Academy Magazine Spring 2024

ACADEMY

New Head of School

YEAR OF INTEGRITY

Travis J. Larrabee

ACADEMY

SPRING 2024

HEAD OF SCHOOL

Travis J. Larrabee

ASSISTANT HEAD OF SCHOOL FOR DEVELOPMENT

Grayson Bryant

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Esther M. Diskin

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Kim Yager

EDITOR

Esther M. Diskin

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Mike Connors

EDITORIAL BOARD

Ruth Payne Acra ’86

Chad Byler

Betsy DiJulio

Jack Gibson ’08

David Rezelman

Jennifer Rodgers ’97

Gigi Cooke Tysinger ’87

Elbert Watson

Sean Wetmore ’86

Charlotte Zito ’99

PHOTOGRAPHY

Mike Connors

Esther M. Diskin

Steven Goldburg ’04

Stephanie Kalis

Matthew Lester

Kim Yager

The Salem News

DESIGN

RiverBend Design & Lyons Graphics

Norfolk

COVER:

Honor & Integrity

When I first visited Norfolk Academy, I asked students a simple question about the Honor System: How did it affect their daily lives? In asking that question, I knew that many independent schools across the country trumpet their honor systems or codes. Yet, I also understood that in many cases, students don’t feel deeply invested in them. They don’t feel the influence of honor in their academic work or their relationships with teachers, coaches, and friends.

Norfolk Academy is different, as I quickly learned from the students’ energetic responses. It is something they love about the school, and they feel it in their daily interactions in many ways, from their ability to leave items in their open lockers or backpacks to the trust that teachers extend to them as they complete academic work. While the school’s Honor System may be many decades old, it is renewed each time students sign the pledge at the end of an assignment or recite it in the Lower School. You can hear our students’ voices on pages 10–11 of this magazine, where you’ll find some reflections from members of our Tunstall Honor Council.

When I chose integrity as the theme for my first year as Head of School, I was thinking about the centrality of the Honor System, and the school’s emphasis on character, captured in the opening of the school’s Philosophy: “Norfolk Academy… strives to assist its students to develop maturity of mind, body, and character.”

What does that holistic view and approach look like years after graduation? This edition of the magazine offers a few glimpses through the

lives of our alumni: Wendy Juren Auerbach ’78 and many others in the NA family have created a new anthology and podcast about Holocaust survivors in greater Hampton Roads; Trustee Michelle Bass Adams ’91, Lily Clarkson ’18, and generations of Field Hockey alumni who credit the values instilled here with their success and sense of purpose today; Neil Barr ’93, managing partner at Davis Polk, whose Homecoming Speech focused on hard work and integrity instilled during his Academy years; NASA scientist Hillary Berndt Blakeley ’08 and William Carney ’12, a.k.a. Carneyval, musical artist and creator — both doing pioneering work in fields that are characterized by rapid change.

The work we do each day at Norfolk Academy reaches far into the future. With that awareness, we are embarking this spring on a research project to both inform and galvanize our strategic planning. We will be sending out surveys, and I hope you will see it as an important opportunity to share your thoughts. Your voice is integral to envisioning a course that is not only strategic and innovative, but also reflective of what you most value in the Norfolk Academy experience.

One thing is certain: Honor is now, and will remain, at the heart of all that we do. In his Homecoming Speech, Barr said something that has stayed with me, because I believe it to be so true: “The world still has room for people to do well while doing good, so never lose the spirit of your Honor System.”

I look forward to our partnership in the good work ahead. ◆

TRAVIS J. LARRABEE Head of School

Lower School students enjoy greeting new Head of School Travis Larrabee as he participates in his first Halloween Parade, with the Class of 2024 in costume and out in front (and out of the photo).

Mr. Larrabee welcomes students on the first day of school.

HEAD OF SCHOOL TRAVIS J. LARRABEE

Charting a Path Forward for Growth

HEAD OF SCHOOL TRAVIS J. LARRABEE CAN NAME EVERY SINGLE ONE OF HIS TEACHERS, STARTING FROM KINDERGARTEN. Perhaps that is not surprising for someone who has devoted his life first to teaching and then to school leadership. But it is the zest with which he compiles the list, his evident joy in naming his teachers — Mrs. Caulfield, third grade; Mr. McCarthy, seventh grade; Mrs. Simpkins, Geometry, just to name a few — that makes the exercise remarkable.

“I felt from teachers, very palpably, that they believed in me and my potential as a student,” he said. “The teachers who left a big impression were the ones who made me feel I could do anything.”

His perception of his most inspirational teachers is that they cared about him as a complete person, and that in addition to imparting a strong foundation in their academic subjects, they nurtured his interests and aptitudes beyond the classroom. It’s a perspective that undergirds his own approach to education, and it is one that aligns with Norfolk Academy’s focus on character development as more important than academic achievement.

In fact, it is what spoke to him when he first came to Norfolk Academy in June 2022 as Assistant Head of School at William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia and one of the finalists in the Search Committee’s process to find a successor upon the retirement of Headmaster Dennis Manning after 22 years. Larrabee is the fourth head of school at Norfolk Academy since 1950.

An important part of what led the Board to choose him was his ability to forge strong and elevating bonds with people, something that characterized his 16-year tenure at Penn Charter. In a letter announcing Larrabee’s selection, then–Board of Trustees President Ran Randolph ’80 highlighted that attribute: “It was the way that he spoke about people, and the power of building respectful, generative relationships, that convinced us that his values and his approach to creating positive change align with the values of our school.”

Those strengths and more have been evident from the day he arrived. “From the moment Travis stepped on campus, he made it a priority to connect

in a meaningful way with all constituents within our community,” said Board Chair John O. Wynne Jr. ’94. “The fact that he has had such a successful start as our new Head of School is no coincidence.”

Larrabee chose “integrity” as the theme for his first year, with its parallel definitions of “having moral principles” and “wholeness.”

“Norfolk Academy is a place that really values continuous learning and human connection,” he said. “It’s a school that creates an environment where people can continue to grow as individuals.”

His decision to come to Norfolk Academy hinged on a belief that his family, particularly his children, would grow and expand their horizons at the school. Travis and his wife, Heather, who is also a lifelong teacher, have three children: Jack, a sophomore at Penn State, and two who are current Bulldogs, Anna, a ninth grader, and Owen, who is a member of the Senior Class.

Even past the midway point of his first year, it is an expedition that involves asking a lot of questions, listening, and learning. “Schools like this, the culture is very dense and it’s very intertwined, and it takes some time to get to know it,” he said. “It’s been in existence since 1728 for a reason, right?”

LARRABEE: THE EARLY YEARS

Larrabee spent his own growing-up years in Boxford, Massachusetts, in a close-knit family with parents whose own childhoods in large families taught them about how to economize; his father was the oldest of nine children raised in rural Maine, and his mother was the youngest of 10 children.

Larrabee has an older sister, Angela; the two were close growing up and remain so to this day. She lives

in Charlotte, managing a senior living community. “I think it’s a direct result of our upbringing, and the focus my parents put on kindness, that my sister cares for the elderly and I work with kids,” he said.

In addition to seeing his parents and his sister as role models, Larrabee says he was fortunate to have a great public school system in Boxford, all the way from his early years to Masconomet Regional High School, where he encountered “Mr. Doliber” — Don Doliber — who taught Larrabee history in both ninth and 11th grades.

That double-dose was Larrabee’s good fortune. Doliber was the kind of teacher who ignited a passion

From the moment Travis stepped on campus, he made it a priority

for learning in his students, and his recollection isn’t mere nostalgia; Doliber won the Daughters of the American Revolution national award for Outstanding American History Teacher in 1983 (his students nominated him), and several other teaching awards.

“Mr. Doliber had me in the palm of his hands every time I went to class,” Larrabee said. “His ability to spin a yarn, to tell a story, to make history come alive, is the reason that I became a social studies teacher. There’s no question about it.”

Stories were not the only way that Doliber opened Larrabee’s eyes to the world beyond his small town; as a ninth grader, Larrabee traveled to historical sites in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom on a trip Doliber organized. “It was incredibly eye-opening,” Larrabee said. “It whetted my appetite for more.”

A few years later, that chance came around. Madame Rasner, a French teacher at Masconomet, began offering Russian classes; Larrabee enrolled, and when she organized a student exchange, he hosted a student, Andrei, for about three weeks during his senior year. A planned-for exchange trip of Masconomet students to the Soviet Union fell through, but Larrabee didn’t give up. In 1991, the summer after his high school graduation, he somehow convinced his family to let him go on his own.

Traveling solo as a 17-year-old from Boston’s Logan Airport to London’s Heathrow, then to Stockholm, and

CLOCKWISE STARTING FROM TOP LEFT: Travis (left) with Andrei, the Russian exchange student, in Boxford; Travis later visited Andrei’s family in Moscow. Favorite teacher Don Doliber, who whetted Larrabee’s thirst for travel with a class trip to Europe. Travis and his wife, Heather, with his parents, John and Cheryle. A family photo in Ocean Isle Beach, NC. First dance at their wedding. The lifelong Red Sox fan at age 3.

finally on to Moscow, to stay with Andrei and his parents (who spoke only Russian), was a life-changing adventure. “It was an incredible confidence booster,” he recalls, “feeling that I could do that.” While he was there, hardliners in the Communist Party attempted a coup against the reformist president, Mikhail Gorbachev, a recollection that underscores, for him, the precarious politics of that time.

Those experiences led him to major in Russian studies and government at Colby College in Maine, and he returned to St. Petersburg to study during his junior year. While there, he tested out how it felt to teach, providing English instruction to Russian fifth

programs, including partnerships with universities and colleges in Philadelphia. He also led the school’s pandemic response, which like Norfolk Academy’s, included a testing regimen that allowed the school to offer in-person classes starting in the fall of 2020. He became Assistant Head of School in 2021, which at Penn Charter made him responsible for oversight and day-to-day operation of the entire school, as Penn Charter’s Head worked on long-range projects.

Along the way, Larrabee developed a vision of the kind of leadership he wanted to exemplify. “I see my job as a leader to help put people in positions to be successful and to bring their best selves,” he said. “So

to connect in a meaningful way with all constituents.

Board Chair John O. Wynne Jr. ’94

graders. They were accustomed to English with a British accent, and his Massachusetts accent greatly amused them. To his surprise, despite language challenges that were “humbling,” he loved it. “I got an energy from being in the classroom and working with students, exposing them to a different way of thinking.”

A CAREER AS AN EDUCATOR

He landed his first job after college as a sixth-grade teacher at the highly regarded Dexter School in Brookline, a Boston suburb. He then got his first taste of Virginia, at the Potomac School in McLean, where he started as a fifth-grade teacher and moved up the ranks to Upper School Dean of Students. During that period, Larrabee earned a master’s degree in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia, where he also served as a graduate teaching assistant.

He started at William Penn Charter School as Upper School Dean of Students and a social studies teacher in 2007. He became Upper School Director in 2010, serving in that role for eight years, and gaining direct experience in hiring faculty and developing the educational program for a division of 450 students, in collaboration with deans and department chairs.

In 2018, he became Penn Charter’s Director of Strategic Initiatives, which put him at the helm of developing some of the school’s distinctive educational

much of servant leadership is about empowering people who are doing the work on the front lines.”

He also drew ideas from the Quaker traditions embedded in the educational approaches at Penn Charter. Although he isn’t a Quaker, he appreciated the way the faith emphasizes quiet reflection and the importance of allowing many people to share their perspectives in the decision-making process.

From an educational perspective, he appreciates the Quaker concept of “continuous revelation,” which has broader applications. It is a way of approaching the world, and the experience of gaining knowledge, that ties together a sense of wonder, a desire to keep exploring new horizons, and belief that there is no end point.

We are always learning, always growing, he said. “It’s the idea that the world constantly is revealing itself to you, but you are also constantly revealing yourself to the world. And so this means that we’re never done, we’re never fully arrived, we’re never finished.”

It’s a perspective that gives him energy for the journey ahead. ◆

Esther Diskin is Director of Communications.

Meet the (Student) Press

Bulldog-Style!

A group of students, two from each division, had a chance to interview the new Head of School. No topic was off-limits, laughter erupted often, and every question — no matter how zany — got an answer. The inquisitors began with curiosity about his childhood, and then they got creative.

Chloe Evick ’30: What’s your favorite sport to play, and has it changed since childhood?

Mr. Larrabee: Yes, it has changed since childhood, because I’m no longer physically able to play the sport I like the most. (Laughter.) Growing up for me, it was baseball. Loved it — Little League all the way through, played in high school, played a couple years in college. I can’t do that anymore! A sport that I picked up in Middle School as my job… I lived down the road from a golf course, and I had a job cutting grass in the mornings and on weekends. I started picking up golf, and that’s the sport I enjoy playing the most now. It is an opportunity for me to be outside and to be with friends.

Mia Jones ’27: What was your favorite book growing up?

Mr. Larrabee: One was Lord of the Flies; it had a dramatic impact on me. There was also A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, which is about a friendship between two boys and ultimately about losing someone — I read that book 10 to 15 times over. I loved that book.

Ryan Benton ’29: What was your favorite band in middle/high school?

Mr. Larrabee: When I was your age, I listened to what my parents listened to. Growing up, there was a lot of Billy Joel playing in my house, a lot of Neil Diamond, Bee Gees, Abba, Barry Manilow. When I got to my middle and high school years, it was a lot of classic rock — I was a huge Eric Clapton fan, huge Who fan, Led Zeppelin, and early rap. My music tastes have changed tremendously over the years. Country is starting to grow on me. I love live music and all live performances — sports, drama, music, anything.

Joe Bakkar ’24: Who was your first celebrity crush?

Mr. Larrabee: Oh my gosh. This is going to be embarrassing! The original Wonder Woman, Linda Carter. Growing up, I loved cartoons, loved shows, liked the old TV shows, The incredible Hulk — not animated, the live action one. And I would watch Wonder Woman.

Ryan Benton ’29: If you could relive one particular moment in middle school or high school, what would it be?

Mr. Larrabee: Graduation. I remember the day, the weather. We had the night before it called baccalaureate, and I was selected to give a speech at that. Giving a speech before a couple thousand people was intimidating and exhilarating. But the next day, graduation, my family was around me — I really felt excited, proud, and excited for what was coming next.

Joe Bakkar ’24: If you owned a food truck, what would you sell?

Mr. Larrabee: Tacos! All kinds of tacos — chicken, seafood, fish. Tacos, without question — super easy, people love them.

Rhea Khanna ’24: What’s your comfort food?

Mr. Larrabee: Probably mac and cheese.

Elliott Williams ’30: That’s what we’re having tomorrow for lunch!

Mr. Larrabee: And to get more specific, I’d say my mom’s mac and cheese, recipe from scratch.

Joe Bakkar ’24: If you could summarize your personality into the color of a crayon, what would it be?

Mr. Larrabee:: That’s a good one — never heard that question before! Blue is my favorite color, but I am not sure that exemplifies my personality. But I’ll stick with it. I associate blue with calm and serenity, and while outside events can change that, I am generally a calm, even person. Blue is also associated with someone’s moods, and it is important to acknowledge that we aren’t always happy all the time; those are few and far between for me. I associate blue with water and sky, and I do love being outside as much as I possibly can. That’s when I am at my happiest.

Ryan Benton ’29: I’ve got a good one for you! What type of clothing represents your personality?

Mr. Larrabee: Fashion is not something that is incredibly front of mind for me. I am wearing basically the same outfit (blazer and khakis) I’ve worn for the past 30 years! I do think my sneaker game has picked up a bit in recent years. That is where I express the fun side of myself — through footwear.

Elliott Williams ’30: What is your favorite school event at NA?

Mr. Larrabee: I am looking forward to Field Day. Homecoming was awesome. But my favorite event so far was welcoming the first graders on the first day of school. They were patting the Bulldog, and seeing their reactions, seeing the teachers connect with them right away.

Rhea Khanna ’24: What do you think the meaning of life is?

Mr. Larrabee: Wow — existential. I don’t have anything quippy or clever to say. I think the meaning of life is human interaction, it’s connecting with the people you care about the most… that, for me, is why I do what I do.

This interview was transcribed and edited for length and clarity by Esther Diskin , Director of Communications.

Elliott Williams ’30 reveals that mac and cheese, Mr. Larrabee’s favorite, is on the lunch menu!

Alumni, how has the Honor System impacted your lives after NA? Email your thoughts to communications@ norfolkacademy.org. We will share them in future stories.

Honor System Endures Through Changing Times

New buildings open, programmatic additions flourish, and faculty members retire, and just like at any institution, change occurs at Norfolk Academy. Progress is a key ingredient to renewal, and Norfolk Academy has a robust system in place to make sure that all progress is grounded in our Statement of Philosophy and Objectives. How can we refresh our school while maintaining important values that have made us who we are? The Honor System at Norfolk Academy continues to provide that firm foundation on which all programs are built. It is the connective tissue that binds us all together and remains, as Mr. Massey once called it, the “taproot” of our school community.

When alums are asked about their time at Norfolk Academy, we certainly recall teachers and coaches who invested in our development. Names like Patty Masterson, Richard Oberdorfer, Tom Duquette, Diane Wallace, and Bill Harvie echo through our lives as they did through the hallways we shared. We also remember the lifelong friendships formed on the playing fields, on the stage, and in the classrooms that have made our lives fuller and richer. Relationships are at the core of what makes this place so special, and they were all forged in an environment that demanded that we live lives of honor and integrity. The Honor System at Norfolk Academy remains the most important institution within the institution. While some things change, this most important element of the Academy experience remains.

While the core tenets and organizational structure of the Honor System endure, technology has introduced new challenges. Like every other industry, academia has transitioned to the digital realm. Innovative pedagogical practices, efficient research through access to information, and the democratization of resources have all been positive changes to teaching and learning, but ethical challenges have emerged with these efficiencies. Artificial Intelligence and the use of ChatGPT have created particular opportunities for our community to reiterate and reinforce our fundamental commitment to academic integrity. While the

temptations to take short cuts have increased over time, the School’s commitment to teaching honorable behavior as a paradigm has not diminished one bit, so the faculty and students remain committed to establishing relationships built on trust and to providing avenues to learn how to live lives of integrity built on mutual respect.

The Honor System lives in all three divisions, and like any educational program, it is presented and utilized in developmentally appropriate ways with leadership coming from members of the Tunstall Honor Council. Each year the student body is tasked with choosing from among peers who will represent them in upholding the time-honored standards. These seven students (three seniors, two juniors, and two sophomores) serve two key functions within the system. Their primary and most regular function is to educate the entire student body on the importance of living honorable lives. The Tunstall Honor Council works with Lower School students in classroom workshops and through chapel talks and consults regularly with members of the Royster Honor Council to help plan activities, all with the goal of educating the student body about why living in an honorable community is so important.

This year the Tunstall Honor Council is also planning to work through Upper School advisory groups to lead discussions on hypothetical case studies to help students understand the best ways to deal with tough situations. It remains a tradition for the Chair of the Honor Council to address the faculty at the beginning of the school year and engage in a discussion about best practices in the classroom. The Tunstall Honor Council is also tasked with adjudicating cases brought to them by the Upper School faculty. Sitting in judgment of your peers is challenging but important work and plays a vital role in the effectiveness of our system. ◆

Sean Wetmore ’86 is Director of the Batten Leadership Program and with Spanish Teacher Taylor Winn ’07 serves as a faculty advisor to the Tunstall Honor Council.

When asked to reflect on the function of the Honor System at Norfolk Academy, the answers reflected the centrality of the Honor System through generations of students:

“The Honor System instills trust among peers, and between students and their teachers. We feel safe to leave our things unattended, and teachers are secure in the fact that their students are honorable when doing their assignments.”

VIVI DEANS, SOPHOMORE

“The Honor System has many impacts on the policies of the school like the open lockers. But what I think is more powerful is the feeling of safety that it provides. Everyone knows that everyone else is abiding by the Honor Code; it creates a safe community of trust.”

XANDER DUKAS, JUNIOR

“Norfolk Academy’s Honor System produces and preserves an education environment in which the students and faculty trust and respect each other, in all walks of life, from testing settings to respecting others’ belongings in lockers and hallways. The Honor System also helps prepare students for leading honorable lives after they graduate and advance to the next chapter of their lives.”

MARIN SODERBERG, SENIOR

LEFT TO RIGHT: Van Deans ’24, chair of the Tunstall Honor Council, gives remarks to the entire school at S. Barron Segar Day; Ishan ’30, president of the Lower School Student Council Association, delivered the prayer and led the Pledge; BOTTOM: Mr. Larrabee swears in the members of the Royster and Tunstall Honor Councils.

THE HONOR SYSTEM AT NORFOLK ACADEMY IS THE “TAPROOT” OF OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY; THE MOST IMPORTANT INSTITUTION WITHIN THE INSTITUTION.

“ en you welcome truth, you change the world. ”

To Life

Stories of Holocaust Survivors in Hampton Roads

NEW ANTHOLOGY AND PODCAST SERIES LED BY WENDY JUREN AUERBACH ’78 AND OTHERS IN THE ACADEMY FAMILY

As Lauren Barkan ’94 grew up in Virginia Beach, her grandmother was a constant ray of joy in her life.

Esther Goldman made it “her mission in life” to make Lauren and her two siblings happy, Barkan recalled, and that included whipping up classic Jewish recipes, like matzah ball soup and kreplach (dumplings stuffed with meat), for holiday meals.

“She was an amazing cook,” Barkan said. “Everyone came to her house — there were five or six tables lined up from the dining room to the entrance.”

Goldman’s irrepressible personality hid a past of suffering and darkness, as a Holocaust survivor, one who endured deportation to a ghetto, time in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, and a death march at the end of the war. Barkan first heard her grandmother’s story as a ninth grader in Mike Horstman’s World Cultures class when Goldman came as a guest speaker.

Sitting with her peers in Price Auditorium, Barkan recalls being wholly unprepared for the wave of feelings that swept over her, even though she had helped arrange for the visit. “There were all kinds of emotions. I was in shock and horrified,” Barkan said. “That may have been the only time I heard her as an audience member.”

Goldman sadly passed away before Barkan got married, but her story is captured in an extraordinary new collection published by the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater. To Life: The Past Is Present, Holocaust Stories of Hampton Roads Survivors, Liberators, and Rescuers contains more than 90 stories, each one told with nuance and detail that make compelling reading. While To Life is, strictly speaking, the 20th anniversary edition of a 2002 collection of stories of Holocaust survivors in Hampton Roads, the expansion of the volume makes it feel like a completely new creation: It now has many additional stories, photographs to accompany each one, historical essays to provide context, maps, a glossary, and an index.

While the individual stories contain moments of agony and horror, the overall impact is anything but that, as the vitality of the survivors — and their embrace of family life, as well as professional and civic engagement — dominate the volume. The anthology is designed as a resource for educators, and WHRO is partnering with the UJF to host a series of dramatic podcasts, entitled “Stars Among Us,” focusing on specific stories.

Wendy Juren Auerbach ’78, who served as the book’s editor, said that as the scope of the project kept growing, more people contributed to make it a reality. “The fact that we were able to produce a book like this in a community that doesn’t have a large Jewish population shows a commitment to preserving stories and memories,” Auerbach said. “It is impossible to do a book like this without engaging every corner of the Jewish community, as well as those in the non-Jewish community, and people joined in without any hesitation at all.”

That large group included many with connections to Norfolk Academy, including Trustee Sandra Porter Leon ’80, who helped raise funds for the book’s production; Elena Baum ’84, former director of the Holocaust Commission; Rachael Feigenbaum, who worked particularly on printing and publication; and

“Now that these survivo a not he , it would be so

former NA teachers Gail Flax and Elizabeth Johnson, who helped develop the book’s educational aspects and served as copy editors.

“History only stands firm if the truth is told,” Flax said. “When you welcome truth, you change the world. That’s my motivation. These people are the stars among us, and they lived here in Hampton Roads. We have a rich history here.”

Flax helped craft Virginia’s social studies curriculum related to the Holocaust as a member of a committee established by Governor Ralph Northam. The committee’s work established standards for Holocaust education in public schools that have remained in place under Governor Glenn Youngkin ’85. Fighting antisemitism has also been a focus of Youngkin’s administration; on his first day as governor, he established a commission to combat antisemitism, and he has pushed to make antisemitism a hate crime.

Flax noted that the Holocaust Commission has worked for many decades to develop resources that

help educators convey accurate history about World War II and the Holocaust in a way that is engrossing and relevant to young people. Those resources include films, multimedia productions, the annual Elie Wiesel Writing and Visual Arts Competition for students, and a biannual conference for local educators.

The new anthology was shaped by a scholastic approach, which distinguishes it from the original, which was a compendium of stories, Flax said. “We asked ourselves: How could we make it user-friendly for teachers and make it an anthology for reference in the classroom?”

Auerbach said she was driven to collect every story she could find, particularly as survivors — even those who were children during the Holocaust — are passing away. “It’s a tragedy to me if we missed a story,” she said. “It raises your awareness of how important it is to write things down.” She is particularly excited that the stories are getting a fresh treatment in the podcast, making them easily accessible in a format young people already enjoy.

To learn more and purchase a copy of To Life: https://holocaustcommission.jewishva.org/pre-order-to-life

To explore the podcast: https://mediaplayer.whro.org/program/starsamongus

easy for their stories to disap ar. We a the holder these stories.”

Telling these stories is painful, even re-traumatizing, even for those who are retelling accounts told to them by parents or grandparents, Auerbach noted. “We made sure that each person felt comfortable telling their story, and we were guided by our belief that the story is theirs, not ours. We are just the stewards of the story.”

Barkan, who has served on the Holocaust Commission for about a decade, spoke about her grandmother on a panel about To Life for the Jewish Book Festival last fall. She agrees with Auerbach about the difficulty and the importance of sharing the story she heard from Esther Goldman — the grandmother who gave her kisses and often called her “bubbeleh,” the Yiddish word for sweetie or darling.

“I still shake when I speak about her,” Barkan said. “Now that these survivors are not here, it would be so easy for their stories to disappear. We are the holder of these stories.” ◆

Esther Diskin is Director of Communications.

LEFT TO RIGHT:

Esther Wondolowicz Goldman, Lauren Barkan ‘94’s grandmother, survived myriad horrors in Poland during World War II, including the Auschwitz extermination camp. She and her husband, Charles, also a concentration camp survivor, moved in 1957 to Norfolk, where he worked as a grocery merchant. The Goldmans’ stories are in a new anthology.

Back row: Esther and Charles Goldman; front row: their dog Shoo Shoo, Lauren, Todd, and Tova Goldman.

Lauren Barkan ‘94 at age 23 with her grandmother Esther Wondolowicz Goldman.

Wendy Juren Auerbach ’78, Lauren Barkan ’94, and former NA teacher Gail Flax worked on the anthology and spoke at a Jewish Book Festival panel in fall 2023.

NORFOLK ACADEMY & COPERNICUS – GYMNASIUM CELEBRATE

50 years

NORFOLK ACADEMY TRAVELED TO GERMANY TO MARK A HALF CENTURY OF FRIENDSHIP WITH COPERNICUS-GYMNASIUM. STUDENTS IN THE CLASS OF 2024 OFFERED THEIR REFLECTIONS ON BEING PART OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE EXCHANGE.

In 2023, Norfolk Academy celebrated 50 years of friendship and exchanges with our German partner school Copernicus-Gymnasium Löningen (CGL). Norfolk Academy held a gala celebration and premiere of “We Hold These Truths,” a piece by composer Stephen Melillo for chorus and orchestra in April (see article in Summer 2023 issue). Bulldog families opened their homes to 15 exchange students and an additional 36 student-musicians, as well as more than a dozen faculty members, including Head of School Ralf Göken.

The transatlantic festivities continued as the Bulldogs boarded planes to Europe, landing in Amsterdam and traveling by bus to Löningen. The NA delegation included 15 exchange students, all of whom are German language students, as well as 27 chorus members and about a dozen faculty chaperones, including German Teacher Chris Nelson, who has led exchanges over three decades, and German Teacher Kelly Dewey ’04. Multiple concerts at CGL were attended by an array of German dignitaries.

AN EPIC TRANSATLANTIC

celebration

SUSIE GUZIK: Together we took on Germany head-on, and had a phenomenal time, no matter the situation. I’d do it all over again if I could, although I know it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I’ll treasure forever.

HANNAH STREDLER: I am forever changed by the experience I have taken part in. I realized that the bonds we have formed on this exchange are special and can never be broken.

JACOB EZIEME: This trip not only opened my eyes to what kind of place I might want to live in but also what people I want to associate with when I’m older. This was a life-changing experience.

RICHARD HOPE: From this experience, I believe I gained a better understanding of the German language and friends for life, and am now more equipped to live life away from my family.

DYLAN DEFOOR: My favorite experience was the friendships I made. In such a short amount of time, we were able to learn a new culture, practice a second language, and immerse ourselves in an amazing society. We could not have done any of this without friendship.

JULIAN BURKE: This exchange trip to Germany has been a great way for me to expand my horizons and learn about a culture different from mine.

LÖNINGEN

REAGAN BANDY: An amazing, breathtaking experience — I can confidently say this was one of the best experiences and best few weeks of my life. The memories I made and people I met, I will carry with me every second of every day because the trip would have never been the same without any of the people and memories.

GERMANY

CARRIE DELEON: The moments I enjoyed most were when the group was together at someone’s house and we got to talk, eat, and enjoy each other’s presence. This experience helped me grow as a person because I pushed myself out of my comfort zone, and in doing so, I found a love for travel.

MICHELLE VAZQUEZ-PARAMO: I never thought it would be so difficult leaving a group of people who I had stayed with for only two weeks. The memories I made in Germany I could have never made in America.

Upper School students on the Germany Maymester trip in 2023 bonded by exploring the countryside. In the words of Reagan Bandy ’24, “An amazing, breathtaking experience.”

SOPHIE POLLIO: These past few weeks in Germany have been some of the best of my life. I’ve made so many incredible friends and gained an entire second family. I would not have traded this opportunity for anything, and I hope I will get the chance to see some of these amazing people again someday. ◆

STUDIO stage&

TOP: Olivia Fox, Middle School Art Teacher, with Amay ’28. MIDDLE: Elbert Watson leads a new Middle School class, Kinesthetic Pathways. BOTTOM: Anna Meadows leads Middle School students in a group performance on ukuleles.

Choice & Voice

MIDDLE SCHOOL FINE ARTS PROGRAM EXPANDS

Take a stroll through the upper level of the Tucker Arts Center and you are likely to encounter the soaring melodies of John Williams’ Jurassic Park played on Orff instruments by Middle School students under the baton of Anna Meadows or the bright sounds of jazz emanating from the new Electronic Music lab where Jordon Crichlow takes the lead. At the end of the hall, colorful and tactile two- and threedimensional art is being created under the tutelage of Middle School Art Teacher Olivia Fox.

Downstairs, Magic Circles and Country Line Dancing are the daily fare of middle schoolers exploring kinesthetic pathways for focus, flexibility, speed, strength, and balance in a course taught by Dance Teacher Suzy Gunn ’01 and Dance Master Elbert Watson, who also serves as Co-Chair of the Fine Arts Department. Meanwhile, in Johnson Theatre and Price Auditorium, you are sure to happen on Drama Teacher Caroline Bisi and her students rehearsing a sword fight, a Japanese morality play by a German playwright with a Greek chorus, or Italian slapstick comedy. And that’s just for starters.

Why this robust new approach to the Fine Arts throughout the Middle School?

Studies from around the world and across educational disciplines show that supporting student autonomy in learning is positively correlated with virtually everything we value in our students. Learners who are offered age-appropriate opportunities to take responsibility for important academic choices, including what and how they learn, demonstrate increased motivation and self-direction, engagement, effort, learning, and achievement. As Jeff Boyd, Middle School Director, summarizes, “When students feel ownership… we’re in business.”

Two years ago, with “voice and choice” driving their efforts, Middle School teachers and administrators hit the “refresh” button on the Fine Arts curriculum. The previous fine arts sequence was linear and prescribed. Students took music appreciation in seventh grade, drama in eighth, and visual art in ninth. Under that progression, a student who was passionate about visual art experienced what Boyd refers to as a “two-year desert” between art classes during sixth grade, their last year of Lower School, and their last year of Middle School.

This team of educators committed themselves to infusing offerings with more opportunities for students to select relevant and meaningful experiences. As the new sequence took shape, based on the professional expertise of teachers balanced with student interest and institutional need, faculty streamlined the music appreciation course to one semester and developed a one-semester visual art appreciation course to ensure that seventh graders had a strong foundation from which to map their future artistic paths.

Now in the second year of the expanded Fine Arts offerings, all Middle School students must still earn one fine arts credit each year, but the door has been flung wide open to a broader range of options than the former model offered. This new approach to Fine Arts in the Middle School is woven into the school day and baked into the DNA. But, as Boyd observes, “It hits differently for every student,” and that is by design. Middle School serves as a bridge between past and future, helping students link childhood passions, interests, awe, and wonder with more intentional pursuits in the teenage years. In these middle years,

students are encouraged to discover new directions or to nurture, develop, and refine longtime passions.

All these opportunities for cognitive, social-emotional, psycho-motor, and kinesthetic growth add up to a “Triple A” program — autonomy, agency, and active participation. ◆

Betsy DiJulio teaches Upper School Art and serves as Co-Chair of the Fine Arts Department.

STUDIO stage&

The Pep Band added excitement to Homecoming 2023 as part of the school’s traditional Spirit Parade, which features first graders and their senior buddies.

There’s Pep in Their Step

Bulldog fans at Homecoming this year had extra pep in their step, courtesy of an increasingly popular group on campus, the Norfolk Academy Pep Band.

Jordon Crichlow, who joined the NA family in 2022 as the band instructor for all three divisions, started the Pep Band as an additional activity last school year. Crichlow is an accomplished musician who has been part of Pharrell Williams’s Voice of Fire and the National HBCU Navy Jazz Band, among many other ensembles. While attending Hampton University he was in the Marching Band, Orchestra Ensemble, Symphonic Band, and Jazz Band.

Crichlow wanted to bring that same musical excitement he enjoyed at Hampton University to NA

The band started with a few dozen students, primarily in Middle School, who practiced together under Crichlow’s direction during occasional free H Bells. Over the course of the year, the group also performed during a few assemblies and events.

Audiences who watched the students perform noticed something: They were relaxed and having fun. They also came together from different aspects of school life — some were talented athletes while others were dedicated musicians. Others just liked the group’s camaraderie.

This school year, the band has grown in numbers and scope. More Upper School students are involved and the group plans to perform at more sports contests in addition to assemblies.

Pep band is an additional activity that the students tack on to already busy school schedules, Crichlow noted. Yet they readily take on that challenge with a smile.

“Every day, Norfolk Academy and our students show me what it means to be a Bulldog,” Crichlow said. “I’m beyond proud of our students. Leading this group is easy because they bring the pep and their best!”

Amanda Wong ’25 likes the unique qualities of the pep band, how it mixes Middle and Upper School and athletics and fine arts. She also likes the thrill of hyping up large groups of fans, as the band did when it performed to a packed Wynne-Darden Stadium crowd at Homecoming.

“We’ve never had anything like it here,” Wong said.

Meghan Monnet ’27 plays the flute for the pep band. While the group takes its music seriously, she enjoys how everyone has fun joking and performing together.

“I like being part of the community,” Monnet said.

Being a combined group of Middle and Upper School presents challenges. Students have different free periods, so the times when Crichlow can practice with everyone are rare. He managed only a handful of sessions with the entire band before it performed at Homecoming.

Still, the crowd appreciated the catchy rhythms. After leading Seniors and their First Grade Buddies onto the track for the Spirit Parade, the band took its spot in the stands for the football game and performed pieces like ESPN’s SportsCenter jingle and other songs popular at sporting events.

Music runs in senior Chloe Pausch’s family; both her mother and grandmother played the flute, and her mom was in a marching band. Chloe is part of the

pep band because she enjoys the sense of community Crichlow has cultivated. She hopes the group continues to grow. Her advice for any younger students who might consider joining: Go for it.

“It’s just fun,” Pausch said. ◆

Mike Connors is Digital News and Social Media Specialist.

Norfolk Academy celebrated Generations of Field Hockey Excellence during Homecoming 2023 weekend, highlighted by a big win over rival Collegiate. TOP : NA celebrates a big win over rival Collegiate on Homecoming Friday. LEFT : Shelby ‘24 moves the ball during that win. CENTER : TeacherCoach Mary Werkheiser called that win one of the best she has seen at NA. RIGHT : “This program has a strong culture like no other,” Lily Clarkson ‘18 said during the Field Hockey celebration.

FIELD HOCKEY

State Title Caps Historic Season Celebrating Generations of Excellence

A fall season that saw Norfolk Academy celebrate generations of field hockey excellence ended in a most fitting way.

Norfolk Academy’s varsity field hockey team went 23–0 in 2023, breezing to TCIS regular season and postseason titles before earning the VISAA state championship in thrilling fashion. The Bulldogs defeated the defending state champ, Collegiate School, 4–3 in the final in November in Richmond.

Along the way, they knocked off several national powers, rising to the top ranking in the entire country in one publication. They outscored their opponents 191–12, including 58–3 in the postseason.

Accolades for this team could go on and on. It was the top team in The Virginian-Pilot’s weekly regional rankings throughout the season. Six student-athletes earned first-team all-state honors. Five seniors committed to playing the sport at the collegiate level, with several juniors soon to continue on as well.

The Bulldogs’ TCIS championship was their 35th since 1984. The state title was their fifth in the past decade: They also won in 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2021. That 2017 team offers a good debate as to which is the best in school history: It went 24–0, with a scoring margin of 145–10, and five student-athletes who went on to play in Division I.

That impressive array of championships is evidence of the program’s legacy of success. But when alumni returned en masse to campus on the Friday of Homecoming weekend last October to celebrate that success, speaker after speaker focused on other valuable aspects of a program that remains near and dear to hearts, in some cases many decades after they played their final game.

Norfolk Academy field hockey is about much more than victories and titles, they said. It’s about developing and championing young women who are multifaceted individuals, dedicated students, resilient competitors, loyal teammates, and thoughtful contributors to the school and greater community.

Trustee Michelle Bass Adams ’91, who played for NA, has a daughter, Lizzie Adams ’24, who was a co-captain and co-MVP for the 2023 team.

“We celebrate not only the program but most importantly the people, the relationships that so many of us have formed through being a part of field hockey at Norfolk Academy,” Bass Adams said. “Your participation is a testament to the care and support that we have for one another.”

Field hockey has been part of Norfolk Academy’s athletic program since the earliest years of the modern, coeducational school. In 1966, when NA and the Country Day School for Girls merged and moved to Wesleyan Drive, then–physical education teacher Jean Boyd McIntyre introduced the sport. Enthusiasm was so strong that NA formed a varsity team the next year.

Dedicated teacher-coaches Karen Doxey, Lynn Ridinger, and Mary Werkheiser — who took over in 1995 — galvanized the program, bringing expertise and an emphasis on each student-athlete’s value to the team. The addition of a national-caliber field hockey field in 2015 elevated the game.

Shortly after Travis Larrabee was named Norfolk Academy’s new Head of School in 2022, he met the varsity field hockey team at a tournament in Pennsylvania where the Bulldogs were playing. He was immediately struck by

NA Field Hockey has won a lot over the years, but the Homecoming celebration noted that the program’s enduring legacy is the young women who developed into thoughtful contributors to the school and greater community.

the team’s poise, spirit, and camaraderie, and quickly came to realize those traits were the norm at NA

“They’re the most recent members of a successful team, athletic program, and school that places character and leadership at its core,” Larrabee said.

That initial team in 1967 went undefeated, Larrabee said with a chuckle — it went 2–0. That began the long history of success. Talented student-athletes are just one reason for it.

“Sustained success year after year is a direct result of strong culture and leadership,” Larrabee said.

Lily Clarkson ’18, a state champion at NA in 2014, 2016, and 2017, went on to play at the University of Pennsylvania. She remains close with many of her teammates and reminisced with them before the Homecoming celebration. What they remember, she said, is the journey of each season, from bonding activities in August through bus rides and practices and games together in November.

“We remember the feeling we had of being teammates, stepping out onto this field together, and the lessons we’ve learned through the times playing,” Clarkson said.

Clarkson’s sister Mia played for the 2023 team. Lily noted that many of the traditions from when she played have carried on.

“This program has a strong culture like no other,” Lily said. “It doesn’t matter if you play one minute or every minute, every single player embraces and commits to the team at 100 percent effort.”

Coaches — for the past several years Werkheiser and assistants Laura Gibson and Catherine McCallum — instilled that dedication, Lily said. They support players

not just on the field but in the classroom. And they teach important lessons, such as play with heart because there’s always someone trying to knock you off the pedestal.

“This program taught me how to win but most importantly it taught me how to play for the love of the game,” she said.

Before the Homecoming ceremony, Norfolk Academy earned a 7–1 win over Collegiate School, a preview to the state championship. Werkheiser called it “one of the best field hockey games I’ve ever seen played on this turf” and said the girls dedicated their effort to all the program alumni.

“You are a huge reason for the success of this team and this program,” Werkheiser said. “Whether you played on this beautiful astroturf surface or when it was grass, your hard work and dedication to the sport has led to NA field hockey’s success.”

Werkheiser then said that she is asked often whether she has a favorite team or player who stands out from her years as a teacher-coach. Her answer is yes.

“It is a player who is committed, hard-working, sacrificing, and plays most importantly for the love of the game,” she said. “And that describes the Norfolk Academy field hockey player, whether it is now or 50 years ago.” ◆

Mike Connors is Digital News and Social Media Specialist.

Lizzie Adams ’24, TOP , helped NA go 23–0 and win a state title in 2023. That state championship was NA’s fifth under Teacher-Coach Mary Werkheiser, BOTTOM

A Bulldog Powerlift

WEIGHT ROOM TRANSFORMS INTO ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE CENTER

Bela Cancado’s eyes lit up when she walked into Norfolk Academy’s new Athletic Performance Center for the first time.

It has 3,800 square feet of weights and equipment, plus technology to measure progress student-athletes are making. Cancado ’25 saw the opportunity to make herself a better volleyball player.

“I was excited to try everything offered and be there for myself and my teammates,” she said.

The performance center is not a new facility but rather a revamping of the weight room that sits next to the Athletic Pavilion. The idea behind the upgrade was that training has evolved over the years, and NA wanted to create a top-of-the-line environment that highlighted the latest offerings.

Steve Monninger, NA’s Varsity Football Coach and Director of Fitness, Strength, and Conditioning, helped design the center. While the old weight room was a potpourri of valuable equipment, the new performance center is set up so student-athletes can efficiently train in a way that benefits them more specifically in the sports they are playing.

NA also invested in TeamBuildr software that records data so studentathletes can better understand how they’re developing.

“When you walk in this room you feel like a champion and you want to train like a champion,” Monninger said.

Monninger credits Strength and Conditioning Coach Paul Carrezola with helping athletes and teams make the best use of the center. A standout tight end for Rutgers University’s football team in the early 2010s, Carrezola has since led strength and conditioning programs at the middle school, high school, and

college levels. He joined the Academy family in 2022.

Carrezola enjoys seeing the growth student-athletes make after they enter the NA athletics program in seventh grade. But he encourages them to consider something more than their time as Bulldogs when they’re working out.

“You are always an athlete,” Carrezola said. “We are building habits for their lives.”

Last fall, Carrezola chose Cancado as one of NA’s first-ever Iron Dogs, an award that recognizes high levels of effort, support for teammates and coaches, and authentic energy. She takes full advantage of the new weights and equipment — single leg squats and trap bar deadlifts are two of her favorite lifts — but also conscientiously uses TeamBuildr to track her workouts and set goals.

Cancado said she was not dedicated to strength and conditioning until she came to NA in ninth grade. She quickly realized its value once she became a Bulldog. And she bought in more once she started using the performance center.

“The new aspect has added an even better environment,” she said. “We should be working hard because we’ve been given this opportunity.” ◆

Mike Connors is Digital News and Social Media Specialist.

Norfolk

Academy has revamped its weight room into an Athletic Performance Center: 3,800 square feet of weights and equipment, plus technology to measure progress studentathletes are making.

Homecoming & Class Reunions

OCTOBER 13–14, 2023

Bulldogs enjoyed a series of special festivities as they celebrated Homecoming 2023! The classes ending in ’3 and ’8 enjoyed their reunions after Neil Barr ’93 (below) gave the annual Homecoming Chapel; the Field Hockey program cheered decades of excellence (a few weeks before winning yet another state title); and everyone had fun at the Game Day Dinner, Spirit Parade, and big football victory.

BOARD

RICHMOND REUNION, NOVEMBER 2, 2023

WASHINGTON, D.C., REUNION, NOVEMBER 14, 2023

ALUMNI BASKETBALL GAME, NOVEMBER 25, 2023

YOUNG ALUMNI HOLIDAY PARTY, DECEMBER 21, 2023

Turning Outside-the-Box Ideas into Reality

Hillary Berndt Blakeley ’08 spends her workdays thinking up ideas that might seem out of this world — and gets the chance to turn those ideas into reality.

Blakeley is an aerospace engineer at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton. And while her team’s ideas might at first seem outside the box, they have developed into important breakthroughs for the U.S. space program.

She started at NASA in 2013, shortly after graduating from UVA’s School of Engineering and Applied Science. Since then, she has worked on diverse missions from SAGE III’s development of an atmospheric monitoring device to a system that can safely pull away astronauts with the PA-1 project. Most recently, Blakeley served on a project called LOFTID to develop an inflatable heat shield that is the leading technology enabling NASA’s missions to Mars and beyond.

Blakeley attended the launch of each of these projects and was on console for LOFTID’s. Seeing so much hard work — LOFTID was more than five years in the making when it launched in 2022 — come to fruition was a special feeling.

“You have poured so much time and thought in,” Blakeley said. “To see it launch and operate successfully is nothing short of amazing.”

Blakeley thanks Norfolk Academy for helping her on her journey. She always loved problem solving but wasn’t sure where that would take her when she was younger. Upper School Physics Teacher Neil Duffy assured her of her abilities and emboldened her to tackle advanced physics. NA’s College Counseling Department encouraged her to pursue engineering and led Blakeley to UVA,

where she studied engineering while minoring in another of her loves, studio art.

NA encouraged her scholastically and artistically and “now I do both as I design spacecraft,” Blakeley said.

Next for Blakeley’s team is capitalizing on the success of the LOFTID mission. The project will be used to advance landing technologies for destinations including Mars, Venus, and Saturn’s moon.

Blakeley’s advice for students who like to problem solve but aren’t sure where that can lead: Pursue your passions and ask many questions along the way.

“Never give up on your dreams,” she said.

Mike Connors is Digital and Social Media Specialist.

alumni profile | Hillary Berndt Blakeley ’08

Hillary Berndt Blakeley ’08

alumni profile | William Carney ’12

He’s Carneyval to Millions

When William Carney ’12 was a second grader at NA, he grudgingly endured piano lessons for about half a year, before quitting in protest. That was the last formal music training he ever received.

From then on, he taught himself. In sixth grade, YouTube tutorials were his pathway to playing drums, starting with tracks from a favorite band, Coldplay. By middle school, he was producing orchestral pieces on his computer, and sharing CDs with Middle School Director Gary Laws, who challenged students in his history class to produce “something creative.”

By Upper School, he was working as a DJ at the Norva, opening up for more well-known bands and DJs, drawing NA friends to experience the burgeoning electronic music scene. His “instrument” back then was Ableton Live, a digital audio workstation popular with many DJs, which he still uses today.

By the time he headed to Tulane University, he knew that music “was what I wanted to do and what I planned on,” but he wasn’t yet ready to unveil his unorthodox vision to his family. He entered as pre-med, still considering the possibility of becoming a doctor like his father and brother Marty ’09, if music didn’t pan out.

Within days of arriving at Tulane, he had booked his first show. More gigs followed, in large measure due to his dogged persistence. “I was a furious cold emailer,” he said. “Being fearless and putting myself out there. That developed in high school.”

Soon enough, as word got out, the need for cold calls abated. He adopted his professional moniker — Carneyval — and traveled around the country, juggling gigs and coursework.

A highlight of that period was DJing in 2015 at the BUKU Fest, a New Orleans festival that drew major rappers, bands,

and DJs. “My family saw me perform,” he said, and it was a revelation to them.

“I had the biggest crowd that whole weekend.”

Immediately after graduation in 2016 with a degree in business, Carney headed to L.A. Within six months, he hit it big: A song that he created with NA alum Jackson Breit ’09, “It Ain’t Love,” reached #1 on Spotify’s U.S. and global viral charts. “That was a big deal,” he said. “It opened doors for both of us.”

During the pandemic, he got on TikTok, spurred partly by a bet among friends about who could get 1 million views. His mashup of Ariana Grande/ Bazzi/Blackbear in June 2020 did just that, and he was off like a rocket. Artists like Jennifer Lopez started sharing his mashups on their own social media, and others soon reached out to collaborate.

He currently has more than 3.5 million followers on TikTok and 600 million views. His hit single “Me Time” is part of a new record deal with Universal Music, and he continues to DJ for live events, traveling to Istanbul, Sardinia, and the Cayman Islands. In November, he was Apple Music’s featured artist for its “Today’s Hits” playlist — the equivalent of a billboard marquee in the music world.

“The competition is steep in a good way,” Carney said. “I am still an entrepreneur. I am always trying to reinvigorate myself.”

Esther Diskin is Director of Communications.

William Carney ’12

& Kayla Wilson ’22

Two Alumnae: One Step from the Olympics

Two Norfolk Academy alumni are one step from the 2024 Olympics — and that is hardly their only noteworthy highlight. Callie Dickinson ’18 and Kayla Wilson ’22 are qualified for the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, which are in June. Top performers there advance to the Olympics, which begin in July in Paris.

Wilson won two medals, including one gold, last October at the Pan American Games in Chile. That came after she helped Stanford University earn third place at the 2023 NCAA Championships. A sophomore, she already is a two-time All-American and a Pac-12 champion in the 800-meter free relay.

Dickinson recently finished swimming at the University of Georgia. She qualified for the NCAA Championships in all five of her seasons and earned six All-America honors. Last August, she reached the semifinals of the 100 and 200 butterfly at the World University Games. In October, she was named a finalist for the 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year Award, which recognizes student-athletes who distinguish themselves in athletics, academics, and the community throughout their college careers.

Dickinson made the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll in all five seasons. Last year, she received an

NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and the prestigious SEC Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award. She finished at Georgia with a master’s degree in Comparative Biomedical Sciences and begins at LSU’s medical school later this year. Her goal is to become an orthopedic surgeon.

Both swimmers are feverishly preparing for the Olympics. Dickinson is training in Georgia, in the pool sometimes more than five hours a day. She’s also working a part-time job in the medical field. Wilson practices 20 hours a week — the maximum amount the NCAA allows — while balancing a rigorous class schedule at one of America’s top academic colleges.

Kristen Kirkman coached both girls at NA. Both are naturally athletic, she said. What helped them improve is their work ethic, dedication, and openness to listening and making changes.

“They are both well deserving,” Kirkman said. “They bring a sense of pride to Norfolk Academy.”

Both credit NA with helping them reach this point. Specifically, they note the team atmosphere that Kirkman builds in the swim program.

“I credit NA with helping me love the sport more,” Wilson said.

Dickinson didn’t start swimming until she was about 6, relatively old in the world of Olympic contenders. She acknowledges she didn’t start making great gains in the sport until she was a few years in. Her path taught her a valuable lesson for younger student-athletes.

“Dream big, and never give up on your dreams,” she said. “You’re going to do your best when you’re happiest.”

Mike Connors is Digital and Social Media Specialist.

alumni profile | Callie Dickinson ’18

Callie Dickinson ’18 (LEFT) and Kayla Wilson ’22

in memoriam

| Charlotte Jean Devers ’27

Conscientious Student & Caring Friend

Charlotte Jean Devers, a member of the Class of 2027, passed away on Wednesday, January 17, 2024. Charlotte joined the Bulldog family as a seventh grader, and through her kindness to peers, she forged close friendships and demonstrated her love for school. A conscientious, dedicated student,

she earned high honors every semester and had a particular fondness for math and French. Her friends often turned to her with academic questions, because she was always patient and encouraging; her approach helped them gain understanding and more confidence, especially before quizzes or tests. She was a member of the JO tennis team. She enjoyed taking a semester course in kinesthetic dance last year, especially because it helped her improve in martial arts, an outside-ofschool passion. She was a black belt in Muay Thai, which she had studied from

childhood. Exceptionally strong and skilled for her age, she had begun to serve as a part-time instructor for younger students. Charlotte’s father died in July 2023. Charlotte was close to her grandparents, her mother, and her 12-year-old brother, Jasper, who is autistic; she had played a big role in caring for him. Charlotte possessed a compassionate, caring nature, and the memory of her kindhearted demeanor and her generous spirit will shine in the memories of family, friends, and all who knew her. ◆

Charlotte Devers ’27

in memoriam

Fielding L. Tyler ’51

George L.B. Grinnan ’53

James V.A. Bickford ’57

John O. Wynne ’63

George C. Garris ’65

Christopher H. Castle ’68

Roy A. Dudley ’72

Peter F. Bariteau ’77

Ellen R. Chapman ’83

Emily W. Tafel ’98

Travis McGovern ’03

David T. Lawson ’15

Ben Lagow ’22

Sam Shumadine ’24

Charlotte Jean Devers ’27

in memoriam | Sam Shumadine ’24

A Leader with Courage, Optimism & Humor

Sam Shumadine ’24 passed away on January 3, 2024, at home in Norfolk following a courageous battle with osteosarcoma.

Despite facing an aggressive cancer, Sam was never defined by his illness. He always remained an engaged and active member of the Norfolk Academy community, which he joined in first grade and immediately became his home away from home. He loved every aspect of his school experience. He enjoyed many strong relationships with faculty and staff members and appreciated the academic rigor. An avid and skillful athlete, his competitive nature shone on the tennis courts, soccer and lacrosse fields, and basketball courts on which he was proud to compete. He earned all-TCIS conference honors in tennis in both 2021 and 2022.

Even when he could no longer play, Sam supported and inspired his teammates as a manager and enthusiastic fan. He was a natural leader in and out of the classroom, most recently serving as an executive member of the Tunstall Student Council.

Most of all, Sam treasured his friendships with his fellow classmates who challenged him to be the best and supported him when he most needed it. His optimism, kindness, mischievous smile, and boundless humor were contagious and allowed him to easily make and keep countless friends.

Outside of school, Sam was a lifelong fan of the Virginia Cavaliers, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Miami Heat. Sam lived his life to the fullest and loved watching and discussing sports, dancing at parties, listening to all types of music, traveling around the world, being on the water, spending summers at Camp Seagull, and vacationing in Sandbridge with family.

Sam is survived by his parents, Jim ’91 and Elizabeth Shumadine, sister Charlotte ’26, and grandparents Sam and Margaret Wells and Conrad Shumadine. He was preceded in death by his grandmother Anne Shumadine. He is also survived by many caring aunts, uncles, cousins, and his beloved dog, Blanca.

Sam quickly befriended and appreciated the members of his care team at the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters, Duke Health, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and Edmarc. The family wishes to express its deepest gratitude to Dr. Wilson File, who was not only Sam’s primary oncologist but also became a trusted and cherished counselor throughout his treatment. In addition, the family would like to recognize the extraordinary care provided by Rob Ericson and the entire CHKD hematologyoncology and Edmarc teams.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to the Sam Shumadine Fund for Financial Assistance at Norfolk Academy, which Sam established last year to express his deep love for his alma mater and his desire to share the experience with others (website: norfolkacademy. org/giving; 1585 Wesleyan Drive, Norfolk, VA 23502). ◆

Sam Shumadine ’24

in

memoriam | John O. Wynne ’63

“Number Ten” — A Leader for the Bulldogs & for the Commonwealth

Former Board President and Trustee John O. “Dubby” Wynne ’63 passed away on October 26, 2023.

Dubby was a passionate Bulldog through and through, and the epitome of selfless service. He was known and admired as a business leader whose work as President and CEO of Landmark Communications Inc. had a transformative impact on the nation’s media landscape. He was an active philanthropist in myriad organizations, particularly educational institutions. He loved Norfolk Academy, the values it stands for, and the teachers who instilled those values — above all, Headmaster J.B. Massey Jr., who inspired him as a student and became a lifelong mentor to him.

As a student at Norfolk Academy, Dubby served as captain of the football, basketball, and tennis teams. Tennis was particularly important to him, and he achieved success in the sport, twice becoming Virginia State Junior champion and developing many close friendships.

After graduating from NA, he went to Princeton University and from there to University of Virginia Law School, interrupting his time in law school for active duty in the U.S. Army Reserves. He worked as a lawyer for Willcox Savage, then in 1974 went to work for Frank Batten Sr. at Landmark Communications Inc. He was involved in many of that company’s pioneering initiatives, including The Weather Channel. Throughout the decades, Frank Batten and Dubby forged a successful business partnership and a close personal friendship. Dubby retired as President and CEO of Landmark in 2001, and he continued to serve on the Board of Directors for many years after his retirement.

Dubby had a passionate commitment to community service and philanthropy. He actively promoted regional cooperation, serving as co-founder of GO Virginia, a statewide economic development initiative. He also served as co-chair of the Hampton Roads Business Partnership; chair of the Board of the Virginia Business Council; and chair of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation. He was on the Board of Trustees of the Eastern Virginia Medical School Foundation and served as Vice Chair of

Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters. He served for 14 years on the Board of Trustees for Princeton University and for eight years on the University of Virginia Board of Visitors, including a term as Rector, and was former Chairman of the University of Virginia Investment Management Company. He also served on the Virginia Business Higher Education Council and on the Governor’s Commission on Higher Education Reform.

Dubby took great pride in his family. When asked about the most important factor in raising his children, he would say, without hesitation, marrying Susan. He would say she had so many strengths that helped him, their family, and the wider community.

Norfolk Academy remained a lodestar for Dubby and his wife. Susan, who served for some years as a fifth-grade teacher and as a Trustee, loved the school as Dubby did. There was nothing Dubby would not do for Norfolk Academy, and he traced it back to his formative years and to the profound gratitude he felt for Mr. Massey. Dubby and Susan’s children became Bulldogs as soon as they reached first grade: John ’94, now serving as Chair of the Board of Trustees, Brad ’00, and Lee ’96, who passed away at age 6 from leukemia. The Wynne Courtyard and Fountain at the heart of the campus are a memorial to Lee and others in the Class of 1996 who passed away in their youth.

Dubby joined the Board of Trustees in 1980 and served as President from 1986–89. His presidency was a time of rapid accomplishment, including the construction of the Vaughan Aquatic Center, the expansion of the Slover Science Building, and crucial strategic planning initiatives. He championed the cause of student diversity and a competitively compensated faculty. He was a leading force in the establishment and growth of the school’s endowment. At the dedication of the Wynne-Darden Stadium in 2017, Board President Tom Alberico spoke about the friendship between Dubby and the late Joshua P. Darden ’54, who was a close friend and like Dubby, a past Board President and philanthropic force at the Academy.

The 1997 Board resolution signed by Richard Burroughs upon Dubby’s retirement noted, “From earlier days, when ‘Number Ten’ led Bulldog teams, to his leadership today, Dubby Wynne has demonstrated a devotion, judgment, and strength of will second to none.” It also called him “a community leader and fundraiser without peer” and “a Trustee’s trustee.” Those words and his actions reverberate in our school community today.

Dubby truly embodied our school’s philosophy of making “unselfishness of thought and action” a habit, and through that selfless spirit, he had a profound impact in all he did and on all the lives he touched. ◆

Dubby Wynne ’63, a business and civic leader, got his first leadership experiences as captain of three NA teams.

parting SHOT

I know it is wet and the sun is not sunny, but we can have lots of good fun that is funny…”

— The Cat in the Hat, by Dr. Seuss

SENIOR–FIRST GRADE BUDDIES!

IN THIS YEAR OF INTEGRITY ON CAMPUS, SENIORS LOVED TAKING SOME TIME IN NOVEMBER TO HELP THEIR YOUNG FRIENDS READ THEIR FAVORITE BOOKS.