The O’Neal Quarterly •
Third and fourth grade students gave junior and senior students notes expressing how much they look up to them and to enjoy the prom during Prom Promise.
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O’Neal fifth grade students perform a musical: “Charlotte’s Humble Pie”.
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The Parents’ Association hosted its spring faculty and staff appreciation luncheon.
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The Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) accreditation team visited O’Neal’s campus as a part of the process for the School’s national accreditation. O’Neal’s Model UN team won a superior and an excellent delegation in addition to many honorable mentions representing USA and China. Stories written by Sarah Elmore (8), Niasha Kodzai (8), Bray Woodard (8) and Molly Kuzma (7) were selected for Grannie Annie Vol. 11. With over 555 entries nationwide, there were only 24 winners selected in grades 6-8.
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Olivia Webb ‘02 was hired as admissions director.
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New leadership was announced for the 2016-2017 school year: Head of Lower School Angie Manning, Head of Middle School Virginia Andres, Director of College Counseling Renee Ferrerio, Director of Alumni Relations Blanche Hancock ‘88.
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O’Neal’s Middle School Battle of the Books team placed second in regional competition.
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O’Neal’s Middle School Science Olympiad team placed second in regional competition and qualifies a third consecutive time to compete in state competition.
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$53,000 was raised for the faculty professional development initiative at the Annual Auction.
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Senior Chloe Hoffman signed with Nova Southeastern University to play soccer.
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Thirteen seventh and eighth grade students were inducted into the Jr. Beta Club.
SPRING 2016 •
O’Neal participated in “It Starts with Hello” week - founded by family members of Sandy Hook victims. It was created to raise awareness and educate the community on stopping social isolation.
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O’Neal Upper School claimed six of the fifteen placed winners for the annual Young People’s Arts Festival and Patty Amato wins Elementary Teacher Award.
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The O’Neal Booster Club hosted the JV/Varsity Winter Sports Recognition Ceremony.
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O’Neal faculty, volunteer students and parents toured and informed 27 families and 33 students at the annual Information Session and Tours event.
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O’Neal Middle and Upper School student artists participated in the Disappearing Frogs Project with its art exhibit - an initiative to raise awareness of the trending decline of amphibian populations.
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O’Neal hosted the screening for the documentary “Unforgotten - In Memory of the Flyer Tigers”
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s every Quarterly issue focuses on the achievements of O’Neal’s students, we also pride ourselves in the continuing relationships we strengthen and create on the global front. Understanding and acceptance of and collaboration with people of diverse cultures have become necessary for our future leaders as our world grows smaller. Efforts such as our foreign language curriculum starting with Spanish in PreK, the ability to skype with those abroad, partnerships established with schools in other countries, the Upper School Global Issues elective, as well as the success of our Model UN team all contribute to the development of an effective global citizen. Our Global Programs section of the website allows our community to learn more about our philosophy, our international students, family hosting experiences as well as our alumni living and working abroad. It’s an exciting time at O’Neal and our students are embracing all that is offered to learn more about the global community.
O’Neal Students Travel to China
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even students from O’Neal, Savannah Jackson, Brian Subin, William Schirmer, Lizzie Moore, Mackenzie Melton, John Anderson, and Lauren Dailey, accompanied Madame Cagle and Mr. Williamson on the first student visit to China and Nanfang High School. This was the next exciting step in the partnership between the two schools that arose from the Flying Tigers connection between Moore County and Hunan Province. A bond forged by the generosity of spirit over the past 75 years, was strengthened immeasurably as students experienced the many connections that we all share.
Areas of unquestionable beauty were admired, set aside and protected as icons of the past and places of refuge and relaxation.
They saw the universal Unbridled joy of youth was love that exists in families, experienced when they visas they were invited into ited Nanfang High School, homes as guests and treated and the strong relationship as one of exchange student, between students and teachLillian Wu’s family when ers in their school. she joined our trip in Xian and Zhuzhou. The group learned that there is a lot that they can both offer each other in their differences, and that sharing is made possible because of their similarities. As they returned home and reflected on their time abroad, one word kept coming to mind: Powerful. This trip was powerful, and Madame Cagle and Mr. Williamson are so proud of the group of students who joined them on this life changing experience.
John C. Elmore Head of School
Middle School St. Michel Exchange Continues
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n February 2016 O’Neal Middle School welcomed back to campus 12 French students from O’Neal’s sister school, the Collège St. Michel, a nationally recognized school of excellence, in Bourgoin-Jallieu. O’Neal’s eighth and ninth graders have been welcoming their French counterparts for the past four years, and this year 12 students were hosted by O’Neal families in their homes for two weeks. Beyond the personal interactions within the host families, there was a strong collaborative curricular component. In French class students paired up to create presentations on Paris monuments, with O’Neal students
presenting in French, and French students presenting in English. They also teamed up with their French counterparts to perform the traditional French song Aux ChampsElysées. Judy Browne, MS art teacher, hosted the exchange students as part of a field trip with O’Neal eighth graders to the Nasher Museum in Durham. In history class, Christine Birdsall worked closely with Emilie Manon, visiting history teacher from Collège St. Michel. And Kristie Wolferman began her poetry collaboration with her French counterpart long before the French students arrived at O’Neal.
In June the reciprocal part of this year’s exchange will take place, when 14 O’Neal eighth and ninth grade students will travel to Bourgoin-Jallieu. They will attend school at Collège St. Michel, and will stay with host families, experiencing first hand the French culture they have learned about in their O’Neal French classes, and using their French in an authentic environment. Beyond the classroom they will experience excursions with their French counterparts. Students will end their French experience with a cultural exploration of Paris.
The O’Neal Players Present
“Harvey”
Girls’ Swimming Places 1st in EPIC
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he O’Neal Swim Team finished another strong season, with a second place finish at States for the girls’ team, and a fourth place finish for the boys. Both boys’ and girls’ teams won all of their dual meets plus the combined EPIC Conference meet; girls took first and boys took third at the EPIC Conference meet against tough competition.
At the EPIC conference meet, for the second year in a row, the award for highest scorer was a three-way tie between Hannah Burns, Fiona Duffy, and Ellie Henry. At States, the team met a significantly faster field than has ever been seen at 1A/2A States; 12 of 22 records were not merely broken, but smashed. The girls’ Medley Relay of Ellie Henry, Natalie Williams, Fiona Duffy, and Hannah Burns, now holds one of those records. The boys’ 200 Freestyle relay of Chase Osorio, Kyle McClelland, Hans Johnson, and Will Cooper won as well. Ellie Henry also easily won her race, the 50 Freestyle. O’Neal sent swimmers to the podium in 13 of 22 events. O’Neal’s girls and boys basketball teams continued to show encouraging signs of improvement, too. Both teams enjoyed standout and exciting victories during homecoming. The JV Boys basketball team beat Grace Christian, both home and away and The O’Neal School Varsity Cheer team had their best place at the Fayetteville Invitational.
Recognitions
All conference honors went to: Hannah Burns, Ellie Henry, Fiona Duffy, Chase Osorio (Varsity Swimming), Sarah Colthart, Quan Roper and Brian Subin (Varsity Basketball). All state honors went to: Hannah Burns, Ellie Henry, Fiona Duffy, Natalie Williams, William Cooper, Kyle McClelland, Chase Osorio and Hans Johnson (Varsity Swimming).
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he O’Neal Players will be performing Mary Chase’s Pulitzer Prize winning play “Harvey” on April 22nd and 23rd at 7pm and April 24th at 6pm at O’Neal’s Hannah Center Theater. The cast is led by junior Gracie Stroud in the role of Veta and sophomore Andrew Shoecraft Martin as her kind, younger, albeit somewhat delusional, brother, Elwood P. Dowd. Elwood is a likeable young man who claims to have an unseen (and presumably imaginary) friend Harvey often described as a six foot three and a half inch rabbit. Elwood introduces Harvey to everyone he meets. Problems set in for Elwood, however, when his socialite sister becomes increasingly embarrassed by his behavior and decides to have him committed to the local sanitarium. A comedy of errors follows as the flirtatious Dr. Sanderson, mistakenly thinking that Veta is in need of psychiatric help, has her committed instead. When the truth finally emerges, all hands are on deck to search for Elwood. When Elwood finally does reappear, the staff at the sanitarium and his sister seem changed. Just as he is about to get an injection that will turn him back into a “perfectly normal human being,” Veta decides that she’d rather live with Elwood the way he is even if it means putting up with Harvey. Admission is free to O’Neal students and $5 to all others at the door. This production is made by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc. of NY, NY.
Upcoming Events
4/22-24 O’Neal Spring Production “Harvey” 4/23 PA Tag Sale / State Science Olympiad 5/2-6 Summer Reading Book Fair 5/6 Lower School Spring Music Program 5/23 JV/Varsity Spring Sports Recognition 5/27 Commencement
Come to the
PA Tag Sale
O ’ NEAL SUMMER FUN Summer Enrichment Programs for Youth of All Ages. Camps are priced at a $10 discount through May 31st. Take advantage of the $10 discount and enroll before June 1st!
Saturday, April 23rd 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Bradshaw Hall Dining Commons The O’Neal School
9 Weeks of Offerings for Pre-K3 to 6th grade.
All proceeds benefit The O’Neal School.
The O’Neal Quarterly P.O. Box 290 Southern Pines, NC 28388
From the fifth grade musical “Charlotte’s Humble Pie”
Register online at
ONealSchool.org
(910) 692-6920 • Southern Pines, NC