanie A. Files Mrs. Sara B. Gallagher Dr. and Mrs. Erwin T. Gilmore, III Mr. Edward R. Golob, Jr. ‘65 Mr. and Mrs. Michael D. Grossman Mr. and Mrs. Scott M. Harwood, Jr. ‘87 Mr. and Mrs. Rowland F. Hill, IV ‘68 Mr. and Mrs. James S. Hunter ‘57 IC Cream LLC Mr. and Mrs. Harry H. Jennings ‘56 Colonel Arthur D. Johnson, USA, Retired ‘53 Mr. John P. Johnson ‘59 Mr. and Mrs. Thomas T. Johnson ‘69 Mrs. Jean O. Jones Mr. Phillip J. Kardis, II ‘79 Mr. and Mrs. James J. Kelley ‘52 Mr. and Mrs. Derrick Leasure
The Ozobots are just one of the many exciting additions to the new R-MA Innovation Lab, which was made possible by generous Annual Fund support. The lab is housed at Mast Hall on the Middle School campus. The Honorable and Mrs. W. Revell Lewis, III ‘69 Mr. and Mrs. Eric J. Melkerson Ms. Christine L. Meyer Mrs. Karen Moxie My Locker Dr. and Mrs. Glenn M. Nelson ‘56 Colonel David B. Novy, USAF ‘92 Mrs. Virginia E. Raney Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association Mr. and Mrs. Chip E. Rohr ‘66 Mr. and Mrs. C. Richard Royals, III ‘70 Dr. Cary L. Savage, Jr. ‘72 and Captain Elizabeth Savage, USN, Retired Mr. and Mrs. John W. Scaman ‘98 Mr. and Mrs. L. Jackson Shockey ‘65 Ron ‘66 & Susan Simar Mr. Brandon Sloan Mr. and Mrs. Troy F. Stallard ‘62 Dr. and Mrs. Charles B. Swaim ‘77 Dr. Charles W. Thomas ‘61 Mr. John M. Thompson, Jr. ‘50 Mr. Ed Tolzman, Jr. ‘48 Mrs. Barbara S. Trenis Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence R. Turner ‘65 Mr. and Mrs. William J. Vakos, Jr. ‘63 Virginia Imports Ltd. Major and Mrs. James C. Wagner, USAF, Retired ‘61* Mrs. Anne K. Walker Mr. and Mrs. Earle R. Ware, II ‘53 Mr. and Mrs. John W. Welch, II ‘54 Mr. and Mrs. J. Thomas Willison ‘48
The Sabre Club ($250+)
Mr. Malcolm G. Barr, Sr. Mr. and Mrs. Sergio N. Barros Mr. and Mrs. Hugh W. Baumgardner Mr. and Mrs. Dave E. Blaiklock ‘93 Dr. Lisa Oakley-Bogdewic and Captain Dan Bogdewic, USN, Retired Breaktime Billiards Mr. and Mrs. James P. Burke ‘70 Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Camp Mr. and Mrs. Woody Cartes ‘75 Mr. and Mrs. Lee Clark ‘66 Mr. E. Eugene Cooke ‘54 Colonel and Mrs. Charles V. Corder, Jr., USAF, Retired ‘53 Mr. and Mrs. John M. Cornwell ‘55 Dr. and Mrs. C. Byrd Courtney, Jr. ‘53 Mr. and Mrs. John C. Crawford ‘48 Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin M. Currin ‘68 Mr. Roswell R. Curtis Mr. Robert L. Dankmyer ‘63 Mr. Robert A. Davies Mr. and Mrs. Charles R. Edgren ‘65 Mr. and Mrs. Reeves H. Ellis ‘71 Lieutenant Colonel and Mrs. William H. English, USA, Retired ‘60 Flint Hill Baptist Church Mr. Rex A. Friedman ‘65 Mr. Byron C. Gayle, Jr. ‘50 Reverend and Mrs. John R. Hall ‘68 Mr. and Mrs. Andrew C. Harriman ‘82 Mr. and Mrs. William E. Harrington ‘60
Mr. and Mrs. Richard H. Hoagland, Jr. ‘58 Mr. and Mrs. Pete Holladay ‘54 Houlton-Hodgdon Dollars for Scholars Mr. David R. Hull, Jr. ‘48 Mrs. Winifred O. Kelley Mr. Parker A. Lee ‘51 and Mrs. Paulita Z. Gilmore-Lee Colonel and Mrs. Frank J. Link USAF, Retired James ‘57 & Susan Luck Mr. George S. Lux, Jr. ‘52 Mr. Douglas F. MacKenzie ‘67 Mr. and Mrs. Steven Mazzola Mr. and Mrs. Frank R. McLaughlin, Jr. ‘57 Dr. and Mrs. Donald H. McNeill, Jr. Ms. Cynthia Michael Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Mildren ‘68 Mr. Bryan V. Moore ‘84 Mr. and Mrs. David W. Moore, Sr. ‘53 Mr. Stuart Myers Mr. Walter L. Nalls, Jr. ‘56 Mr. and Mrs. Robert Norfleet, II ‘62 Mr. and Mrs. Roger J. Perry ‘48 Mr. and Mrs. John P. Pittman ‘52 Mr. Franklin B. Reynolds, Jr., P.C. Mr. and Mrs. George D. Reynolds ‘65 Dr. Constance Richards and Mr. John Richards Mr. Tom Riley R-MA Parents’ Association Dr. and Mrs. John T. Rogers ‘45 Dr. M. Roy Schwarz Mr. and Mrs. D. Ray Sedwick ‘61 Mr. & Mrs. Robert W. Sittman, III ‘08 Mr. Denver C. Spear Mr. Graham T. Stewart ‘46 Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. Strother, Jr. ‘58 Mr. and Mrs. Frank J. Sullivan Donald ‘64 & Wendy Sutton Mr. and Mrs. Buck Swafford ‘69 The Episcopal Missionary Church Ms. Miatta Thomas Mr. and Mrs. W. Allen Tomlinson, Jr. ‘66 Dr. and Mrs. L. John Turner ‘55 Mr. and Mrs. Michael G. Waring ‘60 Mr. and Mrs. John S. M. Wayland ‘48 Mr. David E. Wayson ‘60 Wells Fargo Educational Matching Gift Program Mr. and Mrs. F. Dixon Whitworth, Jr. ‘62 Mr. and Mrs. Michael S. Williams
Winchester Gun Club Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Wolfe
The Bayonet Club ($100+)
Ms. Laura A. Abraham Mr. H. D. Ackerly Aders Insurance Agency Mr. and Mrs. David B. Allen ‘68 Mr. and Mrs. Earl W. Allen ‘68 Mr. and Mrs. Frederick A. Allner, III ‘73 Mr. Kelvin K. Ampofo ‘96 Mr. Roy Anderson ‘70 Mrs. JoAnn Anderson Mr. David Anthony Mr. and Mrs. Foroud Arsanjani ‘76 Dr. Sandra Todd-Atkinson and Mr. Tuck Atkinson Mr. Randall L. Austin ‘70 Mr. William K. Bache, II ‘70 Mr. and Mrs. Craig Balbalian Mr. Anthony Ballard Bank of America Mr. Eric F. Barr Mr. and Mrs. Wylie W. Barrow ‘53 Mr. Oliver W. Besley Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Biggs Mrs. Pamela Kanal Black ‘94 Dr. and Mrs. Anthony Boakye Mr. and Mrs. Thomas C. Bowling, III ‘66 Mr. Warren D. Boyer ‘70 Mrs. Beverly Broadbent-Casper Mr. and Mrs. Kevin J. Brooks Mr. and Mrs. Harold T. Brown, Jr. ‘70 Mr. and Mrs. William J. Brown, II, Esquire ‘66 Mr. and Mrs. David L. Buell ‘63 Mr. and Mrs. Paul C. Buford, Jr. ‘52 Mr. and Mrs. John D. Buhl Buhl Electric Company Mr. William J. Bundick ‘52 Mr. and Mrs. William T. Burch, Jr. ‘67 Mr. and Mrs. James W. Burke ‘58 Mr. and Mrs. W. Douglas Carothers, Jr. ‘55 Mr. and Mrs. John F. Carroll, Jr. ‘57 Mrs. Louise L. Cashion Lieutenant Colonel John Casserino, USAF, Retired Mr. and Mrs. C. Carl Chandler Mr. and Mrs. Pierre N. Charbonnet, III, USN, Retired ‘66 Mr. and Mrs. D. Alan Christopher ‘75 Dr. and Mrs. John P. Clarke Mr. and Mrs. A. Downer Clore, Sr. ‘59 Ms. Pamela Cole Mr. Peter H. P. Conrad ‘64
39 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Advancement
Mr. and Mrs. R. K. Heskett ‘68 Mr. Benjamin T. Hester ‘16 Mr. Glenn A. Hines ‘75 Mr. and Mrs. Jeb R. Hockman ‘69 John ‘60 & Jo Anna Hoppe Mr. and Mrs. Chip Humphrey ‘66 Mr. and Mrs. Richard E. Humphreys ‘64 Mr. Will B. Jackson ‘06 Mr. Steven R. Jenkins Mr. Daniel L. Johnson ‘60 Mr. Otis H. Johnson, Jr. ‘37 Mr. and Mrs. David F. Johnston, Sr. ‘58 Mr. and Mrs. Mac Jones ‘70 Mr. and Mrs. David C. Jones ‘72 Mr. I. Lewis Jones, III ‘59 The generous support of donors, as well as the support of organizations such Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Jones, Jr. as the Parents' Assocation, allows R-MA to host events such as the "Save-A- Mr. Wellington H. Jones Life" Tour, which teaches students about driving while impaired or distracted. Mr. H. Scott Kahle, Jr. ‘64 This includes texting and driving; during the simulation, one of the student Tom ‘61 & Angie Kalogeras "driver's" friends texts him to demonstrate how a glance down at a screen can Mrs. Desiree Kardashian be deadly. Ms. Ranya K. Kargbo Jim ‘65 & Nancy Councilor Mr. and Mrs. Chuck E. Fields ‘76 Mrs. Monica Kaufman Dr. and Mrs. Glenn P. Kellam ‘48 Mr. John T. Cox ‘46 Mr. Jay S. Fifer ‘58 Dr. Pia and Dr. John S. Crandell Mr. and Mrs. John G. Finucan ‘76 Mrs. Melissa M. Keshishian Mr. Daniel T. Kichline ‘87 The Honorable and Mrs. B. Waugh Mr. Nicholas A. Finucan ‘06 Crigler ‘66 Mr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Fitch ‘64 Mr. and Mrs. Brian Kilday ‘89 Mr. John R. Kipp, III Mr. and Mrs. Neal Crowley Mr. and Mrs. Hartwell J. Mrs. Debra Knick Mrs. Mariola Cuffe Fitchett, Jr. ‘57 Mr. and Mrs. Ryan P. Koch Mr. Steven E. Cummins ‘87 Mr. and Mrs. S. Sutton Mr. Kurt Krenz ‘10 Mr. Parker A. Curlee ‘74 Flythe, Jr. ‘52 Mrs. Sharon Kuykendall Mr. and Mrs. Aaron S. Curtice ‘52 Mr. and Mrs. Stanley O. Mr. Thomas Laourdakis Mr. and Mrs. Dwayne T. Davis Forbes, Sr. ‘60 David ‘70 & Elizabeth Lawrence Mr. and Mrs. Melvin L. Mrs. Betty Forline Davis, Jr. ‘71 Petty Officer 1st Class Charles W. Reverend and Mrs. William A. Layman Mr. and Mrs. Charlie T. Deane Fretwell ‘79 Mrs. Susan C. Lee Mr. and Mrs. Jeff R. Mr. Bryan M. Frey ‘92 Mr. and Mrs. Robert Lewallen Dennis, Jr. ‘53 Mr. and Mrs. Norman R. Mr. Kun Li Mr. Todd Diehl Frisbie ‘58 Mr. L. T. Lilliston ‘61 Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Mr. and Mrs. Albert N. Colonel and Mrs. Michael Linick, Dinackus, Esquire Fritter, Jr. ‘67 USA, Retired Dr. H. Marshall Dixon ‘46 Mr. Deb Ghosal Mr. and Mrs. Edward S. Mr. and Mrs. Dennis R. Donak, Sr. Dr. and Mrs. John E. Gibson Linsley ‘65 Mr. and Mrs. Gary D. Dressel ‘66 Mr. Paul Gillespie F.S.J. Mr. and Mrs. Daniel S. Little ‘67 Mr. and Mrs. John T. P. Dryden Mr. Henry C. Green ‘37 Sergeant C. Eddie Long Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. Duke ‘56 Ms. Ashley M. Grossman ‘16 Mr. and Mrs. Robert T. Lynch ‘65 Mr. David Dunlap Mrs. Melissa Grove Mac Jones Seafood, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. John L. Eberhart, Sr. Ms. Ann-Marie Guerrier Mr. John L. MacConnell ‘62 Mr. Joseph Ellis Mrs. Kenesa Haffer Mr. and Mrs. Clyde W. Mr. and Mrs. John R. Mr. and Mrs. William A. Hall ‘55 Matthews ‘54 Ellstrom, Jr. ‘72 Mrs. Joyce P. Hamer Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence C. Mr. and Mrs. Joel F. Etchen Mr. Thomas Hamm McCutcheon, Jr. ‘58 The Honorable and Mrs. John F. Mr. Donald P. Hammerstrom ‘62 Mr. Mac McDannald ‘64 Ewell Dr. and Mrs. Vagn K. Hansen Ms. Natalie Meredith Thomas & Brenda Fake Dr. John H. Harding, Jr. ‘48 Mr. William T. Moffett ‘54 Famout International Foods, LLC Mr. and Mrs. Michael D. Harper Ms. Anna-Marie Montague Mr. and Mrs. Ralph M. Faust ‘58 Mr. and Mrs. Stephen C. Mr. D. Enoch Moore, II ‘51 Ms. Joyce M. Feldman Harris ‘66 Mr. and Mrs. Gary F. Moore Dr. and Mrs. Sylvan G. Mr. and Mrs. Richard C. Heer Mr. and Mrs. Munsey A. Moore Feldstein ‘59 Mr. Ronald Henry Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Mr. Andrew Ferguson Mr. and Mrs. George L. Moore, Jr. ‘50 Ms. Bonnie Ferrebee Hensley, Jr. ‘54 Mr. and Mrs. A. Newth Fidelity Charitable Mr. and Mrs. G. T. Hepner ‘69 Morris, III ‘69 40 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Mr. and Mrs. Jerome A. Muntzing ‘53 Mr. Thien-Bao N. Nguyen Mr. and Mrs. Clyde V. Nordstrom, Jr. ‘54 Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth R. Norton Mr. and Mrs. Frank O. Oakes, Jr. ‘61 Mr. and Mrs. John E. Omps ‘51 Mr. and Mrs. Orlo C. Paciulli Mr. and Mrs. Dana C. Parker ‘70 Ms. Susan V. Parsons Mr. Benjamin Pederson ‘13 Mr. Jonathan Pederson ‘15 Master Sergeant and Mrs. Stephen Pederson, USAF, Retired Mr. and Mrs. Mark L. Pellerin ‘66 Mr. William Prescott Mr. Alfred R. Price Mr. and Mrs. Mory W. Ranck ‘52 Reverend and Mrs. Henry B. Rehder, II ‘68 Mr. and Mrs. Rod Riddick, III ‘68 Mr. John D. Rives ‘55 R-MA National Honor Society Mr. and Mrs. W. Harold Robinson, Jr. ‘68 Mr. Peter S. Rochard, Jr. ‘83 Mr. Mark W. Rogers, II ‘78 Mr. Christopher B. Ryder Mr. and Mrs. Robert B. Sand Ms. Susan Sanford Mrs. Lynne P. Schoonover Mrs. Beverly Selby Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson S. Selden, III ‘60 Mr. and Mrs. Boyd F. Selman Mr. and Mrs. Paul V. Severin ‘70 Shenandoah Veteran’s Club Lieutenant Colonel and Mrs. Paul A. Shrader, USMC, Retired ‘46 Mr. and Mrs. Frederick L. Silbernagel, Jr. ‘46 Mr. Brinton Smith ‘61 Mr. and Mrs. Donald E. Smith Mr. and Mrs. Ernest M. Smith, III ‘67 Reverend and Mrs. Jay G. Smith Mr. Walter O. Smith, III ‘58 Mr. Calvin Stanley ‘66 Mr. and Mrs. William E. Stephenson Mr. and Mrs. Chip L. Stevens, Jr. ‘81 Ms. Martha R. Sullivan Sunshine State Seamless Gutters Ms. Marilyn B. Sutherland Mr. and Mrs. Lennie L. Swanson, Jr. ‘57 Mr. Archer J. Taylor ‘44 Mr. and Mrs. Bev F. Taylor ‘70 Dr. and Mrs. Samuel J. Thios ‘62 Mr. and Mrs. Curtis H. Thomas ‘63 Mrs. Mary L. Thompson
Mr. and Mrs. Wesley L. Truscott, Jr. ‘61 Luray High School Class of 1997 Ms. Michele Vaughan Virginia Trapshooting Association Visa Matching Gift Program Mr. and Mrs. Whit Wall ‘70 Mrs. Courtney Warner Mr. James R. Wentz ‘65 Mrs. Lauralee F. Whitmore Mr. Donald R. Williams Dr. and Mrs. Daniel S. Yates ‘57 Mrs. Ina-Soon You Ms. Martha L. Young Mr. and Mrs. Fred Zimmerman Mr. Jeffrey Zwelling
Mr. Michael R. Brooks ‘12 Mr. Robert Brower Mr. and Mrs. Kojo J. Brown Ms. Caitlin G. Bunker ‘14 Ms. Emma G. Bunker ‘16 Reverend Jonathan Bunker and Dr. Susan Gawalt Ms. Patricia L. Burba Mr. and Mrs. William N. Burgen Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Butterfield Mr. and Mrs. David Cain Mr. and Mrs. Mark S. Campbell Mr. Alfredo B. Milner Capps ‘97 Mr. Lee Hood H. Capps ‘68 Mr. Washington L. Capps, II ‘95 Mr. John M. Carter ‘88 Ms. Elaine M. Carvell Friend of the Academy (Up Ms. Stacy Chapman Mr. Jiatian Chen ‘17 to $100) Mr. and Mrs. Gustave E. Mr. Christopher J. Abare ‘10 Chew, Jr. ‘55 Mr. Brian P. Abeel and Ms. Leticia Mr. E. Bruce Clevenger Lopez Mr. Clay B. Clinedinst Mr. and Mrs. Asbery E. Adams Mr. and Mrs. Anthony R. Mr. Richard B. Adams, Jr. ‘58 Clingerman Mrs. Vivianne (Orji) Mr. and Mrs. Douglass Agbontaen ‘98 Cochran, Jr. Ms. Grace Alexander ‘14 Mr. Ian C. Cochran ‘12 AmazonSmile Foundation Dr. Zenaida Cofie and Mr. Charles Mr. and Mrs. Vincent W. Mante Amigh ‘70 Ms. Megan A. Cole ‘10 Mr. Nicholas S. Anderson ‘13 Dr. and Mrs. C. Barrie Cook ‘41 Mr. and Mrs. George R. Andre Dr. and Mrs. R. Laurent Cousineau Mr. and Mrs. Steven E. Atkins Mr. and Mrs. Stephen P. Austin ‘66 Colonel and Mrs. Phillip A. Covell, USAF, Retired ‘59 Mr. and Mrs. H. Terry Ms. Carly Cramer ‘12 Aylor, Jr. ‘68 Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Cramer Mrs. Karen Azan Mr. Raymundo Sosa and Ms. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph B. Babineau Maribel Cruz Mr. and Mrs. David S. Baggett Mr. Colin V. Cunningham and Ms. Mr. and Mrs. Harry G. Holly Spackman Balthis, Jr. ‘62 Dr. Matthew Karen and Dr. Santa Mr. and Mrs. Frederick L. D’Alessio Baltronis Mr. Seth A. D’Allessandris ‘17 Mr. and Mrs. Stephen P. Mr. Matthew D’Angelo Barber ‘59 Mr. and Mrs. Jon B. Davis Mr. and Mrs. Brian Barbour Mrs. and Mr. Joan E. Davis Ms. Susan M. Bauer Gaina Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Davis Mr. Mark R. Baumgardner ‘06 Mr. and Mrs. Ed DeBerry Mr. Eugene J. Baur, Jr. ‘45 Mr. Robert K. DeBerry ‘16 Mr. Sean T. Bell ‘16 Ms. Catherine Degi Ms. Hannah Bement Benevity Community Impact Fund Mr. and Mrs. Mahlon W. DeLoatch, JD ‘52 Mrs. Christine Bennett Mr. and Mrs. Michael DeMato Mr. and Mrs. Brad Bennett Mr. Stephen H. Detwiler ‘61 Mr. and Mrs. Robert M. Biggs, III Mr. Felix R. Diaz and Mrs. Sharon Ms. Cynthia Bohm L. Reagan-Diaz Mr. and Mrs. T. B. Bolyard Mr. Lawrence J. DiJoseph, Jr. ‘55 Ms. Irina Bosworth Mr. and Mrs. James C. Dillon ‘87 Mr. Cooper R. Bourdon ‘11 Mr. Jacob A. Dodson ‘15 Mr. and Mrs. Richard R. Ms. Rachel A. Dodson ‘03 Bramel ‘70 Ms. Sara Beth B. Dodson ‘09 Ms. Ann L. Brander ‘02 Mr. and Mrs. Pablo M. Mr. Daryl Braun-Duin Dublin, III ‘92 Mr. and Mrs. Richard L. Breaw Mr. and Mrs. Donald Dudan Mr. Doug Brennand ‘15
Mr. AyebaSopreye B. Eke-Spiff ‘17 Mr. and Mrs. Patrick H. Evans Dr. Jenesse Evertson and Mr. Christopher Evertson ExxonMobil Foundation Mr. Kenneth Eye Ms. Emily C. Ezell ‘08 Mr. and Mrs. Oladipo Fajembola Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Farmer Mr. Walter R. Fitchett ‘68 Mr. Kevin Flinner ‘89 Mr. and Mrs. Carl Flowers Mr. Matthew J. Flynn ‘17 Mr. Thomas Flynn Mr. Sean R. Freeman ‘17 Mr. and Mrs. W. Drewry Fuqua ‘56 Chief Master Sergeant Mary Gamache, USAF, Retired Mrs. Amanda Garner-Kent ‘87 Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Gehly, Jr. Mr. Steven Gibson Ms. Elianne A. Gihozo Mr. and Mrs. Milton C. Gore, Jr. ‘66 Ms. Amy M. Gray ‘15 Ms. Hilary Greene Ms. Cynthia Griffith Mr. Matthew Guercio Mr. XuanYu Guo ‘17 Ms. Anne S. Habiby Mr. William Peterson and Ms. Konnie Hall Mr. and Mrs. Norman M. Haller
Mrs. Larissa M. Woloshyn Hansen ‘00 & Mr. Mike Hansen Mr. and Mrs. David G. Hawkins Mr. Robert H. Herbert, Jr. ‘65 Mr. and Mrs. Gregory J. Hess Mrs. Marylou Hodges Ms. Lisa Hopson The Honorable and Mrs. W. Dale Houff Mrs. Brandy Hudson Mr. Martin C. J. Huffman ‘17 Lieutenant Colonel and Mrs. Terry W. Hunter, USA, Retired ‘68 Mr. and Mrs. Joseph W. Hutt, Jr. ‘47 Mr. Joshua Ilnicki Mr. and Mrs. Chet Inhar Ms. Samarada Jayarathne Mr. James C. Jenkins ‘57 Mr. Bill Jobe Mr. Cole L. Johnston ‘15 Mr. Dustin M. Johnston ‘07 Mr. J. W. Jones Ms. Taylor M. Jones ‘16 Mr. Khashayar Nejad Kaikavoosi ‘82 Ms. Fabiann Keating Mr. Sean Keating Ms. Kelly L. Kern Mrs. H. Scarlett Praml Kibler ‘89 & Mr. Michael Kibler Mr. Robert A. Kilpatrick ‘68 Ms. Deshy Kinfu ‘88 Mr. David Kitchen ‘87
The band and parade unit once again proudly represented R-MA at the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade. 41 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Advancement Ms. Melanie T. Kopjanski Mr. and Mrs. Philip A. Koster ‘96 Dr. Sarah S. Kramer and Mr. Marc E. Kramer Mrs. Stephen Kupferberg Technical Sergeant Tina M. Laing, USAF, Retired Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. LaPlante ‘77 Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Latham Mr. Jang Hoon Lee ‘17 Ms. Judith A. Lee Mr. Davis H. Leichsenring Mr. Joseph L. Leichsenring ‘17 Mr. and Mrs. David R. Lewallen ‘94 Dr. and Mrs. Donald S. Lewis, Jr. ‘66 Mr. Jianxiong Li ‘17 Mr. XiangWen Li ‘17 Mr. Benton B. Lindamood Mr. Marcus L. Lindsey ‘89 Ms. Andrea Link Mr. and Mrs. Bill Long Mr. William A. Long, III ‘16 Commander and Mrs. Gordon K. Lough, USN, Retired ‘49 Mr. and Mrs. Timothy T. Lowery Mr. and Mrs. William S. Lussier Ms. Jonni Mahr Mr. Yupei Mai ‘17 Mr. and Mrs. Pavan Makker Mr. and Mrs. David Maloney Mr. David A. Mangum ‘43 Mr. Nii Kojo Ababio T. Mante ‘17 Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. Marinich Mr. Gary R. Martin ‘68 Ms. Karen Maugans Mr. Antonio Mosquito and Ms. Eduarda Mbakassy Mr. Bryan McCabe Dr. Theodore B. McCord, Jr. ‘63 Ms. Courtney (McIntyre) Maier ‘04 Mr. Mac L. McIntyre, III ‘07 Mrs. Constance Gutshall McKenzie ‘89 and Mr. Grant D. McKenzie ‘88 Ms. Nancy McMinis Mr. and Mrs. Michael E. Melton Mr. John Mendenhall Mr. and Mrs. Glen A. Mente ‘57 Ms. Juliette N. Michael ‘11 Mrs. Alexandria (XereasGonzales) Middleton ‘05 Mrs. Donna R. Miller Mr. and Mrs. Stephen T. Miller ‘86 Mr. and Mrs. Michael Milo Ms. Amy Minchew Ms. Patricia Monaghan Mr. John R. Moncure ‘66
Gillian Rydholm '18 and Dennis Ponn '17 pose in the sabre arch during the 2017 Military Ball held at Shenandoah Golf Club. Mr. and Mrs. William C. Montgomery Ms. Marian Moore Mr. and Mrs. Verne Mounts Mr. Jeff Moxie Mr. and Mrs. Jerry R. Mullins ‘58 Mr. Richard Murphy Mr. Wilson H. Perez and Mrs. Maria Navia Dr. William C. Naylor ‘45 Dr. and Mrs. Mark M. Neale, Jr. ‘66 Ms. Hana Nicaj Mr. and Mrs. M. Christian Nye ‘66 Mr. Stephen C. Okonkwo, Jr. ‘17 Mr. Gregory J. Opas and Ms. Alethea R. Schweigert Dr. and Mrs. David M. Pate Mr. Michael S. G. Patten Mr. and Mrs. David P. Patterson Mr. James Lewis Payne Mr. and Mrs. Greg Peacock Ms. Robin Penn ‘14 Mr. and Mrs. Wilson H. Perez Mr. Chris Peter Mr. G. Tyler Peter ‘55 Reverend John B. Peters Mr. Andrew A. Pfister ‘08 Mr. and Mrs. George E. Phillips ‘70 Mr. and Mrs. Robert R. Pickrell ‘63 Mr. Robert M. Pinkham ‘47 Mr. Joseph Ponczak and Mrs. Marcy Spector Mr. and Mrs. Ward Ponn Ms. Barbara J. Porter Colonel and Mrs. Robert S. Poydasheff, Retired Dr. and Mrs. Val Puster, Jr. ‘67 Mr. James Ramos
42 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Mr. and Mrs. Stuart E. Randlett Ms. Mikayla H. Reifert ‘17 George ‘57 & Lavale Riddick Rileyville Ruritan Club Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence S. Roberge Ms. Peachie Robinson Mr. James W. Rockwell ‘59 Ms. Liz E. Rogers Ms. Bertha N. Rojas Mr. Hao Ru ‘17 Ms. Kimberly D. Sampson Mr. Kevin Saunders Dr. and Mrs. Stephen T. Sauter Ms. Amelia Schloesser ‘17 Mr. Patrick A. Schoenberger ‘93 Mr. Vernon Schoonover, II Mr. Christopher T. Scott ‘88 Ms. Nataliya V. Self Mr. and Mrs. Walter J. Sellers ‘72 Mr. J. Padgett Severin ‘70 Ms. Cynthia B. Shackelford Mr. and Mrs. Phillip O. Shelton ‘70 Mr. and Mrs. J. Peter Shoemaker, Jr. ‘70 Ms. Teresa Simpson Mr. G. Kevin Sinclair ‘89 Mr. Charles M. Smith ‘08 Mr. and Mrs. Tony Smith, Sr.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Snitchler ‘06 Mr. and Mrs. Miles Snyder Ms. Tennille L. Spears Mr. and Mrs. Todd Stanford Mr. and Mrs. Michael C. Starling ‘88 Mr. and Mrs. Wayne T. Starrs Ms. Emily Sterling Mrs. Mary Anna Stokes Mr. J. David Sullivan ‘68 Mr. and Mrs. John C. Swann ‘70 Mr. James F. Taafel ‘05 Ms. Linda Taylor Mr. and Mrs. Jon A. Teates ‘70 Mr. and Mrs. Gerald A. Thomas Mrs. Dawn M. Tirrell ‘96 Mr. and Mrs. Christopher A. Trimble ‘86 Dr. Roscoe H. Turlington ‘41 Dr. Coulbourn H. Tyler ‘54 Ms. Jessica C. Vaughan ‘12 Mr. Tyler B. Vaughan ‘15 Mr. Steven J. Viemeister ‘98 Virginia Sewing Buddies Ms. Kimberly Vocco Mr. B. Martin Walker ‘67 Mr. Jacob T. Walker ‘07 Ms. Misti Walters Mr. Troy A. Wanstreet ‘84 Mr. and Mrs. Marshall L. Waring ‘48 Mr. Dorlin Wheeler William B. ‘56 & Nancy M. Whichard Ms. Susan B. White Mr. and Mrs. William H. Wiles ‘88 Mr. Roger Wilkins Mr. G. Glynn Williams, Jr. ‘75 Mr. and Mrs. W. Conroy Wilson ‘68 Mrs. Eunju Won Mr. James Wood Mr. Jonathan S. Wright ‘70 Mr. Cong Xu ‘17 Mr. and Mrs. Devin Yankey Mr. Gery You-Ghosal ‘17 Ms. Trisha Young Yount, Hyde & Barbour, P.C. Mr. Jia Jun Yu ‘17 Ms. Brittany A. Zivic Mr. Ryan S. Zivic ‘02
125th
Anniversary Founder's Weekend Sponsorships Thank you to the following sponsors for supporting our 125th Anniversary Founder's Weekend! Look for the Presenting Sponsors' and the Event Sponsors' ads or logos throughout The Sabre!
Presenting Sponsor
C & C Frozen Treats Exclusively Faces Cosmetic Surgery & MediSpa R-MA Alumni Association Shenandoah Foot & Ankle Center Valley Health System
125th Gala Sponsorships The 125th Anniversary Gala was a huge success (see related story, page 3), thanks to the support of many alumni, businesses, and friends of the Academy. Look for advertisements from the Knowledge, Leadership, Character, and Photo Booth Sponsors throughout The Sabre.
Knowledge
Mr. and Mrs. Brian Bogart, P’03 & ‘07
Leadership Sponsor
Mr. and Mrs. Eric D. Anderson ‘88 Mr. and Mrs. Joseph P. Hadeed ‘84 Class of 1970
Photo Booth Sponsor R-MA Alumni Association
Event Sponsor
Character Sponsor
Community Partner
Bar/Dessert Sponsor
Anonymous The Apple House Aba Cole ‘07 and Meredith (Silek) Cole ‘08 BB&T Dr. and Mrs. Charles M. Huber Lester and Mowerys Pharmacy Front Royal Dental Care Front Royal/Warren County Economic Development Authority Jack Evans Chevrolet Melting Pot Pizza & Postal Business Center Dr. and Mrs. Julian A. Moore, Jr. ‘74 Northern Virgnia Daily Quality Inn Skyline Drive Redfin Shenandoah Valley Moving & Storage, Inc. United Bank United Way of Front Royal-Warren County
Other Sponsors and Exhibitors
Amway Global Best Damn! with Tonja & Mark Down Home Comfort Bakery Fork’d Food Truck Front Royal Visitor Center Honey & Lace Serene Boutique Martin’s Grocery Paparazzi Jewelry Riverton United Methodist Church Ms. Peachie Robinson Rural King StoneburnerCarter Insurance Agency, Inc. Wilkins Shoe Center
Mr. and Mrs. Gary L. Hooper Southland Industries Mr. and Mrs. John D. Simar ‘68 Mr. and Mrs. Charles L. McFall, Jr. ‘66 Mrs. Pepper McFall Blankinship Anonymous BB&T General and Mrs. Walter E. Boomer, USMC, Retired ‘56 Mr. and Mrs. Mark Decker Mr. and Mrs. James F. Fort, Jr. ‘70 Excellence in Emergency Medicine - Dr. and Mrs. Brett A. Gamma P ‘20 Mrs. Pamela M. McInnis Mr. and Mrs. George L. McIntyre, Jr. ‘69 SAGE Dining Services, Inc. Serve Our Willing Warriors/Agile Business Concepts, LLC VALIC Financial Advisors, Inc. Wells Fargo
Other Supporters
Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Alston ‘61 Mr. and Mrs. Harry G. Austin, III ‘75 Mr. and Mrs. Eric W. Barker ‘70 Blauch Brothers, Inc. Mrs. Mimi F. Boulden
Mr. Warren D. Boyer ‘70 Mr. Glenn R. Carrington P’ 08 Cassaday & Company, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Remi Chaffiot ‘51 Mr. and Mrs. Bernie Cline ‘70 Dr. and Mrs. C. Barrie Cook ‘41 Mr. and Mrs. Lee F. Cowper ‘70 Mr. and Mrs. Belk Daughtridge P’18 Mr. and Mrs. William E. Emerson, III P’03 Reverend Jonathan Bunker and Dr. Susan Gawalt P’14, ‘16 & ‘20 Mr. Lawrence M. Gordon, CLU, ChFC Mr. and Mrs. Michael D. Grossman P’16, ‘18 & ‘21 Mr. and Mrs. Joseph J. Harding, III ‘63 Major General and Mrs. Henry M. Hobgood, USAF, Retired Mr. and Mrs. Henry D. Light ‘58 Dr. Daniel C. Link, Jr. Mr. Robert T. LoPresti Mrs. Alexandria Middleton ‘05 Mr. and Mrs. David W. Moore, Sr. ‘53 Mr. and Mrs. Mark L. Pellerin ‘66 Reverend and Mrs. John B. Peters Colonel and Mrs. Kenneth R. Pierce, Jr., USA, Retired ‘58 Mr. Robert M. Pinkham ‘47 Pohanka Lexus Colonel and Mrs. Robert S. Poydasheff, Retired Mr. and Mrs. William E. Schinkel Mr. and Mrs. George W. Seger ‘48 Mr. and Mrs. Joseph F. Silek, Jr. ‘77 Rear Admiral and Mrs. John D. Stufflebeem, USN, Retired ‘70 Mr. and Mrs. William G. Thomas ‘57 Mr. John M. Thompson, Jr. ‘50 Mr. and Mrs. Clark W. Waring ‘58 Brigadier General and Mrs. David C. Wesley, USAF, Retired
43 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Campus News
Alumni Rise to Annual Fund Challenge Thank you to all the alumni who helped us top 9 percent in class giving for the second year in a row. This means nearly one-tenth of the R-MA alumni community donated back to the school with an Annual Fund gift during the 2016-2017 school year. Here are the class rankings (with awards to be handed out at Homecoming 2017): 1. Class of 1966: 31.9% 2. Class of 1970: 30.0% 3. Class of 2017: 29.4% 4. Class of 1968: 21.7% 5. Class of 1975: 16.2% Kudos to R-MA’s newest alumni, the Class of 2017, for holding the top spot for most of June. They took the lead when the class members directed their Senior Class Gift donations to the Annual Fund rather than a project on campus. And the real winners are the cadets at R-MA. With a robust Annual Fund program, we are able to provide more scholarships, better equip the sports teams and bolster our academic programs. Thank you!! Class of 1937 - 66.7% Henry Green Otis Johnson
Class of 1943 - 20.0% David Mangum
Class of 1948 - 37.5% John Crawford John Harding David Hull Glenn Kellam Roger Perry Ed Tolzman Marshall Waring John Wayland John Willison
Class of 1944 - 12.5% Archer Taylor
Class of 1949 - 3.3% Stan Fulton
Class of 1945 - 30.8% Eugene Baur Boyd Guttery William Naylor John Rogers
Class of 1950 - 13.6% Bill Collins Byron Gayle John Thompson
Class of 1941 - 40.0% C. Barrie Cook Roscoe Turlington
Class of 1946 - 26.3% John Cox Marshall Dixon Paul Shrader Frederick Silbernagel Graham Stewart Class of 1947 - 18.8% Dale Becker Joseph Hutt Bob Pinkham
Class of 1951 - 11.5% Remi Chaffiot Conrad Koneczny Parker Lee Class of 1952 - 35.7% Paul Buford Bill Bundick Aaron Curtice Mahlon DeLoatch Sutton Flythe
44 The Sabre ď ˇ SUMMER/FALL 2017
This chart shows the year-by-year comparison of the alumni giving rate over the last nine years. Thanks to the support of all the alumni listed on pages 44-46, the rate has been over 9% for the last two years. Join the movement and help that rate rise to 10% this year!
James Kelley George Lux John Pittman Mory Ranck George Zaiser Class of 1953 - 26.5% Anonymous Wylie Barrow Charles Corder C.B. Courtney Jeff Dennis Art Johnson David Moore Jerome Muntzing Earle Ware Class of 1954 - 29.4% Gene Cooke Reg Hall George Hensley Pete Holladay George Mathias Clyde Matthews William Moffett Clyde Nordstrom Coulbourn Tyler John Welch
Class of 1955 - 18.4% Doug Carothers Gene Chew John Cornwell Larry DiJoseph Tyler Peter John Rives John Turner Class of 1956 - 6.7% Walt Boomer Charles Duke Dick Poulson Class of 1957 - 25.9% John Carroll Hartwell Fitchett Chip Houston* Jim Hunter James Jenkins James Luck Frank McLaughlin Glen Mente Charles Paris George Riddick Lennie Swanson Bill Thomas Harry Wilson Dan Yates
Class of 1958 - 22.0% Richard Adams James Burke Ralph Faust Jay Fifer Dave Johnston Henry Light Larry McCutcheon Kenneth Pierce Walter Smith Charles Strother Clark Waring Class of 1959 - 17.9% Stephen Barber Downer Clore Phil Covell Tom Dozier Sylvan Feldstein John Johnson Lew Jones Bob Nussey James Rockwell Bob Spivey Class of 1960 - 13.3% Bill English Stanley Forbes Bill Harrington John Hoppe Daniel Johnson Jay Selden Michael Waring David Wayson Class of 1961 - 13.9% Kent Blyler Stephen Detwiler Richard Dodd Watt Jones Tom Kalogeras L.T. Lilliston Frank Oakes Brinton Smith Charles Thomas Wesley Truscott Class of 1962 - 9.8% Harry Balthis Don Hammerstrom John MacConnell Robert Norfleet Samuel Thios Frank Whitworth Class of 1963 – 11.5% David Buell Robert Dankmyer Dick Marriott
Theodore McCord Paul Mylander Robert Pickrell Skip Tinsley Curtis Thomas Bill Vakos Class of 1964 - 9.7% Peter Conrad Tom Fitch Richard Humphreys Scott Kahle Harvey McDannald Don Sutton Class of 1965 - 9.1% Charles Edgren Rex Friedman Bob Herbert George Lyles Bob Lynch Jack Shockey Gus Stokes Class of 1966 - 31.9% Stephen Austin Thomas Bowling William Brown Pierre Charbonnet Lee Clark Waugh Crigler Bill Curl Robert Downer Gary Dressel Milton Gore Stephen Harris Chip Humphrey Donald Lewis Rick Lowman John Moncure Mark Neale Mark Nye Mark Pellerin Chip Rohr Ron Simar Sam Snead Calvin Stanley Allen Tomlinson
Class of 1968 - 21.7% David Allen Earl Allen Terry Aylor Lee Capps Mac Currin Sandy Deeley Walter Fitchett John Hall Kenny Heskett Bucky Hill Terry Hunter Robert Kilpatrick Gary Martin Tom Mildren Henry Rehder Rod Riddick Harold Robinson John Simar David Sullivan Conroy Wilson Class of 1969 - 14.3% Gerald Hepner Jeb Hockman Doug Huthwaite Tom Johnson Jack Kump Revell Lewis George McIntyre John McLelland Newth Morris Buck Swafford Class of 1970 - 30.0% Bill Abelkop Vince Amigh Roy Anderson Randy Austin Bill Bache Eric Barker Warren Boyer Rick Bramel H.T. Brown Jim Burke
Bernie Cline Lee Cowper Jim Fort Dana Parker George Phillips Gil Pope Rick Royals Padge Severin Paul Severin Phillip Shelton Jay Shoemaker John Stufflebeem John Swann Bev Taylor Jon Teates Whit Wall Jonathan Wright Class of 1971 - 2.2% Reeves Ellis Class of 1972 - 8.1% John Ellstrom David Jones Cary Savage Walter Sellers Eddie Stiles Class of 1973 - 6.0% Fred Allner Eric Birckner Eric Carlson Class of 1974 - 9.8% Michael Cheung Parker Curlee Jay Moore Walt Werner Class of 1975 - 16.2% Harry Austin Woody Cartes Alan Christopher Glenn Hines Dave Puster Glynn Williams
Thanks so much!
Class of 1967 - 9.7% Bill Burch Albert Fritter Dan Little Dougie MacKenzie Val Puster Butch Smith Martin Walker
45 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Advancement Class of 1976 - 12.5% Foroud Arsanjani Chuck Fields John Finucan Steve Shankle Class of 1977 - 6.4% Tom LaPlante Joe Silek Chuck Swaim Class of 1978 - 1.7% Mark Rogers Class of 1979 - 3.8% Charles Fretwell Phillip Kardis Class of 1980 – 0% Class of 1981 – 0% Class of 1982 - 7.4% Andy Harriman Khash Nejad Class of 1983 - 4.8% Peter Rochard Class of 1984 - 10.7% Joe Hadeed Bryan Moore Troy Wanstreet Class of 1985 – 0% Class of 1986 - 7.1% Steve Miller Chris Trimble John Wood Class of 1987 - 11.3% Steven Cummins James Dillon Amanda Garner-Kent Scott Harwood Dan Kichline David Kitchen Class of 1988 - 11.3% Eric Anderson John Carter Deshy Kinfu Robert Maupin Grant McKenzie Chris Scott Mike Starling Class of 1989 - 10.8% Kevin Flinner Scarlett (Praml) Kibler
Thank you for your support! Marcus Lindsey Perry McDonald Connie (Gutshall) McKenzie John Olverson Kevin Sinclair Vira Soemakno Class of 1990 – 0% Class of 1991 – 0% Class of 1992 - 2.7% Bryan Frey Dave Novy Class of 1993 - 5.2% Dave Blaiklock Shelly (Barr) Kats Patrick Schoenberger Class of 1994 - 2.8% Pam (Kanal) Black David Lewallen Class of 1995 - 1.6% Washington Capps Class of 1996 - 3.0% Kelvin Ampofo Dawn (May) Tirrell Class of 1997- 3.4% Alfredo Capps Kathryn (McIntyre) Tewell Class of 1998 - 5.8% Vivianne (Orji) Agbontaen Michael Arnold John Scaman Steven Viemeister Class of 2000 - 1.6% Larissa (Woloshyn) Hansen Class of 2002 - 2.6% Ann Brander Ryan Zivic
46 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Class of 2003 - 1.4% Rachel Dodson Class of 2004 - 2.1% Courtney (McIntyre) Maier Class of 2005 - 3.4% Alexandria (Xereas-Gonzales) Middleton James Taafel Class of 2006 - 7.3% Mark Baumgardner Nick Finucan Will Jackson Bo Snitchler Class of 2007 - 4.2% Aba Cole George McIntyre Jacob Walker Class of 2008 - 9.3% Meredith (Silek) Cole Emily Ezell Andrew Pfister Robert Sittman Charles Smith Class of 2009 - 1.3% Sara Dodson Class of 2010 - 2.9% Chris Abare Megan Cole Class of 2011 - 3.0% Cooper Bourdon Juliette Michael Class of 2012 - 5.7% Michael Brooks Ian Cochran Carly Cramer Jessica Vaughan Class of 2013 - 2.8% Nick Anderson Ben Pederson
Class of 2014 - 3.3% Grace Alexander Caitlin Bunker Robin Penn Class of 2015 - 6.2% Doug Brennand Jacob Dodson Amy Gray Cole Johnston Jonathan Pederson Tyler Vaughan Class of 2016 - 9.6% Sean Bell Emma Bunker Robert DeBerry Ashley Grossman Ben Hester Taylor Jones Will Long Class of 2017 - 29.4% Jiatian Chen Seth D’Allessandris SoSo Eke-Spiff Matthew Flynn Sean Freeman XuanYu Guo Martin Huffman Jang Lee Joseph Leichsenring Jianxiong Li XiangWen Li Yupei Mai Nii Mante Stephen Okonkwo Mikayla Reifert Hao Ru Amelia Schloesser Cong Xu Gery You-Ghosal * Deceased
Tributes Honored friends of Randolph-Macon Academy are listed first in bold print followed by the names of those making gifts in their honor or memory. This list reflects gifts made to R-MA between January 13, 2017 and August 11, 2017. In Memory of Richard C. Beall ‘53 Mrs. Beverly Broadbent-Casper In Honor of Donna Bogart Colonel and Mrs. Robert S. Poydasheff, Retired In Honor of Alfredo Capps ‘97 Mr. Lee Hood H. Capps ‘68 In Honor of Washington Capps, II ‘95 Mr. Lee Hood H. Capps ‘68 In Memory of David Cartes ‘74 Mr. and Mrs. Woody Cartes ‘75 In Memory of Robert T. Cashion ‘49 Mrs. Louise L. Cashion In Honor of the Class of 1970 Mr. and Mrs. Richard R. Bramel ‘70 Rear Admiral and Mrs. John D. Stufflebeem, USN, Retired ‘70 In Memory of Harry Cummings, Jr. ‘70 Mr. Roy Anderson ‘70 Mr. Warren D. Boyer ‘70 Mr. and Mrs. Lee F. Cowper ‘70 Rear Admiral and Mrs. John D. Stufflebeem, USN, Retired ‘70 In Memory of T. Wayne Cundiff ‘69 Mr. Lee Hood H. Capps ‘68 In Memory of Tom Dame Mr. and Mrs. Stuart L. Hester R-MA Parents’ Association In Memory of John R. Didly ‘70 Rear Admiral and Mrs. John D. Stufflebeem, USN, Retired ‘70 In Memory of Richard Donak Ms. Patricia L. Burba In Honor of Jeane G. Eastham Mrs. Winifred O. Kelley
In Memory of Joe Ecsi ‘65 Mr. and Mrs. James A. Councilor ‘65 Mr. and Mrs. Edward S. Linsley ‘65 In Memory of Henry F. Faucette ‘70 Rear Admiral and Mrs. John D. Stufflebeem, USN, Retired ‘70 In Memory of Brigadier General & Mrs. Arthur L. Friedman Mr. Rex A. Friedman ‘65 In Memory of Art Fulton ‘49 Anonymous Adler Architecture, LLC Mrs. JoAnn Anderson Mr. and Mrs. David Cain Major General and Mrs. Henry M. Hobgood, USAF, Retired Dr. M. Roy Schwarz Mr. and Mrs. Joseph F. Silek, Jr. ‘77 Mrs. Teresa Simpson Mr. and Mrs. William G. Thomas ‘57 Mrs. Courtney Warner Brigadier General and Mrs. David C. Wesley, USAF, Retired Mrs. Lauralee F. Whitmore Yount, Hyde & Barbour, P.C. Mr. and Mrs. Fred Zimmerman In Honor of Stan Fulton ‘49 for His Birthday Mr. Andrew Ferguson In Honor of Amy Go ‘17 Mr. and Mrs. Gus Stokes ‘65 In Memory of Donald E. Harris ‘56 Mr. and Mrs. W. Douglas Carothers, Jr. ‘55 In Honor of Bucky Hill ‘68 Mr. and Mrs. W. Harold Robinson, Jr. ‘68 In Honor of Lucy Williams Hooper Mr. Lee Hood H. Capps ‘68 Mr. Kenny Heskett ‘68 In Memory of Conrad Koneczny ‘51 Mr. and Mrs. Stuart L. Hester Major General and Mrs. Henry M. Hobgood, USAF, Retired Mr. and Mrs. Gary L. Hooper Mr. and Mrs. Henry D. Light ‘58 Mr. and Mrs. George D. Mathias ‘54 Ms. Hana Nicaj Mr. and Mrs. John E. Omps ‘51 R-MA Parents’ Association
Mr. and Mrs. William G. Thomas ‘57 Virginia Imports Ltd. Brigadier General and Mrs. David C. Wesley, USAF, Retired Mr. Jeffrey Zwelling In Honor of Colonel Ivan G. Mieth, USAF, Retired Mr. and Mrs. James C. Dillon ‘87 In Memory of James M. Mills Mr. and Mrs. Whit Wall ‘70 In Memory of Lowell P. Nelson ‘55 Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Carothers, Jr. ‘55 In Memory of Austin C. Reeves ‘10 Mr. and Mrs. Donald R. Branca Mr. David Stanwicks and Ms. Janet Desroche Mr. and Mrs. John A. Dolan Mr. James R. Graham Mr. and Mrs. Stephen F. Hatfield Mr. and Mrs. Stephen G. Hickey Mr. Mark Banion and Ms. Phyllis Kidder Mr. and Mrs. Jon F. Lindberg Mr. Michael D. Page Mr. Phillip Raffa In Honor of Betty Shoemaker Mr. and Mrs. J. Peter Shoemaker, Jr. ‘70 In Honor of John D. Simar ‘68 Mr. J. David Sullivan ‘68 In Memory of William S. Simms Mr. G. Kevin Sinclair ‘89 In Memory of Virginia Smith Mrs. Winifred O. Kelley In Memory of William “Bill” Smith ‘66 Mr. and Mrs. Chip E. Rohr ‘66 In Memory of Charles H. Thomas ‘37 Dr. Charles W. Thomas ‘61 In Memory of Robert C. Wagner ‘61 Major and Mrs. James C. Wagner, USAF, Retired ‘61 In Honor of Diane Womack Mr. Warren D. Boyer ‘70 In Memory of George M. Woods ‘53 Mr. and Mrs. Jeff R. Dennis, Jr. ‘53
47 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Yellow Jackets
Class of 1970 Announces Class of 2020 Essay Contest Winners by Cooper Bourdon '11, Communications Assistant On Tuesday, May 23, members from the Class of 1970 met with the Class of 2020 one last time before the end of the 2016-17 school year. The cadets of 1970 treated those of 2020 to a Mexican cuisine at El Maguey in Front Royal. They talked about school, sports, summer vacation plans, and much more. In addition to serving as an end-ofschool celebration, this dinner was the venue in which the Class of 1970 announced the winners of the essay contest. This contest, sponsored by the Class of 1970, asked the Class of 2020 three things: 1. What goals do you want to achieve during (a) the remainder of your freshman year and (b) for your graduation? 2. What are (a) your expectations of the 20/70 partnership and (b) what would you like to see included or to be added to and accomplished in the coming years? 3. How do you intend to give back to R-MA after graduation? There were four winners for the essay contest. Third place was a tie between Daggm Mekonnen and Citlaly Sosa, Taylor Wreath
48 The Sabre ď ˇ SUMMER/FALL 2017
came in second, and Yinan Chen finished first. Third place was awarded an iPod Nano, second place an iPad mini, and first place an iPad Pro. After the winners were announced, the kids helped themselves to delicious desserts like fried ice cream, churros, and chocolate chimichangas.
The partnership between the Classes of 2020 and 1970 has been beneficial to everyone involved. It gives the cadets of 1970 a chance to reconnect with their roots and presents the Class of 2020 with wise, discerning mentors during their formative years.
The Redemption of Champions by Cooper Bourdon '11, Communications Assistant The clock read zero as the Saint Michael’s girls’ varsity basketball team began to celebrate their 2016 Delaney Athletic Conference (DAC) championship. On the other side of the court was a Yellow Jacket basketball team wiping away the sweat and tears from a hard fought game that ended in their defeat. “Next year will be different,” they told themselves. The varsity girls held themselves to that promise as they went on to have a spectacular 2016-17 season. The lady Yellow Jackets were undefeated in conference play, won the DAC championship, and advanced to the state playoffs as the eleventh seed. They were led by Head Coach Jeff Moxie, who was named the DAC coach of the year. He is well-versed in the sport of basketball and knew this group of players was going to do something special. This team was full of drive and determination after losing to Saint Michael’s in the 2016 DAC championship game. For the 2016-17 season, second place was Liana Trupiano '18 was named MVP. simply not an option. “The girls have always been focused,” said Moxie, “but this year they felt like they had a hump to get over after finishing second place several times.” After losing just two seniors and finishing as runner-ups in the DAC finals the year before, Moxie knew expectations were high. Luckily for Moxie, the team, and R-MA fans everywhere, these girls were not only focused and determined, but they had talent across the board. “We didn’t have many weaknesses,” said Moxie. “The girls were strong everywhere and it was never a one-woman-show.” The DAC
thought so too when they awarded three of R-MA’s starters with 1st team all-conference honors and the other two with 2nd team allconference honors. First team all-conference point guard Liana Trupiano ’18, a fierce competitor and player, was certainly satisfied with the effort and achievement of her teammates. “Overall, I believe it was the team’s perseverance that made us successful,” said Trupiano. “We struggled and overcame many challenges, which I believe helped us grow as individuals as well as a team. I enjoyed seeing the passion and determination from The Most Improved Player Award every single player that in turn inspired me to fulfill my goals and went to Princess Uzoma '20. potential.” Julia Norton ’17 elaborated on the cohesion of the 2017 DAC champions. “We knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” explained Norton. “We knew when to let someone handle it and when we needed to have their back.” The Yellow Jackets have, once again, only lost two seniors which should continue to cultivate cohesion among this group of girls. They will need it to defend their championship title now that the Yellow Jackets are the buzz of the DAC. Lillian Walker '17, one of only two seniors on the team, received the Coaches' Award. (Pictured at left.)
Middle School ' l s l r bal i G et sk a B MVP Jessalyn Brooks '21
Coaches' Award Jotrina Vamboi '21
Most Improved Elianne Gihozo '22
49 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Kobi Okafor '19 Austin Davis '17
Most Outstanding Player
Most Improved
e l d id l M hoo Sc tling es r W MVP Devlin Montgomery '21 50 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Edmund Loolo '18
Soso Eke-Spiff '17 Most Improved
Coaches' Award
Girls' Swimming Morgan Sauter ’17
MVP
Varsity MVP
y t i s ing r Va estl r W
Joe Leichsenring '17
All-In Award
JV MVP
Haley Clingerman ’21
Kojo Mante '17
' s y Bo sity l r bal a V ket s a B
Most Improved Habib Issa '18
Most Outstanding Player
All-In Award
Ari Adigwe '19
Ba J sk V etb al l
Christopher Pierce '20
Yellow Jackets
Mikayla Reifert '17 Wrestles to 5th in States
MVP Tyler Kitchen ’19
Varsity Softball
Tajour Gadson ‘18
Coaches’ Ballplayer Award
Coaches’ Determination Award
y t i s r Va eball s Ba
participate in. “I wrestled a couple of guys, a couple of girls—it was probably about even,” she said, referring to her win-loss record. In her senior year, wrestling Coach Frank Sullivan P'19 opted to give Reifert a chance at the State Tournament, where she would get to wrestle girls. Reifert went in knowing her coach and teammates had faith in her, but no one truly knew what her chances were. “I hadn’t wrestled in a girls’ tournament in years,” she said. “These girls are from all over the state. Some of them are on travel teams. I’m pretty new in comparison, so you just never know.” Reifert surprised almost everyone with how well she did, wrestling her way to fifth place in the state for her weight class (120 lbs), but it was by no means easy. “I was gassed,” she admitted. “I didn’t know the score, couldn’t see anything. I came out on top, I think by one point.” In spite of her exhaustion, however, she said, “I was really happy with the match for fifth and sixth. That was probably one of the matches I fought the hardest in. And I felt really supported by the team. They were cheering me on.” Reifert, who was also the secretary of the senior class, a flight commander in Air Force JROTC, and a member of both the yearbook staff and The Academy’s Own Recruitment Team, is attending The Citadel this fall.
Devlin Montgomery ’21
by Celeste Brooks P'12, '21, Director of Public Relations Mikayla Reifert ’17 spent a lot of time watching her brother and his friends wrestle. To this day she remembers the cheers and encouragement, and the amazing sense of camaraderie. It planted a desire within her to be a part of this amazing world of wrestling. “There’s something about this environment and the people you meet,” she said. “It’s so exciting. It has never felt that family-oriented in any other sport.” Reifert is not just making assumptions; over the years, she has played volleyball and golf, run track, and was even a cheerleader. In spite of her love of the wrestling environment, Mikayla ran indoor track in the winter at her former school. When she arrived at R-MA, she took a year to try a few other things, but wrestling continued to woo her. After all, she had wrestled on and off for several years before coming to R-MA. Reifert had to fight for her place on the team, as R-MA does not have a separate girls’ team, and only two years behind her was AJ Sullivan ’19. “He was the better wrestler in my weight class,” she said candidly. “I didn’t wrestle in many meets.” However, that did not cause Reifert to back off in any way. She trained hard and went all-out on the matches she did get to
Coaches’ Award
Most Improved
MVP Lily Ruch ’18 Arielle Alexis ’19
Lily Grossman ’21
51 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
y ng t i rs adi a V rle ee h C
MVP Yifei Peng ’17
52 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Khalila Karefa-Kargbo ’20
Ian Whalen ’18
Coaches' Award
MVP Ziyen Chen ’18
Most Improved
MVP Josiah Herring ’20
Parker Overstreet ’17
' s y Bo ing JV mm i w S
Jacob Gehly ’20
Most Improved
Benjamin Kopjanski ’20
Coaches’ Award
David Idah '21
Most Improved
Joseph Flowers '21
Sidique ThomasSualley '21
Alexis Spears ’19
ys' o B ity rs ng a V mi im w S MVP
Coaches' Award
Boys' le d d i M l o o h c S ll a b t e Bask
Coaches’ Award
Yellow Jackets
Coaches' Award
Yellow Jackets Earn Second in DAC by Cooper Bourdon '11, Communications Assistant It is safe to say that this year’s varsity golf team exceeded expectations and surprised many folks, especially their opponents. They finished second in the DAC (Delaney Athletic Conference) Tournament, only losing to the number two team in the state, Wakefield School. The sport of golf is a difficult game to play and requires an enormous amount of effort, practice, and patience. Despite the vitality of these three components, this team had one more that outweighed all the others. That, dear reader, is mental toughness. It is easy for a golfer to get inside of his or her own head after several consecutive sub-par strokes. Head coach Bill Curl '66 constantly communicated this to his players. “Coach Curl really helped me with my Ben Kopjanski '20 was named the Most mental game,” said the Improved Player. golf team’s Most Valuable Player as well as the DAC Player of the Year Joseph Silek ‘17. “Staying positive can be hard to do, but it is important, and Coach Curl was great at keeping us levelheaded with our emotions in check.” There is no denying the greatness of this year’s golf team. The Yellow Jackets posted the best overall record and the best DAC record in recent R-MA varsity golf history. With an overall record of 20-4 and a DAC record of 11-3 the team overcame all obstacles and performed well on and off of the course. Their only losses were three Wakefield School, and one to number three in the state, Eastern Mennonite. The Yellow Jackets were able to beat such teams as Highland five times, Trinity Christian four times, Middleburg Academy twice, Christchurch once, and Blue Ridge School once. The team dynamic was strong amongst this closeknit group. Coaches’ Award winner Mikayla Reifert ’17 was, said Curl, “The ultimate team player and mothered her fellow sibling team members.” They were also a hardworking and tenacious group as many of them significantly cut their strokes, such as the Most Improved Player Ben Kopjanski ’20 who took 14 strokes off his average from last year. Finally, the team Mikayla Reifert '17 was the Coaches' was anchored down by Award recipient for the varsity golf team.
tremendous golfers like Silek and Jacob Karen ’19. These two players finished first and second individually in the DAC Tournament as Silek scored a 38 and Karen a 39. From top to bottom, this team gave all of their effort, practiced hard, and displayed great patience on the course. Congratulations to our runner-up Yellow Jacket golf team.
Silek Named Delaney’s Best by Cooper Bourdon '11, Communications Assistant The individual play of R-MA golfer Joseph Silek Jr. ’17 was second to none. He led the Delaney Athletic Conference (DAC) tournament runner-up R-MA Yellow Jackets throughout the entire season and was eventually named the DAC Player of the Year. Joseph has played golf for R-MA since he was 12 years old as a sixth grader. His continuous effort and perseverance molded him into one of the best golfers R-MA has had to date. When asked what got him into the sport of golf he said quickly, “My dad. I always wanted to go out golfing with him whenever he went.” When asked if his dad is any good he said even more quickly, “No,” with a grin on his face. There was a time, however, when Silek wanted to quit golfing. “I don’t remember when it was exactly, but I was in high school and I had consecutive awful rounds,” he explained. “Then I had an amazing shot one day and followed it up with another, and another. I came to realize that’s just how the game goes.” A strong mentor of his was his golf coach and middle school teacher, Bill Curl '66. “He helped Joe Silek '17 was named the MVP of the R-MA me out a lot with my varsity golf team, and Player of the Year in the game,” said Silek. “He knew who I was as a Delaney Athletic Conference. golfer and as a person. He has watched me develop since sixth grade.” When asked about the crucial lessons taught by coach Curl, it was not the mechanics of a golf swing or any quick tricks to putting or chipping. “He helped me get my mental game down,” said Silek. “He emphasized having no emotion. Don’t put your head down or throw your hands up. Just swing your club and focus on the next shot.” Curl had many kind things to say about Silek, but his highest praise went towards the young man’s character. “He has always enthusiastically tried to do the right thing, whether it be helping a peer, teacher, or coach and never expecting any praise or reward for his actions,” said Curl. “Joseph matured into one of the best young men I have ever had the pleasure to teach or coach. Joseph’s honesty, integrity, and willingness to help will forever be the characteristics I would use to describe this fabulous young man.” 53 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Yellow Jackets
Fun With The Family: R-MA’s 2nd Annual Alumni Lacrosse Game by Cooper Bourdon '11, Communications Assistant Reunions at Randolph-Macon Academy (R-MA) are always special to alumni/ae. What makes a reunion at R-MA so special is seeing the kinship of one's alma mater transcend over several different classes of graduates. That is what the Alumni Lacrosse Game does for the Yellow Jackets. “We want our alumni to know that there will always be a place for them to come back to,” said Head Coach Tony Ballard. “It’s nice to know you are appreciated and that the school hasn’t forgotten you. Your teammates are family and this is one big family reunion.” The second annual Randolph-Macon Academy (R-MA) Alumni Lacrosse game was held on May 20, 2017, at 10 a.m. on the home lacrosse field. Members from the classes of 2011-2016 navigated their way to The Hill with their smelly pads and meticulously strung sticks for the yearly showdown. Warm-ups consisted of shooting the ball as hard as one could at the goal while catching up with old friends and chatting with new acquaintances.
Two games were played that day. The first was the classic matchup of alumni vs current players. It was a romping. The alumni tallied a victory of 111. The current team is now 0-2 in the annual game. The second game was a mix of alumni and current players on each team. Players threw their sticks in the middle of the field as Ballard separated them to determine which side each player was on, A or B. Team A, wearing colored reversible jerseys, won the day in a close battle of nine goals to eight. Afterwards, both teams gathered at the middle school pavilion for a cookout provided by the R-MA Parents' Association. Burgers, chips, macaroni salad, potato salad, and various cookies were on the menu. Coach Ballard wrapped up the festivities and recognized all those who helped make the game and the entire season possible. Ballard concluded, “This one day a year can help remind you of the amazing feeling of scoring a goal, making a great defensive play, or just remind us that the fire still burns deep inside.”
Varsity Lacrosse
MVP Liam Kelly ’18 54 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Coaches’ Award Jacob Lee ’17
Most Improved Luel Mekonnen ’18
Jeffrey Collins '17: One for Record Books by Cooper Bourdon '11, Communications Assistant Randolph-Macon Academy has certainly had its share of top athletes over the years--one in particular was even an Olympian. Though Jeffrey Collins ’17 is not an Olympian, he is a decorated track runner and an exceptional athlete. Collins is strong, agile, and physical, but his best known attribute is his speed. As a running back for the R-MA football team he kept the defense on their heels, considering the fact that he could break one open for a touchdown at any second. “I remember one touchdown in particular that devastated the Hargrave [Military Academy] defense,” said Cooper Bourdon '11, R-MA’s running backs coach. “Second and long and Jeff takes it 94 yards for six points. It was huge.” Bourdon was not the only coach of Collins with words of recognition. “Jeff is a natural athlete with the desire to work at the highest ability,” said Head Track Coach Joshua Ilnicki. “He is a focused young man and never quits. He embraces the hardships of training to produce quality results that set him above the competition.” R-MA Athletic Director and head football coach, Frank Sullivan, affirmed Ilnicki’s praise of
Collins’ resilience. During the St. Anne’s-Belfield game Collins, “… bounced back from fumbling the ball on our own goal line and set us up to win the game by recovering our onside kick,” explained Sullivan. “At that moment, Jeffrey set himself apart from other players with a mentally tough mindset.” Collins’ grit is hard to match, but his speed is an even harder peak to reach, and it was on full display at the 2017 Virginia State track meet on May 20th. Collins finished third in the state in the 400 meter sprint, ran 51.52 seconds, and simultaneously broke the school record set by Victor McCoy ‘09. During the season, Collins constantly improved his 400m time and credits his success to switching things up and trying new techniques. “At first, I just set a steady pace so I would not burn out towards the end, but I wasn’t seeing any improvement,” said Collins. “I decided to just run as fast and as hard as I could from the beginning. Next thing I knew, I was cutting my time from 54 seconds to 53 seconds.” Collins’ kept his focus on improving his time by a fraction of a second every time he ran, earning him the honor of the Most Improved Runner Award for the team on his way to running right into the R-MA record books.
Varsity Track
MVP Xuan Phan Kieu ’18
Girls’ MVP Morgan Sauter ’17
Most Improved
y t i s r Va nis Ten
Boys’ Coaches’ Award Benjamin Schoonover ’17
Coaches’ Award
Boys’ MVP Corban Ruch ’17
Girls’ Most Improved, Noelle Kramer ’19
Ho Tin Cheng ‘18
Ryan Latham ’18 55 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Yellow Jackets
ty i s r Va s' Girl r ce c o S
MVP Lillian Walker ’17
Coaches’ Award Dongeun Go ’17
Most Improved Zhirui Chen ’20
Co-Most Improved Michael Kim '22
Co-Most Improved Alex Self '22
e l d id l M hoo Sc nis Ten MVP Henry Scott '23
Athletic Honors The following student-athletes received conference or state honors for their performance during the winter and spring seasons of the 2016-17 school year.
All-State Wrestling
Joseph Leichsenring ’17, 5th in State (138 lbs) Mikayla Reifert '17, 5th in State (120 lbs)
Delaney Athletic Conference All Conference Winter 2017 Girls’ Varsity Basketball Julia Norton ’17, 1st Team Liana Trupiano ’18, 1st Team Kimberly Pitts ’18, 2nd Team Lily Ruch ’18, 2nd Team Princess Uzoma ’20, 2nd Team
Boys’ Varsity Basketball Kojo Mante ’17, 2nd Team 56 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
Delaney Athletic Conference All Conference Spring 2017 Girls’ Varsity Soccer Lila Walker ’17, 1st Team Meseret Abeel ’18, 1st Team Khalila Karefa-Kargbo ’19, 1st Team Amy Go ’17, 2nd Team Boys’ Varsity Baseball Tyler Kitchen ’19, 1st Team Girls’ Varsity Softball Lily Ruch ’18, 1st Team
Varsity Lacrosse Liam Kelly ’18, 1st Team Jacob Lee ’17, 2nd Team Luel Mekonnen ’18, 2nd Team Boys’ Varsity Tennis Xuan Phan Kieu ’18, 1st Team Varsity Golf Joseph Silek ’17, Player of the Year and 1st Team Jacob Karen ’19, 1st Team
57 The Sabre SUMMER/FALL 2017
The Sabre
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