The O’Neal Quarterly •
O’Neal receives its re-accreditation for SAIS and AdvancedED/SACS.
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14 eighth and ninth grade students travel to Bourgoin -Jallieu, France for a short home stay/ study abroad.
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Upper School Spanish Teacher Michael Norman travels with four O’Neal students for five days to Nicaragua for a service/adventure trip where they visit two schools to help with painting and the installation of a library. In addition, students experience the culture including impromptu volleyball and soccer games with the locals on the beach.
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O’Neal Summer Fun kicks off its camps with record enrollment numbers and a new “Falcon Explorers” component to the traditional Falcon Day Camp for younger campers.
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Lower School students and teachers celebrate the retirement of Lower School Director Linda Roberts and Third Grade Teacher Maggie Nicoll with special dedications of a flower garden and bird house at McMurray Hall.
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O’Neal holds its 40th commencement ceremony with 32 members of the class of 2016. $3.2M in scholarships is awarded in total. William Schirmer is the class valedictorian and Eric Subin ‘04, an attorney at Subin & Subin Associates, NY is the commencement speaker.
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The Ravens score consecutive wins to keep the Simmons Cup in Middle School house competition.
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Third grade students perform the musical “An American Dream”.
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O’Neal students dedicate the annual literary magazine, “The Blackbird’s Eye” to Middle School English Teacher Kristie Wolferman. Students dedicate the yearbook, “The Talon”, to Upper School History Teacher Woody Wilder.
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Senior Sarah Colthart, signs with the Hood College Blazers for basketball. O’Neal honors Sal and Teeda Nuzzo at the annual scholarship reception for their provision of the Nuzzo Family Foundation Scholarship to a rising freshman for 16 years.
SUMMER 2016 •
Sam Henry receives the Helen Pringle Holmberg Scholarship and Peter Lovett, from New Century Middle School, receives the Hannah Marie Bradshaw Scholarship.
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O’Neal inducts 15 sophomores and juniors into the National Honor Society.
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The Middle School Science Olympiad Team places in the top 25% of the 226 participating teams at the state Science Olympiad competition. Three team members bring home a combination of seven medals.
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O’Neal celebrates Earth Day. All Middle School students make s’mores with homemade solar ovens and 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students host an Earth Day Extravaganza for their parents and students in the lower grades.
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O’Neal celebrates the Month of the Military Child (April) as guest speaker, Chaplain (MAJ) David Curlin talks to all divisions in separate assemblies on the importance of virtues and living a good life.
Getting Prepared for College
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’Neal is pleased to announce the new Director of College Counseling Renee he summer is always a time when a Ferrerio. Already hard at work for the 2016school’s faculty and staff reflect and plan 2017 school year, Ms. Ferrerio will be confor the next academic year. It is an expectant tinuing O’Neal’s strong college counseling time when we learn and gather ideas coordi- program with a few added highlights of her nating our new classes, teams and programs. own. Eagerness builds throughout the break as the return of our students draws near. “The college planning process should take place over a five year period beginning with It is an exciting time at O’Neal, and we are eighth graders in the spring,” says Ms. Ferfortunate to have a great combination of vet- rerio. “I will give an overview of high school eran faculty members with new administra- and college planning to rising ninth graders. tors and new teachers. Our new people are Each subsequent year the topics about collearning about the School while they also lege planning will get more in depth, starting bring their ideas and experiences to share, with grade level seminars, meetings and parcreating positive energy and innovation for ent nights all the way to college information all of us. Students and families can look meetings with juniors, college list planning, ahead to curricular improvements as teach- essay preparation, the application process ers rework their plans, new clubs like middle and financial aid in the junior and senior school speech and debate, a college counselyears. I will work one on one with all stuing program for grades 8-12, and new actividents and families throughout this process ties like varsity girls golf. and I am thrilled to join the O’Neal family.”
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We look forward to welcoming our families back next month and connecting with those who are new or returning to O’Neal. Everyone on campus has been using the summer months to build an even stronger O’Neal.
John C. Elmore Head of School
Ms. Ferrerio was the department chair of counseling for Northview High School in the Atlanta suburb of Johns Creek, Georgia. She has 20 years of experience in working with students matriculating at colleges and universities throughout the country and has also developed a comprehensive college guidance program for grades 8-12. Throughout her career, Ms. Ferrerio has visited colleges and universities across the country. Ms.
Ferrerio earned a bachelor ’s Renee Ferrerio degree in psychology from Florida Atlantic University and a master’s degree in secondary school counseling from Georgia State University. To become more acquainted with North Carolina colleges and universities, Ms. Ferrerio just recently took the “Sweet Tea Tour”- http://www.sacac.org/professionaldevelopment/sweet-tea-tours/. “From June 5-10th I traveled with 39 other colleagues from across the country (public school counselors, independent school college counselors, and independent educational consultants) to 13 colleges in North Carolina,” stated Ms. Ferrerio. “Over the week we explored all of them with an in-depth look at admissions and majors at each institution. I learned so much about each school, the geography and differences in institutions in North Carolina, networked with other professionals to share ideas, and built relationships with admissions representatives at these post secondary institutions.” Ms. Ferrerio’s office is in the Upper School. Please feel free to contact her for more information about the college counseling process. Email: rferrerio@onealschool.org
The College Planning Process Begins in Eighth Grade Eighth Grade Ninth Grade Tenth Grade Eleventh Grade
The course planning for the Upper School begins. Students are assisted in selecting the proper courses for ninth grade by focusing on personal development and the importance of keeping track of activities. Students are trained in the college planning software and are profiled for career interests. They begin their 4-year plan for Upper School including the extracurriculars, such as sports, service and more. The PSAT is taken. Career planning becomes more indepth. Direction is given for spring break and summer college visits, college fairs and understanding the importance of leadership in activities. The PSAT is taken. Individual meetings with college counselor, parents and student get the ball rolling for a narrowed down “college list”. More college visits. Financial aid and scholarship opportunities are researched. SAT/ACT preparation is offered. English classes provide training in student resume and college application essay writing. A panel session of college admissions representatives is held on campus. The PSAT is taken in the fall and the SAT & ACT are taken in the spring. Twelfth The actual college application process begins and the college counselor works with students individually and in Grade groups through completion. The SAT & ACT are taken in the fall. All grades Parent information meetings are held.The director of college counseling is always available for individual meetings.
Middle School Performs “We Open Tomorrow Night!?”
Two Conference Champion Teams
Highlights for O’Neal’s spring sports season were conference championship wins by the varsity golf team and the varsity boys tennis team as well as an individual state championship win by Toyin Koleoso in the 300m hurdles. The O’Neal School’s varsity golf team enjoyed a remarkable 2016 spring season. The boys were ranked as the number 1 team in the state for the entire season, going into the conference and then state championships. O’Neal won the EPIC Conference Championships, defeating the defending state champions St. David’s School by 5 shots after shooting a team score of 73. The conference medalist was Freshman Fulton Smith who shot a 65. O’Neal rounded off its year with a 3rd place finish at the NCISAA State Tournament. O’Neal’s Jackson Van Paris tied with Harden Councill of Westchester Country Day for the second place individual combined score of 145.
O’Neal Varsity Boys Tennis enjoyed many marquee wins including beating the two-time defending state champion Cape Fear Academy. O’Neal’s consistency over the season led to winning the highly competitive 2016 EPIC Championships and making it to the Final Four of the state championships. O’Neal’s successes as a team were spurned on by outstanding seasons from Sam Henry who was selected to both the NCISAA All-State and All-Conference teams and Bennett Moore, William Schirmer and Taft Gantt who won All-Conference selections. At the inaugural EPIC track and field championship meet, the girls finished 2nd place. Toyin Koleoso and Madison Fox brought home a combined seven gold medals. They were both on the winning 4x100 meter and 4x400 meter relays. Toyin’s 16.89 in the 100 hurdles was a personal best. Other major contributors were Catherine Huntley with a pair of second-place finishes in the throwing events and Molly Kuzma with a win in the 3200. On the boys’ side, O’Neal saw solid performances in third-place finishes in the 4x100 and 4x200 relays. In the NCISAA 2A championship meet the girls team finished 5th overall and saw many individual successes such as Toyin Koleoso’s individual championship in the 300 m hurdles. Her time of 47.24 seconds bested the field by two seconds. The boys 4x800 meter relay of Josh Russell, Jack Casey, Jack Hendricks, and Henry Holland finished with a team best time.
Upcoming Events
8/1 8/1 8/14 8/15 8/16
JV/Varsity Fall Sports Practice Begins Parent / Student-Athlete Information Session for JV/Varsity Fall Sports Pre-K / Kindergarten Ice Cream Social New Student and 6th/9th grade Orientation First Day of School
Please Take a Seat
Cindy Cordell’s third grade class presented her with an end of year gift by dedicating a theater seat in her honor. The class chose seat C1!
Be a part of this special campaign & go to: ONealSchool.org > Giving for more information.
The O’Neal Quarterly P.O. Box 290 Southern Pines, NC 28388
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ONealSchool.org for End of Year Awards & Distinctions
O ’ NEAL SUMMER FUN Summer Enrichment Programs for Youth of All Ages Camps are offered through the first week of August.
Register online at
ONealSchool.org
(910) 692-6920 • Southern Pines, NC