Sycamore School Magazine / Winter 2021 by Sycamore School

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WINTER 2021

SYC AMORE

Science at Sycamore | Debate Team Alumni and Students Profiles | Sycamore 2020-21 Donor List

SYCAMORE SCHOOL MAGAZINE

Winter 2021

VOLUME 15

NUMBER 2

VOLUME 15.2

CONTENTS

HEAD OF SCHOOL Diane Borgmann BOARD OF TRUSTEES Dr. 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

6 WAYNE PATRICK

Businessman Rejoins Sycamore

CAMPUS FEATURES

8 DEBATE

Leading Through Example

SCIENCE

ALUMNI PROFILE

21 JAY WETZEL

Critical Thinking and

Hands-On Experiences

18 DR. WENDEL

Bringing Union Jack Back

STUDENT PROFILE

The Last Firebender

23 JUSTIN PUNO

26 LIVE STREAM

Sycamore Takes Games to the Fans

Embracing Opportunities

28 TENNIS

Season to Remember

O N T H E CO V E R Sycamore 1st Grader Andrew Leivant dissects a flower during the study of interdependence between the plants and insects.

21 4 LETTER FROM DIANE 30 SYCAMORE NEWS

Find Out More

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10 33 SYCAMORE 2020-21 DONOR LIST

sycamoreschool.org

FROM T HE HE A D OF S CH OO L

Dear Sycamore Friends, GREETINGS

from Sycamore! It has been a busy fall! While

we’re still dealing with COVID’s intrusion into our lives, we are also enjoying relaxing some of our pandemic-related protocols that were in place last year. We hosted a successful in-person Open House in October, and we have returned to in-person tours for prospective parents. We’ve also reinstated field trips, athletics, and after-school activities, to the delight of our kids and parents!

WINTER 2021

At the strategic level, we are in the planning stages for a revisioning and renovation of our Media Center. A task force is hard at work thinking and planning for new ways that we will use our Media Center as well as current usages we should not abandon. We are also considering creative ideas that will result in helping us to recruit and retain the very best faculty and staff—clearly one of Sycamore’s most valuable assets. In this issue you’ll read about Sycamore’s Science program and how we engage kids in learning to learn and learning to love it! A key outreach for Sycamore in the STEAM arena is our annual Girls’ Conference for middle school girls from all over Indiana. We host 400 girls who participate in hands-on learning with women practitioners in their respective fields. Kids are natural scientists, and we nurture that love of science, beginning in Preschool. You’ll also read about Sycamore’s Debate Team. This is an area of learning and competition, led by Beth Simpson, that is growing in

a phenomenal way! Who would’ve thought that Sycamore kids love to argue? You’ll have the opportunity to read about some generous Sycamore families who have devoted much time and effort over many years in the pursuit of making Sycamore better in every way. You’ll also see the donor roll of all the generous friends of Sycamore who have contributed to the Sycamore Fund. Then there are the kids and former kids. You’ll learn about some very interesting Sycamore students and alumni, their interests, and their pursuits. I’m always amazed at the great people our kids are and the incredible things they do. I hope this edition provides you with information, inspiration, and incomparable joy as you read the contents. Sycamore is an amazing school, and I continue to feel honored to work with such a special community.

Onward and upward! Best regards,

Diane Borgmann Head of School

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SYCAMORE LEGACY PROFILE

Wayne Patrick THE ENTREPRENEUR AND PAST SYCAMORE PARENT COMES BACK

ayne Patrick started his own business because he wanted to have more control of his time. He found a way to take the longer work hours and divide them up so that he could be more present for his children. Being his own boss was why Patrick was able to spend time at school when his children were at Sycamore. It is one of the reasons why Patrick says Sycamore School will always be a very special place to him. That was nearly 30 years ago. Now, in 2021, he’s come back to school, taking his place on the Board of Trustees. He’s an old friend coming home. Patrick knew early in his career that he wanted to be an entrepreneur.

Being in business for myself allowed me to be able to spend time with my children and participate in their school lives and activities.

“I was not a big fan of large bureaucracy and structure,” he says, talking about why he wanted to run his own company. “I had always wanted to have my own business, and the chance to do it came when the company I worked for got sold,” Patrick says of his dive into the world of pizza restaurants, when he became the owner (with his brother) of the Central Indiana territory of Marco’s Pizza. “Being in business for myself allowed me to be able to have time with family and spend time with my children and participate in their school lives and activities.” Patrick also started a technology-based company, Professional Data Dimensions, an IT staffing and consulting company that he built and eventually sold. Because of that experience, he says he was deeply engaged in the tech community and had

the chance to be involved with other organizations. “One of the many things I gained from being an entrepreneur is that I had the chance to meet, work with, and learn from a host of intelligent, smart, and successful people.” He saw intelligence in his children, Theresa and Elliot. He knew they had to look around for a school that fit. “My wife and I first heard about Sycamore through Marge and Jack Fadely. We had them evaluate our daughter Theresa. Based on that evaluation, they recommended that we consider Sycamore for Theresa,” he says. “We were looking for a school for

Theresa because she was in a magnet program in public school, and it was not meeting her needs. Sycamore was just starting then, and we helped to get the school going.” Some of the things that Patrick remembers about Sycamore are the trips, and the simple moments of hard work. “One of my best memories of my children at Sycamore is when they went to New York with the band and played at Carnegie Hall under the direction of Paula Fair,” he remembers. “It was a wonderful and empowering experience for them to be able to say that they played Carnegie Hall.” He also remembers some of the work they contributed to the early days of the school. “Oddly, one of my other memories of Sycamore is stripping wax off the floors and painting lockers and putting desks together when we first bought the school building. I think of the trailers that served as classrooms and how much they contributed to the initial culture of Sycamore.” “I think about Bernie Parham and the Chess Team and what a positive influence he had on my daughter. Bernie was more than a chess teacher to her and made a difference in her life,” he says. “I remember Coach Fink and the great role model and guide he was for my son Elliott. I remember the time that Coach Fink and I crawled around the track on our hands and knees in the dark one night looking for my son’s glasses. We were leaving on vacation the next day and we really needed to find those glasses — and guess what — we found them.” “Sycamore School has been very good to and for me and my family. My children received a top-quality education and were prepared very well to move forward and live productive and rewarding lives in whatever direction they chose to go,” he says. “Sycamore School was a major, very important part of our family for many years. Not only did our children learn great lessons here, my wife and I Iearned and grew from our time at Sycamore. We met many great people who had an impact on our lives; many of whom I still have positive relationships with today.”

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Patrick says returning to Sycamore gives him the opportunity to play a small part in helping to guide and nurture a group of students who have the capability and potential to make a big difference and actually change the world. “I see the school learning how to leverage technology and provide students a chance to receive the latest in educational advances. I get to see up close how a dedicated and highly skilled staff of educators influence and help shape the lives of some of our very best students. It also gives me a chance to work with a very talented and accomplished group of people who make up the Board. And as Sycamore graduates begin to make their mark on the world, I see Sycamore being the school that leads the way in how to teach and nurture gifted students.” •

What did your children like about Sycamore?

“Our children liked Sycamore for multiple reasons. First, they found and connected with their peer group and were able to form relationships with students who shared their individual learning needs. It was an environment where they could be themselves and did not feel like they were different. They became a part of a family that embraced them and nurtured them and helped them become their best. They developed positive friendships and relationships that grew with them throughout their lives.”

What do you think is important about a Sycamore education? Does it help students in a unique way?

“I think one of the best things about Sycamore education is that it teaches the students how to think and analyze and use the information that they learn. It doesn’t just have them memorize facts and regurgitate them. It prepares the students to be able to function not only in future higher education environments but later in life overall. It teaches them to think for themselves, be a part of the community, and help others whenever you can.”

AC A DEMIC T E A M

Growing DEBATE PROGRAM Enters Fourth Year at Sycamore

The 2019-2020 team celebrates following one of the competitions held in early 2020.

ycamore’s Debate Team started four years ago, in part because of what Sycamore teacher Beth Simpson saw in the aftermath of the Parkland School shootings that occurred in February 2018, where a shooter opened fire on students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killing 17 people. “I was watching coverage of the students as they declaimed the necessity of gun rights and was blown away by their articulation and content,” Simpson says. “I later read an article that those students were debaters.” Simpson did some research and discovered that there aren’t many middle school debate programs; it’s largely a high school activity. The one exception is a program called Middle School Public Debate Program (MSPDP). It was started by Kate

Shuster Ph.D, an education researcher and author, who was the second woman to ever win the college national debate championship. “I emailed her about training, and she actually came to Indianapolis to train me and another local teacher who had also reached out to her,” Simpson says. After the training, Simpson helped Sycamore begin the Hoosier Debate League, which at the time consisted of Sycamore and Emma Donnan, an IPS charter school, where the other teacher worked.

“What I love most about this style of debating is that it combines elements from a few types of debate, like Public and

AC A DEMIC T E A M

Parliamentary, to create a style that is best for middle schoolers,” Simpson says. “The teams of three and inclusion of things like points of information, where the other side can ask to interject while a debater has the floor, create a comfortable, low pressure environment for new debaters to learn and experience the activity. It also has clear and measurable markers of growth,” she adds. “Debaters continue to grow and add sophistication to their debating as they continue in the program.” At the very first tournament, Sycamore had just 13 students competing. Simpson says the numbers now fluctuate between 60-90 debaters. Last year, Sycamore teacher Jennifer Berger began assisting Simpson with the program. “Mrs. Berger and I try hard to make our practices a fun and safe environment, because debating involves taking risks, while also giving students tools to be effective communicators,” Simpson says. As Sycamore has become an innovator in Indianapolis for debate at the middle school level, Simpson says that she works to recruit additional schools. Sycamore now debates against teams from Orchard School, Creekside Middle School, and, recently added, Indiana Math and Science Academy. For each tournament, Simpson invites local schools to observe, with the hope that schools will continue to join the league. When a new school joins, Simpson helps train their coaches and parent judges. “We learn from each tournament. We have tweaked and constantly adapt so the debating fits with what our kids need. Last year, when after-school activities were suspended due to COVID, we pivoted to online debating via Zoom, which while testing my tech capabilities, was also a great experience.”

learned and will continue to grow as the students mature. “Debating really works so many intellectual muscles,” Simpson says. “Researching, active listening while teammates and opponents speak, effective argument and refutation construction, spotting logical fallacies, real-time problem solving, and effective articulation are all parts of the process.” For Simpson, who is in her tenth year of teaching Language Arts at Sycamore, it is a club and team that is important to her. “The growth I’ve witnessed in students has been phenomenal,” she says. “Last year’s 8th Graders were my first crew who had been debating for three years, and their progress blew me away. Many alumni who debated are now finding great success in their high school debate programs. Debating provides students with an avenue to find their voices and then tools they will use throughout their lives to fine-tune their communication. Debate is a powerhouse that enhances every content area and prepares kids for so much in life.” •

Sycamore 5th graders make last minute preparations for their debate after receiving their topic assignments before a contest.

Six members of the 2018-19 team take a photo break after an event

Debaters have to prepare for both sides of the topic at a tournament and only learn which side they will debate 20 minutes before a round begins. The benefits for students who participate in debate is multi-tiered, according to Simpson. There are researching skills that grow, and logical and effective communication traits that can be

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Anna Freije and 1st Grade students learn about insect adaptation.

I am among those who think that science has great beauty. —MARIE CURIE

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ll teachers at Sycamore — not just in science but in every discipline —are encouraged and expected by the Head of School, Diane Borgmann, to create experiences for students each year that build toward cumulative knowledge and to create a culture for students to push themselves to be great in a safe environment. In Early Childhood and Lower School, Science is taught by classroom teachers who partner significantly with Anna Freije, our Science and Event Coordinator. In Middle School, where our program becomes more departmentalized, there are two full-time Science teachers, one for Grades 5 and 6, and one for Grades 7 and 8. From the youngest scientists in Early Childhood to the veteran Middle School students, they get to build a hands-on resume that they will eventually carry with them to high school and, in many cases, beyond. It comes from the classroom, the academic teams, afterschool activities, and the passion from teachers. “Sycamore undoubtedly laid the base for my interest in sciences and medicine,” says Ash Mahenthiran (‘12) who is in his third year in the Medical School Program at Northwestern University. “Throughout Middle School, we had so many chances to participate in hands-on lab activities and think through common scientific phenomena. I still remember thinking that I gained a deeper understanding through these experiences rather than just learning from a textbook. The science classes at Sycamore also helped me learn how to be efficient with my time from an early age, which has still definitely served me well throughout medical school.” Experiment. Experience something new. It is a trek to learning what kind of person each student is and to selfdiscovery into what one wants in life.

“Passion is contagious,” says Anna Freije, experiencing her first year as the Science and Event Coordinator. She already notes how the classroom teachers and she work together for a fuller student experience. “Sycamore has so many wonderful teachers that get excited about what they teach and are open to experiences that will allow their students to experience the subject they teach in an authentic, fun, and unique way. These experiences help to spur on students’ natural curiosity about the world around them.” At the Middle School level, students have two teachers, Brad Lowell and David Schuth, adept at giving them space, time, and the ability to stretch their critical thinking skills. The two have a combined nearly 50 years of teaching 5th-8th Graders, while long-time researcher and scientist, Dr. Sam Wendel, assists in everything from making fire to building jello people for dissections. After two decades in the Hamilton Southeastern district, Lowell came to Sycamore to get back to the way he wanted to teach, to connect with students and to help them with independent problem-solving.

Kindergarten students dissect fish during the vertebrate unit.

“Creative problem solving, inferencebased learning strategies, and hands-on application opportunities are key ingredients in creating successful, life-long learners,” Lowell says. “Sycamore students are given the opportunity to cooperate and collaborate with peers and are given a setting where it is

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Medicine is an ever-evolving field. Science sometimes seems black and white when it’s first learned, and it isn’t until later that you realize how much gray area exists,” she says. “It takes immense intellectual curiosity to stay updated on the latest research and practice and try to navigate through that gray area. Intellectual curiosity is cultivated and celebrated at Sycamore, and I am so grateful for that.”

TEACHERS FINDING SYCAMORE “What we do here at Sycamore is offer great challenges to our students,” David Schuth says. We provide a safe place to fail, and graduates are able to meet and exceed an innumerable number of challenges in their futures.” Bird nest dissection

“I think that Sycamore teachers help students enjoy science and own their learning through authentic experiences and through encouraging their curiosity and discovery. This helps our students not to lose their academic confidence in the area of science, which in turn gives them a leg up for studying science in high school and beyond.” ANNA FREIJE

okay to fail, reflect on those failures, and try again.” “From Jennifer Hendry having her 1st Graders paint with fly maggots, to Brad Lowell leading a 6th Grade trip to Key Largo to bring marine biology to life at Marine Lab, Sycamore students get to play with and experience science in incredible ways,” Freije says. Children are curious about scientific subjects at a young age, but Freije says they can become intimidated by science as they get older. “I think that Sycamore teachers help students enjoy science and own their learning through authentic experiences and through encouraging their curiosity and discovery. This helps our students not to lose their academic confidence in the area of science, which in turn gives them a leg up for studying science in high school and beyond.” Elizabeth Emhardt is an anesthesiologist and critical care physician at Indiana University. She says her time at Sycamore School was important on her path to becoming a doctor. “I think the best example of what Sycamore gave me that I still use daily is intellectual curiosity.

“I remember the Florida Keys and marine life with Mr. Schuth,” Emhardt says. “I didn’t realize how much energy and effort my teachers were putting into my education, beyond the minimum or even expected amounts. Looking back, I was so lucky to be in that environment and learn how to learn.”

R E T IR S CIENCE EM EN T

Now in his 23rd year at Sycamore after graduating from Butler University, Schuth can still recall how he was hired at Sycamore after answering a 1-inch by 1-inch advertisement in the newspaper that his housemate had pointed out to him. “I called the number, and Mike Thompson, who was Head of Middle School at the time, let me know that he was not interested.” Schuth asked Thompson how he was supposed to get any experience if he wouldn’t even interview a new college grad. “Mr. Thompson was nice enough to acquiesce and had me come in for an interview and a second interview with Thompson, then-current science teacher Becky Andrade, and Nyle Kardatzke, Sycamore’s Head of School. Schuth got the job. Freije says her story involves an interest in teaching and biology from a young age that resulted in getting degrees in biology (B.S.) and then in plant pathology (M.S). She taught sustainable agriculture in Kenya and then worked her way into education. Freije was working at New Britton Elementary as a STEAM teacher and saw the posting for the Science and Event Coordinator at Sycamore. “It sounded like such a wonderful combination of so many things I love while being a professional position,” she says. “It’s been a journey of melding my love of teaching and my love of biology and holistic landscapes. I’m so excited to be at Sycamore. I get to use so many of my skills and passions.”

better position to apply their scientific knowledge well in new situations.” “Our teachers are always thinking outside the box and are willing to try new things each year,” Tiffany Stahl, Sycamore’s Head of Lower School, says not just of her teachers, but those at both ends of the building in Middle School and Early Childhood. “They instill a love of science in our students that you won’t find anywhere else. Sycamore teachers know how to ask open-ended, higher level thinking questions that really get our gifted learners thinking beyond the basic level.” Lowell is succinct in his reason for coming to Sycamore. He was dissatisfied with the creative restrictions placed on him by public education. “I was thrown a lifeline by Dr. Catherine Pangan, who was visiting my classroom as part of Butler’s studentteaching program. Pangan now serves as President of Sycamore’s Board of Trustees. “She invited me to come in and walk the halls of Sycamore. One visit told me I was ‘home.’”

EVOLVING CURRICULUM The science curriculum at Sycamore is revised every five years through a regular process of review. Administrators and

Ball State’s Dr. Tim Carter brought bats to Sycamore

“From a concept perspective, learning about the interconnectedness of our world and its cyclical nature is incredibly important,” Freije says. “I think that learning about the chemical properties of water and the water cycle that affect so much in our world, from the formation of potholes, to how plants influence weather, and about underlying concepts like diffusion and density are key to teach at a young age. When students have a firm grasp of the patterns of our world, they are in a [ CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE ] SYCAMORE SCHOOL MAGAZINE | WINTER 2021

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teachers from across all divisions examine the overall science philosophy for the school. It then gets into the hands of the teachers, where the magic starts. “The teachers are crucial,” Jennifer Williams, Sycamore’s Head of Early Childhood, says. “A science curriculum like Sycamore’s would not be possible without the passion, enthusiasm, and creativity of our teachers. They are the ones that make the units come alive and are always coming up with new labs and experiences for our students. They spend much time and energy organizing field trips and are willing to rearrange their daily schedules to include speakers in the classrooms.

WOODS ON WHEELS The Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ Woods on Wheels, a traveling interactive exhibit about the Hoosier state’s forests, visited Sycamore during the fall.

Tiffany Stahl, like Williams, and Head of Middle School, Katie Baker, was a teacher before taking her current role. She says the most important piece of the Lower School science curriculum is that it is a hands-on program, both inside and outside the building. For example, in 2nd Grade students learn about trees in science. Throughout this unit they calculate the diameter of their chosen tree on Sycamore’s campus. They also use pan balance scales to measure the mass of different cones. They estimate the number of scales on cones and explain how they arrived at their estimate.

“This is my 15th year at Sycamore, and the science program has even more hands-on labs now than when I started,” says Stahl. “The Lower School Science Lab is always busy. We have also added more field trips related to science since I’ve been here. We are always looking for new trips and connections outside of Sycamore, as well as guest speakers to enhance our curriculum.” Freije says she hopes that her continued work in developing the Outdoor Lab at Sycamore will encourage further use of outdoor spaces. “I hope it is a space used both for formal teaching and learning as well as for unstructured discovery, play, and enjoyment.” “Students learn by researching, experimenting, and asking questions,” Stahl says. “It is neat to see when connections are made among the various discipline areas.”

AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS It was back in her days as a classroom teacher in both 1st and 4th Grades, that Melissa Branigan learned that science and independent learning skill can be teamed to help different ages and different grades. Her knowledge and hands-on adaptation of lessons learned as a teacher then are in play now, as she crafts a deeper and more robust after-school extended program.

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The after-school programs essentially give extra science opportunities to students and offer them a chance to gain knowledge in an area of interest. Branigan says the extra programs after school allow students to go deeper into their scientific studies and create opportunities for students to build their teamwork skills; they help students develop perseverance as they go through the scientific method of trial and error. For the 2021-22 school year, she has given science a large slice of offerings amidst the karate, kickball, and music. “The exploration and ‘hands-on’ aspects of science-based enrichment activities are definitely what students like the best,” Branigan says. “We offer VEX and Lego Robotics, chemistry options in Kitchen Chemistry and Chemistry Cookery, and technology options such as coding, 3D modeling and printing, computer science, and game design.” Branigan echoes the love of something that David Schuth said was one of his favorites — that moment of discovery. “They delve deeper into science concepts as they work on various hands-on activities and experiments,” she says. “Students are given a chance through science activities to learn about and try something new that they may not know much about. The best part is when you can see students reach that ‘aha’ moment when they understand how something works or make a connection to their world.”

[Left photo] MS Science students work in Brad Lowell’s class [Right photo] The annual Sycamore School Insect Fair

SYCAMORE: FREEDOM OF CHOICE Lowell sees the “Sycamore Way” as a precursor to how schools need to evolve. “I remember spending countless hours with a paper grade book, calculating student mean report card scores,” he says of his days in public school. “I was reading and instructing from outdated school-issued text books, and I felt the anxiety every year from administering statewide testing the sole purpose which seemed only to drop kids into subgroups.” At Sycamore, Lowell says he loves that the curriculum isn’t tied to a statewide testing standard and allows him the freedom within the curriculum to use robots, machines, and classroom-built science experiments to help students engage in a way that isn’t possible otherwise. “We can make those fun deviations to accommodate for time and student interests.” The experiments and research done by Middle School students in units like the [ CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE ]

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[ CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE ] David Schuth checks the measurements and starting positions for the wind powered studentconstructed vehicles.

Human Body and Wind Power have their start in the Early Childhood science projects. The line that runs through the grades is an important part of the building of a curriculum, and the teamwork among the Early Childhood, Lower School, and Middle School leaders makes sure that the consistency stays in place as new ideas are implemented.

throughout the units are elements of engineering, technology, and applications of science. This ensures our youngest students have experiences in a variety of topics. It also aligns with the national Next Generation Science Standards.”

“While particular units of study may change, foundational beliefs remain strong,” says Williams. “From the beginning, Sycamore has always embraced the philosophy that gifted students of all ages should be given regular opportunities in the sciences to go deeper, think bigger, and connect to real world experiences.” Williams, who spent 23 years as a Kindergarten teacher at Sycamore before assuming the role of Head of Early Childhood, says in each grade level throughout Early Childhood, students are presented units in the Physical, Life, Earth, and Space Sciences. “Integrated

TEAMS OF SCIENCE SHINE AT SYCAMORE One of the many successful academic teams at Sycamore is the Science Bowl squad, with multiple national qualifying appearances over the past decade, including a national Top 10 finish in 2021. This year will mark David Schuth’s 11th year coaching the Science Bowl teams at Sycamore. “I have enjoyed working with students outside the classroom as they push themselves to be competitive on a national level with other students their age,” he says.

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“To see students challenge themselves, work hard, and take ownership of their own learning and behavior is inspirational.” The VEX Robotics program gains the services of Brad Lowell for the 2021-22 school year, as he will work in the program that Sycamore Middle School math teacher Nathan Keith has quickly built into a national contender for top finishes. Keith took the reins of the program shortly after former Sycamore science teacher Jim McCarter started the team and guided it to early success at the World Championships. Now Sycamore is regularly one of Indiana’s top teams. For Lowell, it is a chance to keep doing what he loves: Finding ways for students to test their limits, cooperate, and have fun.

For teachers, it comes back to the students and the connections made between student and teacher, the difference a teacher can make that may stick with a student for the rest of their life. “For me, it is impossible to talk about Science at Sycamore without mentioning David Schuth,” Mahenthiran says. “He made every day in class an interesting one and would constantly find ways to teach material in new ways. I still remember how excited I was to do activities like the egg drop in the gym during our physics units and see constellations in the makeshift observatory during our astronomy unit. He definitely helped cultivate my interest in science from a young age.” “Teachers realize that more important than specific content

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is the skill set developed within an emotionally safe environment,” Schuth says. “Our explorations each year may differ as we learn more about our world around us and as we gain new technology, so it’s always a fun challenge to create new adventures for students,” Lowell says. “My favorite memories are of how each teacher took a unique interest in my development,” says Ajay Antony, who is now a physician who works with pain management. “Coach Fink was just as interested in my science project as he was our basketball game.” “I love getting to teach about the interconnectedness of life,” Freije says. “I love that the kids get to do so much hands-on learning and that field trip experiences are prioritized. The focus on authentic learning experiences is wonderful.” “Science is so intertwined in all that we see and all that we do,” Lowell says. “Science’s job is to encourage that curiosity and supply the strategies for not only unraveling the mysterious world around us, but also to empower students with the ability to create positive changes.” •

You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him discover it in himself. —GALILEO GALILEI

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The man they call

Dr. Wendel

e is actually Dr. Sam Wendel, to be totally correct. He has more than 50 years of experience in science. Wendel is not going to tell you, so we will. Sam is a scientist.

He was a scientist back in the 1960’s and worked in the Eli Lilly Company research department of the Elizabeth Arden division and then in the Process Research and Development division. Dr. Sam also blew up things in his Mad Science days - lots of flames and explosions. He will tell you about that, if you ask. “I guess I got started early,” Wendel says. “I did my first public science demonstration at age 15. Then I did the odd demonstration when the companies where I worked had an open house.” In 1992, Lilly had an open house, and he was part of a group asked to put on a show. “We did a thing called ‘Chemistry is a Blast’. That led to requests to do the show at schools.” Eventually, the “Blast” performances led to creating a crew that performed the show to an annual audience of 15,000. After retiring from Lilly, Wendel purchased a franchise business called Mad Science. “I operated Mad Science for 10 years. We did after-school programs, workshops, birthday parties, summer camps, hands-on science booths, and large group science shows.”

RIGHT: Dr. Wendel works his air/smoke

machine for the students.

He closed the business in 2014.

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I genuinely like the students. Their level of academic ability and raw talent is a source of constant surprise and often amazement. SAM WENDEL Wendel grew up on a small tenant farm in east central Illinois. He was a teen “during the Sputnik years,” he says. “I got pulled up into all the science furor of the time.” A graduate of the University of Illinois, he earned his B.S. in chemistry in 1966 and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Montana in 1973. Besides working at Lilly, Wendel worked in various research and tech service jobs for the Dow Corning Corporation in Midland, Michigan for 13 years before joining Lilly. After he retired and closed his Mad Science business, Wendel was looking for his next chapter. “My daughter, who has always worked for not-for-profits, saw the Sycamore job posting on a not-for-profit website. I interviewed rather late in the summer. Since they were probably desperate, they hired me.” It is Sycamore’s good fortune that we waited for Dr. Sam. His quiet, grandfatherly presence in David Schuth’s classroom belies his mischievous scientist side. He revels in jumping back into his mad scientist persona, whether it is for a classroom experiment or for an open house, displaying his tricks and skills for wide-eyed students. “I genuinely like the students. Their level of academic ability and raw talent is a source of constant surprise and often amazement,” he says. “Sycamore has also given me the opportunity to contribute outside the classroom in summer camps and booths for Sycamore open houses.” He has done demo programs in the Lower

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School and says one of the classes called him “The Last Firebender” because of one of the experiments he demonstrated. He also oversees the concession stand for athletic events.

WEDDING DAY Sam Wendel and his wife Jane were married in 1967.

Sam, who has been married for 54 years, has three grown children. “My oldest boy works as a manager for a group of Ace Hardware stores in South Carolina. My daughter is a director at Community Health, and my youngest son is an orthopedic OR nurse at the Roudebush Veterans Hospital.” Is Wendel having fun in his most recent career move? “I take some enjoyment, or at least satisfaction, from everything I do,” he says. •

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Jay Wetzel ‘96

Jay and Chelsey Wetzel sit down at their new location, across the street from the old Union Jack, in Broad Ripple. 20

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UNION JACK PUB: THRIVING IN CHALLENGING TIMES BY MARY O’MALLEY

ay Wetzel, Sycamore Class of 1996, is nearly the same age as the pub he and his wife, Chelsey, own. Union Jack in Broad Ripple is one of Indiana’s few Proper English Pubs. The establishment is a (sometimes standing room only) home to regulars taking in televised soccer matches, having a date night, attending a private party, or enjoying a meal with family or friends. Fan favorite fare includes the authentic English-style fish & chips, the battalion tenderloin sandwich, Indy-style deep dish, traditional, and stuffed pizza, as well as the variety of 22 beer handles. The Sycamore School, Roncalli High School, and University of Miami, Florida graduate did not always aspire to own his own business. “It was a serendipitous situation, and I didn’t seek it out; it really came to me. A dear family friend owned the Union Jack and offered us the opportunity to purchase it. When we ultimately made the decision to take the leap, it was about creating our own destiny more than anything,” Jay explains. Furthermore, he certainly was not in the market for a restaurant. “I was more interested in beer bars when this opportunity came up. I never really thought about the food aspect of things. My buddies and I took a trip each year, and I discovered other cities had a more vibrant beer culture, so I thought Indianapolis needed a good beer bar. Once we decided to buy the Union Jack, I really learned just how insanely involved

a restaurant is, and the challenge was a real intriguing one to me.” The challenge, at this time of uncertainty, has been more than intriguing for the Wetzels. During these past 18 months, due to the pandemic, it has been utterly unprecedented. “My wife and I are trying our hearts out, which is about all anyone can do in this day and age, so we appreciate anyone or any institution taking pride in our efforts.”

The old Union Jack sign has been a Broad Ripple neighborhood staple for more than 40 years.

“We really had to pivot and flip our business upside down,” Jay relates. “We focused largely on carryout and the food truck taking the food to neighborhoods nearly every day for “contactless” pick up. Everyone worked so hard to get new systems and processes figured out because [ CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE ]

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UNION JACK PUB 921 BROAD RIPPLE AVENUE INDIANAPOLIS AND 110 SOUTH UNION STREET DOWNTOWN WESTFIELD

Fan favorite fare includes the authentic English-style fish & chips, the battalion tenderloin sandwich, Indy-style deep dish, traditional, and stuffed pizza, as well as the variety of 22 beer handles. Head to Broad Ripple Avenue or to downtown Westfield on the appropriately named Union Street. There you will find more than just good food and drink for your body; you will find comfort for your heart and soul.

they were so different from serving everyone in house. In the beginning we were only taking food to people’s cars and creating things for people to do at home like “Build Your Own Pizza.” We had to be creative to keep business levels up and everyone safe. Additionally, we made a promise to our staff that we would keep them employed as long as possible. Through our own savings rolling into a PPP loan, we are proud to say we did not have to lay off any staff members, and we believe we are a stronger, closer team because of it.” “We can speak to the level of stress that one carries when being responsible for the livelihoods of 40 other people when seemingly everything else is against you. You just can’t quit, or take a break, or push things off on someone else. You just have no choice but to keep moving forward. This coupled with all of the health decisions that need to be made to keep everyone safe when you’re not a doctor has been an unwelcome challenge.” Aubrey, who has been a server for almost three years, shares, “Jay and his wife Chelsey work extremely hard as owners and go above and beyond for the employees and the patrons. They are passionate about providing a safe and healthy work environment. Their new business endeavor will be very beneficial for them and everybody long-term.” This new business endeavor to which she refers is directly across the street. Jay and Chelsey had the opportunity to purchase a building and move their restaurant. “Owning that building with private parking and a patio, which will seat approximately 80 patrons, was a real dream come true and will give us stability that rent does not.”

It is a better long-term situation for a tenured restaurant. Moving so incredibly close to the original location will be key to their continued business success because of Broad Ripple’s foot traffic and established neighborhood. The charm, ambience, and British traditions of the original pub will not be left behind in the move. “It’ll be the same Union Jack, same menu, same staff, same everything, just in a different four walls,” Chelsey told the Indy Star in a recent interview. Jay is accustomed to and obviously thrives on challenges. After looking at spaces in several different communities, in February 2020, the Wetzels signed a lease in downtown Westfield for a second Union Jack location, which Chelsey says always felt right. The opening was delayed until September 2020 due to COVID but is now serving some new suburban appetites as well as some old regulars. “Many of our customers who lived in the Broad Ripple area have moved to the northern suburbs. They told us they visit Broad Ripple just for our pizza a couple times a year but would love something closer to home.” Thriving nearly 13 years in the food and beverage industry, maintaining the original pub and recently acquiring a more advantageous location, starting a new venue in Westfield, expanding the business to include a food truck for private events, this entrepreneur has not lost sight of the most rewarding aspects of his livelihood. For Jay and Chelsey, bringing people together is what it is all about! “We have the pleasure of watching people come together for dates, family outings, soccer match watches, you name it. It’s a real honor to be a place of comfort where people can enjoy each other’s company in a world that is becoming more and more isolated and disconnected from actual human face-to-face connection.” •

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Justin Puno J

ustin Puno does it all, or as much as he can. In school he is a terrific student. He’s an athlete. He volunteers. On his own time is where Puno hits another gear. Not just with academics, but as a person who sees a world bigger than his school and his town. “As an adult, I think it would be incredibly challenging to ‘do’ all that Justin does,” says Linda Mihm, who sees Justin every day in her role as the Middle School Coordinator. “But he makes it look almost effortless. He clearly cares a great deal about his studies and devotes a great deal of time to his work.” Puno, who is one of the top math students in the state of Indiana, participates in the Sycamore MATHCOUNTS program, the competitive program led by Sycamore math teacher Trent Tormoehlen. Puno is also on the Sycamore Debate team, the Science Bowl team, competes in basketball, track and field, and is the goalie on the soccer team. Math, however, is his academic passion. “The thing that sets Justin apart from other students is his drive,” says Tormoehlen. “Understanding his drive

is key to understanding Justin. Justin is very task oriented, and goal oriented, and Justin truly loves solving math problems.” “My first experience of discovering my love for math was 1st Grade with Mrs. Hendry,” Puno says. “We were doing tile cards, which were sheets of laminated paper with spaces and we had to put the number in the right place in the equations with two and three digit multiplications. I saw that I kept getting progressively better.” [ CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE ]

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He found his math skills continuing to grow, and as Puno got older, more opportunities became available. He began to be a regular in Tormoehlen’s before and after-school classes. He started practicing with the MATHCOUNTS team in 5th Grade, and as a 6th Grader, he jumped into the competitions, facing mostly older opponents.

“It is very impressive the way Justin is able to switch gears between all of his different activities, including school work,” Tormoehlen says. “He does a great job of making sure he completes all of his required work while also making time to work on extra things and attend all of the different practices and competitions. He has a great combination of speed and the ability to focus for long periods of time that makes him incredibly productive for a middle school student.”

“His passion for math is evident through the time he spends after school most days with Mr. T.,” Mihm says.

Puno was shocked at the amount of preparation students put into competing in debate. “You spend a lot of time — weeks — researching. I thought it was going to be freestyle. But it was a lot more formal. The formality stunned me. But the speaking? I was fine with that.”

“I just like the competitive aspect and the way the questions are structured,” he says of the MATHCOUNTS competitions. “It also makes me think more about problem solving, not just direct equations.” “Over the years, I have often said my favorite thing to do as a teacher is solve interesting math problems with students,” Tormoehlen says. “I don’t think there has been a student that I have worked on more math problems with than Justin. One of the areas Justin has shown major growth in over the years is his willingness to struggle through a difficult problem with a very long solution, which is evidence of his love of solving problems as it takes that sort of commitment to persevere through the problems at the level he is now working.” While in those after-school math sessions, Justin began to notice something about some of the older students. They were getting up and leaving. And not because they didn’t like math. They loved math. “When I was in Mr. T’s room after school, a lot of older Sycamore students who were in there would leave the room to go to Debate or Science Bowl,” he says. “I thought, ‘Hmm. Maybe I could try that, and not just math.’ So I asked Mrs. Simpson (who coaches the debate team) if it would possible to join. So I did. I think when I originally started, I didn’t understand the format.”

It is that communication that draws Puno to team sports. “I’m most comfortable with basketball and have been playing it the longest. I like the direct teamwork of athletics. You get that a little bit with academic teams. Debate is pretty teamwork based, and so is Science Bowl. With sports, I like the communication in live time and talking as it is going on. Sports is different in that way — we are not being quiet during competition.”

JUSTIN has been at Sycamore for eight years, after starting in 1st Grade. As he has progressed through Lower School and into Middle School, his desire to see a wider view of our world, and to try to facilitate change, has grown. “One of my good friends, Connor KacenaMerrell, asked me if I wanted to get involved in an organization called Building Tomorrow. So we started last year,” he says. Puno says they primarily focused on fundraising to build a school in Uganda, working towards a goal of raising $50,000. Building Tomorrow is an organization that works with partners to build schools in impoverished areas and then equips them with teachers and make them sustainable. The goal is to help build a 10-room primary school including seven classrooms, teacher’s office, and meeting

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rooms, along with a nursery, bathrooms, and outdoor play spaces. According to Building Tomorrow, each school has capacity to serve 315 students in grades 1 through 7, and is also equipped with necessary infrastructure for students with physical disabilities. Puno says they held a fundraising car wash in Zionsville. “We held a ‘Car Wash for Uganda’ and donors could pick their price, contributing whatever they wanted,” he says. “We made about $1,000 on that car wash.” He says they will continue to fundraise with events this year. “We want to raise the money to build the school. We want to travel there in Summer of 2023 to see people who are helping put it together and put our own physical touch in, and work with our hands to help build the school.” It is that desire to be hands-on, to dig into whatever it is that he is doing in the moment— that gives you an idea of how Puno works. Jump in. Both feet. Learn more. “When I had the pleasure of teaching Justin, he consistently made connections to previous knowledge, books he had read, articles with which he was familiar, and stories he heard,” Mihm says. “Justin is a deep thinker, and absolutely genuine.” “Justin also has the impressive ability to see the ‘big picture’ while being vastly aware of the infinite tiny influences on an event, idea, or philosophy,” Mihm says of Puno’s intelligence that is impressive for a Middle School student. “Justin asks really great questions, not only of his teachers and the subjects they teach, but also of himself and how he thinks about what he’s learning.”

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“My favorite part of watching and working with Justin over the years is he brings integrity and kindness to everything he does,” Tormoehlen says. “Most people I have met over the years that have his drive and passion often struggle balancing that during social interactions. Justin is a model of how to be highly competitive, yet he is genuinely considerate of the people.” •

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BUILDING TOMORROW WEBSITE: BUILDINGTOMORROW.ORG

T ECHN O LO G Y

Sycamore Athletics Debuts Live Video Streams

Middle School Tech Team members operate the digital streaming system at a Sycamore volleyball match.

hile the challenges of 2020 were many, one outcome was pushing people who were looking to stay connected — either one-to-one or to a group — to learn a bit of new technology. Learning Zoom, getting comfortable with Facetime, and figuring out how to take advantage of opportunities to view live events without actually physically attending in person took some practice, both as a user a a content producer.

Livestreaming has been around a long time, though the early days were full of low-resolution videos, dating back more than 20 years to the days of modems. It was a tough thing to both execute as a broadcaster and watch as a viewer. Streaming was still clunky and glitch-filled in the early post dial-up, pre high-speed internet connection days. As the infrastructure, equipment, iPhones, and web-based opportunities steadily improved, livestreaming became more prevalent. It was easier to find and has become a viable option, from high schools all the way to professional sports teams.

T ECHN O LO G Y

Sycamore has been dabbling in the streaming space for about ten years, bouncing between applications like Facebook Live, Livestream, and YouTube Live, with music, arts, and various live events. Fast forward to 2021, and it became a tipping point year. The audience has become skilled and savvy at finding what they want to watch, and technology now exists to allow quality live video streams, through phones, video cameras, and online setups. For Sycamore, sports has been the next step. According to the research of 99 Firms, a business streaming and web company, sporting events account for 86% of all livestreamed content. In the 2021-22 school year, Sycamore began livestreaming via YouTube Live. Volleyball was the first sport tested, starting with a let’s-make-it-happen, basic-yet-effective, announcerless, twocamera streaming setup. The brains and crew behind the project is the Sycamore Technology team, led by Patrick Cauley. He recruited a team to get the project off the ground, with an eye towards moving the setup and lessons learned to add more streaming offerings, allowing alumni, parents, grandparents, and friends of Sycamore to see live events, and not just athletics. “Lucky for us, the challenges have been mostly technical,” Cauley says about the foray into regular streaming. “How do we handle batteries running out of juice? Do we have enough cables to plug everything in? How do we use the hardware and the software to get the best outcome?” With a long table in the northeast corner of the gym, Cauley and crew setup an ATEM Blackmagic encoder hooked to two cameras, one on a tripod in the same corner as the crew, and one in the balcony overlooking the basket on the south side of the gym. This afforded a view of the scoreboard and clock and allowed viewers to see both ends of the floor without having to physically move cameras during play. It was excellent for volleyball, and with some tweaks, the plan is to continue into basketball season. That’s the setup for sports in the gym. Cauley says it has shown them that they can translate this technology to any place within Sycamore.

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“We learned that it is very possible to livestream just about any event in the building,” he says. “We just need time to set up and think through what needs to be captured and where to set up the cameras to get the best picture.” A piece of the success has been the involvement of the students on the Tech Team, a group of Middle School students who have taken an elective class taught by Cauley and Bowen. The students get invaluable experience through the program. “The Tech Team has been very involved in every aspect of the process from planning, to set up, to actually livestreaming the event to tear down. They do it all,” Cauley says. “We are considering adding more cameras to capture more of what is going on and looking to stream to more platforms, not just YouTube.” Since 2019, the livestreaming industry has grown by 99% according to research by Hubspot, an online marketing and streaming consultant. In April 2019, the total number of hours watched on the major streaming platforms was 1,971 billion. One year later, in April 2020, this had increased to 3,934 billion hours. In 2020, 232 million people watched streaming across all devices in the U.S. These statistics were from the pre-pandemic days, so those numbers are probably low. As the 2021 calendar year ends, and the most recent months’ statistics are released, the expectation is another significant jump nationwide in livestreaming viewing. With that in mind, Cauley sees the opportunity to ride that wave and supply more content to Sycamore friends and families. He knows it is a team effort and that is one of the things about the project that pleases him the most. “I have been very proud of the Tech Team,” Cauley says. “They have willingly stepped up and sacrificed their time after school to work these games. The biggest goal is to keep up our momentum. We want to do more and more live streaming and make sure that students are a part of the future of streaming these events.” •

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VIEW ARCHIVED BROADCASTS AND MORE VIDEOS ON SYCAMORE SCHOOL’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL AT YOUTUBE.COM/ SYCAMORESCHOOL.

AT HL E T IC S

Tennis Teams Have Successful Seasons

uring the fall season, Sycamore had one of their largest tennis teams in recent history, a total of 34 players across the varsity and JV teams, with 19 boys and 15 girls. Those numbers translated to one of the best seasons in school history. The Sycamore tennis teams, under first year coach MiLea Maddox, both amassed stellar records. The boys season record was 9-1 and the girls team finished the season with an 8-2 record. “Having such a large group of players on the team, and only five courts to practice on, we had to be creative at times to ensure everyone was getting what they needed at practice,” Maddox says of their team and their Highland Country Club courts. “Breaking the team into red and blue groups based on skill level and experience helped us to differentiate our instruction on practice days.”

The individual season highlights included 6th grader Shayen Maun, the boys No. 3 singles player, who did not lose a match all season, and several players who only lost one match. Maddox says the longest match of the season lasted two hours, with 8th Grader and number one singles player Anna Maria Ebersole beating the top tennis player from Northside Middle School. “I think we all put in our maximum effort every time we played,” Maun says. “We all trusted that everyone would try their hardest to win the matches for our team. A lot of times when I played my matches, my friends would be cheering me along. That really helped me in the closest matches that I played.” “I had so much fun coaching this team. It was a little overwhelming taking on a coaching position in my first year teaching at Sycamore, but the kids made it worth it,”

AT HL E T IC S

Maddox says. “They are an extremely talented group of athletes, which made it easy for me as the coach. They worked hard every day and had great attitudes.” Maddox says it was evident she had players who love the game. “I couldn’t keep them off the courts. Even after they competed in a full eight-game pro-set, they were off practicing on the pickle ball courts or hitting back and forth without any nets while they waited for their teammates to finish a match,” she says. “I will also remember their silly personalities. They really cracked me up all season. I’m going to miss them.” Maddox gives credit for the team’s firstyear success to the Eagles assistant coach, Dick Freije. “He is absolutely amazing. I couldn’t have made it through the season

without his insight, support, and friendship,” Maddox says. “He was always willing to go home and do additional research to help the team. For example, one of our players asked why the score is love, instead of zero in tennis. Coach Freije took the initiative to do some research and came back the next practice with an answer for us.” That answer? The only thing keeping a scoreless player on the court is the love of the game. Maddox, who had previously coached in summer programs and camps in her hometown of Tipton, put together the foundation of a team that should be successful next year. “The team is a relatively young one, with most players returning,” she says. “We will miss our eight 8th Graders who will be graduating this year - Anna Maria Ebersole, Kavya Devarapalli, Shivani Desai, Riti Tandra, Rishi Nagireddy, Mukund Sagi, Adam Wilkerson, and Wesley Wong, but I am excited for them. They are an incredible group of kids, who will do some amazing things.” “I really enjoyed the fun and lightheartedness that our team had during practices and matches,” Maun says. “Not only did we have a great time during practices, but we had a great time cheering our teammates on against other teams.” •

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To follow Sycamore’s sports happenings more closely, follow @sycamoreathletics on Instagram and @SycAthletics on Twitter

The Sycamore tennis teams combined to post a 17-3 record during the 2021 fall season.

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[1] 7th Grade art [2] Morning at Sycamore [3] Lunch outside with 8th Graders [4] The Sycamore School oculus [5] Heading down the hall [6] Paintbrushes in the Art room [7] Mrs. Borgmann leads the morning flag-raising

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[8] A message from students to students [9] Nola Swingley (K) [10] Mrs. Sweigart hangs out with Preschool students on picture day

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[11] Madeline Hillenburg and Ilona Klaus (2nd Grade) in Mr. Buchholz’ music class [12] Natalie Stahl (Pre-K) poses for a picture [13] Corinne Martinson (3rd Grade) heads to her classroom

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S YC A MO R E NEWS

SYCAMOREnews

Sycamore Honors Fall Athletes Sycamore wrapped up its fall season honoring student athletes who participated in tennis, cross country, volleyball, and soccer during an October 15 ceremony in the Sycamore Theater. There were three awards presented: the Grit Award, the Sportsmanship Award, and the STAR Award. The Grit Award honors a student athlete who shows up every day ready to work hard and improve him or herself. A Grit Award recipient is self-motivated, hard working, and coachable.

Sycamore 5th Grade student Madison Brown was selected to represent the State of Indiana at the WIM Ruth Haring National Chess Tournament. She was selected as the official representative for the United States for Girls 10 and Under in this year’s 2021 World Cadet Championships. Students earned this honor by meeting the peak post-tournament (PPT) rating and activity criteria in their age and gender categories.

CROSS COUNTRY: Annalisa Schuth VOLLEYBALL: Greer Hanlon (5/6) and Izzy Goloschokin (7/8) SOCCER: Parker Phillips (5/6) and AJ Rhea (7/8) TENNIS: Abbey Leivant and Viraj Gadeela The Sportsmanship Award honors a student athlete with a positive understanding of the role of athletics and competition in his/her life. A Sportsmanship Award recipient exemplifies Sycamore’s core values of respect, moral courage, empathy, and relationships. CROSS COUNTRY: William Eaton and Isaac Rabuck VOLLEYBALL: Violet Fortner (5/6) and Victoria Byrne (7/8) SOCCER: Reilly Miller-Ellis (5/6) and Oscar Hyatt (7/8) TENNIS: Kavya Devarapalli and Shayen Maun The STAR Award is the highest honor achievable by a Sycamore student athlete. A STAR Award recipient demonstrates grit, sportsmanship, and athletic prowess, and is a consistently positive contributor to his/her team. CROSS COUNTRY: Kelsey Rehmel VOLLEYBALL: Laila Ghoneim (5/6) and Addie Moeller (7/8) SOCCER: Jacob Salzinger (5/6) and Alex Cheng (7/8) TENNIS: Annamaria Ebersole and Evan Glushik.

Sycamore’s Brown Named to USA Girls 10 And Under Chess Team

Pryor Finishes 2nd in State in Cyclocross Sycamore 6th Grader Ella Pryor placed 2nd in the Indiana State Cyclocross Championship in the Under 13 division in late October. She finished 3rd in the Major Taylor ‘Cross Cup 21 race held that same weekend.

SYCAMOREnews

Students Compete in National Academic Competition The International Academic Competitions held their 2021 National Bee Championships in September. Middle school division tournaments (6th, 7th and 8th Grades) were held in Arlington, Virginia, while the elementary division (5th Grade and below) was held online. Six Sycamore students participated in the different individual competitions after qualifying in the Regional Finals held in May 2021. Evan Ting had four top 20 finishes across three different competitions. The 6th Grader made it into the the finals of the National Science Bee, finishing 6th overall, and was 5th in the National Academic Bee, 10th in the US History Bee, and 15th in the National History Bee. Sameer Zadai, a 7th Grader, earned a top five finish in the National Academic Bee (5th overall), and was 16th in the US History Bee, and 18th in the International Geography Bee. Gavin Sigua (6th Grade): 16th in the National Science Bee Evan Glushik (7th Grade): 23rd in the International Geography Bee Sophie Seifert (7th Grade): 29th in the National History Bee

Students Honor First Responders Fire Prevention Week served as a way for Sycamore to honor the first responders who serve the school. Deb Stewart invited students in all three divisions to participate in thanking these heroes by writing a letter, making a card, or drawing a picture (for our youngest writers). She also coordinated putting together a small crate of snacks to accompany our notes of appreciation. The fire station at 56th and Michigan received one crate and cards, while the East IMPD Bureau, where our regular Sycamore officer, Chris Marcum, works, also received a crate of gifts and cards.

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SYCAMOREnews

ORDER NEW

Sycamore Spiritwear

Sycamore has a new spiritwear partnership for 2021-22 with SquadLocker. The website can be found at bit.ly/sycamorespirit. They have apparel for purchase year-round, ship directly to your home, and have a customizing tool allowing you to choose your own apparel color and design. Choose from the 10 available logos and add your name to the back of most garments.

Butler University and Sycamore Butler University students who are studying to be teachers have returned to Sycamore School after a year away. They are working with our 4th Graders. It is the first actual student interaction/teaching the juniors have done since COVID caused a pause in the program.

Former Teacher Publishes Poetry Former Sycamore teacher Deb Reidy is a published poet— again. She is one of the authors in the new book Hop to It: Poems to Get You Moving, an anthology of 100 poems by 90 poets. The book is for teachers and has fun factoids, thematic mini-lessons, and useful tips to help maximize student learning. It is a resource for teachers to share a new poem or two each week of the school year. Poems involve the whole body and incorporate a wide variety of movements— including deskercise. A long-time writer, she had her poems regularly published during her years as a Lower School teacher at Sycamore.

Four Middle Schoolers Nominated As Outstanding Spanish Students Sycamore 8th Graders Audrey Alberts and Shivani Desai and 7th Graders Isaac Rabuck and Riva Jain have been nominated for the Indiana Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) Outstanding Middle School Student of Spanish Award. Desai and Alberts both earned a gold medal (95th+ percentile) at a 9th grade level in the 2021 AATSP National Spanish Exam; Rabuck and Jain have both served as mentors and partners to several newer Sycamore students learning Spanish for the first time. Winners will be announced later in the school year.

Duane Emery Guests on New Podcast with NAIS Sycamore School’s Director of Enrollment Management, Duane Emery, joined the NAIS Member Voices podcast featuring stories from the thoughtful, hard-working individuals who make up the independent school community. He was a guest on the “Enrollment Trends Amid the Pandemic: Special Episode” and was the first episode of a two-part enrollment series. Joe Corbett, NAIS research analyst, spoke with Emery to discuss enrollment declines due to the pandemic, enrollment in lower grade levels, and how the school navigated these challenges.

Butler University students work with Sycamore 4th Graders.

2020 -2 1 S YC A MO R E DO N O R S

2020-21 Sycamore School Donor List Sycamore Circle: $10,000 or more Sumeet and Sumeeta Bhatia Corteva Agriscience John and Jennifer Hur Dave and Annette Kandel Young and Stephanie Kim Harold and Jessica Lee Michael and Julie Mervis Dick and Jamie Schulte Hale Stuart and Rachel Simon Brian Tabor and Dawn Brooks

Visionary: $5,000 to $9,999 Rick Bains and Anjali Godambe Bill and Lisa Boncosky Sean Deng and Sheila Duan Jeff Hagerman Tom and Linda Kaplan Rob and Cory Martinson Greg Merrell and Melissa Kacena Robert Metzger Bob Moorthy and Sheila Valluri Daniel and Christine Mytelka Marty and Leslie Obst Troy Payner and Cara Peggs Pete Shi and Hu Li Mark and Elizabeth Stetzer Jon Ting and Sam Yeap Jeff Whorley Tom and Emily Wilson

Head of School Circle: $2,500 to $4,999 Minrong Ai and Xiu Yang Jon and Sonal Bazeley Tom and Jenny Berger Ben and Vanessa Bick Bob and Diane Borgmann Patrick Byrne and Jessica Decook Eugene and Mimi Ceppa Shan Cheng and Alison Klenk Manish Chheda and Seema Dedhiya Julia Clay and Dustin Mergott Aaron Cohen-Gadol and Isabelle Saparzadeh

Toby and Jennifer Cole Randy and Pam Cross Brian and Julie Cunningham Tom Dorantes and Sunah Kim Dorantes Joe and Whitney Faires Kyle and Cate Falk Steve and Jane Hartsock Jeff and Sharon Hearn Charles and Nadine Kahi Mike and Glenna Lykens Dipen and Sumi Maun Mary O’Malley Lily Pai Roland and Catherine Pangan Patrick and Taeran Park Wayne Patrick Woody and Beth Peyton Mike and Jessica Rehmel Chris Sanft and Sarena Lin Ninad and Nirali Shah Rob Siwiec and Christine Santori Alex and Chris Smith Abe and Nadya Swidan Nathan and Amanda Swingley Fred and Marla Thompson United Way of Central Indiana, Inc. Jack and Alyssa Wei Dave and Melissa Wong Adeel Zaidi and Areeba Kara

Leader: $1,000 to $2,499 Mark and Meg Alberts Jigar and Kajal Bhagatwala Ray and Erika Biederman Neil and Lisa Brierley Andy and Victoria Brindley Bryan and Ginny Burney Kent Butcher and Celeste Spaans Peter and Doris Cheng David and Carrie Coutant Cub Scout Troop Sycamore Pack 64 Ankit and Archita Desai Scott and Harriet Dunitz Michael Eaton and Dohee Kim Duane and Stephanie Emery Jonathan and Jill Fiur Jim and Linda Gange

SYCAMORE SCHOOL MAGAZINE | WINTER 2021

Parag and Sangeeta Garhyan Marc and Lori Ann Gerdisch Islam and Ronia Ghoneim John and Robyn Glushik Alex and Irena Goloschokin Elizabeth Hagerman JP and Molly Hanlon Lisa Haynes Mohamed Heikal and Noha Ahmed Paul and Debbie Henderson Brian and Carissa Hendrickson Tim and Cami Hovda Stuart and Ann-Marie Hyatt Blake Johnson and Dani Campbell Patrick and Krenta Juday Kiran and Leah Kareti John and Susan Karpicke Abhishek and Nidhi Khemka David Klauz and Dina Belinsky Eric and Holly Lee Ilya and Olga Lipkovich Nianjun Liu and Ying Tang Ron and Nathalie Mastouri Howard and Susie Maxwell Andrew McDaniel and Sarah Burgin Jude and Margaret Momodu Doug and Kristie Neumeister Rob and Amy Nichols Jared and Samantha Outcalt Srinivas and Sneha Pai Mihir and Chandrika Patel Ben Pecar and Leslie Thompson Edward and Sara Pollack Howard and Deborah Pollack-Milgate Frank and Marianne Price Jeff and Aileen Puno Deept Rana and Pooja Mandalia Kunal and Suman Rana Alex and Ashleigh Rexford Jeremy and Wendy Reymer John Vito Salerno and Christina Santangelo-Salerno Jeff Seifert and Hong Liu-Seifert Kevin and Notch Sigua Abhinav Singh and Vidhya Srinivasan Mark and Jennifer Sniderman Bobby and Kristi Stephens

Richard and Cindy Strup Jack and Laurie Tanselle Juan Tejada and Vicky Romero Trent and Laura Tormoehlen Thong Tran and Vivian Vo Curt Warren and Sara Naderi Ruel and Cynthia Williamson Timur Yurtseven

Supporter: $500 to $999 AmazonSmile Foundation Nick Blesch Clark and Tina Clark Patrick and Jennifer Cauley Peter and Kate Chan Mark and Denise Cudworth Lawrence and Lynn France John and Lauren George David and Barbara Hagerman Christine Hansen Joe and Ellen Hawkins Paul Helft and Melissa Cavaghan Marcus and Jennifer Hendry James and Cara Hermacinski John and Laura Hillenburg Daniel Hopp Tim and Susie Howard Kyle and Michelle Hummel Cheryan Jacob and Merin Abraham Yong Jiang and Qun Gao Nathan Keith Peter Kelly and Vicki Valandra Mike and Abby Klemsz Mike and Megan Leivant Suthat Liangpunsakul and Attaya Suvannasankha Xiaowen and Yan Liu Yunlong Liu and Yue Wang Dwight and Lisa Lueck Kenji Matsuki Greg and Megan Maurer John and Susan McNett Chris and Seema Mernitz Linda Mihm Jim and Judith Mills Kshitij and Alpa Mistry Justin and Julie Moeller Abdul Moiz and Saba Haq Pat Murray and Suzette Solomon

2020 -2 1 S YC A MO R E DO N O R S

Scott and Denise Murray David and Chelsea Overstreet Nirav Patel and Andrea Shin Jon Pesek and Jyothi Varanasi Ajay and Padma Ponugoti John and Lauren Rapp Michael and Missy Roch Sashi Sagi and Santi Gottumukkala Tom Schroeder and Julia Hipps John Schumm and Alyssa Brune Jeremy and Carley Schutz Ateet and Anjali Shah Roger and Pam Singh Nick and Tiffany Stahl Jeff and Janet Stroebel Charles Talercio and Susan Gunst Matt and Christine Ullom AJ and Tammy Wilkerson Dr. Steve Wintermeyer and Dr. Ginat Mirowski Jie Zhang and Yun Wang

Friend: $1 to $499 Louis Abukhalaf and Brittany Lane Steven and Mary Jo Alonso Edward and Marissa Argus Jim and Vickie Auth Jay and Bhairavi Avashia Brent and Katie Baker Dan and Nancy Baker Jadwiga Baker Robert and Christine Baldwin Phil Bansal and Jessica Harrison Sam and Jennifer Bansal Terry Baumer and Pat Gabig Don and Carla Bennett John and Allison Bentel Evelyn Berry Joshua Betsey Dana Beuoy John and Cindy Beuoy Bob Bishop and Mila Aslanyan John Blatt and Eliza Holladay Sam and Shannon Bloomquist Wayne and Libby Bloomquist Bill and Joyce Boncosky Taylor Bowen Steve Brady and Nancy Colone Kevin and Melissa Branigan Tad Bristow and Peggy Folz Justin and Amanda Brown Lott Brooks and Denise Crawford

Phil and Barbara Brooks Don and Catherine Brown Noah Brubaker and Lauren Ditchley Noah Buchholz Larry and Meredith Burns David and Donna Butcher Catherine Byrne Anton and Michele Cabellon Pfenne Cantrell and Amy Denkmann Julia Cassel Albert and Margaret Chen Nemjee and Jaya Chheda Varun Chheda Matt Ciulla Danny and Bridget Clark Julie Clawson Kyle and Kristen Clemens Bruce and Susan Colston Laura Conder Chad and Courtney Corcoran John and Betsy Coutant Michael Coutant Ryan and Jennifer Cox Jane Crawford Jim Croop and Kate Van Sciver Julia Cummins Mark and Terrye Davidson Susan Deidrich Michael and Amy DeRosa Mary Doherty Judith Dorantes Jeff and Jennifer Eastman Ted Ebersole Jim and Doris Eck George Efta and Carol Mooney Nancy Eikenberry Ed and Kathy Elliott Martin and Janine Erlenbaugh John and Joyce Ertel Bob and Debbie Falk Dave Farnum and Shelley Etnier John and Nancy Farrar Chris and Matthew Feltrop-Herron David Fink Brandon Fitzsimmons Natalie Fiur Robert and Carolyn Foltz Kevin Fortner and Christine Efta Ryan and Eleanor Fox Mark and Monie Freeman Paula French Ryan Fuhrmann Greg and Lori Fulk

Keith and Carolann Fulk Maria Fulton Steve and Doris Fulwider Joan Gabig Nitesh Gadeela and Niharika Samala Halley Gallagher Sarah George Don Gigliotti and Linda Kleiser Jane Glushik Shailesh and Deepa Godambe Jessica Godfrey Max and Naomi Goller Jo Dee Grau Paul and Janice Greco Larry Green Austin Greene Jill Grossman Andre and Regina Guillaume Margie Gutierrez Luke Hacherl Rachel Hackel Scott and Kathleen Hackwelder Mark and Mary Kay Hagerman Jim and Juanita Harger Chris and Wendy Harlow Tim and Erica Harrison Jim and Linda Hartz Takashi and Hiromi Hato Bob and Nancy Havlik Tucker and Mary Hawkins Allison Hayden Scott Hayes and Janice Guttery Chuck and Jan Heitholt Danny and Debbie Hillenburg Thomas and Mia Hindman Gene and Kathy Hollander Barbara Horine Randall and Karen Hradek Allan and Janet Hribar Dan and Cynthia Hummel Bernie and Linda Hutter Sheila Hyatt Ben and Rachel Ilnicki Michael and Beth Irizarry Roberta Jaggers Bill and Suzanne Jannetta James and Marilyn Jeray John and Emily Jervis Prakash and Alka Jog Melissa Johnson Venkatesh and Sheela Jois Ben and Yuji Bae Jones Tom and Madonna Jones Nishan Joseph and Rajani George

Ryan and Bonnie Kandel Joe and Joy Kaplan Leslie Katz Ashish and Manju Khemka Daniel and Katrina Kirkendall Jeramy and Catherine Kirkendall Caleb and Briana Klaman Jack and Betty Krebs Thomas and Katherine Laubacher Marie Lawlor Chris and Marla Laystrom Jane Leeds Daniel and Ora Leivant Mabel Leonard Danyce Letkewicz Irene Liang Pai Liu and Xiaojing Li Jim and Roxene Lo Joe and Susan Loftus Brad and Kristi Lowell Yale and Carol Martin Nick and Kristyn Mason Tom and Debbie Mattingly John and Rhea McDonald Brian and Cecelia McDonnell Kenzie McGaffey Brent and Cathy McIntosh Doug and Cindy McKay Sharon McLaughlin Stephanie McMechan Claudia Mercado Ken and JJ Miller Natasha Miller Mike and Amy Miltenberger Steve and Ruth Moll Matt and Emilie Molter Javad Momayez and Ling Xuei Pete and Betsy Morse Bryce Mosey and Thomas Keith Andy Mulvey and Nina Mutone Bob Nargang and Linda DiMeglio Network For Good Linda Nichols Evan and Allison Nisonson Michele Noel Jim and Carolyn Noland Colin Oberthur Jennifer Oberthur Michael Oberthur Teri Obst Monica Oclander Jide and Folake Odelowo John Ottensmann and Jan Neuenschwander Avery Outcalt

2020 -2 1 S YC A MO R E DO N O R S

Roger and Robin Outcalt Don and Carolyn Palmer Tom and Kim Papp Jeremie Peace Bruce Pfeffer and Amy Kressel Kent and Anna Phillips Ron and Michele Porter Ronald and Frances Porter Patrick Price Irwin and Eileen Prince Philip and Courtney Pryor Jeff and Kim Pursch Valerie Purvin Azad Raiesdana and Teri Greco Evan Ramey and Jennifer Alyea John and Leslie Rapp Mike and Cara Raunick Robert and Lois Reeves Tim and Deb Reidy Lori Reiter Todd and Surisa Richardson LeRoy and Janette Richins Larry and Amanda Risk Putnam and Eileen Robbins Katrina Rodriguez Erik and Flor Romero Libby Royer Sue Rudavsky Jeff and Betsy Sajdak Vito and Benedetta Salerno Robert Sanborn Jesse and Angela Sanchez Bob and Elaine Sandy David and Catherine Santori D’Anna Saul John and Judith Scappucci Peter and Barbara Schauland Josephine Schumm David and Jane Schuth Mary Schuth Peter Schwartz and Shari Rudavsky Erica Scott Wayne and Tami Sears Kristen Senetar Charles and Sara Jo Shoup Ross and Beth Simpson Hardeep Singh and Kelli Beil Jesse and Maria Siwiec Andrew and Annie Skinner Paul and Susan Sniderman Jared and Abbe Spaans Fred and Helen Stehman Bob Stephens Bill and Deb Stewart Don Stuart and Constance Matts Marcelle Stucky and Emily Wootten-Stucky

Mitch and Val Stucky Chris and Meghann Supino Jim and Tracy Swearingen Lee and Chrissy Sweigart Bill and Julie Szolek-Van Valkenburgh Robert and Cathy Tabor Michael Tamaddoni and Andrea Del Guidice Sy and Paula Tamaddoni Tina Tandy Albert Taylor, Jr. Bill and Janet Taylor Techpoint Foundation, Inc. Joe and Cindy Thomas Gary Thompson and Leigh Harris Andy and Julie Thornburg Mike and Cindy Thrine Joe and Robin Tormoehlen Tom and Maria Truesdale Scott Turner Lorraine Valandra Paul and Marjo Valliere Greg Vanduesen and Marna Shopoff Dale Varble and Pamela Pangan-Varble Praveen and Karen Vohra Jay and Rori Watson Scott and Sharon Weigand Sam an Jane Wendel Kit and Jennifer Williams Tom and Freddie Williams Keith and Bonnie Williamson Peter Winters and Heather Grisham-Winters Steve Wolf and Pam Westermann Herman Wong and Gloria Lee James and Liane Wong Bob Wootten Aaron and Jean Wright Nate and Heather Wyatt Tony and Shae Young Shanxiang Zhang and Lin Bai Karolena Zhou

Class of 2021 Legacy Gift Donors Carlton Bale and K Nicole Harter-Bale Brian and Vanessa Barth Tom and Jenny Berger Bill and Lisa Boncosky Pat Bonfils and Diane English Anton and Michele Cabellon Mike and Marianne Cardwell

SYCAMORE SCHOOL MAGAZINE | WINTER 2021

Manish Chheda and Seema Dedhiya Dave Farnum and Shelley Etnier Jonathan and Jill Fiur Greg and Lori Fulk Islam and Ronia Ghoneim Sunil Gollapudi and Sylvia Ertel Sean Gussick and Vasantha Aaron Scott and Kathleen Hackwelder Christine Hansen Chris and Wendy Harlow Lisa Haynes Steven Howard and Lora Foltz-Howard John and Emily Jervis Yong Jiang and Qun Gao Harold and Jessica Lee Suthat Liangpunsakul and Attaya Suvannasankha Ilya and Olga Lipkovich Nianjun Liu and Ying Tang Xiaowen and Yan Liu Matthew and Wendy Lo Dipen and Sumi Maun Abdul Moiz and Saba Haq Jide and Folake Odelowo Woody and Beth Peyton Chris Sanft and Sarena Lin David and Jane Schuth Peter Schwartz and Shari Rudavsky Ross and Beth Simpson Raj and Shireesha Vuppalanchi Ming Wang and Jisook Song Jeff Whorley Adeel Zaidi and Areeba Kara IN HONOR OF ALL MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS Woody and Beth Peyton IN HONOR OF MARISSA ARGUS Todd and Surisa Richardson IN HONOR OF KATIE BAKER Patrick and Taeran Park IN HONOR OF DIANE BORGMANN Sumeet and Sumeeta Bhatia IN HONOR OF LAUREN DITCHLEY Aaron Cohen-Gadol and Isabelle Saparzadeh IN HONOR OF BRANDON FITZSIMMONS Jeff Seifert and Hong Liu-Seifert

IN HONOR OF ELEANOR FOX Todd and Surisa Richardson IN HONOR OF DORIS FULWIDER Aaron Cohen-Gadol and Isabelle Saparzadeh Blake Johnson and Dani Campbell IN HONOR OF SUSAN KARPICKE Bryan and Ginny Burney IN HONOR OF NATHAN KEITH Sumeet and Sumeeta Bhatia Jeff Seifert and Hong Liu-Seifert IN HONOR OF CATHERINE KIRKENDALL Aaron Cohen-Gadol and Isabelle Saparzadeh IN HONOR OF GLENNA LYKENS Aaron Cohen-Gadol and Isabelle Saparzadeh Pat Murray and Suzette Solomon IN HONOR OF EMILIE MOLTER Pete Shi and Hu Li IN HONOR OF JJ MILLER Aaron Cohen-Gadol and Isabelle Saparzadeh IN HONOR OF MICHELE NOEL Aaron Cohen-Gadol and Isabelle Saparzadeh IN HONOR OF MARY O’MALLEY Marc and Lori Ann Gerdisch IN HONOR OF SAMANTHA OUTCALT John Vito Salerno and Christina Santangelo-Salerno IN HONOR OF LORI REITER John Vito Salerno and Christina Santangelo-Salerno IN HONOR OF BETH SIMPSON Bill and Lisa Boncosky Pete Shi and Hu Li IN HONOR OF DEB STEWART Aaron Cohen-Gadol and Isabelle Saparzadeh Blake Johnson and Dani Campbell IN HONOR OF TRENT TORMOEHLEN Patrick and Taeran Park IN HONOR OF JENNIFER WILLIAMS Aaron Cohen-Gadol and Isabelle Saparzadeh

2020 -2 1 S YC A MO R E DO N O R S

IN HONOR OF HEATHER WINTERS Aaron Cohen-Gadol and Isabelle Saparzadeh IN HONOR OF TONY YOUNG Bill and Lisa Boncosky Pete Shi and Hu Li IN MEMORY OF ADELE “COOKIE” KRAFT Aaron Cohen-Gadol and Isabelle Saparzadeh IN MEMORY OF MATTHEW GERDISCH Marc and Lori Ann Gerdisch IN MEMORY OF CHRIS GREENE Gene and Kathy Hollander Jack and Betty Krebs Eric and Holly Lee Mike and Glenna Lykens Irwin and Eileen Prince IN MEMORY OF MARY PEPER JOCKISH Bob and Elaine Sandy IN MEMORY OF JOHN TIMOTHY O’MALLEY Eric and Holly Lee Mary O’Malley IN MEMORY OF RECENTLY PASSED FAMILY MEMBERS OF JUDITH MILLS Bob and Elaine Sandy

2021 Virtual Auction and Trivia Battle Sponsors PLATINUM: $15,000 The National Bank of Indianapolis

GOLD: $5,000 Goelzer Investment Management, Inc.

SILVER: $2,500 Conner Insurance Ted and Marissa Argus Rick Bains and Anjali Godambe Brent and Katie Baker Jon and Sonal Bazeley John and Allison Bentel Tom and Jennifer Berger Ben and Vanessa Bick Ray and Erika Biederman

Sam and Shannon Bloomquist Bill and Lisa Boncosky Bob and Diane Borgmann Kevin and Melissa Branigan David and Katie Brinkmeyer Noah Brubaker and Lauren Ditchley Kent Butcher and Celeste Spaans Patrick Byrne and Jessica DeCook Anton and Michele Cabellon Caldwell Farms Patrick and Jennifer Cauley Eugene and Mimi Ceppa Shan Cheng and Alison Klenk Julie Clawson Julia Clay and Dustin Mergott Kyle and Kristen Clemens Aaron Cohen-Gadol and Isabelle Saparzadeh Toby and Jennifer Cole Contour Hardening, Inc. Chad and Courtney Corcoran David and Carrie Coutant Ryan and Jennifer Cox Randy and Pam Cross Mark and Denise Cudworth Brian and Julie Cunningham Becky Deischer Michael and Amy DeRosa Ankit and Archita Desai Dick’s Sporting Goods Dogtopia Tom Dorantes and Sunah Kim Dorantes Jeff and Jennifer Eastman Duane and Stephanie Emery Joe and Whitney Faires Chris and Matthew Feltrop-Herron David Fink Jonathan and Jill Fiur Ryan and Eleanor Fox Paula and Joy French Greg and Lori Fulk Steve and Doris Fulwider Islam and Ronia Ghoneim John and Robyn Glushik Goldfish Swim School Max and Naomi Goller Alex and Irena Goloschokin Jeff Hagerman Steve and Jane Hartsock Joe and Ellen Hawkins Lisa Haynes Marcus and Jennifer Hendry

Kevin Heraly and Morgan Howard James and Cara Hermacinski John and Laura Hillenburg Tim and Susie Howard Kyle and Michelle Hummel Dan and Cynthia Hummel Ben and Rachel Ilnicki Cheryan Jacob and Merin Abraham Patrick and Krenta Juday Tom and Linda Kaplan Kiran and Leah Kareti Leslie Katz Young and Stephanie Kim Jeramy and Catherine Kirkendall Chris and Marla Laystrom Eric and Holly Lee Jane Leeds Mike and Megan Leivant John and Leah Lickliter Brad and Kristi Lowell Jay and Michele Lugosch Mike and Glenna Lykens Rob and Cory Martinson Dipen and Sumi Maun Greg Merrell and Melissa Kacena Ken and JJ Miller Justin and Julie Moeller Steve and Ruth Moll Pat Murray and Suzette Solomon Bob Nargang and Linda DiMeglio Doug and Kristie Neumeister New Riff Distillery Michele Noel Marty and Leslie Obst David and Chelsea Overstreet Srinivas and Sneha Pai Lily Pai Roland and Catherine Pangan Troy Payner and Cara Peggs Jeremie Peace Jon Pesek and Jyothi Varanasi Woody and Beth Peyton Kent and Anna Phillips Patrick Price PRP Wine International Philip and Courtney Pryor Jeff and Kim Pursch John and Lauren Rapp Mike and Cara Raunick Mike and Jessica Rehmel Alex and Ashleigh Rexford

Jeremy and Wendy Reymer LeRoy and Janette Richins Sally Roberts Pasquali Katrina Rodriguez Michelle Russell Ruth’s Chris Steak House David and Jane Schuth Peter Schwartz and Shari Rudavsky Erica Scott Ninad and Nirali Shah Ateet and Anjali Shah Petei Shi and Hu Li Kevin and Notch Sigua Ross and Beth Simpson Abhinav Singh and Vidhya Srinivasan Hardeep Singh and Kelli Beil Rob Siwiec and Christine Santori Andrew and Annie Skinner Alex and Chris Smith Mark and Jennifer Sniderman Southern Glazer Sparkle Buggy Detail Nick and Tiffany Stahl Bobby and Kristi Stephens Mark and Elizabeth Stetzer Bill and Deb Stewart Marcelle Stucky and Emily Wootten-Stucky Nathan and Amanda Swingley Brian Tabor and Dawn Brooks Tina Tandy Diane Thompson Fred and Marla Thompson Andy and Julie Thornburg Jon Ting and Sam Yeap Trent and Laura Tormoehlen Thong Tran and Vivian Vo Tom and Maria Truesdale Matt and Christine Ullom Greg Vanduesen and Marna Shopoff Curt Warren and Sara Naderi Weston Family Farm Kit and Jennifer Williams Ruel and Cynthia Williamson Peter Winters and Heather Grisham-Winters Steve Wolf and Pam Westermann Aaron and Jean Wright Nate and Heather Wyatt Tony and Shae Young Adeel Zaidi and Areeba Kara

P R I VAT E B A N K I N G

“THE PERSONAL SERVICE AND ATTENTION ARE UNMATCHED BY OTHER BANKS.” — Reynold, Bank Client

Private Banking at The National Bank of Indianapolis is personal, local and rooted in expertise. You will receive personalized service from one of our experts who will advise you through complex financial situations and provide custom banking solutions. It’s time you receive the service you deserve.

Kerry A. Ritzler Vice President, Private Banking

317-267-1699 NMLS #636246

www.nbofi.com

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PAID

1750 West 64th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46260

Permit No.984 Indianapolis, IN

SYC AMORE

SUNRISE OVER SYCAMORE: Chief Financial Officer Patrick Juday takes a turn working the morning traffic line.

Sycamore School Magazine / Winter 2021

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