The O’Neal Quarterly
SPRING 2019
•
The Parents’ Association celebrates O’Neal faculty and staff during PA Teacher Appreciation Week.
•
The Upper School Choir wins an award of excellence at a choral festival held at Carowinds.
•
The Odyssey of the Mind team places 4th among 15 teams in the regional competition.
•
Students across divisions show their many talents at the Spring Showcase.
•
Country Club of North Carolina donates their tennis court nets to O’Neal.
•
•
Children’s book author Adam Rubin speaks to Lower School students about his new book “High Five.”
•
O’Neal’s third grade students FaceTime with food journalist Mark Bittman as they work on their Food to Table Project-Based Learning.
Middle School Science Olympiad places 4th in regionals. Select team members compete in the state competition placing 9th among 220 teams.
•
Twelve eighth grade students from College St. Michel in Bourgoin Jallieu, France visit O’Neal and are hosted by O’Neal families as part of the annual French exchange. The students represent France in the 3rd annual O’Neal Heritage Festival that has record numbers in attendance.
•
O’Neal red and blue teams conduct Penny Wars to raise $4500 for the Thirst Project.
•
Twelve students from Nanfang High School of the Hunan Province in China visit O’Neal. They are hosted by O’Neal families and give a great traditional performance to middle and upper school students.
•
The blue team wins the annual Field Day after participating in a morning of activities in celebration of Earth Day.
•
Hannah Burns commits with intention to swim at University of Pittsburgh.
•
Jenna Burns wins the English Speaking Union Shakespeare Competition and represents the Sandhills Branch at the national competition in New York City for the second consecutive year.
•
Grades one - four hold a special Earth Day musical performance.
•
Model UN wins Outstanding Delegation awards at the 2019 conference at Appalachian State University.
•
Ralayah McRae commits to Bluefield College for basketball.
•
The second annual Marvelous Math Day is held across divisions in celebration of Pi Day and everything math!
•
•
Jonathan Jones, founder of local youth soccer program, 365 Soccer Academy, is announced as O’Neal Varsity Soccer Coach. O’Neal student-artists prevail at the Young People’s Arts Festival winning the overall high school award and placing 3rd among 16 other elementary schools. O’Neal’s Naomi Johnson wins the Festival’s Judges Choice Award with her drawing “Medusa”.
On the cover: Scene from “Oliver!” & Naomi Johnson’s “Medusa”
Celebrating the Class of 2019
A
t O’Neal, academic preparation, student-teacher relationships and the college placement program guide families through the seemingly complex college admissions system. Course selection, essay writing, testing, financial aid, etc. are all part of the support offered by O’Neal’s Upper School. O’Neal has exemplary students and the teachers, coaches and administrators are invested in each student’s success. The School’s goal is to help its students have college choices that fit their interests and goals. The ability to be successful in college is the ultimate value of an O’Neal education, and the skills to write, collaborate, analyze and think critically, are the strengths that O’Neal students have as they enter college. The Class of 2019 is extraordinary, and their college destinations highlight all that they have done at O’Neal and point toward their bright futures. Read more.
Facts for the Class of 2019: • • • • • • • •
41 O’Neal Seniors 100% admitted to four-year colleges and universities More than $2,750,000 in scholarship offers Matriculating to 25 colleges in 14 states Five students attending honors programs Two North Carolina State University Park Scholar Semifinalists One Tar Heel Merit Scholarship to UNC-CH Honors Program Eleven admitted to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
“O’Neal is home. Everyone is family here.” - Devon ‘19 “O’Neal has given me a place that is full of supportive teachers and students.” - Stephanie ‘19
Class of 2019 College Destinations Appalachian State University (3) Barnard University Bluefield College Boston University Campbell University Duke University East Carolina University (2) Elon University NC State University Sewanee: The University of the South St. Andrews University University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Alabama University of California, Berkeley University of Colorado at Boulder University of Kentucky University of Mississippi (4) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (8) University of North Carolina at Charlotte (3) University of North Carolina at Greensboro University of Pittsburgh University of Virginia University of Washington US Coast Guard Academy Prep School (Marion Military Institute) Wake Forest University
The Arts
Lady Falcons Win State Swimming
O
’Neal’s winter sports season was a memorable one with a state championship and a finish for the history books.
T
he O’Neal Players performed “It’s Only a Play” written by four-time Tony winner Terrence McNally May 3-5. Under the direction of Michael Norman, the play stars senior Jenna Burns in her farewell performance at O’Neal. It also includes juniors Molly Mansker, Bray Woodard and Andrew Lewis along with freshmen Ana Huesa and Meghan Brianas, Piper Everts and Kaleigh O’Leary. Behind the scenes, stage manager and production technicians are senior Hannah Burns, junior Lily Gutschmit and sophomore Jamie Wenzel. Read More
Cheerleading continued to enjoy strong recognition as they returned to the Liberty Classic and for the second year in a row won their division. The team also performed well at homecoming, silent night and provided fantastic support throughout the girls and boys “Oliver!” was a sold out show in the Hannah Center Theater both basketball seasons. nights March 8th and 9th. Lionel Bart’s musical Oliver! is based The varsity boys basketball team enjoyed an improved season, on the adaptation of Charles Dickens’ 1839 novel Oliver Twist. making an appearance in state tournament play for the first time This year’s musical involved students and faculty from all three since 2013. The boys’ season included sweeping home and away divisions at O’Neal. The cast includes Judy Goetzl as Oliver, games against Lee Christian Academy and Carolina Friends School Clara Lussier, Reese Fisher, Ana Huesa, Max Epstein, Beatrice and a second place finish at the Crusader Christmas Tournament. “Trixie” Gomlak, Matt Jacobs, Virginia Andres, Piper Everts, The young boys’ team will hope to build off the growth of this Meghan Brianas, Kaleigh O’Leary, Teagan McVeigh, Carson Pusser, Sahara Kokott, Nik Epstein, Ria Elamaran, Rob Mays, season with further success next year. Thomas Garrett, Charlotte Mills, Lauren McFarland, Sofi Afable, The varsity girls’ basketball team completed another banner year, Caitlyn Blocklinger, and the O’Nealers. Members of the O’Neal winning the conference regular season championship and the production team include theatrical director Ian Watson, musical conference tournament for the second year in a row. For the first director David Lussier, choreographer Amanda Bumgarner, and time ever for O’Neal, the team also finished as runner up in the dramaturg/assistant director, and O’Neal senior, Jenna Burns. NCISAA State Championships. The girls’ team completed their Read More season with a record of 25 wins and only 4 losses. They played with remarkable poise and execution throughout the season. It was a fabulous season. Read More
Wrapping up the winter sports season were the varsity girls’ and boys’ swimming teams that also competed at a high level for the season. The boys were able to earn second place in the Tri-TAC conference championship and competed admirably at the state tournament. The Lady Falcon swimmers returned to the top of the conference with their 6th conference title in the last 7 seasons. Despite a smaller team than in years past, the girls team swam magnificently at the state tournament and won an incredible 3rd state championship over the same 7-year time span. Read More
Upcoming Events May 13-17 Summer Reading Book Fair
O’NEAL SUMMER FUN Camps, Swimming Lessons, Swim League Register by May 31st for $10 off each registration.
May 17 Lower School Certificate Ceremony May 20 JV/Varsity Sports Recognition Ceremony May 22 Middle School Sports Recognition Ceremony Yearbook & Blackbird’s Eye Dedications Youngclaus Literary Awards Presentation Red/Blue Team Closing Ceremony May 23 Senior Breakfast Upper School Awards Ceremony Baccalaureate May 24 Last Day of School 4th Grade Promotion Ceremony Middle School Awards & 8th Grade Closing Ceremony Commencement
Register Online
ONealSchool.org Before and After Care Available with Camp Registration 910-692-6920
The O’Neal Quarterly P.O. Box 290 Southern Pines, NC 28388
One Community. Every Student. Every Day.