Sycamore School Magazine / Summer 2021

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SYC AMORE

Alumni Profiles | Retiring Teachers and Staff | Meet the New Head of Lower School & Head of Middle School

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SYCAMORE SCHOOL MAGAZINE

SUMMER 2021

VOLUME 15

NUMBER 1

VOLUME 15.1

CONTENTS 6 JEFF HEARN

Sycamore Legacy Profile

HEAD OF SCHOOL Diane Borgmann BOARD OF TRUSTEES Catherine Pangan President HEAD OF EARLY CHILDHOOD Jennifer Williams HEAD OF LOWER SCHOOL Tiffany Stahl HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL Katie Baker DIRECTOR OF ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT Duane Emery DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT Holly Lee CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Patrick Juday SYCAMORE SCHOOL ASSOCIATION Pam Cross President

RETIREMENT

8 GLENNA LYKENS

Head of Lower School 10

ALUMNI

22 BRIANA HANSEN

JUDITH MILLS

Science and Event Coordinator

12 LESLIE KATZ Kindergarten Assistant

Comedienne/podcaster

26 OMEED MALEK

Rachel Maddow show researcher/

Asst. Producer for NBC News/MSNBC

13 NAOMI GOLLER Librarian

GRADUATION SPEECHES

34 AVI MAUN

RAYNA MOIZ NATE LIANG

NEW HIRES

14 TIFFANY STAHL Head of Lower School

16 KATIE BAKER Head of Middle School

O N T H E CO V E R Stella Hagerman’s favorite interests at Sycamore include arts/crafts, math, reading and recess, but most of all time with her friends! Outside of the classroom, Stella enjoys going to the lake, traveling, sports (soccer, tennis), Legos, and time with family. She will be starting 1st Grade in the fall.

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32 18 21 30 32 38 40 42

PARENT ENGAGEMENT SERIES BRAD LOWELL EXTENDED PROGRAMS AMOR COLEMAN ALUMNI PANEL LIFE AT SYCAMORE

26 44 COLLEGE CHOICES FOR CLASS OF 2021

45 HIGH SCHOOL CHOICES FOR CLASS OF 2017

46 ALUMNI NEWS 47 SYCAMORE NEWS

HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR SPOTLIGHT

Find Out More

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sycamoreschool.org

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FROM T HE HE A D OF S CH OO L

Dear Sycamore Friends, REMEMBER

SUMMER 2021

in March 2020 thinking that we were going to have to endure the pandemic for a month or so? Little did we know that over a year later it would still be at the top of our agenda! This year has been one for the books! After the hard work of developing a detailed plan for in-person learning by our Reopening Sycamore Task Force, we began school in person on August 13, as originally scheduled. We moved forward very successfully through the first trimester, even as the prevalence and percent positivity rates soared around us. Finally, in November, we were forced, through a public health order, to implement our Distance Learning Plan for Grades 1-8. (We were able to keep our Preschool, Pre-Kindergarten, and Kindergarten kids in person because they were exempted from the order.) We all returned to in-person learning on January 5 and were able to finish out the year in that mode.

Even though we have been in the building in person for most of the year, it has been a very different year. We’ve missed having parents in the building. Teachers have rethought all of their plans in order to adapt them to the highest level of safety for our kids. We’ve all worn masks and maintained social distance all year long. We’ve eaten lunch in classrooms and held classes in rooms that weren’t intended to be class spaces. And it has all worked out wonderfully! The willingness and ability to be flexible and adapt to a changing environment has been tested, and Sycamore has passed the test! Our mission remains secure, and we have been able to confidently move through the year, knowing we are still offering the most exceptional education for our gifted learners. We’re not sure yet what next year might bring. We are sure we will be able to make it a successful year!

In this issue of the Sycamore Magazine, you’ll read about Glenna Lykens and her 21-year career at Sycamore. Glenna has made a positive impact on thousands of Lower School kids as well as a large number of faculty members. During her time at Sycamore, Glenna has been a leader in curriculum and program development across the entire span of the school. She has brought clear thinking, care for kids, warmth, engagement, and fun to the Lower School.

We will certainly miss her daily presence; however, the work she has accomplished while here will remain prominent in our ongoing growth and development.

As Sycamore, we’re constantly growing and changing, and we are currently at a significant point of growth and change. We have two new division heads! Tiffany Stahl will follow

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Glenna Lykens as Head of Lower School. Katie Baker will become our new Head of Middle School. Both Tiffany and Katie have held other roles at Sycamore and know the school well. I’m proud of the fact that our home-grown leaders emerged as the choices after exhaustive national searches. My deepest thanks goes to Katie Baker and Trent Tormoehlen for the strength, stability, and hard work that they have brought to the Middle School this year as Interim Co-Heads of Middle School.

In this issue, you’ll also have a fun time reading about amazing alumni as well as some of our impressive current students and some of Sycamore’s most awesome supporters. In every one of these stories, I hope you recognize their passion for Sycamore and their commitment to our core values of respect, empathy, moral courage, and relationships.

In August we’ll return to school refreshed and stronger in most every way. Whatever the external environment may bring, we will respond by finding ways to deliver our mission and keep Sycamore solid and evolving.

Thanks for supporting Sycamore! This year, probably more than ever, I have recognized the strength of our community and the Sycamore spirit! I’m honored to be a part of such a dedicated and unshakable community. Thanks to all of you for being our steady and trustworthy partners as we forge ahead.

Onward and upward!

Best regards,

Diane Borgmann Head of School

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SYCAMORE LEGACY PROFILE

Jeff Hearn

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HE history of Jeff Hearn at Sycamore School is impressive.

Hearn’s two children are Sycamore graduates, (Lindsay in 2002 and Alex in 2005).

He has served six separate terms on the Board of Trustees, for a total of 21 years. He has been a part of numerous subcommittees, quietly being a force for good in helping advance the infrastructure of the school. He was Chair of the Search Committee that hired long-time current Sycamore Head of School, Diane Borgmann. Hearn, one could argue, as much as any person involved with Sycamore who was not a teacher or Head of School, has pointed the school in the direction of success.

And now, in 2021, he is completing his latest term of board service.

The truly important things have remained unchanged. The dedication, passion, and commitment of the faculty to the students is the same now as it was then.

The students themselves are basically the same.

Bright, inquisitive, and thoughtful students still roam the halls at Sycamore.

JEFF HEARN

“Education has always been important to me. Our daughter came to Sycamore in the middle of Kindergarten from a public school that was not adequately meeting her needs,” Hearn says. “The school was such a revelation and such a good experience that I knew I had to get involved in some manner. When the Board was seeking new members, I spoke with Ed Mihelich who was the Chair of the Committee on Trustees. I was asked to serve on the Board, and because I thought I could contribute something of value, I gladly accepted.”

When Hearn thinks about his own children and the education they received from the school, he still believes attending Sycamore is one the best things they have done.

“It certainly prepared them well for their future academic pursuits. It instilled in them the desire to be lifelong learners and the skills to do that. But most importantly I think, it made each of them very comfortable as a person. It was okay to be smart; it was okay to have talents and abilities others did not have and to lack talents others did have. I have always thought that one of the best benefits of Sycamore is that it gives our children a

true peer group they might not experience again. It allows students to ‘feel comfortable in their own skin’— not an easy feat when it comes to middle schoolers. I think this was a great benefit to both my children.”

DIANE Borgmann has leaned on Hearn for guidance throughout her tenure as Sycamore’s Head of School. “His strength as a member of Sycamore’s Board of Trustees lies in his experience and wisdom,” she says. “Jeff commands the respect of everyone he meets. He has led Sycamore through some difficult times and provided wise guidance for our financial security and future. His availability and enthusiasm for serving the school in any possible way has never wavered.”

Hearn’s institutional knowledge, as Borgmann acknowledges, is one of his strengths. He has seen Sycamore change—significantly— while, as he says, maintaining its core values. “Sycamore’s mission of providing the enriched, accelerated education academically gifted children need to reach their potential and to lead responsible, constructive, fulfilling lives, and the laser-like focus in carrying out that mission are still the hallmarks of the school,” he says. Noting the biggest changes he’s witnessed, he remarks, “The most obvious changes are the physical improvements to the facilities. We have gone from a prototypical 1950’s elementary school with orange carpeting to a very modern building with thoughtfully designed spaces for the students.”

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ONE word describes Hearn’s vision for Sycamore: change. “The change in the past twenty-five years has been tremendous,” he says. “A less obvious, but important, change is that the Board of Trustees has matured. We are thinking more long-term and Sycamore is in much better shape financially. The Board has developed into a very high functioning Board that deals with appropriate strategic issues.”

“Just think about the changes in the last year alone. One thing the Board of Trustees and the Administration always need to keep in mind is that the school will need to innovate and adapt,” he says. “We always need to keep the long-term viability of Sycamore as our focus, and that will mean not only adapting to or even embracing change, but being a change agent to improve the delivery of education.”

While Hearn downplays his role in setting Sycamore up for future success, he is quietly proud of his work. “I don’t think I have any particular strengths that others

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don’t have,” Hearn says. “I think my most important ability has been availability.

I have tried to always be available to do what needed to get done and to participate on committees and task forces. I have been willing to listen to competing views and help develop a consensus for the best way forward. I have always tried to put the best long-term interests of the school at the forefront of all my decisions and I hope I have been consistent in doing that.”

“It has been my distinct honor and pleasure to have served on the Board for 21 years and to have had the opportunity to be a very small part of the growth and emergence of Sycamore,” Hearn says.

“Whatever I have given to Sycamore, I have received many times over in return.

Sycamore is a tremendous asset— not only to our parents and students, but to the city and to gifted education throughout the country, and we need to do all we can to ensure it continues to thrive for future generations.” •

The Hearn Family: grandson, Miller Brustein; son-in-law, Garrett Brustein; daughter, Lindsay Hearn Brustein (Class of 2002); granddaughter, Colbie Grace Brustein; Sharon Hearn; Jeff Hearn; son, Alex Hearn (Class of 2005); and daughter-in-law, Mohini Tellakat.

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R E T IR EM EN T

Glenna Lykens A LESSON IN HOW LEADERSHIP AND CARING CAN COEXIST

T

hose who know Glenna Lykens know she loves the Iditarod sled dog race held annually in Alaska.

It is also a yearly tradition for her to post race updates, standings, and sled dog trivia on a bulletin board outside her office to help students follow along and help them understand some of the nuances of the event. Maybe the information that is posted because of her passion for the event can help some students see a correlation between the race and their own lives: how to persevere; the value of hard work; the value of a team.

Lykens uses the board to help students understand that they have to find their place.

There are lead dogs: those who stay in front, stay on the trail. Swing dogs are right behind the leader. They “swing” the sled when the trail curves. In people, that equates to people who support the leader and who figure out a way to make the team follow along, acting as bridges between the leader and the rest of the team.

Then there are the team dogs—the workers, the engine. There are also wheel dogs that run right in front of the sled itself, calm-tempered, because the sled is right behind them. Strong and steady. Trustworthy.

In many ways, Lykens has played each of these roles at Sycamore.

BEFORE coming to Sycamore School in 1999, Lykens taught at elementary schools in Ohio and North Carolina. She worked at Treehouse Tales, a children’s bookstore in Indianapolis, where she helped the owner guide school teachers as they chose books to integrate into their curriculum. It was a perfect out-ofclassroom break for Lykens, a renowned book lover. “I helped teach a children’s literature class for teachers working on continuing credits to keep their license updated.”

But she soon felt the pull of the classroom.

“I wanted to move back to a classroom and teach again,” Lykens says. Diane Borgmann,

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the current Head of Sycamore, was at that time the Head of Lower School, and first hired Lykens as an assistant teacher in 4th Grade in 1999. “In 2001, I became a lead teacher in 1st Grade and was in that role for four years. I became the Head of Lower School in 2005 and have loved that role for the last 16 years.”

With 21 years at Sycamore, Lykens has been on the front row to see many changes.

“It feels as if I watched the school grow up in many ways,” she says. “The school is now known among parents looking for options for gifted children in the Indianapolis area. Private, independent schools across the country with a mission for gifted students know us. It has evolved in its impact on gifted education.”

Lykens attributes the advancements to the leadership she has worked with at Sycamore. “Nyle Kardatzke was important to the early years of the school, setting the path for the school’s accreditation and growth,” she says of the former Head of School. “He took the school from a fledgling new private school and guided it through its membership in ISACS. He led the school through its growth and financial ability to add on to the building. He had the confidence in me to move me from my teaching role to become the division head for Lower School in 2005, and he mentored me through my first years in that role.

Diane Borgmann guided the school to the place it is today as a leader in gifted education. She has been a mentor, a role model, and a friend through my years at Sycamore.”

As that swing person who helps leaders be effective, Lykens has been able to be both a participant in leadership discussions, helping quietly move the school forward, and also the face that greets students each day, knowing everyone’s name. “I have loved being able to see such a wide variety of events and activities each year in all grade levels,” she says. “I will miss all the little things, like morning carpool, when I get the chance to see so many of our students start out each day. I love that teachers let me come to read books to students throughout the year that connect to their units or events. I’m excited every year to share the history, events, and progress of the Iditarod.”

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Lykens rattles off a list of things that she has been involved in that will be tough to walk away from and also compose part of her legacy. “I will miss not traveling for a day to Camp Tecumseh with the 4th Graders. Each year I looked forward to events such as the Read-A-Thon, the Science Expo, the Olympics, Spirit Week, the Girls Conference, the Halloween Parade, the 3rd Grade Poetry Tea, and the 8th Grade Graduation.

I will miss hearing the 4th Graders playing their band instruments next door to my office, improving throughout the year from true beginners to sounding like a band; having students share a riddle with me, happy when they stump me; seeing the projects created by students in all grade levels displayed in the hallways. Most of all, I will miss not having Lunch Bunch each week with students, and I think that might be something students might remember most, too.”

GLENNA’S smile and gentle-but-nomonkey-business way she has with the students is one of the things that has made her so successful. “I will miss the students, the faculty and staff, and the parents. The community of Sycamore is so special and unique, and in my role, I have been lucky to interact with the entire community.

Every day touches my heart in so many ways. It’s very special to see Sycamore faculty as they teach, interact with students, and collaborate with and support each other. They make each day fun, and they inspire their students and me.”

Lykens has a pretty simple answer to what her legacy at Sycamore might be and what values she thinks she has contributed: “I hope that teachers will remember that everything they do needs to start with what is best for their students. I hope that Lower School teachers will always be there to support each other and bring joy and laughter to each day.” •

I hope that teachers will remember that everything they do needs to start with what is best for their students. I hope that Lower School teachers will always be there to support each other and bring joy and laughter to each day.

GLENNA LYKENS

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R E T IR EM EN T

Judith Mills

MILLS’ LEGACY LEAVES SYCAMORE STRONGER

“ When I started at Sycamore 19 years ago, there was no Theater, Gymnasium facility, Outdoor Lab, Middle School Commons, Innovation Lab, or Quest room. I hope that Sycamore continues to find ways to create a more eco-friendly and sustainable environment.”

M

uch of the magic that happens at Sycamore occurs in the classroom.

Students who have been at Sycamore for many years get to experience many different teachers who put a lot of thought into how to connect with every type of learner. One person who has quietly but strongly made a mark on hundreds of Sycamore students and their teachers is Judith Mills.

An engineer in her career before Sycamore, Mills has coordinated field trips and guest speakers. She has been the driving force behind the annual Girls Conference. She teaches Lower School science. She is the person behind the idea and implementation of the Outdoor Science Lab. There isn’t a student who graduates from Sycamore who hasn’t benefitted from the work Mills does.

“I love developing and implementing new science labs or fine-tuning tried-and-true activities,” she says. “Kids thrive on the hands-on opportunities. Many students not only love to play and investigate in the Outdoor Lab, but it also helps them think beyond themselves.”

Mills came to the school when she decided to bring sons, Ian (‘05) and Seth (’07), to

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Sycamore when they were entering 6th and 4th Grades, respectively. In addition to having worked for Rolls-Royce for more than 20 years, she had then spent a year volunteering and substitute teaching at their former school and enjoyed it. She was eventually hired at Sycamore as the 1st Grade Assistant for Glenna Lykens, and she accepted the position of Science and Event Coordinator when it was offered two years later.

Mills credits Lykens, also retiring this year from Sycamore, with guiding her down the path of teaching. “Sometimes it’s not until somebody leaves the school that you realize how much you enjoyed working with that person or how much they contributed. It takes everybody to create a unique school (but) I’ll make one exception to that rule— Glenna Lykens. She has always been my role model at Sycamore.”

Through Mills’ leadership, the annual Curiosity, Confidence, Challenge STEM conference gives more than 400 girls from across the state the opportunity to experience speakers and hands-on activities with role models in the professional fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.

“I am proud that I was able to provide leadership for the conference for middle school girls throughout Indiana,” she says.

“Although it tends to fly under the radar, it is Sycamore’s largest outreach event.

I’m glad that Sycamore will continue on with that outreach program under the leadership of Melissa Branigan.”

As she gets ready to leave the job she’s had for two decades, Mills says she knows she will miss both the students and staff and their curiosity, humor, intelligence, and thoughtfulness. “I hope students will remember my love of nature. Over the years, kids have brought me my share of rocks, leaves, and insects to identify, seeds to plant, and injured animals to nurse.

Sycamore also provided me with countless opportunities for innovation and imagination, whether it be developing geology labs for 4th Grade or creating fairy gardens in the Outdoor Lab. In retirement, I’m going to be searching for creative outlets. My husband might say, ‘Try cooking.’” •

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JEFF EASTMAN

LEAVES TO TRAVEL THE US After two different stints at Sycamore, dating back to 2013, Sycamore’s Maintenance Assistant, Jeff Eastman, is hitting the highway—literally.

Eastman, with his wife and children, is setting out for a trip around the United States, to see the country via the road. They are selling their home and becoming the owners of a travel trailer. They will leave in July for the first leg of a trip that has a fluid itinerary with the goal of giving his children an opportunity to immerse themselves in hands-on experiences. They plan on leaving after the 4th of July and heading north up through Michigan where there is an Eastman family reunion that Eastman says he has never been to.

“Before I got married, I traveled all the time with my older son. He and I would go camping. That’s part of who I am. Then I got married and settled down a bit,” he says. “I think this last year—for everybody—we took a step back and evaluated what was important to us. Our children and family are. I wondered how could we have the ability to take a trip, invest time with our kids, and show them the country?”

Eastman hopes the trip can help all of them feel more connections and common ground with both his own family and people in general. “I know it sounds weird, but in the last year we have seen a lot of scattering.

We really have the hope that this trip can help bring us back together, not just as a family, but also with friendships that have been severed for different reasons.

We hope throughout this trip that we get stronger as a family and go from scattering to gathering, back to community. It is easy to put a screen in front of our kids and let them learn there. We are going to nix that as much as we can and let them have an adventure instead of watching another kid on a screen have that experience.”

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R E T IR EM EN T

Leslie Katz LEAVES SYCAMORE AFTER 14 YEARS

It has been the best fourteen years of my life, and I am so grateful for the incredible opportunity and beautiful friendships I have experienced.

LESLIE KATZ

A

Kindergarten teaching assistant for 14 years, Leslie Katz came to Sycamore when her youngest child, Ariana, started in Kindergarten and stayed through 8th grade. “My only regret was that I didn’t learn about Sycamore earlier for my first three children,” she says.

Ariana graduated from college this spring and is headed to law school, so Leslie has elected to step away from the classroom so she can travel more and be a bigger part of her four adult children’s lives and to be able to see more of her grandchildren.

We caught up with Leslie to ask her about some of her Sycamore memories.

WHAT WILL BE THE MEMORIES OF WORKING AT SYCAMORE? ARE THERE CERTAIN THINGS THAT YOU REALLY ENJOYED ABOUT YOUR WORK IN KINDERGARTEN? “I have many fond memories of working at Sycamore. I loved our English Teas when studying the United Kingdom, exploring liquid nitrogen experiments at Wonderlab in Bloomington during the States of Matter unit; however, my favorite has to be Mark Booth with his live animal presentation with various birds, especially the vultures. I have truly loved watching the growth and strides the students achieved from Early Childhood to

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graduation, and that I was able to develop long-lasting relationships with our families. I still receive letters and notes from past students.”

WHAT FIRST ATTRACTED YOU TO SYCAMORE? “In 1990, I was exploring private schools for my oldest son.

Unfortunately, I didn’t know about Sycamore and ended up sending my three oldest to another private school and encountered many frustrations finding a challenging academic program that could meet their needs. When Ariana, my youngest, turned three, I once again had the same challenges finding an advanced academic program.

Benjy, my oldest, was at Brebeuf and was enrolled in many AP classes.

Many of his classmates went to Sycamore and he was the one who told me about Sycamore. Ariana started in Kindergarten with Mrs. Williams. I spent three years volunteering with SSA and being a room parent. Then one day I was asked if I wanted to work here.”

HOW HAS SYCAMORE CHANGED SINCE YOU HAVE BEEN HERE? “Great strides have been made in our technology with the use of IPads, laptops, the Innovation lab, and 3-D printers. Our Kindergartners’ use of the dot and dash robotic program for our space unit and our overwhelming success in academic competitions speaks volumes about the outstanding education. I have enjoyed the Girls Conference, and working with Judith Mills, and the impact this conference makes in girls’ lives is joyful to see.”

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR AFTER SYCAMORE? “I have a second grandson arriving, and they live in Austin, Texas along with one of my daughters. I look forward to spending more time in Texas.

My oldest son is in Alaska, and due to the pandemic, I have had to cancel trips to visit him.” •

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NAOMI GOLLER

LIBRARIAN/MEDIA CENTER SPECIALIST HEADS TO NEW CHALLENGES WHAT ARE GOING TO BE YOUR BEST MEMORIES OF SYCAMORE? It’s always fun watching the students grow and mature over the years.

They are some amazing people! I’ve also had a lot of fun, witty co-workers. I also really enjoyed watching reluctant readers find the right books and become avid readers.

WHAT FIRST ATTRACTED YOU TO SYCAMORE? I was just finishing up my Master’s in Library Science when 3rd Grade Assistant Lori Henderson (my sisterin-law at the time) mentioned that Sycamore was looking for their first Librarian with an MLS degree.

It was my first and last interview after graduate school, and I’ve enjoyed it ever since.

HOW HAS SYCAMORE CHANGED SINCE YOU HAVE BEEN HERE? The physical improvements to the building have been dramatic. The addition of the Hagerman Commons and the remodel of what used to be the old Library into the Guenthner Lobby, Bhatia Technology Lab, Technology Office, Quest Room, and the Scott A. Jones Family Board Room were amazing to witness. And it all happened over one summer! They’re lovely spaces for students, staff, and parents to enjoy.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR AFTER SYCAMORE? I got married last October, so I’ll be enjoying time with my husband, Max. I’m also in the process of selling my townhome, so that’s been quite a whirlwind. It’s amazing how much “stuff” you accumulate. I’ll be visiting my mom in Texas to help her organize paperwork and eating lunch out every day from the sounds of it. Then I’ll return and have a nice relaxing summer before I decide what’s next. I’m thinking of becoming a professional organizer. If anyone needs help with that sort of thing, please let me know!

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LOWER S CH O O L

Tiffany Stahl TAKES THE HELM

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n 2014, Tiffany Stahl left Sycamore.

Well, she sort of left. She decided to exit her Kindergarten teaching position that she held for eight years and start her Ph.D. path in School Psychology at Indiana State University.

What she discovered along that path of learning was that she missed Sycamore, so she came back. She never really left, because while starting on that degree, she could still be found at Sycamore, studying and working with twiceexceptional students.

The doctoral program wasn’t as rewarding at the time as she had hoped. So she slipped back into Sycamore as an educator, first filling a Pre-K maternity leave, then as a Pre-School teacher for two years, and finally the past three years as a 3rd Grade teacher. In the 2021-22 school year, she will take over as Head of Lower School.

“I love that at Sycamore, people are not afraid to think outside the box,” she says.

“First and foremost, I want to ensure that our powerful mission statement stays at the forefront of everything we do. With the pandemic making it very different for our students, we will not only consider academics, but also the social, emotional, and executive function skills of our students as we embrace our new normal.”

Her background as a teacher and as an event organizer both played a role in her confidence that she is right for this job.

“I have had many leadership role models over the years including my parents, professors in college, and leaders at Sycamore School and other educational organizations. These leaders have inspired and coached me to become a leader myself.

These role models taught me that it is okay to make mistakes, as long as you use the outcome for a learning opportunity. Stay curious, listen with the same compassion as you wish to be heard, be willing to go outside of your comfort zone, and respect differences.”

As Sycamore approaches its 40th anniversary, Stahl knows there are places to focus on improvement and traditions to be respected.

“Sycamore School is such a special place. I love coming to work each day,” Stahl says.

“I appreciate the supportive, communitytype atmosphere that encompasses Sycamore. I have always enjoyed serving in leadership roles. When you have an idea, even a really big ‘out there’ idea, people at Sycamore embrace it and support you in making that idea become a reality.”

“Though I have been at Sycamore School for 14 years, I know there will be a learning curve for this new role,” she says. “I plan to use my first year to learn, ask questions, and build relationships. I want to take a close look at what we are already doing and make sure it is the best program, curriculum, or application for each impacted constituent group.

That openness to new ideas and the opportunity to make a difference with more Lower School students was one of the deciding factors as Stahl considered moving out of the classroom and into a bigger role at the school.

“But one thing is for sure,” she says of one particular tradition for Lower School students. “The ever-popular Lunch Bunch program that Diane Borgmann started when she was Head of Lower School will continue.”

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LOWER S CH O O L

Sycamore School is such a special place. I love coming to work each day. I appreciate the supportive, communitytype atmosphere that encompasses Sycamore.

TIFFANY STAHL

Tiffany says there are certainly insights she has, having been a part of the Sycamore community. “Having been here for many years, there are advantages (for me) coming into this new role,” she says. “I am familiar with the characteristics of an independent school, Sycamore School’s unique mission statement, the Sycamore community, twice-exceptional learners, and gifted education. I also understand the scope and sequence of the curriculum.

Lower School faculty members are phenomenal. I am excited to get to support and work with such an outstanding group that guarantees that every student is known and loved each school year.”

Among her new objectives will be service on a task force that has been growing. “I am excited to join the Equity and Justice

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Task Force. This task force has been doing good work at Sycamore School the past few years, and I know the outcomes of this committee will only make Sycamore even better.”

In the end, Stahl’s heart is with the students and families of Sycamore.

“I really want to support parents during their time at Sycamore. Having two children at Sycamore myself (Natalie, Pre-K and Tyler, 4th Grade), I understand the importance of recognizing the many characteristics of gifted children and their educational needs,” she says. “Last, I want to continue to promote Sycamore School outside of our community so that we can continue to reach as many gifted learners as possible. Every gifted learner deserves the education that Sycamore offers.” •

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Katie Baker NEW HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL BRINGS IDEAS AND EXPERIENCE

“ I believe that we all have toolboxes. A teacher I once worked with said to me, ‘There’s no such thing as bad weather. You just don’t have the right clothes for it.’ To me, a toolbox is the same as having the right clothes available for the weather that comes your way. Having the right tools to pull from at the right time is crucial to success, as is being thoughtful and deliberate about building an effective toolbox.”

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s Interim Co-Head of Middle School, (a job and title she shared with Trent Tormeohlen) Katie Baker successfully traversed a difficult 2020-21 school year. It involved, among dozens of other things, figuring out, under the difficult circumstances of being an interim leader in a year of COVID, how to make the year fulfilling for students, be supportive of teachers, and be a person who as seamlessly as possible makes Sycamore’s Middle School run smoothly.

As the school year came to a close, and the 8th Grade Graduation ceremonies provided a bittersweet yet joyous ending, it really was a “we made it” kind of moment. For Baker it is an end and a beginning. “There’s been a successful balance this year of being productive while navigating another transitional year with some small changes that have had a big impact. This is

especially important as we will be moving forward with uncertainty regarding COVID. Next year, it will be important to continue to foster a school climate of positivity, consistency, and predictability for students, parents, and faculty, while moving forward with a ‘small-change, big-impact’ frame of mind.”

Baker, who has been at Sycamore School for 20 years as a teacher, had a desire to move into a leadership role. “I have been thinking about administration for a few years, and the interim position was an opportunity to see if it was a good fit, both professionally and personally, knowing that the opportunity to apply for the permanent position was a possibility.”

Baker says she has enjoyed being a change agent and making a broader impact in the role over the past year. “There are many

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aspects of the Head of Middle School position that are invigorating to me. I’ve enjoyed big-picture and creative thinking that leads to idea generation and problem solving, diving into curriculum across grade levels and subjects, working with gifted Middle School students in this new capacity, and guiding the exceptional Middle School faculty.”

With new leadership comes the balance of keeping the right things the same, and making adjustments in other areas. As Baker takes inventory of Sycamore’s needs, she is able to lean on the recent years of steady leadership that have accumulated talented teachers and built a strong curriculum. “The curriculum and the teachers are strengths of the Middle School,” she says. “The teachers understand our gifted students and work hard to develop and deliver curriculum in a way that is engaging to students and provides them opportunities to be challenged while finding success in their learning. We want to expose students to a variety of topics and experiences so they have deep content understanding, providing them a broad foundation from which to grow and develop their individual passions.”

Baker also wants to build on the successes of Sycamore. “One of Diane Borgamann’s mantras is ‘We are too good not to be better,’ and it is a philosophy that I believe in deeply,” she says. “Idea generation and problem solving through creative thinking is invigorating to me. Much of this is rooted in the philosophy of improvement, and not just for change’s sake, but for efficiency, effectiveness, increased engagement, and achievement of goals.

I’d like to focus my attention on the Middle School Advisory program, the student transition periods in Middle School, and faculty camaraderie.”

Originally started seven years ago, the Middle School Advisory program evolved from a program called Discussion Group.

Baker says she would like to spend time discussing the Advisory Program with faculty, determining its purpose and goals, as well as what it should look and feel like

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in action. “The Advisory Program was developed based on the needs of the Middle School at that time, and these goals and philosophies haven’t been revisited since its inception. Based on these discussions, we can work on aligning what we currently do to what we want to do.”

One of the most important things that happens in Middle School is a transitioning of students into a new area. For Sycamore, Baker says there are three distinct transitions in Middle School: from Lower School’s 4th to Middle School’s 5th grade; from the younger end of Middle School to the older end in 7th grade; and the transition out of Middle School from 8th to high school. “I would like to spend some concentrated time with both the 5th and 7th Grade teachers to identify ways in which we can ease this transition for students and how we can scaffold skills for students so they experience success during these transitions. Duane Emery, Sycamore’s Director of Enrollment Management, and I plan to spend time this summer working on ways we can also better support parents and students as they begin thinking about and working on applying to high school.”

As a teacher and now administrator, Baker has had leadership models and role models and their lessons that she has leaned on, and she says those lessons will be the ones she carries with her as she moves into her first full year as Head of Middle School. “Many teachers and administrators have shaped my philosophies, ideas, and actions,” she says. “As a teacher, I appreciated working under an administrator who didn’t necessarily dream for me, but instead, was an agent to allow me to dream. I was given opportunities to explore my professional passions, permission to try new things, support when I needed to reflect, head in a different direction, or talk through my ideas. As I think about how to help teachers be their best selves, this leadership style comes to the forefront of my mind. I am looking forward to and am excited about this new challenge of leading a program that continues to meet the needs of gifted Middle School students in future years.” •

We want to expose students to a variety of topics and experiences so they have deep content understanding, providing them a broad foundation from which to grow and develop their individual passions.

KATIE BAKER

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Parent Engagement VIDEO SERIES

the parent of two boys. Her perspective also helped shape the series, and she contributed an episode in addition to watching the content.

Head of Early Childhood, Jennifer Williams, talks about some of her favorite books.

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program that was the brainchild of Sycamore School’s Director of Advancement, Holly Lee, the Parent Engagement Video Series sprouted from wanting the school to help our families stay connected in 2020. The goal was to create something that felt like it was a peek into a conversation or a moment of connection between parents, or between the staff and parents, and do it in a virtual world.

“Parents are a vital part of what makes Sycamore special,” Lee says. “In a normal year, there would not be a day that goes by without parents volunteering in the classroom, driving on a field trip, or assisting the teachers in some way. All of us in the building have missed having parents here. The Parent Engagement Series was a way to engage our community.”

“Relationships with parents are so important here at Sycamore,” Branigan says. “Parent involvement and presence have been missed this school year. They bring about a sense of community and togetherness as well as being in the best interests of the children.” Branigan, who created a video on the new summer programs, liked being able to connect and yet allow parents to view the video on their own schedule. “It was easy to film, and we worked to make it flow like a normal conversation. For the other videos in the series, I enjoyed the variety offered.

The education-related episodes were great, but the other interest-based series videos were amazing too.”

Lori Fulk produced one of those interestbased episodes, showing how to create weekly menus, save time with vegetables, and make gnocchi. Others used the opportunity to learn some new video skills and get in front of a camera for the first time. Fulk, a Sycamore parent, was one of the first to contribute a video and is no stranger to hosting and performing.

She decided to work with her 8th Grader, Kelly, as they were recording it on video.

Sycamore parent, Alpa Mistry, teaches a segment on Indian cooking.

Though nothing is going to replicate the personal connection and shared experience parents and staff usually have, the goal was to maintain as much virtual school/ parent connection during the year as possible. Melissa Branigan, in her first year as Director of Extended Programs after teaching 1st Grade for many years, is also

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Science teacher David Schuth introducing the game, “Pademic Legacy Season 1.”

“I created my video in the fall, back when we still had some hopes that the year would hold at least some promise for normalcy.

I knew by Christmas that we would not see anything resembling ‘normal’ in this school year. I’m glad I filmed mine when I did. It felt comforting to imagine I was talking with my friends in my kitchen.”

She says she missed that connection to other Sycamore families a normal year provides. “Sycamore, at least within my time here, has been a very tight-knit community of people with a strong commitment to the school’s mission. That momentum is built upon relationships that are built over years of shared experiences.”

Sycamore Middle School science teacher, David Schuth, says though everyone soldiered on and worked to make the best of a weird year, the conversations and little moments were not replaceable. “Not seeing parents in the hallways or at carpool or events has been surreal, and it left an emptiness,” he says. “No spontaneous conversations, no longer were parents within easy reach to touch base with how things are going for their child and family,

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and no longer are people able to express their encouragement and gratitude in person.”

Still, he says being able to record an episode about board games, one of his passions, was a whole lot of both work and fun.

“It was more work than I had anticipated.

I had to whittle down my game selections considerably, which included taking into account which games were easily available and currently still in the marketplace during COVID. I found myself enjoying the creativity of others finding things that they could do or show on video that maybe they hadn’t beforehand.”

And Schuth was especially pleased when a suggestion helped someone find a new game to play. “I liked it when people let me know that so-and-so had watched the video, had bought one of the games per my suggestion, and a subsequent thank you when the game did hit home and was enjoyed.”

With most people watching a lot more Zoom (or for some, learning Zoom for the first time) there was a value to the series.

Parents are a vital part of what makes Sycamore special.

In a normal year, there would not be a day that goes by without parents volunteering in the classroom, driving on a field trip, or assisting the teachers in some way. All of us in the building have missed having parents here.

HOLLY LEE

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2020 EPISODES ARCHIVES AVAILABLE AT YOUTUBE.COM/SYCAMORESCHOOL SEPTEMBER 17 Setting Boundaries at Home with Technology OCTOBER 8 Cooking Quick and Healthy Meals with Sycamore Parent Lori Fulk OCTOBER 22 Intentional Parenting with Claire White NOVEMBER 5 Alumni Panel Stream

NOVEMBER 19 Sycamore Division Heads Recommend Great Books DECEMBER 3 Board Game Recommendations with Sycamore Science Teacher and Game Expert David Schuth JANUARY 21 Dr. Samantha Outcalt Discusses Stress Management FEBRUARY 4 Sycamore School’s Director of Extended Programs, Melissa Branigan, Discusses all of the New Sycamore Summer Options FEBRUARY 18 Sycamore Head of School, Diane Borgmann, Hosts a Book Discussion about The Parents We Mean to Be

by Richard Weissbourd MARCH 4 Lori Henderson and Tiffany Stahl Discuss “Executive Function in Students” MARCH 18 Sycamore School parent, Alpa Mistry, Teaches Indian Cooking APRIL 15 Sycamore School Middle School Teacher, Beth Simpson, Leads a Book Discussion about The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abu Dare APRIL 29 Sycamore School Physical Education Teacher, Paula French, Teaches “Drum Fit”

It brought a new way to interact, though the personal connection won’t ever be replicated on video.

“It’s always good to see faces and expressions and to hear the tone of voice of those with whom we are speaking,” Fulk says of Zoom and the video interactions of COVID. “We’re all here, still moving forward together. These videos definitely sustained us, with virtual meetings allowing a place to gather.”

Sumi Maun is a Sycamore trustee and long-time Sycamore parent, former President of SSA and former chairperson of the Auction, Grandparents Day, and nearly every big event that Sycamore has held.

A regular year would see her at school, in planning meetings, advising others on best practices, and generally being involved wherever she is needed, but not in 2020-21, at least not the same way. To her, the video series was one way to get some of what she feels at Sycamore.

“I love seeing people I know on video, teaching me something unique,” she says, adding, “Parents not being allowed into the school building this year was a smart decision for safety reasons, but the cost was parents missed out on personal connections that they would otherwise have been forming all year long. Zoom videos are never the same as in-person interactions, but I’ll take seeing maskless faces on videos as a substitute.”

“Because everything has gone virtual,” Branigan adds, “it has been challenging to deliberately create moments with parents that would have otherwise been more organic.”

With the series, the gap wasn’t closed, but at least the bridge to find a way to artificially make a parent–to-parent and parent-to-staff connection feel natural was built. Parents learned about cooking, games, activities, exercise, books, and maybe a little about each other.

“As a Sycamore parent myself, it is a great comfort and joy to be able to bring my children to Sycamore each school day, knowing that the Sycamore faculty and staff actually care about them,” says Schuth, who has been teaching at Sycamore for 23 years. Over the years, I have come to the conclusion that Sycamore is and can be less like a school and more like a community, more like a family.” •

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RENEWABLE ENERGY: Talking with Brad Lowell about 5th and 6th Grade Science

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rad Lowell is in his fourth year at Sycamore as a Middle School Science teacher after 25 years teaching in the Hamilton Southeastern district and has a rare talent for tying together two seemingly disparate ideas to show, creatively, how something works. One of his units of study is Renewable Energy. Lowell says current climate data provides endless possibilities for exploration and, in his words, “begs for creative solutions.”

TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU LIKE TO TEACH THE STUDENTS ABOUT RENEWABLE ENERGY. Brad Lowell: In our climate unit, we talk quite a bit about renewable energy.

For example, students build and test wind turbines. They research the best locations for turbines. The student-built designs then spin a generator and teams compete to see whose design could generate the most current. We also have students build floating structures and want them to find clean renewable marine energy

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sources (wind, waves, currents) to incorporate in their designs. In 6th Grade, they tackle solar energy as they design solar hot water heaters to heat their Martian habitats.

WHAT TOOLS DO THEY USE IN THIS UNIT THAT THEY LIKE BEST? BL: In 5th Grade, they use Sphero robots, RVR robots, 3D scanners, 3D glasses, and 3D printers. In the Renewable Energy and Architecture and Engineering units, we have utilized those Spheros. For one example, we studied common brick bond patterns in construction and then used the robots as “Angry Birds” to test the strength of their block castle designs.

IN A LARGER SENSE, WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SHOW THEM? BL: I’m trying to take relative and current knowledge and apply it to the natural world. My hope is that students identify problems and work toward constructing creative solutions. •

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Briana Hansen ON CHASING CREATIVITY AND HOW AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL RAP PERFORMANCE CHANGED HER LIFE

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o you know what lesson I’m currently embracing?” asks Briana Hansen, a 2000 Sycamore graduate who has built a career as an actress, voiceover artist, podcaster, and writer. “The fact that life has seasons.

Sometimes you have the time and energy to be completely career-focused. Other times it’s family. And sometimes it’s some surprising wildcard issue you never could have seen coming.”

Hansen, who lives in Los Angeles, has come a long way, through many seasons, literally and figuratively, from Xavier University in Cincinnati, where she earned her B.A. degree in the school’s Philosophy, Politics and the Public Honors Program, to now, where she is prolific as an artist, busy as a mom, and constantly looking to find the embedded humor in life.

“I’m learning to do my best to stay present in whatever season it is now rather than always trying to balance everything equally,” she says. “I put a lot of emphasis on proving my worth through producing tangible achievements for a very long time.

But thanks in large part to my baby boy, Aiden, I’ve recently embraced that some of my best creative work is done in the pausing, breathing, and just enjoyment of a seemingly less ‘productive’ time.”

AFTER trying improvisational comedy in college, Hansen heard the voice in her head telling her the arts might be her calling.

She jumped in. She was good. Quickly,

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she realized that if she wanted to focus on a career in comedy, she would need to move to a bigger market, so she packed up and moved to Chicago, where she was selected to train with the “Second City” company, one of the legendary training grounds for comedy.

That led her to write a solo show called Femoir that she performed on a Second City stage and took on the road. After touring the country, she next moved to Los Angeles, where she studied improv and comedy at University of California Berkley, The Groundlings, and The Pack Theater. She produced Femoir again at The Second City Hollywood before turning it into a podcast.

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She has been featured on ComedyCentral, TruTV, and AmazonTV. What all this seems to mean in Briana-land is that there might really be no tangible “less-productive” time. Instead it is timemanagement, vignettes of creative inspiration, and a focus on family and on funny. “Right now, my days are mostly focused on raising an empowered, healthy, and hopefully funny child,” she says.

“When he’s not my main focus, I’m pitching TV projects and manuscripts I’ve already written and have on the horizon. Plus, every night, one of my dogs demands that she gets a massage and cuddles. I’m dedicated to that practice.”

for themselves. “Failure is normal and part of the learning process. Push through it if you really want something. And be willing to let things go when they’re not serving you anymore. One of my challenges as a gifted person, who was naturally pretty good at a lot of things, was pushing through when someone was better than me or when I reached a certain level and failure became normal. I would get frustrated quickly or immediately question myself.

But if you want to be excellent at anything, even if you have a head start, there will always be that point where you fail. Learning to overcome it, while incorporating the lessons learned from the failure, is absolutely vital. Resilience is much more important than natural talent.”

“One of my biggest takeaways from my Sycamore experience was that people are gifted in a number of different ways. It’s exciting to find out what those ways are and how they can help challenge you to learn and grow further.”

Briana Hansen, (right) and her friend, Kellee Miller, (left) during the Sycamore trip to Washington, D.C.

IT was the Sycamore 6th Grade class production of Fiddler on the Roof that sparked a fire in the mind of then-2ndgrader Briana. In a 2016 interview, she remembers being blown away. “I was so struck by the majesty of this musical that I went home and I rented the VHS of Fiddler on the Roof. I went home and wrote my own version of it and gave all my friends parts.” That ability to ingest emotion and turn it into tangible, passionate creativity has been a trait that Hansen has carried with her.

IN the fall of 2020, Hansen produced a video for the Sycamore Alumni Speaker Series. She talked to Sycamore students and families, exploring a number of topics like career, education, and following one’s internal voice. Part of her presentation was spent examining, from the perspective of 20 years beyond Sycamore, what might be important for graduates of Sycamore to know as they move forward through high school, college, and onward.

“I feel really passionate about one specific thing,” she says when asked about that video talk and how she hopes her words might help a student figure some things out

“I can honestly say that part of what I loved about my Sycamore experience was that the teachers were all so passionate. It was easy to be excited about a multitude of different subjects because every teacher excelled at making their particular subject interesting to me,” she says.

Hansen has memories of Sycamore lessons that continue to resonate with her and help her find creativity in herself and everyday life. For a school focused on teaching gifted students, she found other lifelong lessons at Sycamore that existed outside of the classes of math, science, and other traditional subjects.

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“I loved the pointillism project with Mrs. Prince. I remember learning there can be purples and blues in white snow and it reminded me that the world is full of all sorts of exciting details if we’re willing to just take time to look closer,” she says.

“Learning music with Mrs. Fair has continued to serve me to this day in both understanding discipline and keeping my creative expression flowing. And Mrs. Powell’s introduction to Shakespeare was a game-changer for me, as you can imagine based on my own career path. What I valued was the arts and creativity. I feel like so often in our culture, and many times in education, that the arts are the first thing to fall by the wayside. I think the arts are so vital and invaluable to people whether or not you pursued (that type of) career.”

It was also more than the arts at Sycamore that Hansen remembers. “I think I learned more in Mr. Stroebel’s history classes than I did in many classes in college. And shout out to Mr. Fink for delightful gym classes that helped a high-energy person like myself blow off some steam so my brain could work better the rest of the day.”

“EVERY CHILD IS AN ARTIST. THE PROBLEM IS HOW TO REMAIN AN ARTIST ONCE WE GROW UP.” – PABLO PICASSO

Hansen tell the story of a seminal moment for her at Sycamore, probably more likely a couple of minutes back in 1992. It changed her life.

“In 1st grade, I came back from recess, and I was really obsessed with this rap from the movie FernGully, a 1992 film about the environment. I really wanted to perform it for my classmates, and my teacher let me.

What happened when I did this for my peers and classmates was really small but really important,” she says. “I started the rap. I got really into it—so into it—that I don’t remember it except that when it was over it felt so good to perform like that, and that was like this little notch in my brain that has never gone away. It is a

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testament to the fact that my teacher let me do it. It’s fair to say we as humans are gifted in different ways and my teacher recognized that. Rather than quelling that desire to perform and having that be a burden to her, she let me do the rap from FernGully, and it has stuck with me all these years.”

Maybe those minutes were the sprouting of the creativity seed that would continue to grow. Or maybe that had already happened before deciding performing a rap song in 1st Grade was important. What is evident is that Briana Hansen was that gifted student who was a non-traditional learner. Her right brain imaginative tendencies have taken her to the West Coast to keep chasing her calling and her creative life. Her left brain skills, those of logic and linear thinking, keep her focused.

“Don’t worry about it if you don’t know what you want to be. All you have to do in your world and your life is figure out what it is that you’re curious about and follow that curiosity,” she says. “Figure out the things that you like to do as a result of that curiosity and that will hopefully lead you to your passion. Keep doing that for your entire life. We’re always growing and changing, and that will help you to become the best person that you can absolutely be.

And always keep learning. I feel like that is a valuable lesson.”

Hansen is currently working on a comedic memoir about becoming a mom in the middle of a pandemic. Check out MommyMomMom.com. •

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FIND MORE ABOUT BRIANA AT BRIANAHANSEN.COM

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Omeed Malek

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I truly cared about, especially in areas where I knew that I could make a significant impact.”

MALEK TURNS HIS PASSION FOR NEWS INTO NEW CAREER

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meed Malek vividly remembers the night his career path changed.

He was watching television the night of the 2016 election. “I remember watching that night and thinking ‘I would like to be part of this.’”

The conundrum? He was already three years into his college career at Indiana University and well on his way to being a doctor, and he was applying to graduate school. “I was pretty far in,” he says.

It was one of his former Sycamore classmates who helped him understand what he should do. “I was still too scared of giving up on that dream (of being a doctor) that I was in control of at this point,” he remembers. “What really sent me over was Megan Yoder, who was a Sycamore student and was one of my closest friends. She was really passionate about what she did (sustainable business and development) and I looked at her, thinking, ‘How is this person so passionate about something?’”

Malek recalls that it was quite the decision to make a change at that point in his college track. “I took some time to myself —this is my senior year no less—and took a semester off. I re-thought everything and decided news is what I want to do,” he says. “I walked into the Dean’s Office and said, ‘Listen, we really need to change course,’ and they looked at me like I was crazy. He was ‘There’s no way you can change course,’ I said, ‘We will pay tuition so there’s a way.’ So, we developed a way and I only did one more year at IU and finished with a completely new major (Journalism) plus a Chemistry major and a Spanish minor.”

And that’s how a medical path ended, and the road became a new destination, quickly leading Omeed Malek to New York City.

MALEK, who graduated from Sycamore in 2010, currently lives in NYC. This is really the story of someone going after what he wants, finding a way to follow a passion, following the voice that is telling him what he really loves. Omeed has become a researcher and assistant producer for

Left: Omeed Malek on Washington set of “Meet The Press” Below: Malek speaking at Indiana University

She was also a student at IU and part of the Kelley School of Business. Her love was community and environmental health.

Megan also had battled leukemia and would pass away at age 21 in 2017 after losing her year-long battle with brain cancer. “It was inspiring to see Megan chase after her dreams in sustainable business ventures in such a momentous way, given the fact she had such little time to work with. After her passing, it inspired me to give my all to things and passions [ CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE ] SYCAMORE SCHOOL MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

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Rachel Maddow on MSNBC, one of the most highly-ranked cable news shows on the air. He is working his way to wherever it leads. Since joining the show, Malek has worked with top political strategists, all the 2020 presidential contenders, senators, and with the Office of the President. “It has been a dream,” he says.

To get where he is, in addition to deciding a career change was his choice, he had to find a way to get noticed by NBC.

Malek’s experience at NBC includes working on the “Rachel Maddow Show” and election night coverage.

“I worked on essay applications for this one program at NBC, a very difficult program to get into, with thousands of applicants each year,” he says. “They only accept around ten people, and it’s basically a fast-track feeder for producing and on- camera jobs and a few research jobs.”

Malek applied. Then he waited, thinking, in his words, “There’s no way that this is going to work.”

A few weeks after he submitted his original essay, he was back on campus at IU after spring break and his cell phone rang. He looked down and saw it was a Los Angeles number. “I picked it up and I was told that I had made it to the second round in Chicago. NBC flew there from LA, and we met for an hour-long interview. It was tough, but I realized at the beginning of the interview with the guarded answers I was giving that a journalist can see right past that.” With that self-aware revelation during the interview, Malek says he realized that “the best version of yourself is the one where you’re being authentic and honest and vulnerable.” He opened up

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and spoke from his heart. After that, he got a call inviting him to New York for a panel interview. He aced it. He was in.

MALEK started at NBC on the Today Show, working the overnight, graveyard shift, and working with correspondents in LA, London, and the Middle East. He then moved to The Rachel Maddow Show before traveling to Washington DC to work on Meet the Press with Chuck Todd, (“a show that I had grown up with,” Malek says). “I mean I knew all these people’s names by heart. I remember when we went to Washington with the 8th Grade class at Sycamore, I had MSNBC pulled up on my iPod Touch and was watching MSNBC in the bus.”

He says he eventually went back to Maddow because he really liked his time there and there is a certain rush to working on one of the most highly viewed cable news shows. “It is a great place to be,” he says. “It’s a very smart team, and I love the people there. They are some of the smartest people I have ever met.” Showing how his time as a pre-med student could still pay off, he remembers, during the pandemic, how he was “explaining biology to my colleagues on The Rachel Maddow Show because I had worked on biology research for two years at IU, and that research is relevant because of (vaccine) clinical trials.”

“I LOVED art, science, and history with Mrs. Prince, Mr. Schuth, and Mr. Young,” Malek says of his days at Sycamore.

“I loved art and received exposure to an unparalleled art history education.

Mr. Young’s history lectures and teaching strategy instilled a level of academic prowess that was fundamental to my future successes. Mr. Schuth’s science class was also one of the pinnacle experiences during my time at Sycamore for the depth of subjects we covered. I think these three subjects are the building blocks to a well-rounded person, and Sycamore hit the bullseye with each one in terms of the materials and the teachers.”

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Malek says his experiences at Sycamore were some of the most formative ones in his young life. “I really learned to come out of my shell at Sycamore. I learned that being different—studious, curious, and ambitious —were cool personality traits. I think when you’re younger, it can be easy to lose sight of that fact. A good education is just the first step. What Sycamore does goes beyond that. Ultimately, the outcome is a fullyrealized good person who will go on to solve problems and help others in this great big world.”

His Sycamore story is a bit unorthodox.

He did not join until 6th Grade (in 2007), coming from the Carmel public school system. “(Carmel) was okay, but my parents were thinking I needed something more challenging because I got easily bored,” he says. “They saw that I needed something different, so they sent me to Sycamore, and it was one of the best decisions I think they’ve ever made. Some of my closest friends I met at Sycamore.

Don’t lose touch with these people.

That network has really helped me.”

I really learned to come out of my shell at Sycamore. I learned that being different— studious, curious, and ambitious—were cool personality traits. I think when you’re younger, it can be easy to lose sight of that fact.

OMEED MALEK

When he talked to Sycamore students as part of the Alumni Speaker Series in the fall of 2020, he mentioned how important it is to know how to ask for help.

“Learning how to show up, not only physically, but also mentally, is key.

It’s quite simple advice, but I think that it’s often overlooked, and it can really set you apart from the rest,” he says, “Be inquisitive. Think outside of the box, and then again, think outside THAT box.

Don’t be afraid to have outlandish ideas and conjure up outlandish solutions.

That’s how innovation happens. Don’t be shy about that.”

Meanwhile, Malek continues to think outside his box, ask his questions, and go where his internal career compass is pointing him. Although he says, “I don’t know where I will be next year,” it will undoubtedly be the right place for him.

Besides his regular broadcast work, Malek has a side project he’s working on. “It’s called Akrient, and it’s a website and podcast I launched in the summer of 2020 that discusses and analyzes the business and legal happenings in-and-around the media industry,” he says. More on that can be found at Akrient.com. •

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R EIM AG INING S YC A MO R E PRO G R A M S

Reimagining Sycamore Programs

Melissa Branigan wrapped up a successful year that included reimagining Quest and the summer camps.

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REIM AGINING S YC A MORE PRO GR A MS

O

ne of the big changes Sycamore undertook in the 2020-21 school year was a reimagining of the school’s before and after school activities. Rebranded as Extended Programs, the title encompasses anything that occurs outside of the school day, like athletics, after-school activities, Quest (Sycamore’s before and after-school care), Summer Camps, Sycamore Academy, and Middle School clubs and teams, like Vex Robotics and Destination Imagination.

Melissa Branigan has overseen the changes, including building a team that includes a Quest Coordinator, Chris Pollard, and Noah Buchholz as Athletic Coordinator.

Branigan, who has taught at Sycamore since 2004, including 4th grade for five years and 1st Grade for ten years, also assumed the role amidst having to navigate the changes brought on by the COVID-19 protocols. That meant sports had to become intramural, programs were altered for safety, and the Summer Programs were reworked for just the school’s own students.

Branigan and her team created a number of new options and, according to her, updated the systems to make it more parent-friendly.

With one year’s experience behind her as Director of Extended Programs, Branigan says she has learned a few important things about what works and what is best for Sycamore families. “One thing I learned is that students love the opportunity to try something new and explore their interests.

This year was definitely a different kind of year. We had to put many protocols in place due to COVID. However, we still remained true to our goal. Students were still able to join activities and still be a part of enriching experiences. That is what I am most proud of accomplishing this first year.”

Once the Sycamore community, including staff, teachers, and students are able to find a new, more relaxed daily routine and are able to do more, Branigan looks forward to adding more activities and options.

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“I am looking forward to togetherness,” she says, “and being able to have parents back in the building and physically engaged with us, being able to have spectators at various events, in-person after school activities for the students where they can explore their interests, in-person academic competitions. Each of these things have been so missed during this school year.”

One of the large projects was revamping the summer program offerings to benefit families of Sycamore students, the campers, and even the teachers. This included merging Sycamore Academy with the traditional summer camps, and enhancing the pre- and post-camp care options. This year, Branigan says more than 90 percent of the summer camps are being taught by Sycamore teachers and staff, a significant change from past years.

“We sought out more of our own faculty and staff to lead our camps, which benefits the students greatly. Few know gifted students and their unique needs better than our faculty and staff, so this summer is sure to be amazing. One of the biggest changes to summer programs has been both the merging of camps and Sycamore Academy into one program and the addition of our new Extended Care option. I have heard feedback that parents are thrilled that their children can receive full-day supervision and care during the summer months.”

Branigan says bringing on Chris Pollard has helped the Quest program grow, even with the COVID-related changes. “Chris worked so hard this year to create a program where students felt safe and respected while still being able to have a great time and do fun activities. From the start of the school year until it ended in May, our regular Quest attendees have doubled. It took a lot of additional planning to be sure we implemented COVID safety protocols and a lot of additional training for our Quest staff, but the year was a success, and we couldn’t be more proud.”

One thing I learned is that students love the opportunity to try something new and explore their interests.

This year was definitely a different kind of year. We had to put many protocols in place due to COVID. However, we still remained true to our goal. Students were still able to join activities and still be a part of enriching experiences..

MELISSA BRANIGAN

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COMMU NI T Y

Kindergarten Student Collects Books for BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Sycamore’s Diane Borgmann presents Amor Coleman with a letter of commendation from the CEO of the Indianapolis Public Library and the President of the Indianapolis Public Library Foundation.

A

mor Coleman had the idea to collect books that depict Black and Brown kids like her to pass out to her classmates and other children in the area in celebration of Black History Month.

It became successful beyond her and her family’s expectations.

Coleman is a Sycamore Kindergarten student and started a book drive to coincide with her upcoming February birthday. Amor and her mom, Erica Scott, spread the word through school, social media, and through media and TV

interviews. They ended up collecting enough children’s books to give a book to each student in Kindergarten class at Sycamore before they even started to spread them throughout the Indianapolis community.

“In conversations with classmates the issue of skin tone came up many times,” Scott says. “I wanted Amor to feel represented and confident in who she was even in settings where she was the only one who ‘looked like her’. So I thought a diverse children’s book drive was a great way

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COMMU NI T Y

to celebrate and encourage literacy and diversity and inclusion.”

Amor, who turned six years old on February 18, donated books to places as far away as Bucaramanga, Colombia, in addition to donating to Sycamore’s Preschool, Maria Montessori, Greenbriar Elementary, Cooperative Play Academy, Riley Children’s Hospital, Tiny Explorers, Path Schools, and Special Smiles.

“I’m most proud of the impact it made not only in our community but

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internationally,” Scott says. “I’m also proud that we were able to touch so many lives and hopefully get people to talk about diversity with their kids, family, and community more.”

They have a website at flykidsread.com where you can get more information and donate more books, as they have a waitlist of people that are in need of diverse children’s books.

I wanted Amor to feel represented and confident in who she was even in settings where she was the only one who ‘looked like her’.

ERICA SCOTT AMOR’S MOM

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202 1 G R A DUAT IO N

Graduation Speeches At the 2021 Sycamore School commencement, three 8th Grade graduates, Avi Maun, Rayna Moiz, and Nate Liang were chosen to give speeches to parents, teachers, and friends in the audience.

Here are excerpts from each of their speeches.

GRADUATION SPEECH

AVI MAUN I have a story to tell you. It isn’t called the Tale of Two Cities but rather the Tale of Two Trees. When my family first moved into our current house, the same year I started Kindergarten at Sycamore, we planted a small tree to symbolize a new era. By now, it has grown into a mature, healthy tree. Then, just last month, we planted another tree. It was amazing how much more I know about trees now than when I planted the first one nine years ago, all because of our school. Both trees are a perfect representation of my time at this school. You may think I’m going to say something profound like, “We put our roots down, we grew taller and stronger, and now we have blossomed.” Well, that’s all true. But I am going to take a different approach and show you how much we have learned over the years at Sycamore by just using trees as an example.

On my first day in Kindergarten, which was my first day at Sycamore ever, we learned that as a tree aged, you could count the number of rings to determine how old they were. Trees continued to impact me at Sycamore because in that same first week of school, a random classmate walked up to me and said

out of the blue, “Trees have leaves!” Phil, thank you for telling me trees have leaves.

Throughout the next nine years, our knowledge of trees progressed. We had our infamous leaf scrapbook in Lower School, and we learned more about trees on our Middle School trip to Tremont. The next few years taught us about the science of photosynthesis and that the chemical formula for glucose is C6 H12 O6. Just this year, Mrs. Ditchley taught us that we can even eat trees. As you can see, Sycamore took us on a journey, and they layered us each year with knowledge that built on the previous year. Just like the rings of a tree.

Now, back to The Tale of Two Trees.

As I mentioned, in April, my family and I planted a second tree next to the first one.

It was a memorial tree, in honor of my late grandfather, a new hope for all of us after COVID. Remember that unexpected snowstorm a month ago? A snowstorm in the middle of April! It ravaged our small, tiny tree, and we hoped that it would survive. After all the snow melted, we looked at the wilted tree and saw that the buds were still there. It was ready to keep

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growing and thriving, despite the frigid hardship. Seeing this, I had an epiphany that this tree imitated our lives in Middle School. We had a pandemic that disrupted our lives. Everything stopped, and we didn’t know how we would come out of it.

But now we see sunlight peeking through.

We are also ready to keep growing and thriving. Just like the new tree, we survived our hardship too.

So, I want us to remember the beginning.

When we were small saplings, to where we are now. We grew together and made our own forest. However, a tree can’t progress on its own. For all of us, that came from our teachers.

Thank you, Mrs. Simpson and Mrs. Corcoran, for teaching me all about metaphors, although I probably overused them in this speech.

Thank you, Mrs. Molter, for putting on great Reading Rumble competitions.

Thank you, Ms. Mihm, for teaching me about ancient history and how much Mr. Keith loves cats.

Thank you, Mr. Keith, for exposing me to robotics and how much Ms. Mihm loves cats.

Thank you, Mrs. Miltenberger, for teaching me that there is a right way to organize your math homework.

Thank you, Mr. T, for teaching me all about mathematical proofs. I hope that will help me impress all the girls at high school.

Thank you, Mrs. Cummins, for truly embracing the spirit of eLearning and helping educate my class while Mr. T was on a screen.

Thank you, Mr. Young, for never sending me to the gulag.

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Thank you, Mr. Lowell, for helping us through the attacks of the No-See-Ums at Seacamp.

Thank you, Mr. Schuth, for teaching me exactly what you want as a gift. Maybe next year I’ll finally give you gold.

Thank you, Dr. Wendel, for all the demo shows you put on with explosions.

Thank you, Ms. Ditchley, for keeping art to whatever it wants to be. Even if it means getting messy.

Thank you, Mrs. Berger, for your essay support and using your law skills to teach us about the Supreme Court.

Thank you, Ms. Johnson, for teaching me how to use an instrument through a face mask.

Thank you, Mr. Buchholz, for teaching me that Ben and Jerry’s Double-Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice Cream is the “objective” best flavor.

Gracias, Profe y Señora Mercado, por tu educación en el idioma de Español.

Thank you, Coach Fink, for entertaining my class with your quarrels with Eli. Thank you, Mrs. Baker, for keeping our Middle School running smoothly.

Thank you, Mrs. Borgmann, for being a great principal. Thank you for encouraging us to go onward and upward.

Thank you to all the talented teachers and staff that made my Sycamore experience as challenging and rewarding as it can be.

And finally, thank you, my fellow students, for always making every moment enjoyable.

Congratulations, Class of 2021.

We made it.

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GRADUATION SPEECH

RAYNA MOIZ I was nine years old when I made the switch to the bright lights and tiled floors of Sycamore School. By that time in my life, I had lived in three separate states and had attended three separate schools only to move away from each one, a hardship impossible to understand unless you’ve endured it. I remember attending my first 8th Grade graduation here and hoping that I, too, would be able to graduate alongside my classmates and receive my very own certificate of achievement. I’m happy to say that I’ve made it. But having to start anew three times before I turned ten? It was upsetting, to say the least.

It’s occurred to me over the course of my five years here that some of my classmates have never experienced such a struggle, so I’ll explain the experience to you: You leave everything you’ve grown accustomed to, your friends, teachers, even a favorite restaurant of yours, for the dark, unfamiliar unknown. Your parents have no issue meeting new people, but you’re an entirely different story. You’re only ever comfortable around those you know, a number which hits rock bottom the second you move.

You’re then met with immediate dread as it dawns upon you that you know nothing.

Everything you’d familiarized yourself with, gone. And I know what you’re thinking: There will always be another Cheesecake Factory, right? But will there ever be another best friend? An understanding teacher? You don’t know for sure until the long awaited day arrives: your first day of school.

You meet your teacher and new classmates.

You’re assigned a peer to make small talk with, and, by the end of first period, you have three people to sit with at lunch.

Weeks turn into months, and you learn to love your new school, attending every

day excited to socialize with your exceptional friends. Those months gradually stretch into years, and everything is absolutely perfect.

Until your parents sit you down and tell you you’re moving again.

And so the cycle continues, until I first walked through the welcoming doors of Sycamore, little did I know, I wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon. I would be there to stay.

During my 4th Grade year, I expected to be left out of much since I was still new, but I found that wasn’t the case. The friends I made during that first year were always open to talk or work with me, never failing to make me feel as if I belonged. One thing I sensed early on was the genuine camaraderie most of my friends shared with their peers, any arguments they had being forgiven and forgotten with ease. Middle school rolled around. I expanded my horizons and made even more amazing friends. When schoolwork increased in difficulty, I found it was these friends who never hesitated to help if I grew lost or confused. These friends who came to my side whenever I felt down. These friends who congratulated me on an A in math in spite of the fact that they had scored 10 points higher than me.

According to psychologists, a friendship that lasts more than seven years is likely to be lifelong. A vast majority of my peers have experienced such friendships, and if I’m lucky enough to carry some of mine into high school, it excites me to know that maybe one day, so will I. To say Middle School was easy would be a grave understatement. Once you’ve exhausted all class notes and Internet sources searching for answers to homework, there are certain people you can turn to. Those are our teachers. Words can’t describe how thankful I am for the teachers who never failed to respond to my constant emails and never hesitated to sit

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down and explain to me a new concept.

They’ve helped me achieve a growth over grades mindset, and I thank them for that.

Their willingness to assist me whenever I required it is so exceptionally kind, and I’ll never forget it.

The education and experiences we’ve all shared during our time at Sycamore School will forever have an impact on our future choices, academic or not, allowing us to fearlessly take on the world one step at a time. You’ve helped me realize that Sycamore isn’t just another school on the timeline of my life, it’s a home. I’m so glad I was able to stay.

GRADUATION SPEECH

NATE LIANG As I look back at my time here, from five-year-old me running through the Early Childhood doors full of energy in Kindergarten until now, I cannot express how far we have all come and what an incredible journey it has been. For most of us, we started our Sycamore journey as tiny droplets of water in a gathering storm.

We were small and new, entering a large and unfamiliar building with other people we had never met. However, after the first few days and classes, we began to meet each other, get to know one another, and form the basis for unbreakable friendships, us water drops forming small clouds. As we grew and matured, our clouds started coming together. I remember vividly learning how to work as a team during our simple machines unit in 1st Grade, or doing Hands-On Equations and singing the repetitive theme song with a small group of people in 3rd Grade during our math class.

We were a tiny rainstorm of creativity, knowledge, and, of course, vivacity wherever we went, including Camp

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Tecumseh where our chaperones could not get us to stop talking past midnight, no matter how hard they tried. Soon, we found ourselves ready to turn the bend into Middle School. Although it seemed that our small storm cloud would run into an insurmountable mountain of homework composed of reading The Red Pyramid with Mrs. Simpson or doing the dreaded Final Notes in Mr. Phillipose’s class, we were able to figure it out. Even a delayed Tremont trip which was then cut short still happened.

We had fun along the way too, like using the light-up wand to do Canta Ninja in Spanish, mummifying a chicken in Ms. Mihm’s History class, or playing Quizlet Live in Language Arts. In 6th Grade, we were almost defeated by an army of noseeums and other bugs from SeaCamp in Florida.

Finally, who could forget Culver? Even though compared to the tropics of SeaCamp, it seemed like we were hiking across the south pole, my quest to not become a human ice cube allowed me to make new friends there, while strengthening my bonds with others, making it an experience I am now glad I took. Our clouds seemed to be in perfect order, finally mastering the challenges of Middle School, when COVID was the drought which threatened our storm’s very existence.

As we continue into high school, it’s time for our storm to release all of us as raindrops down to earth, each to different places. In the fall, as we learned in the water cycle unit in 3rd Grade, we will evaporate and be brought back into the sky for us to make new friends at our new schools, learn more about ourselves, form new storms, and eventually fall back down to earth again. Even though we won’t be in the same place for that to happen, we will always share a special bond: We are Sycamore’s class of 2021. We can all change the world.

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Virtual Alumni Panel Traditionally, the annual Alumni Panel is held on campus where several alumni from area high schools convene to share their experiences with Middle School students and parents.

Although it was not possible this year to gather in person, eight alumni from seven secondary schools Zoomed in for a webinar with host Mary O’Malley for an evening of recommendation and reflection.

Having the event virtually, there was the uncertainty of whether or not the hour-long session would be as informative and beneficial for the viewers. In true Sycamore style, however, the event exceeded all expectations. The question and answer format took off in a different direction with the graduates weighing in together in more of a round-table discussion to address shadowing, counseling, course offerings, socialization, and extracurricular activities. The consensus was that our alumni were very well prepared academically and were grateful that Sycamore created an environment for them to flourish socially at the next level.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

ANNABEL HERMACINSKI ‘20 freshman Zionsville Community High School “The homework that Sycamore gave me, although it was really stressful at the time, actually made the transition to high school so much easier. I was really nervous going into a public high school after spending my whole school career with many of the same kids at Sycamore, but I went into my first day of class on Zoom willing to cast a wide net because a lot of people were willing to make friends, and that’s what Sycamore has taught me.”

up to or are friends to talk to. I use this time to talk about my progress in classes. It’s a nice place to open up and talk and feel comfortable. You don’t have to meet at just the scheduled 30 minutes per week, you can go and talk at any time.”

GEORGIA BOTT ‘19 sophomore Park Tudor “Sycamore gave me the confidence to speak up. If I have a question, I can ask the teacher or bring in more points to a class discussion.”

“We have a large counseling group. You don’t have to have a major issue. You can go in and chat if you need someone to talk to. They offer a very welcoming environment for all types of issues or conflicts a student might have.

Mental health is taken very seriously at Park Tudor.”

LILY HOVDA ‘20 freshman University High School of Indiana “Sycamore prepared us for high school by challenging us and pushing us to do our best.

It also taught us how to study and take notes which is helpful in my AP History class.”

“Mentors (at University) are people to look

MORGAN STICKNEY ‘19 sophomore Cathedral High School “Not a lot of kids from other middle schools had as much experience doing presentations in front of the class; our 8th grade year we had a lot of projects to present in all of our classes. It really helped me prepare and get ready for all of the presentations that we have in high school.”

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“Keep an open mind when looking at high schools because I had been looking since 5th Grade. I went to a High School Information Night and was walking by the Cathedral room so I went to the session. After going to the shadow day, that’s when I made my decision.”

COOPER HOVDA ‘18 junior University High School of Indiana “I had a really good math foundation, and because of that I was able to double up my freshman year, getting both geometry and algebra out of the way. Middle School also helped with note-taking and writing. It made me a much better writer than I probably would have been.”

SPENCER DURHAM ‘17 senior North Central High School “The counseling office understands what Sycamore is as a school. Sycamore provided a base that no one else had coming in. Being at Sycamore and getting that experience allowed my writing to be that much better.”

“Wherever you’re going, look through the course catalog. I was amazed at how many courses were offered by the school and how many choices I would have.”

“I remember after finishing my freshmen summer speech class and walking down the two main hallways; I could see how enormous the school was. Even if you’re not a social person, if you interact and join extracurriculars and get involved, you’ll meet a ton of great people, all different types of people.”

SHAAN MISHRA ‘17 senior Brebeuf Jesuit

AANCHAL AGARWAL ‘18 junior Carmel High School “Reflectively, Sycamore has helped me throughout my entire high school career. It taught me how to learn and how to think critically. Coming from Sycamore, you’re used to thematic analysis, figurative language, and MLA formatting. This helped me work on more advanced writing skills. I had a really solid foundation so that in high school I could refresh myself.”

“Socially it was a little bit difficult because a lot of students already know each other from the Carmel feeder schools. Don’t be too intimidated by that. A lot of my freshman year friends have stuck with me. If you take AP or higher level courses those people will stay with you.”

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“Focus less on the academics because Sycamore has prepared you very well such that wherever you go, you’ll be prepared to take the higher level classes. One of the things I focused on, and it shouldn’t be ignored, is taking stock of potentially what you are feeling and what you hear...personal stories and anecdotes.

Ultimately, there is going to be a lot of learning that doesn’t go on in the classroom: education of the whole person. Not only are you going to be learning about physics, chemistry, and math, but you’ll also be meeting different people from different backgrounds, opening your mind to different ideas,, and creating a more holistic person at the end of the four year process.”

MISS O’MALLEY Alumni Coordinator “This is why our school song is entitled, ‘Our Great Sycamore’ because of you, the alumni, sitting here right now together (virtually) with students and parents Zooming in to share your valuable experiences with the Middle School community.”

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L IFE AT S YC A MO R E

[1 ]

[2 ]

[1] Oliver McDonald (PreK) shows his work [2] Lunch outside with 8th Graders [3] Sycamore studentathletes received awards at the end of the spring season [4] Brynna Wong (2nd Grade) works on a project [5] Pia Patel (1st Grade) sends a Morse Code message [6] Mina Raiesdana (left) and Scarlett Cross (both 3rd Grade) at recess

[3 ] [5 ]

[4 ]

[6 ]

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[8 ]

[7 ]

[7] Sycamore’s 8th Grade girls ready for Skip Day [8] Liam Hendry (7th Grade) performs during Symphony on the Playground [9] Akira Rana (left) and Logan Bartlett (both K) work together

[9 ]

[10 ]

[10] Alina Swiden (K) and artwork from Mrs. Sweigart’s class [11] Celebrating 100 Days of school with Sohum Pai (K) [12] Coach Fink keeps students cool during Field Day

[11 ]

[11 ]

[12 ]

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Senior Spotlight Athletics Ajay Mahenthiran, valedictorian of North Central High School, was accepted into Case Western Reserve’s selective combined 3 year BS/MD program where he was also heavily recruited to play varsity tennis. He was the #1 ranked varsity men’s high school tennis player in the state and won the state championship as a senior. Ajay’s brother Ash, Sycamore Class of ‘12, was also the valedictorian of North Central’s Class of 2016. He too is in a 3 year MD program at Northwestern University.

Drew Wrightson, Brebeuf Jesuit High School, signed a letter of intent to play golf at Baylor University, where he received both an academic and an athletic scholarship.

He has held the #1 golf ranking in the state of Indiana for nearly 2 years.

Drake Hagerman, Brebeuf Jesuit High School, will be a “preferred walk-on” for the Purdue Boilermakers football team this fall.

He is a Chief’s Award recipient, an Academic All-State, and was selected to the All-Marion County Team.

The Nick Wehrlling Memorial Award was presented to Senior and Central Indiana Knights Captain, Owen Wright, Cathedral High School. The award is given by the Indiana State High School Hockey Association to a senior Hoosier athlete based on academic achievement, citizenship, community, and school contributions; and leadership, dedication, and sportsmanship on the ice. Owen was also named to the Academic All-Star Team and given the Knight’s Character Award. Owen will be attending Purdue University to study Biomedical Engineering.

Awards, Achievements, Scholarships NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP COMMENDED SCHOLARS

Spencer Durham North Central High School Ethan Kacena-Merrell Park Tudor High School Ajay Mahenthiran North Central High School, valedictorian NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP FINALISTS

Rhea Acharya Carmel High School Janvi Bhatia Carmel High School Margot Helft North Central High School, salutatorian Nicholas Ivan Carmel High School Laura Jannetta North Central High School Claire McGuire North Central High School Gus Mervis University High School Evan Piper Park Tudor High School

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AWARDS, ACHIEVEMENTS, SCHOLARSHIPS [ CONTINUED ]

INDIANA ACADEMIC ALL-STARS / CLASS OF 2021

Ajay Mahenthiran North Central High School Shaan Mishra Brebeuf Jesuit High School Each high school may nominate one senior for consideration as an Academic All-Star. Nominees are based on criteria such as Standardized Test Scores, Extracurricular activities, both academic and non-academic, Leadership and Community Service and Involvement.

RISING STARS OF INDIANA CLASS OF 2021

Janvi Bhatia Carmel High School

REGIONAL ACADEMIC ALL-STARS

Rhea Acharya Carmel High School PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS ‘21

Rhea Acharya Carmel High School Shaan Mishra Brebeuf High School NORTH CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS / TOP 25

Margot Helft Laura Jannetta Ajay Mahenthiran

Margot Helft North Central High School

CARMEL HIGH SCHOOL TOP SENIOR SCHOLARS

Ajay Mahenthiran North Central High School

Nicholas Ivan

Rhea Acharya

Shaan Mishra Brebeuf Jesuit High School

Noah Tan

Each Indiana high school principal is invited to recognize up to 4 students based on their academic achievement.

Ethan Kacena-Merrell

COCA-COLA SCHOLAR SEMIFINALISTS ‘21

Rhea Acharya Carmel High School Janvi Bhatia Carmel High School

PARK TUDOR CUM LAUDE SOCIETY

Evan Piper The Cum Laude Society is a national organization for secondary schools that recognizes scholastic achievement and encourages the qualities of excellence, justice and honor. Park Tudor is one of four schools in Indiana with a chapter.

Out of 99,403 applicants, only 1.6 percent were chosen, based on outstanding leadership, academics, and dedication to community.

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DE S T IN AT IO N S

CLASS OF 2017

College Destinations Rhea Acharya Harvard University

Margot Helft

Elsie McNulty

Andrew Pirkle

Dennis Aydin

Nicholas Ivan

Gideon Mervis Gap Year

Rineet Ranga Purdue University

Janvi Bhatia

Laura Jannetta

Shaan Mishra

Noah Tan

Carly Chandler

Ethan Kacena-Merrell

Aidan Myers

Adam Vieth

Olivia Childress

Cassandra Kaplan

Anjali Natarajan

Benjamin Witter

Undecided

Duke University Purdue University Indiana University

Spencer Durham Purdue University

Alexander Griesemer Indiana University

Drake Hagerman Purdue University

University Of Michigan Indiana University University Of Pennsylvania University Of Virginia Southern Methodist University

Katherine Loftus

Miami University Of Ohio

Ajay Mahenthiran

Case Western University

Claire Mcguire

New York University

New York University

University Of Pennsylvania Undecided

Purdue University

Jaxon Oldham

Purdue University

Robert Passarelli DePauw University

Evan Piper

Indiana University

University Of Chicago Northeastern University University Colorado Boulder

Owen Wright

Purdue University

Drew Wrightson Baylor University

Indiana University

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DE S T IN AT IO N S

CLASS OF 2021

High School Destinations BREBEUF JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL Elyse Barth Jack Foltz Larissa Lo Avi Maun Rayna Moiz Heidi Momodu Ini Odelowo Sam Rudavsky Ellie Wang CARMEL HIGH SCHOOL Ainsley Bale Colin Cabellon Kelly Fulk Nour Ghoneim Elizabeth Harlow David Jiang Alex Lipkovich

UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL OF INDIANA Eli Berger Mikey Cardwell Triston English Lucas Fiur Emily Ganter Annabel Simpson Phifer Whorley WESTFIELD HIGH SCHOOL Elizabeth Schuth PURDUE POLYTECHNIC Phil Jervis CULVER MILITARY ACADEMIES Sam Boncosky PHILLIPS ACADEMY ANDOVER Nate Liang

NORTH CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL Sophie Farnum Jake Lee

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL (New Orleans, LA) Xindi Liu

PARK TUDOR Kavya Chheda Amelia Gollapudi Neela Gussick Emily Hackwelder Daniel Liu Daniel Peyton Siri Vuppalanchi Insia Zaidi

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF DUSSELDORF

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Katie Sanft “I’ll be moving to Düsseldorf, Germany right after graduation. It’ll be exciting moving to a different country and being able to travel much more. There’s also a lot more history everywhere, which will be really fun to experience! I will also be going to an international school, which will allow me to meet many different people from different countries!”

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A LUM NI

Alumni News and Notes Two Grads Earn State of Indiana Rising Stars Honors Each Indiana high school selects winning students currently in the 11th Grade, based on their academic achievement.

Lauren Caldwell ‘18 Cathedral High School Aisha Kokan ‘18 University High School

Tanselle Named to Park Tudor Cum Laude Society Mary Kate Tanselle ‘18 Juniors, who have received only grades of A for all semester grades at Park Tudor through the end of the fall semester of their junior year, may be inducted.

Carmel Chooses Four Sycamore Grads as Top Sophomore Scholars Bridget Bodey ‘19 Ava Cabellon ‘19 Tanay Acharya ‘19 Grace Yang ‘19

Culver Students Participate in Presidential Inauguration Parade Cassie Kaplan ‘17 and Carly Chandler ‘17, Culver Military Academies seniors, had the honor of helping their school continue the tradition of riding in the Presidential Inaugural Parade.

The Equestriennes and the Black Horse Troop practiced four days a week for several months, hoping to perform in person. However, they returned early from winter break in order to be filmed for the historical event. Culver Academies’ Black Horse Troop and Equestriennes know that the many hours they and the rest of the 71 riders practiced were worth it to see themselves on TV during the 59th Presidential Inauguration.

Alumni Author Meghan Wenzel ‘06, a researcher and writer with the Center for Educational Improvement, co-authored a book entitled, Compassionate School Practices: Fostering Children’s Mental Health and Well-Being. Her background is in developmental cognitive neuroscience and education. She studied cognitive neuroscience at Brown University as well as neuroscience and education during her masters program at Teachers College. Meghan is interested in early brain development and its implications for learning. Currently, she infuses positive psychology into performance management software in order to unlock the potential of every member of the global workforce.

The book can be ordered on Amazon.

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S YC A MO R E NEWS

Sycamore 7th graders Connor Kacena-Merrell, Julius Payner, Adam Wilkerson, Justin Puno, and Alex Cheng raised money to help support education in Uganda and help them to build schools in remote communities. The students are working with Building Tomorrow, a nonprofit organization located in Indianapolis.

They are working toward a goal of $50,000, which is enough to create one school and to fund a fellow who teaches future teachers.

They also held a fundraiser at Amore Pizzeria and Ristorante.

Pennies For Pets Program Raises Money for IndyHumane Sycamore 2nd Grade students took action and raised money to help IndyHumane care for the animals. Sycamore students collected pennies (and other coins and bills) within the school community at each of the three entrances for a week in April. The students became aware that, because of the pandemic, IndyHumane’s normal fundraising events changed, and many pet owners lost their jobs and were finding it difficult to afford the pet food they need. Pet surrenders had been on the rise, requiring the need for more supplies to support foster families. Sycamore raised nearly $900 for the organization, presenting it to them in early May.

Kindergarten Book Drive Sycamore Kindergarten hosted a book drive, collecting books to be given to several organizations that provide services to families in need. They collected gently used and new picture books as well as easier chapter books.

Last year, the class collected close to 2,000 books and exceeded that goal this year.

Third Grader a Guest Speaker at Butler Violet Pangan, a Sycamore 3rd Grade student, was a guest speaker in a Butler University class, “Sustainable and Healthy Nutrition” for health care professionals.

She shared her experience being a patient at Riley Hospital dealing with Celiac Disease and also gave the undergraduates advice for working with children in their future careers.

WISH-TV Showcases Sycamore’s Leni Lee Sycamore 4th grader, Leni Lee, is the founder of Band Together, a small business making beaded face bands to help keep face masks from falling off. The young entrepreneur was working to help solve a pandemic problem while proving that someone small can make a big difference.

“I thought of the idea while I was in ice skating.

My mask would always fall off and onto the ground, and I would have to get a new one,” said Lee who noticed friends of hers were having similar problems in their activities and in school. She was interviewed on WISH-TV about her project.

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SYCAMOREnews

Sycamore Students Raise Money for Students in Uganda

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SYCAMOREnews

Competitions

2021 MATHCOUNTS competitors

Puno

Five Sycamore Students Qualify for State MATHCOUNTS

Musicians Earn ISSMA Solo & Ensemble Accolades

Justin Puno led Sycamore with a 4th place finish at the Chapter MATHCOUNTS Invitational, earning one of the five guaranteed spots in the State MATHCOUNTS competition. Kaitlyn Park, David Jiang, Daniel Liu, and Sophie Liang each secured one of the 10 wildcard spots from across the state.

Of the 24 bandmembers that Sycamore sent to the ISSMA Solo & Ensemble competition, 17 received a Gold rating and seven received a Silver rating. Over the past few months our band students have been preparing for the virtual ISSMA. Sycamore had many students participate in multiple events, performing on piano as well as playing their band instrument.

All 10 Sycamore students finished in the top 24.

Their places were: Justin Puno, 4th Place Kaitlyn Park, 8th Place David Jiang, 10th Place Daniel Liu, 14th Place Sophie Liang, 15th Place Katie Sanft, 16th Place Insia Zaidi, 19th Place Nate Liang, 20th Place Xindi Liu, 21st Place Avi Maun, 24th Place

GOLD RATING Julius Payner Daniel Peyton Daniel Sajdak Alessandro Salerno Emma Shi Owen Zhang

SILVER RATING Shivani Desai Laila Ghoneim Asha Gussick Sonali Guttikonda Henry Martinson Lily Grace Martinson Shayen Maun

Sycamore 8th graders Lukas Fiur, Jake Lee, and Avi Maun earned the overall top award, the Excellence Award at the Indiana VEX Robotics Remote Skills Championship.

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SYCAMOREnews

Sycamore Students Earn Spot at National Geography Bee, Academic Bee, and Science Bee. Nate Liang (8th) competed in the Science Bee finishing 2nd overall. Nate finished 3rd overall in the Geography Bee, qualifying for Nationals in both contests. He competed in the History Bee finishing 2nd overall. Nate finished 2nd overall in the Academic Bee, qualifying for Nationals in both contests.

Insia Zaidi (8th) made the finals for the History Bee and Academic Bee, qualifying for Nationals in both contests.

Nick Kahi (7th) made the finals of the Geography Bee and History Bee and qualified for Nationals in both.

Kavya Devarapalli (7th) competed in the Geography Bee and qualified for Nationals.

Sophie Liang (7th) qualified for Nationals in the Science Bee and, competed in the History Bee and qualified for Nationals.

Grant Porter (5th) competed in the History Bee and qualified for Nationals.

Gavin Sigua (5th) competed in the History Bee and Science Bee and qualified for Nationals in both.

MS Students Take Spanish Exam This spring, 14 Sycamore 8th Graders took Level 2 of the National Spanish Exam (equivalent of Year 2 HS Spanish) and two 8th Graders took Level 3 of the National Spanish Exam (equivalent of Year 3 of HS Spanish). In addition, 17 Sycamore 7th Graders took Level 1 of the National Spanish Exam (equivalent of Year 1 HS Spanish).

8TH GRADE Sam Rudavsky scored 200/200 (100%) on the Proficiency (Reading/Listening) section of the NSE. Alex Lipkovich scored 196/200 (98%) on the Achievement (Vocabulary/ Grammar) section of the Level 3 NSE. Larissa Lo and Rudavsky both scored 90%+ on their Level 2 NSE raw scores (360+/400).

Sameer Zaidi (6th) made finals in the History Bee and qualified for Nationals.

In addition, Sameer is the champion in the Academic Bee and qualified for Nationals.

7TH GRADE Liam Hendry, Oscar Hyatt, Shivani Desai, and Riti Tandra all scored 200/200 (100%) on the Proficiency (Reading/Listening) section of the NSE.

Evan Glushik (6th) competed in the Geography Bee and qualified for Nationals. He also competed in the History Bee and qualified for Nationals.

Audrey Alberts, Evelyn Cunningham, Kaia Starnino, Justin Puno, Liam Hendry, Oscar Hyatt, and Shivani Desai all scored 90%+ on their Level 1 NSE raw scores (360+/400). Of the 33 Sycamore MS participants, a total of 27 placed nationally in the 50th percentile of participants or higher.

Sophie Seifert (6th) made the finals in the Science Bee and competed in the Geography Bee, and History Bee and qualified for Nationals in all three.

Alessandro Salerno (6th) competed in the History Bee and qualified for Nationals. He also competed in the Geography Bee and qualified for Nationals.

Evan Ting (5th) made finals in the History Bee and Academic Bee, qualifying for Nationals in both contests. He finished 3rd overall in the Science Bee and competed in the Geography Bee, qualifying for Nationals in both events.

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Lo Earns Art Award for Spanish Poster Congratulations to Sycamore’s Larissa Lo for placing third nationally in the Grades 6-8 category of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) Spanish Poster contest.

Tandra 2nd in State Spelling Bee On the campus of IUPUI, 7th grader Riti Tandra was presented with a trophy and a scholarship of $7,500 to IUPUI for her second place finish in Indiana in the 2021 Scripps Spelling Bee. She also was interviewed by Channel 6 and appeared on Good Morning Indiana. She had earned a spot in the Central Indiana Regional Scripps Spelling Bee by competing in the online local district competition. Tandra scored a perfect 50/50 to earn the title of Sycamore Middle School’s champion of the Scripps Spelling Bee.

Academic Bowl Team 4th in the Nation Congratulations to the Sycamore Academic Bowl team who, after two days of rigorous competition, finished 4th overall in the US Academic Bowl competition. Sycamore was defeated in the finals against Team History Scholars. The students had won the tiebreaker to win 450-440 to make the finals.

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SYCAMOREnews

Science Bowl Team 10th in the Nation; Two Teams in Top 6 at Regionals

Sycamore’s 2021 Science Bowl Team finished 10th in the nation

Having earned first place at the Regional Science Bowl Competition on February 20, the team from Sycamore School represented both Sycamore and the region at the National Science Bowl Competition, earning 10th place in the nation. This is only the third time a team from Sycamore has been able to crack the top 10. The finish was impressive, as they were competing against larger schools on the national level. In all, there were 108 teams (64 high school and 44 middle school) who had advanced to the 2021 National Science Bowl Finals.

In the Regional competition, a qualifier tournament for the National Science Bowl Competition, Sycamore Team 1 earned 1st place overall for the regional competition.

Sycamore Team 2 cleanly made it through the three preliminary rounds, and finished in 6th place. Team 1 members who advanced to the national competition were Kavya Chheda (8), Lukas Fiur (8), Akhil Jois (6), Nate Liang (8), and Insia Zaidi (8), Team 2 members were Alex Cheng (7), Connor Kacena-Merrell (7), Sophie Liang (7), Riti Tandra (7), and Owen Zhang (7). The coach was David Schuth, Middle School Science teacher.

Four Sycamore Writers Earn Regional Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards Sycamore student writers have earned four Regional Scholastic Arts and Writing awards, including one piece advancing to the national competition. Students competed against almost 340,000 entries written by Indiana students through the twelfth grade.

GOLD KEY Elizabeth Schuth: “The Girl Called Raven” (short story) SILVER KEYS Kelly Fulk: “Dandelion Tears” (poem) Insia Zaidi: “Universe” (poem) HONORABLE MENTION Kelly Fulk: “A Rotten Fish” (short story) Since 1923, the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards have recognized the vision, ingenuity, and talent of our nation’s youth and provided opportunities for creative teens to be celebrated.

VEX Teams Compete at Worlds Nine VEX Robotics teams from Sycamore qualified for the VEX Worlds in May for a competition that is the culmination of a season that started in September. For 2021, the Worlds were held as a virtual event, with fans of robotics able to watch all the matches via Zoom and the competition was capped by a three-hour Finals show, with hosts and commentary, streamed live.

Sycamore’s VEX team competed virtually at 2021 Worlds

SYCAMORE TEAMS THAT QUALIFIED: 10775C Rishi Nagireddy and Garrett Hur 10775E Sarah Hinchman and Sophie Liang 10775F Lukas Fiur, Jake Lee, and Avi Maun 10775J Hasini Ambaty, Vidhatri Iyer, and Riti Tandra 10775N Owen Zhang, Arnay Garhyan, and Ben Wei 10775R John Coutant, Derek Ai, and AJ Rhea 10775V Gavin Sigua, Rose Hinchman, and Chloe Sigua 10775Y Koharu Hato, Laila Ghoneim, and Riya Chandra 10775Z Rachel Cudworth, Conner Laystrom, and Shayen Maun

FINAL RESULTS: MIDDLE SCHOOL TEAMS Mercury Division 25th Place: 10775F 277 points (season high driving score) 47th Place: 10775C 146 points Mars Division 14th Place: 10775J 142 points (season high driving score) 16th Place: 10775R 140 points Venus Division 34th Place: 10775E 141 points 46th Place: 10775N 111 points GRADE 5 TEAMS Mars Division 8th Place: 10775Y 107 points (season high driving score) Mercury Division 43rd Place: 10775V 116 points 47th Place: 10775Z 111 points

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SYC AMORE

Katie Sanft, Nate Liang, Neela Gussick, and Kelly Fulk ready for wall climbing during 8th Grade Skip Day.

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