News from the Athletics Department

Matsatsa ‘23 Paces Nation in 800m

A student-athlete leaves a legacy when they set a school record. On March 12, Tinoda Matsatsa ‘23 did more than set a school record — he ran the fastest time in the nation in the indoor 800-meters for anyone under the age of 20. Matsatsa notched his time at the New Balance Indoor Nationals in Boston against a field of the best high school runners in the country.

“I pushed to my absolute max,” Matsatsa told The Washington Post after the race. “Once I crossed the line and I heard the time that I ran, I was like, ‘There’s no way.’ I was in disbelief and shock for the first 30 seconds.”

Matsatsa, who already held the Maryland indoor record in the 800m, will run track at Georgetown University next year.

Swim and Dive has Hallmark Season

The Varsity Swim and Dive team had one of its best seasons in the program’s history. The girls finished third at the ISL Swim & Dive Championships, the highest finish by a co-ed school of St. Andrew’s size in the history of the league and something that no co-ed school has accomplished since 2016. The boys team finished sixth in the MAC Championships. In February, the team was featured in The Washington Post and on WUSA9 as both media outlets highlighted the team’s outdoor winter practices, a unique aspect of the team’s training program.

Doulaveris ‘24 Top MAC Golfer

The boys golf team had a third-place finish at the MAC Tournament and that finish was helped immensely by Vasilios Doulaveris ’24. Not only was the junior named All-MAC, but as one of the top four finishers at the MAC Championship, he earned a spot in the inaugural “Tournament of Champions.” Despite playing as the #4 seed, Doulaveris defeated the top seed in the first 9-hole match and the #2 seed in 10 holes in the second match to claim the victory.

Boys Basketball Team Among Area’s Best

For the third-straight boys basketball season, St. Andrew’s advanced to the MAC Championship game and faced off with Sidwell Friends. In 2020, the Lions took home the MAC Tournament title but in 2022 and in 2023 the Quakers were able to bring home the title. Despite coming up one win short of the conference championship, the Lions had another highlysuccessful season, as they spent the winter ranked in the Washington Post Top 20. The team also advanced to the semifinals of the inaugural Maryland Private School State Basketball Tournament. Both Marcel Gardner ‘23 and Xander Alarie ‘24 were named All-MAC and Alarie was also named honorable mention Washington Post All-Met.

Equestrian Team Wins Year-End Titles

The Equestrian team finished as Varsity & Junior Varsity team Year-End Reserve School Champions in 2022-2023, thanks to a mix of riders, some in their first or second year and others long-time members of the squad. The varsity team was led by Kate Schneider ’23, Alexandra Houck ’25, Ella Poffenroth ’25, Rhian Williams ’25, Grace Bickenbach ’26, Chloe Stark ’26, and Kate ’28 while Natalie Manos ’23, Corey Bailey ’24, and Alice ‘28 paced the junior varsity squads.

Four Players Sign to Play DI Athletics

A quartet of seniors will continue their playing careers next year on the Division I level as Marcel Gardner, Jake McClure, Marques NanaSinkam, and Khari Seals will suit up next season at new schools. Gardner will play basketball at UMBC, McClure will play lacrosse at VMI, NanaSinkam will play soccer at Holy Cross, and Seals will play lacrosse at Hampton. Go Lions!

Wom-n’s Empowerment Conference Connects Students, Supports Menstruators

St. Andrew's Wom-n's Empowerment Conference brought together eighth through twelfth-grade students for a day of community-building, wellness, and service. Students learned about period poverty and activism from keynote speakers Brooke and Breanna Bennett, founders of the non-profit Women In Training and daughters of alumnus Brad Bennett ‘86. Inspired by Brooke and Breanna’s mission to “end poverty period” by supplying pads and toiletries to menstruators in need, students assembled 500 feminine hygiene kits for the local non-profit So What Else, which supports children and families living in underserved communities in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C., metro area. Students also engaged in wellness activities like mindfulness exercises and yoga, and learned introductory self-defense techniques. Thank you to all the families who donated products this spring that helped make the feminine hygiene kits possible.

Student Affinity Groups Build Connections Across Divisions

Upper School student leaders are weaving a thread of belonging through the entire school by sharing their identities and culture with their peers and with younger students. Members of the Black Student Alliance, Asian Student Union, Jewish Student Alliance and Latinx Club visited Lower School classrooms and chapel services to read books and lead discussions. Upper elementary students are following their lead. Sarah ‘30 taught kindergarteners about the Lunar New Year and Rylie ‘31 read a book and gave a chapel talk in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day during a preschool chapel service.

Middle School Diversity Conference Encourages Students to Strengthen Belonging

The theme of this year’s Middle School Diversity Conference, “Heroes Build Community and Foster Relationships,” was inspired by the division’s summer reading, “The Hero Next Door.” Students engaged in activities to strengthen their commitment to belonging, leadership, and appreciation for diversity, including art projects, mindfulness exercises, collaborative team challenges, and grade-level conversations. The conference, which took place in February, was a powerful opportunity for students to advocate for what they need and want from their Middle School experience. It was also a chance for sixth, seventh, and eighth graders to interact with students in different grades and reunite in their grade to imagine how they want to build community at St. Andrew’s.

Black Alumni Collective Programming Expands on Campus

The BAC-2-School Bash, now in its second year, welcomed more than 150 families and employees of color to Izzo Quad for an afternoon of fun and connection this past September. In January, the BAC’s signature social justice hackathon, HackBAC, took place both on campus and virtually in a new hybrid format, allowing the competition to engage 60 students across North America.

For the third year in a row, St. Andrew’s students were among the winning teams, which proposed solutions to support the healthcare needs of historically marginalized individuals identifying as BIPOC. Jackson ‘27, Chad ‘27, and Joshua ‘27 were members of the second-place team, which proposed SnackChats, a mobile therapy food truck that supports unhoused people of color who struggle with mental health issues. The initiative aims to combat the stigmas associated with therapy and mental health services by providing free meals and easy access to licensed therapists. The team was mentored by Associate Director of Admission Lauren Van Tol.

The BAC will host its second End of Year Ceremony on June 4, where they will recognize the Class of 2023 with kente cloth stoles and welcome new members into the BAC.

Upper School Students, Faculty and Staff Represent St. Andrew’s at NAIS Conferences

Six Upper School students represented St. Andrew's at this year's National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Student Diversity Leadership Conference in San Antonio, Texas: Corey Bailey '24, McKinzie Alexander '25, Celeste Mondragon '23, Kati Ahuja '25, Andrew Saavedra '24, and Fiona Nganou '24. During the conference, students discussed the importance of a culture of belonging, designed effective strategies for social justice practice through dialogue and the arts, and learned the foundations of allyship and networking principles. Student representatives shared reflections on their experience with all students in the Upper School in February. Additionally, faculty and staff members including Rob Gamble, Kiran Philip, Chavonne Primus, and Husam Shabazz ‘15 attended the NAIS People of Color Conference.

Lower School Students Practice Allyship During Solidarity Week

Solidarity Week, which is recognized at St. Andrew’s in November, is about creating belonging for everyone in our community through actions big and small. In the Lower School, students engaged in conversations about what it means to be an ally and how to combat bystanderism. Students illustrated examples of how they contribute to a culture of belonging at St. Andrew's, and first graders handed out “Belonging” stickers to students and adults on campus. In all divisions, students wore purple during Solidarity Week to show our School’s allyship with our LGBTQIA+ students and families.

Neuroteach Global Student Launches in Middle and Upper School

Students at St. Andrew’s are discovering the science behind how the brain learns best – and how they can apply this knowledge to become more effective learners – thanks to Neuroteach Global Student. Developed by The CTTL in partnership with leading researchers, Neuroteach Global Student is a set of six learning modules designed to empower students with learning skills and mindsets that will help them become more efficient, confident, and self-directed learners.

During advisory periods and on their own, sixth-, seventh-, and ninth-grade students are completing the modules, which are based on the best research on how students learn and how to change their learning habits. Student users develop a toolbox of effective and efficient learning strategies, such as how to study, how to take a test, how to remember what they read, and how to get the most out of class.

Neuroteach Global Student is currently in the hands of students across the country and around the world. To learn more about Neuroteach Global Student, visit www.neuroteach.us.

Student Fellows Examine Assessment and Student Motivation

This year’s cohort of Finn Family Student Research Fellows are investigating how assessment feedback and grading impact students’ motivation in the Middle and Upper School. As part of their research, students connected with Dr. Pedro De Bruyckere, Educational Scientist at Arteveldehogeschool in Ghent, Belgium and author of “The Ingredients for Great Teaching.”

Fellows are applying what they are learning about principles of research methodology to design, conduct, and analyze the data that they’ve collected from their fellow students. The results will be shared with the school community along with research-informed suggestions for how teachers can further support students’ motivation and learning. This year’s fellows are Eliora Adu ‘24, Jake Brill ‘23, Nariah Goldman ‘24, Drew Levine ‘23, Jake Lehrman ‘24, Nickor Liu ‘23, Gabriel Martinez ‘24, Ethan McNamara ‘23, Mareina Mitchell ‘23, Mia Redjaee ‘23, Isa Rodriguez ‘24, Lauren Safra ‘23, Devonte Sanders ‘23, Kate Schneider ‘23, Alyssa Tave ‘24, Jasmine Wang ‘24, Claire Wang ‘24, and Savannah Wilson ‘24

Leaders from The CTTL Present Across the Country

The CTTL leadership team offered workshops and gave presentations at some of the top conferences for educators this year. In February, faculty, staff, and alumni presented at the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Annual Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. D!Lab Director and Science Teacher Chuck James P’10 and Black Alumni Collective Leader Delonte Egwuatu '12 presented on HackBAC, the BAC's social justice hackathon, and History Teacher and Executive Director of The CTTL Glenn Whitman P’22 spoke on neuroplasticity and the intersections between Mind, Brain, and Education Science and Diversity, Equity, and Belonging work.

In March, Dr. Ian Kelleher P’24 ‘29, Science Teacher and Dreyfuss Chair of Research for The CTTL, returned to SXSW EDU in Austin, Texas, to present

St. Andrew’s to Host USA Festival of Education

On October 21, St. Andrew’s will be the venue for the inaugural USA Festival of Education. The Festival of Education was founded in 2010 by Wellington College in the United Kingdom; today, it is the largest gathering of educators from all types of schools in the U.K. To learn more about the USA Festival of Education and to buy tickets, visit www.educationfestusa.com/ on how educators can teach students better learning strategies informed by the Science of Learning. The senior director of SXSW EDU — one of the largest educational conferences and festivals in the United States — is a St. Andrew's alumnus, Greg Rosenbaum '06. In April, Lorraine Martinez Hanley and Eva Shultis co-presented on the brain and creating a culture of belonging during a preconference workshop at Learning and the Brain in New York City.

St. Andrew’s continues to be the leader in conducting workshops on researchinformed, brain-based teaching at independent, public, and charter schools in the United States, traveling to more than 20 states this school year alone, as well as working with schools overseas in Mexico, Canada, and Australia. The Center continues to expand its work with public schools through workshops and Neuroteach Global partnerships.

The emotion and cognitive areas of the brain are highly interlinked, so emotional factors, like stress, anxiety, happiness, and belonging need to be considered when thinking about ways to improve learning.

Looking ahead to summer, Dr. Kelleher and Whitman will be presenting in June at the Model Schools Conference in Orlando, Florida. The Science of Teaching & School Leadership Academy, The CTTL’s professional development conference for educators and administrators, will take place in a hybrid format, with participation options virtually and at satellite locations in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Florida, and Mexico City.

New Parent Resource Delivers the Science of Learning to Families

The CTTL has launched an engaging card game designed for families, building on the success of “Face the MBE Facts: A Neuromyth Busting Activity,” a card deck for educators who want to test what they know about how the child’s brain learns and grows. The families-edition of the deck includes cards that highlight the most pervasive of myths about learning, such as whether students have unique learning styles and the best ways to study. It is designed to be a friendly, accessible way for families to explore how their children’s — and their own — brains learn best. Paired with Neuroteach Global Student, the “Face the MBE Facts” deck is a powerful tool for families as they support their child’s learning and help them be more effective, efficient, and engaged in school.

Emotion uses many of the same areas of the brain that learning uses. When a student is learning, emotion and cognition are operating seamlessly in the brain. Learning is improved when teachers consider each student’s emotional needs.

The emotion and cognitive areas of the brain are highly interlinked, so emotional factors, like stress, anxiety, happiness, and belonging need to be considered when thinking about ways to improve learning.