The O’Neal Quarterly •
The Key Club hosts its annual Halloween Carnival for students in the Lower School.
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Second Grade Teacher Julia Ambersely presents two sessions at the North Carolina Association of Independent Schools (NCAIS) Educators Conference titled: Writing Essays with Elementary Students.
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Sarah Massey and Andrew Phan are inducted into the Upper School Honor Council.
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The O’Neal Community collects 2374 lbs of food and goods – translating to 1999 meals - for Hurricane Florence Relief efforts.
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O’Neal’s English Department has now opened a Writing Center to help middle and upper school students with their writing projects. Head of School Achievement Awards recognizing the highest academic average in each grade for the past school year are presented to Molly Kuzma, Sydney Maynor and Blair Spencer.
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O’Neal’s new USA Swimming year-round club The O’Neal Pelagics (pə-ˈla-jiks) debuts with 47 members.
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School starts Tuesday, August 14th with 465 students. 121 students are new to O’Neal.
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O’Neal Summer Fun experiences a tremendous 40% increase in registrations this summer bringing the number to an all new record of 724.
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The new Aquatics Program has a great start with 173 registrations combined for summer swimming lessons and swim league.
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Summer / Fall 2018 •
The Class of 2018 has 23 graduates amassing $1.13 million in meritbased scholarships. Valedictorian is Sophia Renner and salutatorian is Elizabeth Moore.
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Middle School inducts nine members to the Jr. Beta Society.
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Alana McRae commits to Cincinnati Christian University Track and Field, Toyin Koleoso commits to Skidmore University Women’s Basketball, Ellie Henry commits to College of William and Mary Swimming.
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Upper School English Department Head Dr. Nicole Camastra is a presenter at the Hemingway Society annual conference in Paris for the paper session - Digital Humanities and Hemingway. Her essay is titled “Putting the Medium and the Message in Perspective: Teaching The Sun Also Rises in the Digital Age.”
The annual JV/Varsity Sports Recognition Ceremony welcomes guest speaker Doak Finch ‘96, Duke University Swimming Assistant Head Coach.
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First headmaster for O’Neal, Robert Haarlow is Class of 2018 commencement speaker.
Caelan McHarney is awarded the Helen Pringle Holmberg Scholarship. Shelby Wray from West Pine Middle School is the recipient of the Hannah Marie Bradshaw Scholarship.
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The O’Neal Players performs its spring drama production, John Patrick’s The Curious Savage.
For the Students, By the Students A Look at O’Neal’s New Student Government Structure by Lulu Brase, Director of Student Life
T
his school year marks a shift in student leadership in 5th through 12th grade. Both the Upper and Middle Schools have adopted student forums for the 2018-19 school year. In both divisions, the student forum provides students the opportunity to gain valuable leadership skills while giving students the ability to have a voice and ownership in impacting positive change across campus. In the Upper School, the student forum is led by an executive board comprised of a president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary. Joining the executive board on the student forum are four class officers per grade: president, vice president, and two class representatives (one male and one female). Each spring the Upper School Student Forum first elects its executive board followed by class officers; meanwhile, the class representatives were elected in the fall of this school year. In the Middle School, the student forum is based on grade level representatives. Each grade, 5th through 8th will have three total representatives, one elected from each advisory. These elections occurred earlier this fall. Prior to elections, all middle school students engaged in lessons within their advisories on speech writing, public speaking skills, and overall discussion of leadership traits and characteristics. Both the Middle and Upper Student Forums have hit the ground running! In Upper School, Student Forum Treasurer Ryan RitterDiosdado led his fellow forum members in organizing, planning and running the new half-day orientation for new students. The student forum executive board members spoke during orientation, and have led their peers in running events such as senior buddies, the concession stand, and the community liaison program. Also, the upper school student forum members have taken charge of the upper school student life activities ranging from Halloween parties to Fall Spirit week, to the Fall Ball dance, and many more to come later this semester and spring.
In the Middle School, the sense of responsibility and duty has
led t h e student forum to take on their first issue of the fall—improving middle school recess. After brainstorming ideas, student forum members decided they wanted to tackle creating a code of conduct for all middle schoolers to follow during recess. In presentations to their individual grades, students explained what they’ve deemed as recess expectations for the playground, basketball court, and gaga ball pit. Students will continue to lead their middle school peers throughout the year and help plan activities ranging from dances to helping with all school events like Homecoming week. Ultimately, the student forum is an exciting change in student leadership in both divisions this year. Both student forum groups have shown tremendous thoughtfulness, responsibility, and leadership in the opening months of school. With our student forums, we are looking forward to continuing to promote and build strong, confident student leaders and Upper School Student Forum empower them to enhance our Secretary Stefan Woolley speaks O’Neal student life experience. at Convocation.
Student Forum Mission
Upper School Student Forum meets weekly.
We the students of the O’Neal Upper/ Middle School Student Forum seek to maintain a unified student body, promote relationships between students and faculty and encourage school pride and loyalty.
Four Conference Players/ Runners of the Year, a State Champion & a #1 Golfer
Bennett Moore, Tri-TAC Player of the Year.
Sarah McInnis, Tri-TAC Player of the Year
One Act “Holloway Jones”
Upper School One Act Players competed in the annual One Act Festival on Saturday, October 27th performing Evan Placey’s Holloway Jones. The team returned to O’Neal with the festival spirit award, excellence in lighting effects and Hannah Burns won excellence in stage management. Holloway Jones was commissioned and produced for the Young People’s Programme of Synergy Theater Project. Synergy works towards the Bryce Samples, Molly Kuzma, Tri-TAC Champ, Tri-TAC Champ, rehabilitation and resettlement of prisoners, ex-prisoners, young Tri-TAC Runner Tri-TAC Runner of people, and other at-risk offenders through theater. The play of the Year the Year, NCISAA premiered at London’s Unicorn Theater in November 2011. State Champ
Varsity Girls Tennis had a very impressive season, winning 8 games and losing 6. The Falcons came second in the Conference and boasted the Tri-Tac Player of the Year in Sarah McInnis. McInnis finished both the regular season and play-offs unbeaten in singles play. O’Neal ranked 3rd in the State and made it to the Final Four of the State Tournament.
Holloway Jones is a coming-of-age tale about a teenage girl in foster care. While the play originally takes place in London between the years 2008-2016, Mr. Placey has given the O’Neal School permission to Americanize the setting and cultural references.
Middle School Boys Soccer completed an unbeaten season, finishing as SEMSAC Conference Champions with a record of 13 wins and 0 Holloway’s home situation is in constant flux as she moves losses. Their success was highlighted with a dominant playoff run, out from foster home to foster home,—while her Mom is in prison. scoring their opponents 11 goals to 3. Holloway picks up BMX racing and is a natural talent. Her major goal is to join the Olympic Development Program so that she can Middle School Volleyball enjoyed a dominant 19 win and 4 loss earn a spot on the national team. However, the trajectory of events season, earning the second seed in the SEMSAC tournament and changes when she meets a cunning and manipulative boy, Avery, included a 16 game unbeaten start to the season. who showers her with new and unexpected gifts. Tensions mount Junior Varsity Volleyball enjoyed their first winning season in 13 when Holloway gets in too deep and must decide between her love for Avery and the sport that can offer her a future on her own years, with a 7 win and 6 loss season. terms. Varsity Volleyball produced one their most successful seasons in program history and reached the play-offs for the NCISAA State Play- The cast of Holloway Jones includes senior Jenna Burns as offs for the first time in 9 years. O’Neal improved to an 11 wins and 5 Holloway, juniors Andrew Lewis and Molly Mansker as Avery loss season, significantly moving their winning percentage and coming and Mom, sophomore Tim Richardson as Coach, and freshmen third in their Conference Championship Ana Huesa as Gem and Isiah Huffman as Policeman. Members of the Chorus are all freshmen and they include Meghan Brianas, A year after winning their first Conference Championship, Varsity Kaleigh O’Leary, Piper Everts, Sierra Huffman, Ailish O’Brien, Boys Soccer repeated as Conference Champions in 2018! Winning 13 Madelyn Vaswani, and Trixie Gomlak. games and losing only 4, they finished the season ranked #4 in the State, losing to the #1 Team in the NCISAA State Play-offs. Bennett Moore was crowned Tri-Tac Player of the Year and Spencer Sullivan Mr. Placey’s daring play incorporates and juxtaposes dramatic elements from Ancient Greece and contemporary theater. the All-Conference Team for his fourth straight year. The O’Neal School is very excited to stage the American premiere Varsity Girls Golf completed its 3rd season ranking 4th in Division 2, missing out on a team State spot of Holloway Jones. by one place. Nicole Adam added to her impressive individual O’Neal career finishing the regular season as the #1 ranked golfer in the state and then following up with a second place finish in the State tournament after shooting an impressive 139 for 36 Nicole Adam, #1 holes. NCISAA Ranking Varsity Girls and Boys Cross Country had potentially the best year in the history of their program. Both teams were crowned as Conference Champions and both teams came third at the NCISAA State Championships! Molly Kuzma and Bryce Samples capped remarkable individual seasons. Both Kuzma and Samples won Individual Conference Titles. Kuzma then went onto win the Girls Individual NCISAA State Championship with Samples coming in second for the Boys.
When shopping for the holidays, don’t forget
Visit the Community tab on O’Neal’s homepage for access to the Falcon Gear Store.
Upcoming Events Nov. 12th: Military Appreciation Assembly and Breakfast Nov. 15-20: Parents’ Association Book Fair Nov. 19th: A Night of One-Act Plays Nov. 20: Lower School Special Persons’ Day Dec. 5: Middle and Upper School Winter Concert Dec. 13: Lower School Holiday Musicals Dec. 13: Homecoming
The O’Neal Quarterly P.O. Box 290 Southern Pines, NC 28388
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