St. David's Magazine: Volume 1 Issue 2

summer 2016

magazine

World Race , eleven countries eleven months

On the Move new buildings bring excitement

Profiles on Mission bringing the mission to life

A New of Look at Tower Strength C.S. Lewis 17 celebrating years of service old enough for fairy tales again

Cover Spring 2016 .indd 2

9/13/2016 10:26:40 AM

Ta b l e o Features

05 14 22 42

IN COMMUNITY

In Guatemala, Ethiopia, and in local Raleigh neighborhoods, service learning abounds through hands-on experiences.

AIR TIME

Taking to the air as well as the airwaves, the student media production crew partners with constituents all around campus.

ON THE MOVE

As the Lower School moves into a brand new facility, the Middle School shifts to make way for changes of its own.

WORLD RACE

Eleven countries in eleven months: an alumna serves the “least of these� while learning about the world and herself.

Also Inside Table Of Contents 4-5 fall photo.indd 1

9/13/2016 9:12:55 AM

of Contents Departments

50

LOWER SCHOOL PROFILE They Call Him Coach

Table Of Contents 4-5 fall photo.indd 2

58

28

PAGE TURNERS Wondering what is in the St. David’s library? Check out our parent, student, faculty and librarian book reviews.

34

FACULTY PROFILES How do decorations in a classroom reveal the secrets of the faculty member in it? Explore our profiles for the answe .

72

VISITING EXPERTS A C.S. Lewis scholar and a former telecom executive address the senior class, just two of an array of distinguished visitors to the campus.

80

LAST WORD A word from the headmaster on a year worth celebrating.

STUDENT PROFILES Athletes on Mission

68

MIDDLE SCHOOL PROFILE Beyond Literacy

9/13/2016 9:12:55 AM

contents Staff & Contributors

St. David’s Magazine Staff: Jake Rodgers, Karen Barnes,Mary Dickerson, Jim Cianca

Headmasters’s Note

In an ever-increasing age of digital media, there is something

very special about printed books and publications that can be read, placed back on a coffee table, desk, counter or shelf, only to be picked up and read again and again. This has certainly been the case for the St. David’s Magazine. If you are like me, it is almost impossible to discard good periodicals, regardless of their publication date. I still have last spring’s issue on my desk because the stories remind me of how special our community really is, how blessed we are, and how thankful we should be. Unbeknownst to us, our printer entered our previous issue in the PICA (Printing Industry of the Carolinas) state-wide publication competition, and it won first place!

I really appreciate the talented staff members and contributors who continue to capture the stories of our community, and convey them to us with excellence. I have no doubt that you will be inspired by this magazine as well.

Dr. Todd von Helms Interim Headmaster

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Karen Barnes, Marketing Specialist John Mac Feeney ’18 Kali Oldacre, Middle School English Faculty Katherine Robbins, Lower School Librarian Jake Rodgers, Upper School English Faculty Leigh Stallings, Headmaster’s Executive Assistant Peggy Swearingen, Head Librarian Assunta Wallace, Lower School Parent Valerie Medlin ’16 Todd von Helms, Interim Headmaster EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DESIGN/PHOTO EDITOR Jim Cianca, Director of Marketing & Communications COPY EDITOR Jake Rodgers, Upper School English Faculty TECHNICAL EDITORS Mary Dickerson, Communications Specialist Karen Barnes, Marketing Specialist GRAPHIC DESIGN Joshua Cianca ’13, Graphic Designer CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Jennifer Haygood, J.B. Haygood Photography ON THE COVER Mallory Rabon ’08 on a 12 hour canoe ride up the Barak River in India en route to her next assignment.

Read the whole story beginning on page 40.

St. David’s Magazine is a bi-annual publication of St. David’s School that highlights the ways in which the community challenges students to excel in the vital areas of faith, virtue, and knowledge.

2 • SUMMER 2016

Table Of Contents 4-5 fall photo.indd 3

9/13/2016 9:12:56 AM

St. David’s School

Admissions Events 2016-17 Pre-K and K Group Tours 9:30am to 11:00am

October 5, October 12, November 2, November 30

Lower School Group Tours 9:30am to 11:00am

November 9

Middle and Upper School Group Tours 9:30am to 11:00am

October 26, November 16, December 7

Faith

. Virtue . Knowledge . .

3400 White Oak Road, Raleigh, NC 27609 Table Of Contents 4-5 fall photo.indd 4

919-782-3331

www.sdsw.org 9/13/2016 9:13:04 AM

GLIMPSES GLIMPSES

Working with rebar to help build the second story of a Guatemalan school, Preston Ball ’16 and Madi Vanarthos ’16 are surrounded by students from the school during a break.

Guatemala 2.indd 1

9/13/2016 11:05:18 AM

of

ETERNITY

by Valerie Medlin '16

As I rounded the corner of the cinder block school house, a familiar tune flooded my ears: “Great is Thy faithfulness...

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 5

Guatemala 2.indd 2

9/13/2016 11:05:30 AM

Seniors Emilie Lewis, Shawen Conway and Courtney Reynolds take a moment from work to share a laugh.

The team spent the week building cinder block classrooms at a Compassion International school in Santa Apolonia, Guatemala.

Right: Remy Deitelbaum ’17 enjoys time with the local children. St. David’s students not only helped build a structure for a school, they also had the opportunity to build relationships with the teens and adults they worked with and the children they were building for.

6 • SUMMER 2016

Guatemala 2.indd 3

9/13/2016 11:05:32 AM

ETERNITY “...oh God my Father, there is no shadow of turning with Thee, Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not, as Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.” Slouching with a dusty cowboy hat to shade his wrinkled face and a book in his hand, a Guatemalan man hummed a song I’d grown up hearing in church. But he was singing it in Cekchi, the native Mayan language in Coban. Another man harmonized with him, holding a tattered hymnal close to his face. Almost involuntarily, that same tune began to seep out of my beaming smile. Then I realized the humbling reality of this moment: This wasn’t just my song from the wooden pews and Wednesday night suppers of my home church, it was a song being sung all over the world, however remote those places might seem. What a picture of the unity that exists in Christ!

I’ve had the incredible opportunity to travel to Guatemala with St. David’s for the past three years. Capturing the beauty of this experience in words is simply impossible, but here’s my attempt at portraying a few glimpses into the work of an omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God in Guatemala.

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 7

Guatemala 2.indd 4

9/13/2016 11:05:34 AM

On the worksite, with the Fuego Volcano behind them and Guatemalan children they are working with in front of them: Hattie Tharrington ’17, Lindsey Klinck ’19, Madi Vanarthos ’16, Catherine Earp ’17 , and Sophie Rhoads ’17.

[God’s] beauty was on display for all of us to see. We felt small in that moment, gripped by the love of a God who transcends time and yet enters it on our behalf.

8 • SUMMER 2016

Guatemala 2.indd 5

9/13/2016 11:05:35 AM

When I first glanced at the packing list, three items jumped out at me: jeans, work gloves, and a spade. I knew going into it that this would be a labor intensive trip, but little did I know just how much I would learn about patience, endurance, and true unity – the things an improvised assembly line can teach you. Let me explain. My first year we arrived at the worksite, and right at the bottom of the mountain was a pile of sand, and at the very top, buckets of water ready to be mixed to make concrete. Over the next three days we would start at nine in the morning passing up buckets of water, sand and rocks. We would take a break for lunch, then resume working until sundown – all the while with little Guatemalan boys sprinting up and down the hill with buckets of sand and our “Mayan Mamas” (the Mayan ladies who woke at 5:00 each morning to cook for us) bringing us fruit to refresh us right when we needed it. Through those smokefilled, spicy kitchens, and the dusty cinder block towers, and mounds of gravel, dirt, and sand, the work we did as a team built so much more than classrooms or buildings. We built friendships.

There was time to glimpse God’s majesty in nature too. We trekked up an active volcano named Pacaya to watch the sun rise over Antigua. The hike began as a dark, bitterly cold morning.

We left our hotel at 1:45 AM. Together we loaded our bus and wound through dirt roads up into the mountain range. By 3 AM, with bellies full of granola bars and backpacks stuffed with water bottles, we embarked on a three-hour trek up the active volcano towering 8,373 feet in the black sky. The higher the ascent, the thicker the layer of crumbling molten rock and dust beneath our feet. Finally, we reached the top of the volcano just in time for the morning sun to break over the horizon. We marveled.

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 9

Guatemala 2.indd 6

9/13/2016 11:05:37 AM

The coffee beans have just come out of a fermentation tank, and David Pierce ’16 assists his Guatemalan host as the team visited a finca (a local coffee plantation). Beans must dry out in the sun before beginning the roasting process.

10 • SUMMER 2016

Guatemala 2.indd 7

9/13/2016 11:05:38 AM

ETERNITY The already magnificent mountains were

layered with rolling hills, ranging from a deep

emerald to a faded blue. I was overwhelmed with the beauty.

Silence settled like a thick

blanket upon our huddled bunch of students and teachers. After a few moments of awed silence, Mr. Rodgers read Psalm 103 aloud: “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love to those who fear him.” It was incredible to feel, see, and even hear God amidst the silence and reading of his word. We felt small in that moment, gripped by the love of a God who transcends time and yet enters it on our behalf. The Psalmist proclaims that a “man’s frame is dust,” but the Lord has “established his throne in the heavens.” Glimpsing God’s majesty in the foothills of Guatemala, the smoky, concrete rooms booming with laughter and the smell of baking tortillas, and crackling campfires encircled by teammates made us forget life’s minor inconveniences. They were replaced by a reverent silence, by genuine joy, and a deep friendship we never knew existed. I finally understood the words of the hymn, “As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.”

Donning work gloves and sun glasses, Sophie Rhoads ’17 and Allie Dunston ’16 labor under the Guatemalan sun, hauling off construction trash to the dump.

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 11

Guatemala 2.indd 8

9/13/2016 11:05:40 AM

COMMUNITY

as a

Way of Life

Martin Luther King Jr. declared, “Life’s most persistent and nagging question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” Challenging our students to see how service is vital for a fruitful life, we hope they’ll come to answer that question meaningfully. For the past three years, St. David’s has built a relationship with a church in Addis Ababba, Ethiopia. Our students, joining hands with the youth group of Misrak Meserete Kristos Church, do community outreach to local orphanages.

For over a decade, we’ve sent hundreds of students to Guatemala – partnering with Bridge Builders to build classrooms and friendships. Veterans of those trips are quick to note that the service may be the wrong word to describe the experience. It’s not service, it’s friendship.

And it’s not charity, it’s community.

Community does not require an international

destination. Often, it is most meaningful when done in our own backyard. This year, many of our students partnered with Habitat for Humanity to construct and repair homes. Others cleaned stables at Hope Reins, an organization that helps children overcome traumatic upbringings by caring for horses. The school requires 80 hours of community service before graduation.

Upper School Principal Scott Shaw observed, “We’re not interested in checking off a box; the purpose behind community service is community itself. The service is the beginning of the relationship, not the end.” Stephen Shingler, the twelfth grade chair who coordinates service week, remarked, “We desire our students to grow in faith and perspective” – helping our students answer the question, ‘“What am I doing for others?’”

Elizabeth Motter ’16 and Madeline Rieker ’16 measure siding for a new Habitat for Humanity “Woman Build” home.

12 • SUMMER 2016

Guatemala 2.indd 9

9/13/2016 11:05:43 AM

ETERNITY

Constructing large boxes to use as bins, Jamie Tyler ’16 helps Missions Thrift Store get organized as his fellow advisees sort clothing and supplies.

Rolling new stain on an old deck, Stephen Camp ’17 and his team work with Habitat for Humanity to refurbish an aging home.

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 13

Guatemala 2.indd 10

9/13/2016 11:05:48 AM

14 • SUMMER 2016

Media 9-13-16.indd 1

9/13/2016 11:39:29 AM

amera ‘B’ signal down! Camera ‘A’ rolling!” called Director James Nye, senior media production student, with authority.

As the wireless “backboard cam” signal faltered, James and his producer, senior Raiford Garrabrant, made the quick switch to another camera angle, to keep the live video of the resounding varsity basketball win streaming across the Internet. A dedicated and talented team of student volunteers kept the viewers at home supplied with video throughout the year. Special speakers, symposiums, fine arts performances, sporting events, and special events like the annual Veterans Day celebration, third grade Presidents Night, and Commencement have all become available on computers and mobile devices around the world – in real time. The “St. David’s Live” Ustream channel has served thousands of viewers

Flying the revolutionary DJI Phantom 4 drone, Jack Tanner ’17 and Banks Avram ’19 get aerial footage of the new Lower School building and athletic fields. The Phantom 4 requires both flying and videography skills, and as students learn the system, they capture footage of athletic events, field days, and campus scenery as well as produce original, creative videos.

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 15

Media 9-13-16.indd 2

9/13/2016 11:39:31 AM

ranging from classes across campus to grandparents across the world in locales as far flung as South Korea and Australia.

The live stream dream originated with former Headmaster Kevin Lockerbie, who envisioned a program that could enable families and friends of the school to catch a glimpse of the exciting activities going on around campus no matter where they happened to be. It may be impossible to attend all the events one would like to attend, but it is now possible to view many them remotely. When a rare Carolina ice storm prevented guest theater director and New York resident Mr. Neil Akins from attending as a judge for the annual declamation contest, he watched the performances online and collaborated with his fellow judges remotely.

A

pplause from Chicago!” messaged one grandparent on the Ustream message board when watching his grandson

deliver a declamation speech. Live streaming has brought the community together, even those who are part of the St. David’s community who don’t live in Raleigh. Live streaming is only one of the collaborative efforts that the media production crew has been a

16 • SUMMER 2016

Media 9-13-16.indd 3

9/13/2016 11:39:32 AM

A conference-winning basketball team makes for exciting live footage, and the media crew took advantage of the opportunity to live-stream big games. Miller Ashe ’19 and Jacob Breckenridge ’19 handle one of the three HD video cameras in a production streamed on the St. David’s Live channel. Several generous grants have played a significant role in enabling the media production program to provide the latest state-of-the art equipment for the students.

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 17

Media 9-13-16.indd 4

9/13/2016 11:39:33 AM

Connected via a wireless communication system, Raiford Garrabrant ’16 directs and produces a live event. Directing multiple cameras, graphics, audio, a virtual scoreboard, and pre-recorded transition videos, he has his hands full while managing the content on the live-production NewTek Tricaster.

Raiford’s experience has served the school well, and in the fall he is returning to St. David’s as an alumnus to help run live streaming events throughout the year.

18 • SUMMER 2016

Media 9-13-16.indd 5

9/13/2016 11:39:34 AM

part of, however. While the media production class is a part of the fine arts department, the students on the crew find themselves partnering with others all around campus, whether in support of academic endeavors, student clubs, student government, or even official school marketing efforts.

T

he athletics department has forged a dynamic partnership with the creatively inclined media students. This year marked the first “streamcast” of an athletic

event, and it featured live broadcasters, including playby-play expert Steve Barnes, St. David’s School’s Sports Information specialist who also happens to be the official voice of Duke women’s basketball. Despite slipping a few times early in the season and calling the Warriors the Blue Devils, his near-perfection set an example for his color commentators, student Patrick Horn’16 and Assistant Athletic Director Alan Hinnant. The on-camera and off-camera team of up to eight volunteers kept the audience fully informed and entertained throughout the season.

A

s much as the media crew loves working with those in every area of the school, their most enduring partnership is with those in their very own fine arts department. A fall play and winter

musical offer opportunities for the media crew not only to shoot a multi-camera production of the performances, but also to partner with Theater Director David McClutchey to produce content for the plays themselves. For The Little Prince, the media production class worked with Stephen Shingler, upper school art teacher, to create motion graphics which served as backgrounds for the play. For the spring musical, Bye Bye Birdie, the media faculty and students shot and produced a video which opened the play and set the stage for the musical.

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 19

Media 9-13-16.indd 6

9/13/2016 11:39:35 AM

I

n addition to the dramatic

.

play and the musical, there is a whole slate of .musical performances, and Band Director Eric Terlizzi and Choral Director Cindy Darden rely on

the media volunteers to record their performances – many of which make their way to viewers far afield on either the St. David’s YouTube or Ustream channels. This past year, the choirs participated in on-location shoots at Crabtree Valley Mall and North Hills as part of a Christmas music video which served as a celebratory video Christmas card to the St. David’s Community.

From air time to flight time and game time to show time, the media production crew continues to bring the life of the school to light with artistry and panache, enjoying the creative challenge of every partnership.

Middle School cast members of Bye Bye Birdie scream in excitement as pop star Conrad Birdie saunters by.

Their performance was used as part of a video intro sequence in the musical.

20 • SUMMER 2016

Media 9-13-16.indd 7

9/13/2016 11:39:37 AM

A cinematic look is paramount when filming the annual Christmas video, which is why Ellie Baker ’17 is using one of the department’s Canon 70Ds, an SLR camera that excels at film-look digital video. Ellie also wrote, directed, and shot her own short film this past year. Her film, the Christmas music videos, and much more student work can be found on the SDS Media YouTube channel.

The lovely sounds of the Bel Canto Choir fill the Performing Arts Center, and the media crew captures it all in digital high definition.

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 21

Media 9-13-16.indd 8

9/13/2016 11:39:41 AM

On Move St. David’s is on the move…literally and figuratively fter months of anticipation, the Lower School ex-

are finding themselves in familiar territory, although with a com-

pansion project is complete and teachers and

pletely different feel. Teachers in these grades packed up their

students are now occupying the beautiful, new

belongings and have moved into “new-to-them” classroom spac-

space. Lower School teachers had the opportu-

es in the former Lower School. These spaces have been retrofi -

nity before the year-end to tour the space and

ted with new lockers and other appropriate necessities, designed

see their new classrooms featuring state-of-the-art technologies

with fifth and sixth grade students in mind

and “sky-box” views of the athletic fields. The Lower School

The seventh and eighth grade classrooms have moved to the

faculty and students are not the only ones who have found them-

St. Timothy’s building. Their former “home” – St. Alban’s – was

selves enjoying exciting changes, however.

one of the oldest buildings on campus and had reached the end

If you had taken a walk through the Middle School buildings

of its useful life. While the students were away, this building

at the end of the school year, you would have seen more than

was razed to make way for the next phase: a beautiful, spacious,

the usual end of the year wrap up. Middle School teachers and

multi-story Middle School. The plans for this new expansion are

students are on the move as well. Fifth and sixth grade students

coming together and will soon be shared community-wide!

22 • SUMMER 2016

On The Move 2.indd 1

9/13/2016 12:24:09 PM

Surveying his empty classroom, Middle School math teacher Eric Whitfield readies himself for a change in venue while the construction crew readies itself for the demolition.

On The Move 2.indd 2

9/13/2016 12:24:11 PM

“My hope is that the new classroom will increase student engagement, motivation, and collaboration,” explained fourth grade teacher Averi Linderman.

This

won’t happen by accident, however; she has strategically designed her classroom in a way that will allow for flexible seating and a variety of student work areas.

All of the new Lower School

classrooms are larger, full of windows, and include both the latest technology and additional features that are designed to meet the needs of lower schoolers.

“Come on over and help,” said art teacher Krissie Barr with a wry smile. After three days of packing, Ms. Barr was happy to put any helpers to work. With her building being slated for demolition to make way for a new facility, Krissie “Good fences make good neighbors,” says Robert Frost in “Mending Wall.” With an expanding population of upper school students, the daily influx of cars had spilled well beyond our “fences.” To alleviate the added pressure on the local neighborhood streets, St. David’s

organized her paints, clay, ceramic supplies, pencils and much more into carefully labeled boxes. The challenge of moving was tempered by the optimism found in a new space and future plans.

added a new parking lot with more than 80 parking spaces, creating a safer, more accessible, friendlier solution.

24 • SUMMER 2016

On The Move 2.indd 3

9/13/2016 12:24:14 PM

Checking out their almost-completed classrooms in the new Lower School building, fourth grade teacher Suzanne Demby and third grade teacher Lori Crismore admire the new features that they and their students will soon be using as a part of their daily experience.

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 25

On The Move 2.indd 4

9/13/2016 12:24:17 PM

“I can’t wait to get my classroom set up and welcome the new fifth graders,” says a beaming Jessica Bond. Surveying her new room, she envisions a place where her students can interact with the past through the study of history. The additional space will provide additional opportunities for students work cooperatively and engage in class discussions.

“I’m excited!”

26 • SUMMER 2016

On The Move 2.indd 5

9/13/2016 12:24:20 PM

“I don’t like change,” says Middle School English teacher Janet Purvis with a mock pout, surrounded by the books that seem like an extension of herself. After 13 years in the same room, Mrs. Purvis was reluctant to leave behind so many years of memories.

“Oh,

if only these walls could talk!” she said. “Goodness, the students who have learned the love of reading in this room – oh, there are so many stories.” A studentmade poster still hangs on the wall which states simply, “This Room Smells Like Books!” Moving to a bigger classroom in a newer building with a better view didn’t entirely quell her apprehensions; however, Janet had a Packing his abacus, Middle School mathematics teacher Jason Red-

ready solution. “I am christening my new room with

mond imagines the possibilities that a new classroom space provides.

books!” she declared with a twinkle in her eye. And her

“I’m excited because the move allows me to consider new teaching

wan smile quickly turned into a joyful laugh.

strategies,” he said.

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 27

On The Move 2.indd 6

9/13/2016 12:24:24 PM

Page Turners: Book Reviews from the St. David’s Community 28 • SUMMER 2016

!! (Book) Combined.indb 36

6/27/2016 2:14:06 AM

Fresh, new, compelling – that’s the St. David’s library experience. Did you know that the library staff is constantly updating its collection of books? The space may not be the largest in the area, but it houses both the latest volumes of the most notable works and is designed to meet the needs our school community. The following reviews offer a deeper look at what to read from the shelves of the St. David’s library.

Review by LS Librarian Katherine Robbins

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear

I

magine if your bedtime story was true.

Lindsay Mattick’s Caldecott winning book, Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear, is exactly that. At first it seems to be a tale a mother is telling a child at bedtime, but it isn’t long before the reader realizes the tale is becoming familiar, and finally turning into one of the world’s most famous tales: Winnie-thePooh. Sweet, endearing, and with beautiful photographs at the back, Finding Winnie is a book that will delight parents and children alike!

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear

by Lindsay Mattick, illustrations by Sophie Blackall (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2015)

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 29

!! (Book) Combined.indb 37

6/27/2016 2:14:07 AM

Review by MS Faculty Member Kali Oldacre

Go Set a Watchman

E

ven before last year’s release of Harper Lee’s recently discovered second novel set in Maycomb County, Go Set a Watchman, there had been much conflict about the content and publication of the novel. Lawyer Atticus Finch, first introduced in Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird in 1960, was a champion for the racially oppressed. In Go Set A Watchman, he is portrayed as embracing the very prejudices he worked so feverishly to discredit in Mockingbird. I will admit I was hesitant about how this controversy would influence my reading of the beloved Atticus Finch. Alas, I could not resist the temptation to see what had become of the Finch family and their friends.

The story is not told from the perspective of the mischievous young Scout, but from Jean Louise, her grown-up persona, now living in New York City, trying to reconcile her adult understanding of the world with her childhood recollections of her Southern home.

Some will be disappointed with the absence of a few favorite characters in the midst of a plot driven by Jean Louise’s re-membrances of her childhood in the South set in contrast to her life as an adult in the North.

Several passages seem eerily similar to those in To Kill a Mockingbird, causing some to doubt that Lee ever really intend to publish it as a stand-alone novel. Also, debate abounds regarding how the portrayal Atticus in this novel contrasts with his impassioned, principled defense of Tom Robinson in To Kill a Mockingbird. While the reader will not find the Atticus of Scout’s childhood, Atticus continues to be a father who wants the best for his children while remaining the watchman for his community.

Jean Louise learns that while Maycomb will always be her home, sometimes you cannot really return home again.

For thus the Lord said to me: “Go, set a watchman; let him announce what he sees.”

Isaiah 21:6

Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee (Harper Perennial, 2016)

30 • SUMMER 2016

!! (Book) Combined.indb 38

6/27/2016 2:14:08 AM

Review by Head Librarian Peggy Swearingen

The Listening Life: Embracing Attentiveness in a World of Distraction

“T

he listening life waits, quietly and humbly, for God to make his mark on us.”

What does it mean to listen, really listen, to God, to other people, to Scripture, to creation, to our own internal voices?

McHugh, an ordained Presbyterian minister, explains in The Listening Life that listening ought to be at the heart of our spirituality and our relationships.

This is a book you will want to read with highlighter in hand, not because it is overly academic, but because there are so many passages you will want to revisit.

In his chapter on attending to others, the author lists a number of ways we unknowingly sabotage meaningful communication

as we attempt to turn the conversation back to ourselves. I found this chapter to be particularly insightful and practical.

Sharing his own journey with humility, McHugh’s observations are compelling.

Although his frequent references to other authors can be distracting, the citations and witty notes at the end of the book more than compensate. The Listening Life provides a valuable perspective on a practice that is vital to our spiritual life and to our life in community.

During a recent staff development day at St. David’s, the focus was on Harkness Learning, where a dozen students and a teacher sit together to discuss the learning at hand, with everyone contributing to a shared conversation. The art and importance of listening as described in The Listening Life provides a wonderful reference as we continue to understand how to effectively learn together through conversation.

The Listening Life: Embracing Attentiveness in a World of Distraction by Adam S. McHugh (InterVarsity Press Books, 2015)

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 31

!! (Book) Combined.indb 39

6/27/2016 2:14:08 AM

Review by LS Parent Assunta Wallace

Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder

R

ichard Louv’s book, Last Child in the Woods, takes you on a journey through time to show how children have become less connected with the natural world and are experiencing a “nature-deficit disorder.” Through numerous studies and personal experiences, he links this deficit to an increase in mental, physical and spiritual health issues that children experience such as ADHD, lack of creativity and a loss of stewardship for the environment. The disconnect with nature is further hindered by a decrease in natural spaces due to over-development, a growing fear of the unknown, and the boom in technology. Despite these obstacles and changes, the author goes on to describe a new frontier where children can reconnect with the natural environment but

not without the support of educators, city planners and environmentalists. In addition, it is parents who will be at the forefront of this transformation by taking their children outside and exploring all that nature has to offer.

On a recent visit to Durant Nature Park with my children and their friends, I was pleasantly surprised by the excitement the children showed as they followed a stream up to its source and ran through the trees pretending to be animals in the forest. We spent some time at the pond looking for fish and turtles and skipping stones off the dock.

I believe this experience is what the author had in mind when writing this book. As a parent, it was wonderful to see the children exploring nature without a concern for time or media and was a reminder to do it again and often.

Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv (Algonquin Books, 2008)

32 • SUMMER 2016

!! (Book) Combined.indb 40

6/27/2016 2:14:09 AM

Review by John Mac Feeney ’18

R

Legacy of Honor: The Values & Influence of America’s Eagle Scouts

ecently, I read Legacy of Honor, a book written by Alvin Townley which talks about the influence of America’s Eagle Scouts. The rank of Eagle Scout is the most prestigious award given in Boy Scouts, and for one to receive it is a huge honor. Since I am currently working on my Eagle Scout project, I thought that reading this book would be a great idea.

The book is split into two parts: “Legacy throughout History” and “A Legacy for the Future.” The first part gives passages detailing historically-significant Scouts who went on to serve as soldiers, astronauts, mayors, and policemen throughout important events in our nation’s history.

One of those men was Brigadier General

Robert L. Scott who served in the famous “Flying Tigers,” a group of airmen who flew against the Japanese in China during the years of World War II. Another is retired Navy Captain and astronaut Jim Lovell who served on Apollo Thirteen when it suffered a critical failure en route to the moon. All of those men thanked Scouting for teaching them important values and skills that they used while in their respective situations.

The second part, “A Legacy for the Future”, highlights the Eagle Scouts who are serving as leaders in their community today.

It talks about some of the most important values of Scouting and tells the tales of men who exemplify those values daily. Alvin Townley puts it best: “In ways astoundingly diverse and numerous, Eagles are giving of themselves to create opportunities for others and enhance the future.”

Legacy of Honor is a fantastic book that I would thoroughly recommend to anyone.

I enjoyed it, and I believe that you will too.

Legacy of Honor: The Values and Influence of America’s Eagle Scouts

by Alvin Townley (Thomas Dunne Books, 2007)

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 33

!! (Book) Combined.indb 41

6/27/2016 2:14:10 AM

Remarkable stories of St. David’s students, faculty, and alumni that bring the mission to life 34 • SUMMER 2016

Profiles on Mission Divider (joshcianca@gmail.com).indd 1

9/13/2016 8:42:54 PM

Representative Glimpses It’s no easy task selecting profiles

as professionals and collegiate athletes.

that reflect the school’s mission, but

So, faced with an impossible task,

that’s not for lack of compelling stories

we’ve chosen a few representative

to draw upon. On the contrary, it’s

glimpses of a much larger picture.

because there are so many stories well

In these profiles, you’ll encounter

worth telling. Alumni are launching

members of our community whose

start-ups,

and

stories bring our mission to life. Their

landing fighter jets on aircraft carriers.

dedication, work, and talent embodies

Students are founding non-profits,

our calling to excel in faith, virtue and

publishing poetry, and traveling the

knowledge. They aren’t the only ones,

world. Faculty are performing jazz,

but they are certainly representatives

becoming renowned for their scholarly

of the depth of excellence found on

work, and coaching from backgrounds

our campus every day.

entering

politics,

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 35

Profiles on Mission Divider (joshcianca@gmail.com).indd 2

9/13/2016 8:42:54 PM

Re flections Classrooms are not just a location to hold classes; they are often a reflection of the inspired faculty members who inhabit them.

Hanging on walls, perched atop a bookshelf, tucked in a quiet corner...all across campus you will find mementos that hint of a deeper stor .

Our stellar faculty is made up of a broad array of teachers who possess not only a depth of academic and intellectual learning, but who also bring a wealth of personal experience into their profession. Classrooms and offices contain gems that reflect the breadth of wisdom, experiences, and personality of our faculty.

Let’s take a peek at some of these intriguing objects and what they reveal about the faculty members whose lives are reflected through them

36 • SUMMER 2016

Teacher Profiles.indd 1

9/13/2016 9:15:23 PM

Jos h Hon eycutt vintage iM acs Combing Craigslist and garage sales has become a hobby with a purpose. Mr. Josh Honeycutt has combined his love for science with his desire to see his students experience hands-on learning. After snagging great deals (often free when sellers learn what they will be used for), Josh employs a classroom of colorful vintage iMacs in the service of learning, empowering students to run classic programs and connecting them to devices that run more easily on older systems. Ingenuity has spawned inspiration.

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 37

Teacher Profiles.indd 2

9/13/2016 9:15:25 PM

J ean ett N ewsom e Custom iz ed Stool While Ms. Jeanett Newsome has mentored students for years, her heart and passion for loving and connecting with youth began long before her tenure at St. David’s. The stool Ms. Newsome keeps in her class is a reminder of a group of special girls she first met as campers at Camp Oak Hill, including former Upper School teacher and history department chair Karen Barnes who views Jeanett as her most significant spiritual mentor. The girls, now women in their 30s, think back on that stool they made for Ms. Newsome’s birthday and are reminded of her legacy of faith.

38 • SUMMER 2016

Teacher Profiles.indd 3

9/13/2016 9:15:27 PM

Molly Bostic Pet Rock Early in her career, Mrs. Molly Bostic had an honors student who did his final project on hydroponics. At the end of the year, he gave her a pet rock that she named after him, “Jak.” As a senior, Jak constructed a full-scale hydroponics greenhouse and received a full scholarship to NC State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “I like the rock’s reminder of how much impact teaching can have on our students’ lives, as well as my own!” said Molly. “Now, I think it’s super fitting that I have a pet rock since I’m teaching earth science.”

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 39

Teacher Profiles.indd 4

9/13/2016 9:15:29 PM

Jake Rodge rs Fly Fish ing Poste r Asked why he loves fly-fishing, Upper School English teacher Mr. Jake Rodgers quotes Henry David Thoreau: “Many men go fishing all their lives without knowing that it’s not the fish they’re after.” For Mr. Rodgers, it’s not about the fishing, it’s about the thoughtful tranquility that fishing brings, one that he has shared with his students. He has led a summer fly fishing camp with students in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to catch wild trout. He has also had fly-tying study sessions, where his students have sat around the classroom table tying flies while being challenged to think. For Jake Rodgers, Fly fishing feeds thoughtful quietness, both in the soul and in the classroom.

Ph i li p Boyn e Rocket Launch e r

40 • SUMMER 2016

Teacher Profiles.indd 5

“Everyone loves experimenting if given the tools and opportunity,” says physics teacher Mr. Philip Boyne with a mischievous look in his eye. In Mr. Boyne’s classes, experimenting involves everything from bicycle-powered blenders, to potato launchers, to musical flame throwers, to the culminating project in his classes: an air-powered rocket launcher. Students design, build, and test rockets according to various physical principles. They factor in the mass, weight, center of gravity, materials and design elements to build a model that will achieve the furthest launch among their peers. The rocket launcher is just one of the gadgets housed in Mr. Boyne’s classroom, though. Always building something new, Philip says, “I learn to build because it helps me teach something better.”

9/13/2016 9:15:31 PM

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 41

Teacher Profiles.indd 6

9/13/2016 9:15:32 PM

World Race

The

Eleven countries,eleven months, one incredible year of service Leeches, third degree burns, and muddy hikes in pouring rain through remote jungles – these experiences were infused with purpose beyond anything she could imagine. Mallory Rabon ’08 spent nearly a year traveling the globe ministering to others. “I’ve been praying that my heart doesn’t get desensitized to the pain,” said Mallory as she sought to be an instrument to meet an endless stream of appalling need. Ministering to prostitutes through sports in Thailand, praying and cooking meals with her “little buddy” in Swaziland, sharing the gospel with an orphan boy in Mozambique whom everyone said was possessed – through such experiences, Rabon and her World Race team were humbled by their own inadequacy while building bonds of love through service to others around the world.

Mallory first heard about the World Race during her freshman year at Carolina, and was immediately drawn to the opportunity. “I studied abroad during my junior year of college for six months in Spain, and after living abroad, I knew that I wanted to do something more extreme…more important than the traveling or adventure, I really wanted to grow in my relationship with God,” Mallory explained. “I knew if I pushed myself physically, emotionally and spiritually, God would do amazing things.”

42 • SUMMER 2016

!! (Book) Combined.indb 42

B

A C A: Riding on a 12 hour boat trip on the Barak River in India.

B: Transportation in Thailand.

D

C: Learning how to weave in Lungthulien, India.

D: Sharing a picnic with ladies from a church in Chimoio, Mozambique

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 43

!! (Book) Combined.indb 43

6/27/2016 2:14:22 AM

So what is the World Race, anyway? The World Race describes its organization as “a journey to 11 countries in 11 months to serve the least of these among real and raw community.” The World Race focuses on mission, adventure, and discipleship. “Racers”, as they are called, live out of a backpack. They live in tents on the top of mountains, in apartments, in hostels, in cabins – basically wherever they are placed in the country they are serving.

Unlike traditional short term mission trips or two year stints in one specific country, the Trekking the Himalayan Mountains, going to homes in the Untouchables community.

World Race allows for Racers to experience between 11 and 13 different cultures, mission

organizations and opportunities for growth and service. As Mallory said, “Many people on a short-term trip experience a sort of “mountain-top” or spiritual high; you cannot burn out in the first month – you have to ensure that you are being poured into as much as you are pouring out.” After an initial training session, Mallory and her teammates set off for South Africa; they then headed to Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, India, Thailand, Nepal, Cambodia, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. About five months in, she was called up to be a team leader for a new team, which she noted was a surprise and a blessing. “The last thing I wanted to do was learn about leadership, but God had different plans. I learned that I am so imperfect, and yet God in all his mercy chooses the broken messy people, and in humility you can love people the best, recognizing your need for God.”

44 • SUMMER 2016

World Race (jcianca@sdsw.org).indd 44

Mallory plays with children in one of the locations in which she worked — the "baby house," connected with El Shaddai orphanage, in Swaziland.

El Shaddai provides a safe haven and a future for children rescued from neglect, abuse, and abandonment in Swaziland.

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 45

World Race (jcianca@sdsw.org).indd 45

46 • SUMMER 2016

!! (Book) Combined.indb 46

Mallory was constantly challenged to put others before herself. Although living in community wasn't always easy, it also blessed Mallory in ways she never expected. While in Vietnam, Mallory’s leg was badly burned as she was riding a moped.

That’s when her teammates sprang into action.

They helped her clean it, and helped her get to an emergency room after it became terribly infected.

“Every day a girl on my team would clean my wound for me, put new dressings on it, and scold me for not taking better care of myself. We really took care of each other.”

Visiting Angkor Wat in Cambodia at sunrise.

Touring the Mayan ruins of Tikal in Guatemala.

Volcano boarding on Cerro Negro in Nicaragua.

This was not the only injury Mallory suffered while racing around the world. Her adventures took her into the depths of the Indian jungle, and after a twelve hour boat ride and a mile and a half hike up to the truck which would transport her team to their final destination, and a green mamba sighting (“I was feeling like Indiana Jones,” said Mallory), she glanced down at her leg, and there was a huge leech. “My foot looked like it had gone through a massacre!”

All the while, Mallory was learning a lot about effective ministry. “Ministry should be holistic,” she said. She was particularly impressed with the Nicaraguan ministry they worked with. “We fed the kids, brushed their teeth and taught them hygiene; families came in for parenting classes. We helped them become a functioning family.” Mallory says of counseling that the entire person is involved in healing and that she wants to do holistic counseling, which “transforms desperate people’s lives.”

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 47

!! (Book) Combined.indb 47

6/27/2016 2:14:27 AM

48 • SUMMER 2016

Though living in community can be a challenge, and physical injury caused pain, nothing hurt worse than the goodbyes at the end of each month. “Goodbyes got so normal,” sighed Mallory, acknowledging the difficulty of letting go of the relationships in each country. In Swaziland each Racer was paired with a buddy at an orphanage, and they spent two hours a day together. “I loved my buddy. We would pray together, listen to music; we would cook; we would bake. She was so wise for her years.”

What about that little boy in Swaziland that everyone said was demon possessed? Mallory had volunteered to help with the children. She remembers, “I would talk to him, and show him a lot of love without words.” After an all-night event, she was leaving her dorm area and saw him walking towards her. “I asked him if he wanted to come with me, and when people saw us walking in together they were just shocked. This little boy laid his head on my lap for hours.”

She also thinks fondly of the proprietor at the local coffee shop in Mozambique whom the girls befriended on their many desperate attempts to get some coffee. “The owner was from Syria, and he spoke English. We became friends, and I actually ended up going with him to the mosque and meeting the imam, just to show interest in his life.” The team made such a connection that “He gave us all a free lunch at the restaurant, exchanged emails, protected us on the side of the road when we traveled together, and we still keep in touch.”

Perhaps the goodbyes were so wrenching, at least in part, because the people with whom Mallory was working had such horrific tales. Sexual abuse, neglect, disease, physical abuse, hunger. Constant contact with such profound suffering can discourage even those with the strongest faith. For Mallory, solace was found by clinging to Isaiah 61: “To release them from darkness, that’s what God has for us. Freedom. Freedom from bondage; light and peace instead.” As Mallory prayed not to be desensitized to the pain, she was encouraged: “I know the hope we have for heaven and that all things will be made right.

Just as the World Race emphasizes adventure and an opportunity to learn about the world, so too does such an experience offer the opporMallory enjoyed building relationships with tunity to look deeply inside the children and their families in Nicaragua. Mallory’s blogs about her experiences were so influential, another St. David’s

oneself and be challenged not just to do, but to become. Just ask Mallory.

Alumna, Campbell Stewart ’12, has also decided to serve through World Race and has just begun her year-long experience.

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 49

6/29/2016 12:17:25 AM

50 • SUMMER 2016

Coley (jcianca@sdsw.org 2).indd 1

9/13/2016 9:44:40 PM

Seventeen years playing professional basketball across Europe prepared Will Coley for working with lower schoolers. “The Lower School day moves so fast,” Coley observes. “You simply never know what each morning brings; every need you encounter is imminent, a shoe needs tying, someone spilled paint. It’s usually something that must be dealt with at that instant…yeah, I guess it’s like basketball. Sometimes you have to improvise.”

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 51

Coley (jcianca@sdsw.org 2).indd 2

9/13/2016 9:44:40 PM

7:30 AM

Coley is the varsity men’s basketball coach, pe teacher, and lower school assistant. He has played professional basketball in Spain, Sweden, New Zealand and Finland (to name a few places). While playing college ball at UNC-Asheville, he competed against Carolina greats like Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace (both future NBA all stars). Coley is never one to brag on himself, but the story is still told of how he dunked on Duke legend Elton Brand during a Pro-Am summer league game. A long rebound came off of a missed free throw and landed in Coley’s lap. He shoved Brand out of the way and dunked it so ferociously that, according to his brother Jon and Coley’s former coach, the overwhelming reaction from the cheering stands almost shut down the game. Jon ran up to him and said, “Will, do you know who that is?” And Coley, who had been playing ball overseas and had not kept abreast of the NCAA, simply shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t know that Brand was the national player of the year.

To his second graders, however, he’s not a world traveler or a professional athlete. He’s more important than that. He’s “Mr. Coley.” And to his players, he’s “Coach.” Coley is the first to tell you these titles mean more to him than athletic accolades, because education is his true “calling.”

7:30 AM – Game Day Morning Coley does game planning at home because his school day is usually preoccupied with emails and making sure that the second graders get where they need to be – “crisis management” he calls it. It’s easier to think clearly in his home office, watching film and making careful notes.

Later this evening, the Warriors will face a highly touted opponent, Asheville Christian, a traditional power in independent school basketball.

The stakes are especially high since this is the quarterfinals of the state tournament. Although the Warriors have a formidable team (a few weeks prior, they had defeated nationally ranked Village Christian Academy by 16 points), this promises to be a tremendous challenge. Asheville Christian has a front-line averaging 6’6”, and their back court is stacked too. Asheville’s point guard, 6’3” Jordan Shepherd, is one of the best players in the state.

He’s signed to play for the University of Oklahoma next year.

But tip-off isn’t until the evening. Right now, Mr. Coley is focused on his second graders. He’s setting up the classroom for the day. He’s placing chairs in order, putting assignments on desks, and running a few last-minute copies. The second graders begin sauntering in around 7:45. He greets each with a smile and a “good morning.” He checks their homework folders and helps them to their desk.

52 • SUMMER 2016

Coley (jcianca@sdsw.org 2).indd 3

9/13/2016 9:44:42 PM

Will Coley jokes with second grade teacher Abby Brown as they go over the plan for another exciting day in second grade.

Getting creative with the prep work, Mr. Coley cuts up visuals that he will use to help students learn various units of measurement.

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 53

Coley (jcianca@sdsw.org 2).indd 4

9/13/2016 9:44:46 PM

11:15 AM

11:15 AM – Lunch “Basketball is a game of faith…you have to believe in what you do, that the work you do will pay off. Nobody takes a shot and thinks they’re going to miss,” Coley observed. “Faith and coaching are inseparable; both require offering your best service to God.” Watching Coley pass out drinks in the dining hall during Lower School lunch, one catches glimpses of his best service. A line of lower-schoolers forms – each eagerly waiting an apple juice and a high five from Mr. Coley. A boy asks him why the Tar Heels didn’t call a timeout at the end of the game. “You tell me, Coach,” Coley says with a big grin. Before the response comes, the line has already moved on. Another kid is trying to high five Coley as hard as he can. Coach smiles and quickly pulls his hand out of harm’s way.

“You’ll get me tomorrow!” The next in line boldly walks up for his chance to try. This is improvisation.

With a huge game looming this evening, Coach uses the remainder of lunch to run down to the locker room and pack up the team’s uniforms. His is a job of balancing many roles. Though he’s not required to, he personally launders his player’s uniforms. Each detail counts. He’s also using the time to game plan, to mentally review the previous night’s notes and to think through what’s ahead “as objectively as you read a newspaper.”

His players respect and admire his approach. Senior forward/ guard Ben Brown says, “Coach is an earn-it guy; you have to earn your minutes, work for your shots, and work for his trust. It makes you a better player and it makes you more accountable. But he’s with you one hundred percent.” Junior guard Andrew Pipkin, puts it this way: “Coach always believes in you. He might be hard on you and seem upset at times, but he will always believe in you no matter what adversity you are facing.”

5:45 PM – Bus Ride Tip off is at 8:30 across town. Although they could easily drive separately to the game, Coach has asked the team to meet at the school at 5:45 to take the bus together. It’s another detail that matters. It’s important to Coach that his team journeys together.

As the players enter the locker room adjacent to the old gym for their shoes and gym bags, Coach greets them with a smile, handing them freshly laundered uniforms. A few minutes later everyone is

Using a captivating story of his time as a professional basketball player, Mr. Coley leads a devotional, applying the principles to real life in a way that makes sense to the students.

54 • SUMMER 2016

Coley (jcianca@sdsw.org 2).indd 5

9/13/2016 9:44:47 PM

Every morning Mr. Coley offers his second grade students one-on-one attention. A favorite technique he employs is to write advice on Post-it notes so students can bring the notes back with them and keep them in their notebooks for further reference.

Taking a break to eat lunch. Coach Coley leads youth basketball camps during the summer.

5:45 pm ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 55

Coley (jcianca@sdsw.org 2).indd 6

9/13/2016 9:44:50 PM

9:30 pm

present, waiting outside one of the school buses. Perhaps having picked up a few habits from the second grade classroom, Coach counts heads.

Before they encounter jeering crowds with painted faces, he sets aside a quiet moment for a team prayer. In previous years, Coley has prayed before every bus ride. But this year he started a new tradition. He asks a different player to pray before each game. Today it’s sophomore point guard Camron McNeil’s turn. Camron asks everyone to bow their heads.

The team finishes the prayer with a collective “amen” and Coley starts the bus. The players place their earphones in or close their eyes for a few moments. It’s an unusually quiet bus ride. Everyone is focused.

8:15 PM – Fifteen Minutes Before Tip-off Shoes are tied, ankles are taped, a few players dribble a ball while seated in the visitor’s locker room at North Raleigh Christian Academy. Coley tells everyone to circle up.

He begins, “It’s a great challenge to face an Asheville Christian team that was a signature team in the tournament for so many years. We need to prove to everyone that our record and our seeding in the tournament are not a fluke and that we are a team to be reckoned with too.”

They discuss match-ups and defensive schemes. Coley tells the guys that “we need to keep the point guard Shepherd off-balance.” Assistant Coach Tiffany Clifton chimes in about how Asheville Christian’s size means that fighting for every rebound is incredibly important. The coaches remind the players of what they’ve worked on during the last few days of practice and then Coach circles everyone up for a prayer. They pray in unison, “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name...”

9:30 PM – 14 Seconds Remaining St. David’s 56, Asheville Christian 57: the Warriors have the ball. Coach calls a timeout. Coley later explained, “We wanted to get the ball in either Robbie O’Han’s or Kris Monroe’s hands. We had pin down screens on the baseline for Kris and Robbie coming off a curl at the top. We weren’t sure who would take the shot—we were down by one and just wanted the ball in our play makers’ hands.”

Robbie O’Han ’16, EPIC Conference Player of the Year.

56 • SUMMER 2016

Coley (jcianca@sdsw.org 2).indd 7

9/13/2016 9:44:52 PM

Sophomore Kris Monroe had already put up 27 points that evening. Asheville might expect him to take the final shot. But basketball, like teaching, is about improvisation sometimes. The ball is safely inbounded and the Warriors patiently run time off the clock. They’ve got to score but they don’t want to do it too early. An early shot means that Asheville gets another offensive possession. So, with eight seconds, the play begins.

Senior Robbie O’Han curls off the screen and is open.

He gets the ball, waits a brief second for the congestion in the lane to clear up and then drives. He beats his man and instantly Asheville’s two 6’7” post players sprint across the lane for help-side defense. O’Han leaves the floor off of one foot, he clutches the ball slightly in the air and as it leaves his hands it soars just inches above the outstretched fingers of the Asheville Christian defender. It banks high off the glass. There are 2.9 seconds left in the game and Robbie O’Han has just drained a game winning shot. But there’s no time to celebrate. Asheville inbounds the ball quickly. Throws up a half-court prayer. The buzzer sounds. The game is over.

Coley, who went on to be voted EPIC Conference Coach of the Year, will later call this game one of the proudest moments of his coaching career. “It was a moment,” he further explains where “as a team, we had reached that level that we had tried to achieve – a team that’s resilient and never gives up. To win by a basket in the state tournament is the best the game can give you.”

The Warriors finished the season with a record of 22-3 and went further into the playoffs than any St. David’s team before. “We’ve always wanted a basketball program that is comparable to our academics,” Coley explained. “Because of the work of our kids and the dedication of the coaching staff, this year we’ve gotten closer to that goal.” The future looks bright too.

They’re returning a talented roster including rising junior point, Camron McNeil, senior guard/forward Harrison Benson and junior guard Kris Monroe. They’ll have a lot of size up front, a nimble backcourt and a deep bench.

The next Monday Coley is on campus setting up a classroom for the day. He’s “Mr. Coley” again...and to his players, he’ll always be “Coach.”

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 57

Coley (jcianca@sdsw.org 2).indd 8

9/13/2016 9:44:54 PM

`

Hurling – one of Hurlinganother anotherstrikeout strikeout – one inher hercareer, career, ofan animpressive impressive 585 585 in Tiffanyled led the the team team both both on the the Tiffany mound and at at the the plate, racking mound and racking up up 182 182hits, hits,including including36 36home home runs.

58 • SUMMER 2016

Athletics (jcianca@sdsw.org 2).indd 58

6/29/2016 1:18:50 AM

`

Beyond Beyond The Mound The Mound Five-sport athlete Tiffany Bartholomew’s parents reflect on a career that encompasses more than just winning on the field.

Five-sport athlete Tiffany Bartholomew’s parents reflect on a career that encompasses more than just winning on the field.

Parents Tom and Ruth Bartholomew at Tiffany’s signing for Pfeiffer University

“On anyParents given Friday night, she Tom and Ruth Bartholomew at Tiffany’s signing for Pfeiffer University has four to five gym bags, packed.”

Ruth and any Tom Bartholomew proud parentsnight, of Tiffany Bartholomew ’16.

“On givenareFriday she has In her time atto St. David’s School, gym she has racked up athletic packed.” accolades – letterfour five bags, ing times, playing sports as a seventh grader, scorRuthmore and than Tom 20 Bartholomew are varsity proud level parents of Tiffany Bartholomew ’16. ing more 1500 points as a she varsity player, playing In her timethan at St. David’s School, has basketball racked up athletic accoladeson– multilettering more than playing varsity as to a seventh grader, scorple sports teams20intimes, the same season, and level finallysports signing play college softball. ing thanshe 1500 points varsity player, playing on multiBut more how has done that as anda not onlybasketball survived but thrived academically? ple sports teams in the same season, and finally signing to play college softball.

“Tiffany has become super organized,” said Ruth. “She will frequently remind me, But how has she done that and not only survived but thrived academically? don’t forget, Mom, you need to be here on this day. Remember to email Ms. Roof.

“Tiffany has become super organized,” said Ruth. “She will frequently remind me, We’re playing at this school today,” recalled Ruth with a smile. don’t forget, Mom, you need to be here on this day. Remember to email Ms. Roof.

The Bartholomews have today,” always recalled been active. high school sports, and We’re playing at this school RuthTom withplayed a smile.

RuthThe wasBartholomews a Division I top recruit in women’s basketball.

“Weschool are ansports, outdoors haveten always been active. Tom played high and family, always have been, throwing theinball aroundbasketball. in the yard “We and running outside.

Ruth was a Division I top-ten recruit women’s are an outdoors family, always throwing theactive yard from and running outside.

Our activity washave not been, in front of a TV.the Weball did around things toinbe the beginning.”

Our Tiffany activity also was admired not in front a TV. We didethic. things to be active as from the beginning.” herof parents’ work Ruth worked an accountant, and Tiffany also admired her parents’ work ethic. Ruth worked as an accountant, and Tom was a researcher at NC State and a home builder. “Tiffany sometimes would Tom was a researcher at NC State and a home builder. “Tiffany sometimes would ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 59

Athletics (jcianca@sdsw.org 2).indd 67

6/29/2016 1:18:52 AM

spend her weekends under my desk,” recalled Ruth.

“We worked worked hard.” hard.” But But after after her her brother, brother, Thomas, Thomas, “We suffered suffered aa stroke stroke at at the the age age of of two two and and aa half, half, “Our “Our whole lives changed.” Tom had retired from NC State whole lives changed.” Tom had retired from NC State two months before the stroke, and the whole family two months before the stroke, and the whole family rallied around Thomas while he recovered. “For the rallied around Thomas while he recovered. “For the next two years,” he noted, “Thomas had more than next two years,” he noted, “Thomas had more than 500 appointments at WakeMed for rehab.”

As if five sports sportsin in three threeseasons seasons weren’t weren’tenough, enough,Tiffany Tiffanyenjoyed enjoyedthe the camaraderie of ofaasenior seniorpowder powderpuff puff team as as well. well.

A

500 appointments at Tiffany WakeMed s a result, didfor notrehab.” begin to play orAs a result, ganizedTiffany sports did untilnot thebegin fourthtograde, play orgavery

“old” this day grade, and age.

“We looked at nized sports untilinthe fourth very “old” in this each other earth would day and age.and “Wewondered looked athow each on other andshe wondered catch on, because these girls had been playing teehow on earth she would catch on, because these girls ball and basketball for years!” had been playing tee-ball and basketball for years!”

Tiffany, however, bolstered by her natural athTiffany, however, bolstered by her natural athletic ability and close family ties, quickly blossomed letic ability and closenever family quicklytoblossomed athletically.

“It was ourties, intention have her athletically.in “It never ournoted. intention to have her specialize onewas sport,” Ruth So when Tiffany began playing sports at St. David’s, it was a Tiffany bit surspecialize in one sport,” Ruth noted. So when prising to the Bartholomews that at the age of 13, surshe began playing sports at St. David’s, it was a bit would to practice with prisingbe to asked the Bartholomews thatthe at varsity the age basketball of 13, she

team. would be asked to practice with the varsity basketball Tiffany was so much younger than the other girls, team. that they were concerned. “How will she fit with the Tiffany was so much younger than the other girls, high school girls?” Then both of them smiled. Tom that they were concerned.

“How will and she fit the said, “It worked great.” She was tall, thewith seniors high school girls?”

Then of them smiled.

Tom pushed her to be her best.both It made Tiffany a much said, “It worked She wasstudent tall, androle themodels, seniors stronger player. great.”

She had great who accepted her under her awing. pushed her to Tiffany be her and best.took It made Tiffany much It hasplayer. come full because now role Tiffany regstronger Shecircle, had great student models,

ularly mentors the younger players on her team. Ruth who accepted Tiffany and took her under her wing. continued, “It started the cycle and [reflected] the culIt has come full circle, because now Tiffany regture of what St. David’s is all about. Ruth has since ularly mentors the younger players on her team. Ruth developed relationships with the moms of younger continued, “It started the cycle and [reflected] the

It is not not unusual unusual to tofind findTiffany Tiffanysinging singingthe the national nationalanthem anthem before beforeaagame gamethat thatshe sheis about to play in. in.

HerHer interests extend beyond is about to play interests extend the fields and courts; lovesshe to sing and beyond the fields andshe courts; enjoys enjoys her time with fine arts friends, her time with her fineher arts colleagues, and here Claire Alspaugh ’19 and Sunny Li loveswith to sing. ’19 in the Bel Canto Singers choir.

Tiffany is known for her power and athleticism on the basketball court. She can Known for herany power and athleticism on the go up against competitor, which she basketballin court, Tiffany can gomentoring up againstof attributes large part to the any competitor, which shewho attributes in large former St. David’s players Preceded her part to collegiate the mentoring of former St. David’s on the scene. players who preceded her on the collegiate scene.

60 • SPRING/SUMMER 2016

Athletics (jcianca@sdsw.org 2).indd 60

6/29/2016 1:18:58 AM

Of all the sports that

Tiffany with the fifthgrade gradegirls girlsthat that Tiffany with the fifth mean so much to her.

“I really look mean so much to her.

“I really look up upher,” to her,” said one.

“She’s so fun to said one.

“She’s so fun andand so so organized,”noted notedanother. another. Biblical Biblical organized,” literacy was one Tiffany’sgoals goalsfor for literacy was one ofofTiffany’s these girls. girls. these

Tiffany does, the thing she is most proud of is that Bible study. That is her crown jewel.

-- Tom Bartholomew ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 61

Athletics (jcianca@sdsw.org 2).indd 69

6/29/2016 1:19:01 AM

62 • SUMMER 2016

Athletics (jcianca@sdsw.org 2).indd 70

6/29/2016 1:19:03 AM

Swimming was actually Tiffany’s first orgaSwimming was actually Tiffany’s first nized sport.

While softball started organized sport. While softballrelatively started late for someone Tiffany’s for relatively late forwith someone withacuity Tiffany’s the sport, she began swimming at her local acuity for the sport, she began swimming at summer swim club and the “Six her local summer swimcompeted club andin competed and Under” age group.

Cross country and in the “Six and Under” age group. Cross track & field supplemented Tiffany’s team country and track & field supplemented sports, with thesports, training for the each enhancing Tiffany’s team with training for her other sports during the same each enhancing her other sportsseason. during the same season.

T

players of culture thatwhat Tiffany St. David’s has mentored. is all about. Ruth has since developed hat mentorship is evident in other areas of that Tiffany’s life.has In relationships with the moms of younger players Tiffany ninth grade, she started a Bible study for sixth grade girls. mentored. walk with the Lord has always been very strong,” That“Her mentorship is evident in other areas of Tiffany’s life. In said father. thata first Tiffany and grade her friends ninthher grade, sheAfter started Bibleyear, study for sixth girls. men“Her

tored seventh girls,always and she hasvery continued with theher sixth and walk with the grade Lord has been strong,” said father. fifth graders, partnering with Middle School teacher Janet Purvis.

After that first year, Tiffany and her friends mentored seventh And this is where Tiffany’s passion for her walk with Christ spills grade girls, and she has continued with the sixth and fifth graders, into her relationships and mentorships with the fifth graders. partnering with Middle School teacher Janet Purvis. And this is “Their parents come and talk to us at games. Tiffany has gone where Tiffany’s passion for her walk with Christ spills into her above and beyond, has really bonded with them, and supports them relationships and mentorships with the fifth graders. regardless of whether they are involved in sports or not. If a girl has come and talk to she us atputs games. has gone a big“Their test orparents performance or game, notesTiffany in their locker, above beyond, has really withinto them, supports them emailsand them.

That rapport hasbonded translated theand girls being interregardless of whether they are later involved ested in coming to Bible study on.” in sports or not. If a girl

B

has a big test or performance or game, she puts notes in their ecause of all of her sports commitments, Tiffany haslocknot er, emailshad them.

That rapport translated into or theother girlssimilar being the availability to has go on mission trips interestedopportunities. in coming to Bible But tostudy her, this laterBible on.” study is her ministry.

“SheBecause was talking day,” noted Tom, “Tiffany and she of alltoofme herone sports commitments, hassaid, not you had know Dad, this is I can maketrips a difference. can’t go on these the availability to how go on mission or other Isimilar opportunitrips because of softball, this is is her a way I can [serve] right here ties.

But to her, this Biblebut study ministry.

“She was talking at to St. me David’s.” one day,” noted Tom, “ and she said, ‘You know Dad, this is

allmake the sports that Tiffany does, is most proud how“Of I can a difference.

I can’t gothe onthing theseshe trips because of of is that Bible study,” said Tom. “That is her crown jewel.” softball, but this is a way I can [serve] right here at St. David’s.’”

“Of all the sports that Tiffany does, the thing she is most proud of is that Bible study,” said Tom. “That is her crown jewel.”

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 63

Athletics (jcianca@sdsw.org 2).indd 6

9/13/2016 9:52:13 PM

In addition to Tiffany Bartholomew’s athletic success, four other athletes signed with collegiate teams.

Two standout golfers Gray Matthews and Preston Ball, star football running back Melvin Briggs, and soccer star Chelsie China. We celebrate the same spirit of the well-rounded scholar-athlete found in all of our players that exemplifies the St. David’s mission of faith, virtue, and knowledge.

“F

rom the time I began playing golf, I decided I never wanted to be beaten because I was out-worked,” said Gray Matthews.

Matthews ’16.

GrayGray committed committed to join to join the golf the golf squad squad at Sewanee: at The University The University of the of South, the South, in Sewanee, in Sewanee, Tennessee, Tennessee, butbut thisthis success success didn’t didn’t justjust happen happen overnight. overnight.

It often It often meant meant getting getting upup at 6atAM, 6 practicing AM, practicing until 7until PM,7 and PM,then and going then going homehome to work to work out. “St. out. David’s “St. David’s has prepared has prepared me well me in well [theinarea of] time [the areamanagement,” of] time management,” said Gray.said “InGray. addition “Intoaddition balancing to balancing St. David’sSt.tough David’s academics, tough academics, a part-timea

job, and playing part-time job, andand playing practicing, and practicing, I feel prepared I feel for prepared the next forstage the next as a stage collegiate as a collegiate student-athlete.” student-athlete.”

In additionIntoaddition signingtowith signing the golf team, with the golf Gray team, alsoGray received also received an academic an academic scholarship scholarship at Sewanee at Sewanee and will and be majoring plans to in major political in political science. science.

“I am most “I amexcited most about the excited about newthe level new of level competition. of competition.

Collegiate Collegiate tournaments tournaments present an present entirely an different entirely different kind of pressure kind of pressure than anything than anything I’ve been usedbeen I’ve to, and used I am to,excited and I am about excited that.” about that.”

64 • SUMMER 2016

Athletics (jcianca@sdsw.org 2).indd 72

6/29/2016 1:19:08 AM

Gray Matthews, Golf Gray Matthews, Golf

PrestonBall, Ball,Golf Golf Preston

“I

am excited about getting to compete against the best college players in the country next season,” said Preston Ball, Ball ’16, “as Loyola “as Loyola plays plays against against teams teams suchsuch as Duke as Duke and and Wake Forest, which have some of the highest-ranked teams in college golf.”

As he went through the college search last year, he knew he was looking for a

small to medium-size school that was strong academically with a competitive golf pro-

program gram which which competed competed at aathigh a high level. level.

Loyola Loyola University, University, in Baltimore, in Baltimore Maryland, Maryland, has has both both ofof those those things. things.Like Likehis hisfellow fellowteamteammate, Preston also received academic scholarships, highlighting his philosophy as a true student-athlete. When asked what advice he would give to other aspiring college athletes, he said, “Reach out to as many college coaches as you can, so you will have lots of options for where you want to go.”

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 65

Athletics (jcianca@sdsw.org 2).indd 73

6/29/2016 1:19:14 AM

Melvin Briggs, Football Melvin Briggs,

Football

Five Fivestudent-athletes student-athletes have signed signed at the at the collegiate collegiate level level this year

Chelsie China, Soccer Chelsie China, Soccer

66 • SUMMER 2016

Athletics (jcianca@sdsw.org 2).indd 74

6/29/2016 1:19:17 AM

“N

ever stop working; working, never stop improving. imEvery dayEvery proving. you take day off youistake someone off is else’s day to catch someone else’s up day to you,” to catch saidup football to Melvinsaid you,” Briggs, running crediting back Melvin his parents and St. David’s crediting Briggs, for his understanding his parents and of the value

of hard St. David’s work. forAs histhe understanding only runningofback the value Oberlin of hard is bringing work. in Asfor the class of 2016, the only running Melvin has backanOberlin opportunity College to earn is bringing a starting in for spotthe in class his freshman year. of 2016, Melvin Melvin hashas committed an opportunity to Oberlin to earn College, a starting in Oberlin, spot in Ohio his and plans to major freshman year. inMelvin Psychology has committed and Philosophy. to Oberlin Melvin’s College, advice in for other student-athletes: Oberlin, Ohio, and “Always he plans take to major instruction. in psychology Your ability andtophitake instruction and implement losophy.

Melvin’s it can advice be the fordifference other student-athletes: between starting “Always or sitting regardless of take instruction. your skillYour level.ability Always to keep take instruction a burning desire and implement to learn more and improve it can be –the and difference the sky isbetween the limit.” starting or sitting regardless of your skill level. Always keep a burning desire to learn more and improve – and the sky is the limit.”

“I

t’s a bittersweet memory,” said soccer standout Chelsie China, referring to their narrow loss in thethe in final final game game of of thethe state state cha pionship. “But making championship.

“But making it to the it

final to theround final round and just and being just abeing part of a part a moment of a moment where my team where myshowed team showed such genuine such genuine passionpassion for each forother and the each other game andwill the be game a memory will be I’ll a memory never forget.”

I’ll never Chelsie has forget.”

Chelsie signed haswith signed Auburn withUniversity-MontAuburn Universigomery, in Montgomery, ty-Montgomery, in Montgomery, AlabamaAlabama, and plansand to major plans in Adolescent to major in adolescent Psychology. psychology.

Chelsie talked Chelsieabout talked her search about her search for thefor right thecollege right college fit: “Pray fit: “Pray about about your decision your decision for where for where you will yougo will to go college,” to college,” she said. she Throughout said.

Throughout the recruitment the recruitment process, process, she thought she thought she found she found the perfect the perfect school school for me for on methe on coast the coast of Florof ida, but as Florida, butshe as prayed she prayed and and sought sought wisdom, wisdom, she found she a bettera fit found better at AUM. fit at AUM. ChelsieChelsie has enjoyed has enjoyed the camarathe derie of the team camaraderie of theand team theand relationship the relationship with herwith fellow her players,players, fellow but she’s butexcited she’s excited to begintothe begin nextthe chapter next at the collegiate chapter at the level. collegiate level.

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 67

Athletics (jcianca@sdsw.org 2).indd 75

6/29/2016 1:19:19 AM

Biblical Integration 68 • SUMMER 2016

Sinden (jcianca@sdsw.org 2).indd 1

9/13/2016 10:12:45 PM

Their desks were arranged so that students all faced their classmates.

No one could be anonymous. Each was expected to think and to share.

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 69

Sinden (jcianca@sdsw.org 2).indd 2

9/13/2016 10:12:47 PM

During a faculty workshop, Liz Pipher engages with colleagues (Liz Service and Caitie Anderson pictured here) in a seminarstyle discussion forum.

“We are called to love the Lord with our minds, to apply our intellect to answer the questions that confront us.” making him go through loss?” And after those first moments of discomfort, the classroom blossomed into a natural discussion about grief and how stories help us understand our lives.

“For centuries and centuries, academic institutions in the western tradition have been steeped in the knowledge of the Bible, the depth, beauty, variety, and profundity of its wide expanse,” explained Academic Dean Justin Carreker. “We consider a firm foundation in the literature of the Bible an indispensable part of education. Yet Jesus also calls us to love the Lord with our minds, to apply our intellect to answer the questions that confront us. This is why we teach the Bible in all its complexity and difficulty, and we apply our minds not to creating our own truths but to understanding eternal truth.”

Pipher, who is an alumna of St. David’s (Class of 2008), uses the classroom to encounter the Bible as an academic text while also understanding how needful it is to approach it as inspired by God. Like so many of her colleagues, she gets that biblical

– Justin Carreker, Academic Dean

Liz Pipher, 8th grade English teacher, handed them a passage from the book of Job. The verse and chapter numbers were removed. The room fell into a natural silence as curious students read Job as if it were a short story they’d never seen. They were trying to find answers to Mrs. Pipher’s questions – how does this passage relate to Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451? Why does the retired English professor, Faber, give Montag a copy of the book of Job? Why is Job’s story important?

After a few minutes of engaged silence, the students gradually lifted their eyes from the page. A composed Mrs. Pipher carefully waited them out (as every good teacher knows, you never answer your own questions). Finally a student mustered the courage to speak. “Job is definitely being taught something by God; is the devil learning too?” Then another voice, “Why does God teach Job this way, by 70 • SUMMER 2016

Sinden (jcianca@sdsw.org 2).indd 3

9/13/2016 10:12:49 PM

integration is meant to be practiced. As chaplain, Todd von Helms explained, “Biblical integration is far more than what takes place in the curriculum; it is lived out in the lives of our faculty members who intentionally integrate biblical truth in the relationships they build with their students and with one another. The true test of biblical integration is how we fulfill our charge to be a community of Christ’s followers.”

As the class discussion of Job and Fahrenheit 451 came to a close, a girl in Pipher’s class remarked, “I think this is a story that the writer wrote to show future generations the power of God. Maybe the whole reason this book of the Bible exists is to do for all generations of believers what Faber did for Montag by reading it. It inspires us, lets us know that God is in control, and comforts us in times of suffering.” Mrs. Pipher, waiting a moment to consider this, looked at her and smiled.

Advisory is a time for bonding, fun, and plenty of food. Mrs. Pipher enjoys a snack and laughs with her advisees: Bella Smith, Ashley Baucom, Maylee Cianca, Madeleine Morris, and Sally Sandridge.

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 71

Sinden (jcianca@sdsw.org 2).indd 4

9/13/2016 10:12:53 PM

When We’re Old Enough to R e a d Fa i r y Ta l e s A g a i n

72 • SUMMER 2016

Grumbles Ward.indd 72

9/1/2016 10:14:30 PM

M ic h a e l Wa r d, C.S. Lewis, & S t. Dav i d ’s s c hool IT'S THE FIRST FULL DAY OF SCHOOL , and two senior girls are crouched over their AP Literature summer reading.

“I’m not sure what he’s

talking about here,” says one. Her classmate responds, “I think what he’s saying is that there is an absolute truth, apart from us, and that is why he dislikes this children’s book. He thinks this book teaches children that truth is relative to them.” They’re wrestling through C.S. Lewis’ essay, "The Abolition of Man," and grappling with his criticisms of modern education. Lewis was famous for his own contribution to children’s literature, The Chronicles of Narnia. Lewis dedicated the first of the series, The Lion, the Witch and Wardrobe, to his goddaughter, Lucy, writing, “I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.

You can then take it down from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me what you think of it.”

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 73

Grumbles Ward.indd 73

9/1/2016 10:14:30 PM

In the spirit of learning to read fairy tales

In addition to speaking to St. David’s students and

again, St. David’s invited Oxford professor and

faculty, Ward’s visit to the Triangle included a lecture

world-renowned scholar Michael Ward to discuss

at Southeastern Seminary and concluded with a dinner

his groundbreaking books on the Narnia Chronicles

and talk at Christ Baptist Church. The event, attended

entitled Planet Narnia and The Narnia Code. Ward’s

by over 500 people, showcased the poetic and literary

research vindicates Lewis’ belief that the best children’s

talents of St. David’s students as well. Seniors Valerie

literature is never written just for children. “Lewis is

Medlin, Madalyn Vanarthos, and Preston Ball read

a much deeper and more interesting writer than people

papers on topics ranging from Lewis’ view of natural

often give him credit for,” explained Ward. “The Narnia

law to his ideas on redemptive suffering. Cassidy Soutter

Chronicles are not just edifying fairy tales for children;

and Adrienne Hawkes recited passages from both Lewis’

they are very sophisticated works of imaginative and

fiction and non-fiction.

scholarly talent – a talent that goes hand-in-hand with

It’s no easy task arranging for a world-class

a profound Christian faith.” Like the simplicity of the

intellectual to spend a few days with our community.

gospels, a good children’s book speaks to you at every

After all, when Lewis was enshrined in Poet’s Corner

stage of life.

at Westminster Abbey, it was Dr. Ward who was given

Dr. Michael Ward, renowned C.S. Lewis scholar unveils his noted research for the St. David's community. Dr. Ward explained how the Ptolemaic, geocentric view of the world provided a foundation for C.S. Lewis's Narnia series.

Grumbles Ward.indd 3

9/13/2016 10:23:45 PM

the honor of speaking at the ceremony. His St. David's visit was serendipitous. Dr. von Helms happened to meet Ward in Dallas over dinner with a mutual friend, not yet aware that he was talking with the leading C.S. Lewis scholar in the world. Von Helms realized this as they spent the dinner talking about Lewis’s view of suffering. He kept thinking to himself, “The students really need to hear this.” Through partnering with Christ Baptist Church, Southeastern Seminary, and the St. David’s Senior Seminar, that vision came to life.

It was a rare opportunity, and St. David’s made the most of it. Ward addressed the faculty and staff during Wednesday morning professional development.

As

Lewis is one of the most prominently featured writers in the English curriculum, English Department Chair Sarah Jane Keegan, remarked. “It was lovely to sit under the teaching of Dr. Ward for a morning, to come together as a faculty for just an hour and have the writings of Lewis illuminated so powerfully. It was thrilling to attend the lecture and learn more about Lewis’ life and the design of his work, and profoundly gratifying to walk out amidst the whispers of colleagues wondering together about the nuances of Lewis’ body of work.

What a joy to endeavor together as intellectuals.”

program. Von Helms remarks, “we’re in a position to

Later in the morning, Ward addressed the Senior

think and explore and dream. When someone of that

Seminar. With Dr. Gil Greggs presiding, seniors asked

caliber comes to campus it causes us all to consider

questions of Dr. Ward and carefully listened as he

our faith more deeply while also leading people who

shared Lewis’s ideas on suffering, as well as his cur-

aren’t believers to think about faith.” Greggs agreed,

rent project, which deals with medieval astronomy and

“our pedagogic purpose is to take the walls off of the

Lewis’s interpretation of it in his Narnia series. Ms.

classroom by inviting everyone to the seminars.” To be

Keegan noted, “The students were completely mesmer-

doing something of such excellent quality in the com-

ized by his ideas.” Dr. Greggs elaborated, “Unbelievers

munity leads others to want to participate. Essentially,

often throw the problem of pain at the feet of believers.

this is what the original Academy hoped to produce.”

Lewis helps them realize that they take up the problem

From politicians to Nobel laureates, from scientists to

of pain only if they also take up the problem of beauty:

theologians, from meteorologists to symphony conduc-

‘Why is the world so beautiful?’”

tors, these opportunities give our students the chance

The Chaplaincy Speaker Series and the Senior Seminar plan to continue the superlative nature of the

to meaningfully grow and, perhaps, learn to read fairy tales again.

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 75

Grumbles Ward.indd 75

9/1/2016 10:14:34 PM

I t ' s A b o u t t h e J o u r n e y. . .

From sheltered Freshman T

76 • SUMMER 2016

Grumbles Ward.indd 76

9/1/2016 10:14:37 PM

n TO Global Business Leader Julia Sprunt Grumbles Shares with the class of 2016 In her characteristic self-deprecating wit, Grumbles began her address, “My words today will likely be forgotten. Test me on this, ask your parents if they remember what their commencement speaker said.”

Allowing the

knowing laughter to subside, former Turner Broadcasting executive and current University of North Carolina Chapel Hill trustee, Julia Sprunt Grumbles told the graduates of the class of 2016, “So instead, I want you to remember who you are, to think about who your best self actually is and to think about who and what defines you. Why does it matter? It matters because to be fully human, to be fully alive, you first need to know who you are.

Despite her claims to the contrary, Grumbles gave a very memorable commencement address. She spoke of how her first college roommate at UNC Chapel Hill, attired in lace up go-go boots, a crop top and smoking a cigarette every morning, allowed her to step outside her social norms and expectations. Grumbles explained that she was raised with a group of friends who “looked like me, talked like me, went to the same vacation places and the same handful of churches.” For her, UNC Chapel Hill was a culture shock. She felt lonely, homesick, and insignificant. Grumbles affectionately described how her roommate helped her grow. “Even though I judged her, Debbie never stopped being kind. She was loving, gracious and funny. She had lots of fun and always invited me to come along to movies, concerts, and even home to Shallotte, she showed me what real kindness was – and unconditional love and acceptance.”

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 77

Grumbles Ward.indd 77

9/1/2016 10:14:38 PM

Sharing with passion, Julia Sprunt Grumbles engages with students in a Q&A during Senior Seminar. Grumbles and Kimberly Jenkins, former Microsoft and NEXT executive, engaged with the students on the topic of being a woman in leadership in the business world. Grumbles enjoyed the experience so much, she agreed to come back as the commencement speaker.

78 • SUMMER 2016

Grumbles Ward.indd 78

9/1/2016 10:14:42 PM

Continuing the journey...

St. David’s graduates will have plenty of new ad-

fortunate to have Julia speak to the seminar,” explained

justments to make as they embark on their freshman ex-

Greggs. “She is a great example to our students of a

perience. Having received over four million dollars in

committed Christian whose faith is very real and de-

merit scholarship offers (averaging $108,000 per schol-

veloped intentionally who has also experienced remark-

arship recipient), they will matriculate at 28 different

able success in business.”

schools. Their school choices range from NC State and

Standing before the graduates of the class of 2016,

Elon to Brown and Oberlin College, Auburn University

Grumbles wanted to leave no doubt in their minds:

and Duke. The class includes five student athletes and St. David’s first recipient of UNC’s prestigious Morehead-Cain Scholarship. Of these, fifteen will attend UNC Chapel Hill next year where Grumbles serves on the Board of Trustees. Standing at the graduation podium, she gave out her personal email address and told St. David’s students headed to Carolina to reach out to her. “Call me. I’ll invite you over for hamburgers.”

This is typical of Grumbles who, according to St. David’s trustee Donna McClatchey, “is relatable to everyone.

She has this gift of seeing God’s potential in everyone.” McClatchey, who counts Grumbles as a close mentor and

As graduates embark on the next step of their journey, they each receive a

friend, first introduced her to St. David’s

traditional send-off: personally signed portraits for each graduate. Teachers

three years ago. With the help of Se-

reminisce, encourage, and wish their students well as they head off to college.

nior Seminar Instructor Dr. Gil Greggs, she arranged for Grumbles to be part of a discussion

success on its own merits will not bring lasting fulfil -

entitled “Values, Gender, and the Roles of Leadership:

ment. This is quite a statement for someone who was

Women Leaders in Business, Politics and Education.”

the second-in-command for Turner Broadcasting and

Along with former executive at Microsoft and NEXT,

whose work garnered her a prestigious Vanguard Award

Kimberly Jenkins, Grumbles discussed her path in the

for Marketing. As Grumbles explained, “Each one of

corporate world. She recounted how her corporate tra-

you bears the Creator’s fingerprints. Did you know that

jectory began with a chance encounter with Ted Turner.

you were made for meaning and purpose? The question

She recalled the struggles that she endured in order to

is, who has a right to name you? Your creator or the

reach the top of the television industry. “We were so

world?”

ST. DAVID’S MAGAZINE • 79

Grumbles Ward.indd 79

9/1/2016 10:26:33 PM

Last Word From the Headmaster

Can a school truly provide the highest level of academics while maintaining a robust Christian identity?

Absolutely! While always striving to improve, St. David’s School is achieving the aforementioned goal by challenging students to excel in the vital areas of faith, virtue and knowledge.

Reasons abound why our community should celebrate the past, and anticipate great things in the future. Perhaps the most important thing to celebrate is the teachers who influence our children each week. It brings me much joy, peace, and comfort to know that some of the most highly educated and experienced Lower, Middle, and Upper School teachers in the nation make up the outstanding faculty of our school.

Our teachers understand that serious learning is an offering to the Lord and therefore aim to cultivate intellectual growth in each student through a robust and challenging curriculum that excites inquiry, stimulates learning, and deepens faith. The free exchange of ideas is facilitated in order to sharpen critical thinking skills while fostering an understanding of the Christian worldview that ultimately anchors and gives meaning to all life and knowledge.

Additionally, our students, teachers and parents are given numerous opportu-

nities throughout the year to hear from dozens of influential leaders who participate in our Chaplaincy Speakers Series and the Senior Seminar. Speakers during the past two years have included a US senator, two NC governors, two US congressmen, a Nobel laureate, two university chancellors, two college presidents, two world renowned physicists, award winning authors, and the world’s leading C.S. Lewis scholar.

This fall semester New York Times best selling author Eric Metaxas will lead another impressive array of talented leaders who will visit our campus. These speakers shape the culture at large, and this year, will help form the minds and hearts of our students.

It is a privilege serving a dynamic institution intent on the comprehensive development of each student. Thank you for the wonderful partnership we share in preparing the next generation of leaders who will shape culture, influence their respective communities, and impact the world.

By His grace and for His glory!

Dr. Todd von Helms Interim Headmaster

80 • SUMMER 2016

Last word.indd 1

9/13/2016 10:28:44 PM

A week-long trip to Greece and Turkey, “walking in the footsteps of Paul,” is the capstone experience for St. David’s seniors. In front of the library in the ancient city of Ephesus are class of 2016 members Siarra Deol, Habi Olusesi, Hannah Alcock and Chelsie China.

Parting shot Last word.indd 2

9/13/2016 10:28:45 PM

NON-PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE

PAID

RALEIGH, NC PERMIT #2483

St. David’s School 3400 White Oak Road Raleigh, NC 27609 Address Service Requested

.

.

Faith Virtue Knowledge

The class of 2016

Class of 2016 Cover Spring 2016 .indd 1

9/13/2016 10:26:39 AM