Tower Hill Bulletin - Fall 2019 - Looking Back by Tower Hill School

Tower Hill Bulletin | Fall 2019

19 19

Looking Back

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

CELEBRATING A CENTURY The new Tower Hill School building, pictured here in 1932, opened in September 1920 and embraced all that was modern in educational architecture. Local newspapers described the building as “splendid” and “an example of the most modern thought in design and facilities.”

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

Tower Hill BULLETIN

FALL 2019

LookingBack 2

Hiller History

The du Pont Legacy

FUN FACTS YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT TOWER HILL

A CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF TOWER HILL’S FOUNDING FAMILY

The Evolution of Field Day

African-American History

LOOKING BACK ON 97 YEARS OF GREEN VS. WHITE

PARENTS HIGHLIGHT AFRICAN-AMERICAN ALUMNI, FACULTY AND PROGRAMS IN HONOR OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH AND CENTENNIAL

Buildings and Grounds

HOW TOWER HILL’S CAMPUS HAS EVOLVED OVER THE PAST CENTURY

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

Fun Facts You Probably Don’t Know about Tower Hill BY WIZ MONTAIGNE APPLEGATE ’79, ELLIS WASSON, PH.D. AND HARRY N. BAETJER III

BASKETBALL FINALS The only basketball team in Hiller History that made it to the finals of the state tournament was the 1978-1979 girls’ varsity basketball team under the leadership of head coach Patty Marshall. FIELD HOCKEY CHAMPS The first Delaware State field hockey tournament (1973) was fittingly won under Coach Betty Richardson. In Miss Rich’s opinion, the team’s strength was its mental and physical toughness as symbolized by goalie Muffy Seitz ’74, who played in the state tournament with a cast on her leg. GRADUATION SPEECH Mike Castle ’57 had worked very hard to make his speech personal to the graduating class of 1986, calling the Upper School office multiple times to get information. Headmaster David Blanchard thought it would be good to move Graduation to the side of the Field House (where the tennis courts are now) to take advantage of a natural slope in the ground and perhaps some additional shade. The procession in was complete when there was a significant rumble of thunder and more in the distance. The decision was made to move into the Field House, and the audience was asked to take their chairs and go inside. Nearly everyone was inside when the sky opened up. After some milling around, the ceremony proceeded to the point where Gov. Castle was 2

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall Fall 2019 2019

Top to bottom: The 1978-1979 varsity girls’ basketball team; Mike Castle ’57 at Graduation in 1986.

to be introduced. Mr. Blanchard ended indicating how wonderful it was to have Gov. Castle there. The minute he said “Castle,” the Field House was hit by lightning and the overhead lights went out. The governor’s security arrived at the edge of the stage, and there was general confusion. However, the perimeter lights stayed on and the podium sound system also worked. Everyone was asked to stay where they were, and Castle suggested that he go on with his speech while the lights gradually returned. Blanchard explained this to the audience, and Castle came to the podium with the

lights beginning to gain some intensity. The moment Blanchard said “Castle,” there was another lightning strike and the overhead lights were gone again. After a brief pause, the governor continued and was just beginning to get into his speech when the rain became a torrent and part of the time included hail. The noise on the metal roof made it virtually impossible to hear his speech, which he delivered enthusiastically. The speech was published and was really quite good, but anyone who tells you they heard it that night is delusional.

Looking Back

ENROLLMENT Tower Hill School enrolled 206 students in the autumn of 1919, and enrollment rose to 271 in the second year. WRESTLING ROOM The current athletic training room used to be the wrestling room. WILLIAMSBURG The 4th Grade field trip to Williamsburg has been going on for over 50 years. One year nearly two-thirds of the kids came home sick and missed the next week of school.

The 4th Grade field trip to Williamsburg has been going on for over 50 years.

SENIOR PRANK For a senior prank, Steve Hyde ’59 and the football team carried Hyde’s lightblue Volkswagen bug onto the steps at the end of the gym. SLEDDING Students used to sled down Rockford Park hill on dining trays! FIELD DAY The first Field Day took place on June 20, 1920, because there was no graduating class or commencement the first year. The first Field Day.

PULITZER PRIZE Alfred du Pont Chandler, Jr. ’36 became one of the most distinguished historians in America of the 20th century and won a Pulitzer Prize in 1977 for his revolutionary book on business history, The Visible Hand. DU PONT FAMILY One hundred and thirteen students with the last name of du Pont have attended Tower Hill from 1919-2019. DANCING IN THE HALLS During the years Burton Fowler was headmaster, a Victrola (record player) was set up in the Upper School hallway and students danced during free periods.

Music and dancing were a big part of school life in Tower Hill’s early years.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

ST. AMOUR MANSION The house at St. Amour (on the site of the present soccer and baseball fields) was built by the mother of Pierre S., Irénée and Lammot du Pont (the latter two founders of Tower Hill) after the death of her husband in an experimental nitroglycerin explosion. The “Gothic” building had a strange outline said to have been caused by her allowing each child to choose the shape of the floor plan of their own room. The architect had to combine these designs as best he could. The house was torn down in the early 1970s. PRANKS Mr. Harry Baetjer’s office was the target of multiple pranks during decorating for Homecoming in the ’80s. One year the office was filled waist high with wadded newspaper, and a couple of years later a box of crickets was released in the office. POOH STORE Pooh Store was established by Miss Cecile Buckles and the 6th Grade near where the Dining Services office is now. It sold food to students and made a tidy profit. Students got into correspondence with author A. A. Milne. One year the rising 6th Grade tried to sell the store to the rising 5th Grade, but Miss Buckles stopped that! THS VS. FRIENDS In 1924 Tower Hill and Friends played their first football game. Tower Hill won by a satisfying 52 to 0. However, the victory was somewhat hollow as Friends did not have a football team and had obligingly dressed their soccer team in football uniforms for the event. Top to bottom: St. Amour mansion; Pooh Store.

The Tower Hill vs. Friends football game in 1967.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall Fall 2019 2019

SENIOR ROOM STEREO An ’80s senior “game” involved the stereo in the senior room, which was adjacent to Mr. Baetjer’s office. The stereo was a privilege earned by the seniors and was accompanied by restrictions including appropriate language in the music played, agreement among the seniors to share the stereo and a limit on the volume. Especially in the afternoon, the “game” was to turn the stereo up to see how loud or how long it would take for Mr. Baetjer to arrive to tell them to turn the stereo down. It evolved into how many times he would come in before he got mad.

THE CABIN In 1924 Tower Hill students designed and built a full-scale, house-like structure called “The Cabin.” They raised funds, poured foundations, put up the sides and roof and installed windows. It was used for dances and meetings.

The Cabin was built in 1924 to be used for dances and meetings.

Looking Back

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION The Tower Hill Alumni Association was founded in 1931.

CAR AT THE CABIN In 1937 the 11th Grade raised funds to buy an old used car for a science class, took out a side of “The Cabin,” installed the vehicle and spent a year taking apart and rebuilding the engine.

CHARLES LINDBERGH In 1928 Charles Lindbergh landed The Spirit of St. Louis near the school on an old airfield near Barley Mill Road, not far from “The Cabin.” Students came to watch him land and depart. GERMAN AIRSHIP On another occasion in the 1920s the German airship Graf Zeppelin flew over the school, and everybody ran out onto 17th Street to see it.

The German airship Graf Zeppelin.

RAINY HOMECOMING At one Homecoming during Headmaster Tim Golding’s tenure, it was a horribly rainy day, and the decision was made to have lunch in the dining room. Golding was determined to cook on a grill, so one was set up in the underpass and lit. He began to cook, the smoke filtered into the building and the fire alarm went off! The Fire Department had to be called, which was a bit of a scramble.

Greenhill School.

GREENHILL SCHOOL During the first year of the school while the main building was under construction, Tower Hill was spread out over three sites (with a small number of students at each). The Greenhill nursery school across Rt. 52 was one of them.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

ACADEMIC RESEARCHERS Tower Hill, despite the small size of its graduating classes, has produced a number of outstanding academic researchers and teachers including John Hyde ’48 of Williams College, Robert Jahn ’47 of Princeton, Alfred Chandler ’36 of Harvard and Crawford Greenewalt ’55 of UC Berkeley. Mehmet Oz ’78 is a remarkably successful surgeon and national TV personality. CITY AND COUNTY POLICE City police are used for gym events, and county police are used for Field House events. The Tower Hill campus straddles the line between the city of Wilmington and New Castle County. The line between the two runs down the center of Rising Sun Lane, so everything on the Field House side of the street is the county. If we need police for an event west of Rising Sun Lane, we call the county. If it is east, we call the city.

Clockwise from top left: Robert Jahn ’47, John Hyde ’48 and Crawford Greenewalt ’55.

CUM LAUDE A Cum Laude Society chapter was founded at Tower Hill in 1942, and the first inductees were elected for the Graduation of 1943. WORLD WAR II A number of senior boys were allowed to graduate in January 1942 in order to go into the military or go to college for a year while they did military training. This policy continued throughout the war. Several students who left before graduating to do military service came back in 1946 as mature veterans to complete their studies and get diplomas. POLITICS A number of Tower Hill alumni have reached the front rank in politics and spoken at Tower Hill: Sen. Chris Coons ’81, Congressman Mike Castle ’57, Congressman Hal Haskell ’39 and Governor Pete du Pont ’52 to name only some of them. Clockwise from top: Pete du Pont ’52 with his eighth-grade class, pictured in the third row, farthest to the left; Chris Coons ’81 and Mike Castle ’57.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall Fall 2019 2019

TUITION In 1932 Tower Hill’s tuition was twice as high as that of Wilmington Friends!

Looking Back

BURPY P The nickname of Tower Hill’s second headmaster, Burton P. Fowler, was “Burpy P.”

JEANS DAY The first “Jeans Day” at Tower Hill took place in 1974. Burton Fowler.

FIELD HOUSE What was originally called “the exercise building” and then the Walter S. Carpenter, Jr. Field House was opened in 1980. SQUASH AT WILCASTLE For a number of years after the site of the old Wilmington Country Club was sold to the University of Delaware, approximately where the parking lot in front of Arsht Hall is today, the squash courts from the club remained. An agreement was reached, and Betty Richardson had a small group of young women who played squash as an intramural sport in the winter season.

The Walter S. Carpenter, Jr. Field House.

BLUE-GOLD FOOTBALL Two Tower Hill parents, Bob Carpenter and Ed Pechin, founded the Blue-Gold All Star Football Game first played in 1956 to raise funds for those with mental disabilities. GRACE’S FAMOUS STICKY BUNS Grace Davis was one of the women who worked on the kitchen staff and who, a couple of times a year, would make homemade sticky buns for lunch. The wonderful and identifiable smell would waft up the back stairwell, and mouths would begin to water. Davis’ retirement in the early ’70s brought an end to the sticky buns.

The dining staff in 1972; Grace Davis is in the first row, second from the right.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

THE DU PONT LEGACY

Irénée du Pont, trustee 1919-1935, and Lammot du Pont, trustee 1919-1952.

A CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF TOWER HILL’S FOUNDING FAMILY BY ELLIS WASSON, PH.D., SCHOOL ARCHIVIST AND FORMER HISTORY DEPARTMENT CHAIR

IT IS SAFE TO SAY that no other independent

school in America is as closely associated with a single family as is Tower Hill with the du Ponts. Some others have dynastic associations, such as Taft in Connecticut, which was founded by one of President William Howard Taft’s brothers and continues to educate descendants of the originating family today. The number of graduates bearing the Taft name is, however, modest. The du Ponts, on the other hand, were not only among the founders of Tower Hill, but also served as trustees and even faculty members. Three members of the family, Irénée, Lammot and P. S. du Pont III, headed the trustees for the first 69 years of Tower Hill’s history. Nine family members have served or are currently serving on the board. At least 19 close relatives have also been trustees. Among alumni, 110 du Ponts have attended the school as students and three are currently enrolled for a grand total of 113. Dozens more close relatives, such as the Carpenters, have also been involved from the school’s inception to the present day as founders, trustees, parents and students. Hundreds (perhaps more than 500) du Pont cousins received their education at Tower Hill, and many more (well over 1,000) graduates have been the children of DuPont Company employees or themselves worked for DuPont, culminating in the leadership of Ellen Jamison Kullman ’74 as CEO in the 21st century. This interweaving of family, school and service with a single firm is unprecedented in American education and has been of benefit to all involved. The Centennial of the school is an appropriate moment to celebrate the role of the du Pont family and their company in the history of Tower Hill.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

LOCATION

Tower Hill is located on du Pont land close to the property on which the original gunpowder factory was built and the houses in which the family lived stood. Nearby the Hagley Museum and the Experimental Station, looming on the opposite side of the Brandywine, testify to the importance of the neighborhood in which the school was placed. The first du Pont house at Eleutherian Mills (1803) was a central point. St. Amour, the childhood home of the school’s founders Irénée and Lammot du Pont, no longer stands, but gardens and out buildings remain, and the grounds provide the site for an important portion of the athletic program at Tower Hill today.

THE FOUNDERS

The DuPont Company grew vastly in size in the early 20th century. Pierre S. du Pont not only ran the business, but also he was the creator of the organizational system of the modern American business corporation. He had a strong interest in education that led to a widespread campaign of public school building across the state of Delaware funded by the family. His brothers also engaged him in the project of establishing Tower Hill. Pierre du Pont, a genius ahead of his time, grasped what few pre-1919 educators understood, that children acquire skills and knowledge in many different ways. In the past rote memorization and liberal use of corporal punishment were what schools emphasized. The du Ponts wanted to build an institution where new ideas, many of them derived from the work of the philosopher and educational

ATHLETICS

Another force in education was growing in the early 1900s, and the du Ponts were alert to that also. The “Country Day” movement swept independent schools, and many of them continue to incorporate the phrase in their names. Country day schools were intended to replicate the academic rigor and character-building of great New England boarding schools in a suburban environment where students were able to return home at the end of the day. Moderate “Progressive” ideas were part of the concept, but also strong extra-curricular programs in the arts and athletics were emphasized. Organized sports taught valuable life lessons of cooperation, hard work and steadiness of character. Tower Hill was intended from the first to excel in athletic competition, and inspiring coaches were hired at the outset. Under Burton Fowler, a hand-picked headmaster, Tower Hill quickly became one of the preeminent country day schools in America. Visitors from as far off as Denmark and Japan came to see what was going on. The school was the moral equivalent of nylon (invented a few hundred yards across the Brandywine) in innovation in education.

THE COMPANY AND COUSINS

Care continued to be lavished on Tower Hill by the du Pont family over the next century. A practical motive for the attention they paid to the school was recruiting the highest quality scientific researchers and senior executives to Wilmington. The existence of Tower Hill was held out as an incentive for the education of the children of employees the company sought to hire. On the sentimental side was the growing fund of personal memories accumulated at the school by generations of du Pont children. As sons followed mothers and daughters followed fathers generation after generation, the shared experiences (sometimes being taught by the same teachers) became a bond that intensified parent-child relationships. And then came du Pont grandchildren

and great-grandchildren, all part of the school family. Inevitably, friendships grew up among classmates that also lasted a lifetime and, in not modest numbers, Tower Hill marriages were entered into that led to more children arriving on 17th Street. These days, dozens of cousins come to Tower Hill every morning where they form lasting friendships for the future.

Looking Back

reformer John Dewey, could be implemented. Yes, there should be Latin and math, but also lots of play and fun. Students could “learn by doing” using their hands, not just their eyes and ears. Enthusiasm was as important as the subject matter to be studied in Dewey’s “Progressive Education.” Most of the educational establishment pushed back against these ideas. The du Ponts, a number of them MIT alumni and committed to modernity and science, believed schooling required change. It turns out all of us have unique aptitudes and weaknesses when taking in information. Teaching must be flexible to serve every student well. Thanks to Pierre, Irénée and Lammot du Pont, many Wilmingtonians got a long head start over most of the rest of America in benefiting from a more humane and effective method of education.

DIVERSITY

Yet another reason the du Ponts cared about Tower Hill was that it offered an opportunity for them to provide good educations for non-executive level employees who could not afford private school tuition. Pierre, Irénée and Lammot paid, and over the years many other family members have contributed not to buildings or science labs but to scholarships and financial aid funds. This was a conscious policy not only to help the company and Wilmington more generally but also to expose their own children to peers who lived in a different economic and social world. There was a drive over the years for more and more diversity. The school had been coed from the beginning, and one of the founders who the du Ponts asked to join the board of trustees in 1919 was Jewish, an important signal to Wilmington at a time when many were passive and sometimes active anti-Semites. Efforts were made from early days to draw international students (including from Brazil, Egypt and Thailand as well as Europe) to Tower Hill, and that has long continued. The family disdained prejudice. As culture changed in Delaware (thanks in part to Tower Hill parent and trustee Judge Collins Seitz’s legal decision in 1952), African-American students also began to be recruited. Special funds were established to prepare young AfricanAmerican children who were not getting a strong enough start in public elementary schools to be ready for the work at Tower Hill. A legacy of the du Pont family was the intentional use of the school to build a more diverse community in our state.

A CENTURY OF GENEROSITY

Sometimes in the early years of the school, Pierre, Irénée or Lammot would write checks to cover budget deficits. Aside from the contributions to the Annual Fund, many du Pont family members and their cousins have given generously in capital campaigns. Most notable in recognition of this philanthropy are the buildings on campus that bear family names. It is especially fitting that the two outstanding memorials to the engagement of the family are the Carpenter Field House and the Pierre S. du Pont Arts Center. These buildings hark back directly to the founders’ wishes—the legacy of a strong athletic program and learning by doing, which included theater, photography, sculpture, music, dance and painting. That has been a powerful du Pont legacy and speaks a century after the school’s founding to its continuing strength.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITMENT TO STUDENT WELLNESS EVIDENT IN TOWER HILL’S EARLY YEARS

BY TERESA MESSMORE, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING

TOWER HILL’S 1919 school catalog, a compact,

28-page booklet, covers curriculum to penmanship to vocal culture—with no section longer than the one on health regulations. “To secure observance of state and municipal health regulations, and to safeguard the children’s physical welfare in every way possible, the following rules have been prepared,” the section opens. “They are commended especially to the careful attention of parents and family physicians, whose cooperation is essential for the protection of the health of the student body.” The school reserved the right to request the absence of “a pupil who shows symptoms of any contagious disease,” starting with simple colds. Specific directions were detailed for students exposed to diphtheria, scarlet fever and measles, including the amount of time they had to stay away: three weeks, for example, after complete disappearance of the measles rash from the last case in the household. The emphasis on public health, along with a nurse being on staff during school hours, underscores the context of the times. From 1918-1919 a strain of the H1N1 virus, known as Spanish Flu, killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide—one-fifth of the global population. In the United States, more than one-fourth of the population was afflicted. Vaccines and antibiotics taken for granted today were nonexistent or in developmental stages at the time. Quarantine, hygiene and limiting large public gatherings were among the first lines of defense against the spread of disease. Newspaper clippings saved in Tower Hill’s archives document a “ban on children’s assemblage” in Wilmington during a 1922 outbreak of scarlet fever, which also prevented children from entering theaters and attending Sunday school. “All that conversation at that time was spurred by the great influenza epidemic of 1918-1919, which attacked young people much more powerfully than it attacked older people,” said school archivist Ellis Wasson, Ph.D. Tower Hill was fortunate to have a medical expert on the founding board of trustees to consult on such

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

A 1922 article in the Wilmington Morning News describes an outbreak of scarlet fever and ensuing quarantine and restrictions on schools.

Looking Back

matters. Albert Robin, a Jewish immigrant who fled czarist Russia, became Delaware’s state bacteriologist and assisted the city of Wilmington’s Water Department in combating typhoid fever by helping to install a water purification plant. A brother of school founders Irénée and Lammot du Pont, William, died of typhoid fever in 1907, and Robin’s success with the plant along with his medical expertise appealed to the du Ponts. He became a friend and physician to the family and a founding trustee of Tower Hill, consulting on both educational and medical concerns. Health and wellness more broadly were prominent features of the Country Day School movement, of which Tower Hill was a leader. Educators sought to provide the academic rigor and collegiality of a boarding school while allowing children to live at home with their families. Bucolic settings outside of industrial cities offered fresh air and ample space for athletic activities. At the more extreme end, the Rivers School near Boston took bundled-up children outdoors even in the winter for lessons in small huts with glass-free windows to maximize fresh air to help combat the spread of diseases such as tuberculosis. The inkwells froze. Tower Hill Headmaster John D. Skilton appears to have championed a more moderate approach. A Wilmington Morning News article stated that during the 1922 scarlet fever scare that closed all schools in the city, Skilton suggested to the Board of Health that schools free from scarlet fever be allowed to open. In a matter of days, the ban was lifted.

Albert Robin, M.D., a Jewish immigrant who fled czarist Russia, was one of Tower Hill’s 11 founders and a trustee (pictured second from left). Delaware’s state bacteriologist from 18991910, Robin was a family friend and physician to Irénée and Lammot du Pont and brought his medical expertise to the board of trustees. Photo credit: Jewish Historical Society of Delaware.

Tower Hill School’s 1919 catalog specifies school policy on students suffering from colds, diphtheria, scarlet fever and measles.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

THE EVOLUTION OF FIELD DAY LOOKING BACK ON 97 YEARS OF GREEN VS. WHITE BY CHRIS AITKEN, PHYSICAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT CHAIR

TRADITION IS JUST ONE of the many

keywords used to describe Tower Hill. This year, as we continue to celebrate Tower Hill’s Centennial and many of its timeless traditions, one would quickly mention Field Day!

A LITTLE HISTORY

In the spring of 1920, Tower Hill did not have a senior class. To close out that first year of school, the school’s trustees endorsed the idea of some athletic contests to make the end of the year more enjoyable. On June 20, 1920, all of the students participated in a variety of sports that included running races, tug-of-war, hockey, a tunnel relay and even human croquet. By this time of the year the school had decided on a school song and also the school colors: green and white. The colors were reminiscent of the colors of the old Greenhill School, but it was not until the fall of 1922 that the students divided themselves into green and white teams. Initially each team included all grades, and the competition was scored throughout the year on both athletic achievement and scholastic achievement. That

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

following spring would be the first year of the official Tower Hill Field Day.

PICKING TEAMS

Something unique about the green and white teams at Tower Hill are that they are legacy driven. To this day we separate our green and white teams with legacy as the first criterion. If you had a relative on a particular team, you are automatically placed on that team. Things do get interesting when we have someone from the green team marry someone from the white team. The second criterion for being placed on a team is the surname of the student. We do our best to match surnames with the same team, even if they are unrelated. Finally, we always try to even out the teams with whomever does not fall into the other two criteria. Needless to say, it is a daunting task that we try to uphold and stay true to. “I was captain of the greens, and one of my best friends was captain of the whites,” Wiz Montaigne Applegate ’79 said. “To this day, she frequently reminds me that the whites beat the greens by one point—ugh!”

Between 1919 and 1923, John Davis Skilton was the headmaster at Tower Hill. He has been described as a mild-mannered gentleman, fondly regarded by the students as a kind and helpful person despite his stern expression and upright posture. At the commencement in the spring of 1923, the school had decided to honor Skilton by naming the Field Day cup after him. Since then, Tower Hill students, whether they are on the green or the white team, have been competing for the John Davis Skilton Cup. At the conclusion of Field Day, the names of the winning captains are forever inscribed on the cup, and it is presented at the Middle School awards assembly.

CURRENT DAY

This past May, we finished our 97th official Field Day. As luck would have it, we are nearly deadlocked in terms of wins. The white team has 49 wins, while the green team has 48 wins. The green team is on a twoyear win streak, and it will certainly be interesting to see which team can get to 50 wins first. The current Field Day is held on the Friday before Memorial Day. 1st through 8th Grade compete in 34 events. Each grade still does an individual team race and dashes. We have just recently included our kindergarten to participate in an exhibition race. The excitement on their faces standing out on the field will only grow as they get older.

previous scores and a chalkboard with last year’s score on it. It allows visitors and students to see exactly where the green and white teams stand. We have also introduced a new Tower Hill Field Day flag and winners’ ribbon pole. These two additions have allowed us to bring back two former eighth-grade captains that would be graduating seniors this year. Robby Ward ’19 and Gracie Wenzel ’19 had the honor this year.

Looking Back

JOHN DAVIS SKILTON CUP

Lastly, with the ever-growing student body here at Tower Hill in the Upper School, we have included giving out green and white colors to our new students who were not here in Middle or Lower School.

LOOKING AHEAD

Even though Tower Hill is celebrating its Centennial, the Tower Hill Field Day just finished its 97th Field Day. We are working on some wonderful ideas for the Field Day Centennial, which will be held in the spring of 2022. Having former captains recognized and a robust Field Day program booklet are two early ideas in the works. “Field Day is a day that creates memories and fosters community because of its long-standing traditions,” Taylor said. “I can talk to my relatives, both older alumni and younger students, and we can bond over the triumphs and tribulations from the day. We all still have that sense of green team pride and get excited for their victories!”

We still hold true to tradition with our impressive march in. Our teams are still led by our eighth-grade Field Day captains holding their team color flags and also the school flag and American flag. The pageantry of the march in is something quite spectacular, and it certainly allows the mindset of the athletes and fans to see the importance of this day. “Field Day represents the essence of Tower Hill. When marching out onto that field, both when I was a student and now as a teacher, I can feel the generations of people who have done the same,” Mary Hobbs Taylor ’09 said. “The day encapsulates community, tradition and competitive spirit, all of which are key pillars of the school.”

NEW TRADITIONS AND TWISTS AHEAD As some time-honored traditions still hold true, such as tug-of-war, the wand relay and carry the colors, we have added a few things this past year. In the main hallway of school, we have created a mural display that shows the history of Field Day, the current score,

Headmaster John Davis Skilton hands out prizes at the first Green and White Field Day.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

HOME AND SCHOOL

TOWER HILL’S HOME AND SCHOOL ASSOCIATION DATES TO 1925 BY TERESA MESSMORE, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING

UNTIL THE 20TH century, parental involvement in a child’s education was kept to a minimum. School was the teacher’s domain, and parents were rarely invited to participate in school life.

The Progressive Education movement took a markedly different approach, stressing the importance of cooperation between home and school. Children’s overall social, psychological and physical development were considered important to the learning process. “Children are whole beings,” states the February 1931 issue of Tower Hill Parents, a newsletter published by the Home and School Association. “Their bodies, minds and emotions cannot be conveniently detached for separate training.” Tower Hill’s Home and School Association was founded in 1925 by Headmaster Burton P. Fowler, a leader in Progressive Education on the national stage. The original bylaws outlined the organization’s purpose: 1) To bring into closer relation the home and school so that the parents and teachers may co-operate intelligently in the training of the child; 2) To encourage the contribution of personal effort whereby activities supplementary to the regular school work may be organized and directed; 3) To interpret to the patrons and the public the school life of the child.

HOME AND SCHOOL LECTURES IN THE 1930s What the School and Home Have a Right to Expect from Each Other, Burton P. Fowler, Tower Hill School headmaster, 1935 Shall I Let My Son Play Football?, Alan L. Chidsey, Tower Hill School coach, 1935 Foundation of Health Habits in Childhood and Peculiar Problems of Health during Adolescence, Dr. Howard W. Haggard, Yale University associate professor of applied physiology, Jan. 28, 1936 Making the Most of the Movies, Dr. Edgar Dale, Ohio State University, April 7, 1936 Building Good Reading Habits, Dr. Donald D. Durrell, Boston University, an expert in the field of reading procedures and disabilities, May 26, 1938 The Youth Movement in Germany, Alexis Doster, Jr., Nov. 1, 1938 An Editor’s Outlook on Modern Trends in Child Development, Clara Savage Littledale, editor of Parents’ Magazine, Nov. 22, 1938 Parents and the Modern Country Day School, Herbert W. Smith, principal of Francis W. Parker School in Chicago, Feb. 14, 1939 14

Building a Well-Balanced Personality, James S. Plant, M.D., psychiatrist and director of the Essex County Mental Hygiene Tower Hill Bulletin Clinic, on May 3, 1939 Fall 2019

Four standing committees were Membership and Attendance; Program; Publicity; and Social. By 1938 there were 11 committees, including a parent editor of the Dial periodical for topics of interest to parents and a flower committee responsible for fresh blooms in the corridors each week. Officers and committees were balanced between men and women and included some faculty members. The presence of parents around school supported a student’s close relationship with the family. “Certainly that was part of the country day school idea: having the academic strength of the boarding school, but having the child still live with the family,” said school archivist and former faculty member Ellis Wasson, Ph.D. In the early years, Home and School held four yearly meetings preceded by dinner in the dining room, with educational lectures, panel discussions or a faculty play. An artistic performance would often be part of the meetings, such as a student-written skit or a vocal solo. The Home and School Association has evolved over the past century, today coordinating one annual lecture on a topic in education in coordination with Tatnall and Wilmington Friends. Two parent representatives engage parents and guardians in each grade, and volunteers produce elaborate events such as the Cheers to 100 Years celebration in January 2019 and the annual Faculty and Staff Appreciation Luncheon. The Clothing Sale, Camp Fair, Bake Sales and Book Fair fall under Home and School, as well as Parent Ambassadors, Parents of African Americans at Tower Hill (PAATH) and Diversity and Inclusion at Tower Hill (DISTINCT). In 2018-2019, Home and School’s fundraising efforts resulted in a $100,000 donation to Tower Hill. “Tower Hill’s Home and School Association now facilitates communication, fosters camaraderie and conducts programs and events to enrich the lives of our teachers and students and promote a sense of community throughout the school,” immediate past President Megan Greenberg said. “By organizing and hosting our fundraising activities, parents and families build connections. Those efforts also enable the Home and School Association to enhance students’ experiences by underwriting the purchase of special items annually.”

Looking Back Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY AT TOWER HILL

PARENTS HIGHLIGHT AFRICAN-AMERICAN ALUMNI, FACULTY AND PROGRAMS IN HONOR OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH AND CENTENNIAL BY TERESA MESSMORE, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING

IN RECENT YEARS, Parents of African

Americans at Tower Hill (PAATH) has created displays for the bulletin board by the school’s front entrance in honor of Black History Month, focusing on different themes connected to the African-American community. During Tower Hill’s 100th year, co-chairs Toni Jackson and Yvonne Deadwyler wanted to focus on AfricanAmerican history—especially that specific to the school—over the past century. The end result was a multimedia display incorporating video interviews, archival research and photographs that placed Tower Hill’s African-American history in context within Wilmington, state and national events. “Trying to keep in line with the theme of 100 years, we thought it would be awesome to chronicle the hundredyear history and how African Americans played a part in that along the way,” Jackson said. The parents discovered that there was no one place where information about the school’s African-American alumni, teachers and administrators could be found, so they began interviewing the school archivist, alumni relations director, administrators and alumni, as well as scouring yearbooks and publications for details. Numerous PAATH volunteers contributed to the project, researching significant historical milestones and creating display components digitally and by hand. The video interviews took place during the winter on campus with students, alumni, parents and faculty, including Tower Hill’s first African-American student, former Silicon Valley executive and consultant Genelle Trader ’70, and the school’s first African-American male graduate, photographer Larry Hinson ’73. Seven iPads mounted to the board displayed the videos, which are also archived on Tower Hill’s YouTube channel. Jackson and Deadwyler found little-known facts like Tower Hill partnered with Wilmington’s West Side Greater Parish in the 1960s to tutor and help recruit African-American students; Arva Jean Marshall Jackson, Special Assistant to the Governor for Human Affairs, was Tower Hill’s first African-American

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

Commencement Speaker in the 1970s; and Tower Hill faculty and students participated in a multidisciplinary, schoolwide program celebrating African-American culture in the 1990s. “As we talked to different black alums of Tower Hill, we found out more information about the history of their story as well as Tower Hill’s story,” Deadwyler said. “I think there is an awareness in 2019 of what times were like back in the early years, and to hear their stories, it was actually pretty amazing! Tower Hill alums who created the way had a great experience, just as much as my children are having one today.” The juxtaposition of Tower Hill-specific history with national events gave pause for reflection. Brown v. Board of Education was decided in 1954, for example, and Tower Hill admitted Trader in 1966. Jackson and Deadwyler said teachers were the ones advocating for integration during that period, and that the school’s early African-American alumni relayed positive memories about the school. “Talking to alums, I feel like they all had a positive experience that being here and being part of this community really gave them a leg up,” Jackson said. “They felt prepared, they felt like this was an integral part of their success, and they would do it again.” The response to the exhibit was overwhelming, with teachers bringing classes down to view the display, parents and children examining the content together, and word-of-mouth bringing former parents and others to the school. Deadwyler and Jackson hope that their work, which will now be part of Tower Hill’s archives, is a point of pride for their children and future students. “A lot of time we don’t want to talk about AfricanAmerican history because there’s a lot of pain there, and so it’s difficult to talk about,” Jackson said. “But I think the more that we bring it to light, the easier it is to talk about it and how it plays a role in school. We all learn from each other and bring something different to this community.”

Looking Back Yvonne Deadwyler and Toni Jackson, co-chairs of Parents of African Americans at Tower Hill, in front of the interactive exhibit they created for Black History Month.

EXCERPTS FROM PAATH’S CENTENNIAL AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY DISPLAY, WITH FACTS SPECIFIC TO TOWER HILL LISTED IN GREEN: 1928-1929 Pierre S. du Pont, President of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. and General Motors in the 1920s, spearheaded the modernization of the education system for African Americans in Delaware. Louis Redding becomes the first African American to be accepted to the Delaware Bar. 1942 The first basketball game between teams from white and black high schools occurs when Wilmington Friends plays Howard High School. 1945 William J. Winchester, a Republican, becomes the first African American elected to the Delaware legislature. 1947-1948 University of Delaware begins to accept African-American students. 1950-1954 Salesianum School enrolled five African-American students, referred to as the “Quintus 5.” They were the first to be accepted into a Delaware high school that was not racially segregated. Hotel DuPont opens its doors to African Americans. The U.S. Supreme Court rules against the “separate but equal” doctrine in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, and in Bolling v. Sharpe, thus overturning Plessy v. Ferguson. This ruling led to desegregation across the nation.

1956-1957 Delaware School Board ends segregation. A small group of African-American parents, upset when their children had to bypass white schools to reach black schools, sought to challenge state-enforced segregation. Two cases from Delaware ultimately reach the U.S. Supreme Court as part of Brown v. Board of Education. 1957-1968 Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination led to riots across the nation, including Wilmington, Delaware. 1966-1969 Tower Hill creates the Summer Tutorial and Junior Humanities programs, under the sponsorship of the West Side Greater Parish organization. These programs are open to the Wilmington community and focus on education as a means to lower the barriers that prevent African Americans from advancing in life. Genelle Trader ’70, Judy Harris ’70 and Larry Hinson ’73 become the first African-American students at Tower Hill School. 1971-1974 Arva Jean Marshall Jackson, Special Assistant to the Governor for Human Affairs, is Tower Hill’s first AfricanAmerican Commencement Speaker. 1974-1975 William “Judy” Johnson, a former Negro League baseball player and longtime resident of Wilmington, Delaware, is the state’s first player to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. A statue of Johnson stands outside of Frawley Stadium in Wilmington, and a Wilmington park, located between West 2nd and 3rd Streets, bears his name “Judy Johnson Memorial Park.” Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

In 1974, Matt Twyman ’88 begins his journey at Tower Hill and becomes the first African-American “lifer” when he graduates in 1988. 1981-1983 Fall 1981, senior cheerleader Cathy Brown-Butler ’82 creates Tower Hill’s Spirit Week. On Nov. 2, 1983, Ronald Reagan signs the bill that establishes a federal holiday in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. 1984-1986 In 1984, Jacqueline Faulcon becomes the first AfricanAmerican teacher at Tower Hill School, teaching music. 1991-1992 Tower Hill faculty and students participate in a multidisciplinary, school-wide program celebrating AfricanAmerican culture. Professor William Cooks presents a lecture at Tower Hill in 1991: African American Oral Literature as a Basis for New Literature.

LIVING HISTORY

View PAATH’s interviews with Genelle Trader ’70 and Larry Hinson ’73, two of Tower Hill’s first AfricanAmerican graduates, at towerhill.org/bulletin.

The Los Angeles Riots begin on April 29, 1992, after four L.A. police officers are acquitted of any wrongdoing during the arrest of Rodney King, an African-American motorist. An amateur video that captured the officers violently beating and kicking Mr. King fueled the outrage and triggered a national debate on police brutality. 1993 James Sills is elected as Mayor of Wilmington, Delaware, in 1993 and becomes the first African American to hold this position. 1996-1998 President Clinton issues a formal apology for the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in African-American men. Danny Glover, the actor, is a guest speaker at Tower Hill. 2001-2002 PAATH is a Home and School Association Committee that stands for Parents of African Americans at Tower Hill. PAATH begins in 2002 when African-American parents commit to support one another and work to ensure that their children are in a safe and supportive environment. 2003-2005 Four African-American men—Kenneth Chenault (American Express), Richard Parsons (Time Warner), Franklin Raines (Fannie Mae) and E. Stanley O’Neal (Merrill Lynch)—become CEOs of Fortune 500 companies in 2004. Jackie Hamilton appointed to Head of Lower School at Tower Hill and first African American to hold this position. 2007 Martin Luther King III visits Tower Hill as part of the Forum Speaker Series. One of King’s points was, “Progress can only be achieved when everyone has equal opportunities and everyone’s voice can be heard.” Barack H. Obama, junior United States Senator from Illinois, announces his candidacy for the presidency of the United States in Springfield, Illinois. 2014-2015 Hayman Family Legacy: The first African-American family to graduate from Tower Hill School. LaMontz ’87, Courtney ’14 and Brooke ’15 Hayman. Director of Social Justice role established at Tower Hill. Dyann Connor is appointed to take the new role. Dyann works with faculty and students to develop programming that inspires thoughtful, respectful dialogue and encourages deeper understanding of classmates and the broader society. 2016 SEED is a peer-led faculty professional development program that invites conversation to encourage personal,

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

organizational and societal change toward greater equity and inclusion. Tower Hill began its SEED program in 2016. Office of Social Justice establishes Black history “Kick-Off” event for Tower Hill families. Evelyn Brady and Lois Miller are the first African-American president and vice president to serve together for the Tower Hill Home and School Association. 2017 DISTINCT (Diversity and Inclusion at Tower Hill) is launched as a parent organization to promote fellowship and community building of parents who advocate for the benefits of diversity in education at Tower Hill School. The Lower School’s AMAZE Program begins an anti-bias literature curriculum that improves social and learning environments by engaging children and adults in important conversations that build empathy and respect across differences. Bryan Stevenson, author of the critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller Just Mercy, visits Tower Hill for the opening faculty meeting in August 2017. His book is the faculty summer read. 2019 Social Justice Tower Term is offered for Upper School students. Martin Luther King Day of Service event has record-breaking number of participating Tower Hill students and families. Third Annual Black History Month Program honors first African-American student at Tower Hill: Genelle Trader ’70.

Looking Back

GILBERT AND SULLIVAN

UPPER SCHOOL ANNUAL MUSICAL TRADITION FONDLY REMEMBERED EXCERPTED FROM FOREVER GREEN: A COMMEMORATIVE HISTORY OF TOWER HILL SCHOOL

GILBERT AND SULLIVAN returned to the

Tower Hill auditorium in March 1945 after a brief hiatus. During an eight-year period, lasting up until 1952, the Pirates of Penzance, HMS Pinafore, The Mikado and Patience were presented in sequence—one each spring—with just about the entire Upper School participating (keep in mind that Grades 9-12 in 1948, for instance, consisted of 61 students).

The tradition of an annual Gilbert and Sullivan play began under Burton Fowler’s leadership. Virtually the entire school participated in one way or another in mounting the plays. One writer in the Dial noted that the school could be called “The Singing Tower” because music was so much a part of daily life.

The 1945 rendition of Pirates is remembered as one of the best. Doc Viohl directed seven of the eight performances (he also taught math) and was ably assisted for two years by Alyce Nichols. Immediately after the 1945 performance—and there was usually only one, after six months of work— Headmaster James Guernsey publicly praised the cast, stage crew and directors for what he judged to be an exceptional high school production. Those who recall claim it was the well-trained voice of Bernice Minker Pettit ’45, ably supported by male leads John Macadam ’45 and Walt From ’45, that set this production apart.

Top: The cast of the 1945 production of Pirates of Penzance. Above: The cast of the 1930s production of HMS Pinafore.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

LOST SPORTS AND CLUBS TOWER HILL’S SPORTS AND CLUBS THROUGHOUT THE DECADES

EXCERPTED FROM FOREVER GREEN: A COMMEMORATIVE HISTORY OF TOWER HILL SCHOOL AND THS YEARBOOKS

Cheerleading

In the early years of the school, despite the girls’ teams having impressive records, girls’ games were scheduled so that the girls could cheer at the boys’ games.

Above: The 1953 cheerleading squad. From left to right: Charlotte Rode Sheehan ’55, Brooke Bryan Farkas ’55, Mary Atkinson George ’55, Debbie Theisen Clough ’55, Dorothy Maney Tella ’54 and Judy Eastburn Sawyer ’55. Right: Erin Zoranski ’99, Ja’Nae Milton Freeman ’99 and Lanita Ward-Jones ’99, three members of the cheer squad in 1998.

Speedball

“Engaging in a variety of sports designed to satisfy all, the speedballers could be found almost anywhere in or around Tower Hill,” the 1953 yearbook reads. “Some days the players could be found wildly chasing a soccer ball over the sloping fields of Rockford Park. When bad weather kept them off the fields, the group invaded the gym basement to engage in tumbling and fierce three-minute wrestling bouts. They also found time to convert tennis courts into volleyball courts and to get in some ice skating when weather permitted. On game days the speedball boys attended the basketball games and helped assemble the bleachers.”

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

There were three cheerleader squads— varsity, JV and Middle School—picked by the girls’ coaches after tryouts. Starting in the fall of 1953, Headmaster Brooke Stabler gave up Friday chapels in the auditorium in favor of pep rallies. The Dial gave Charlotte Rode Sheehan ’55 credit for the team yell, a locomotive-type cheer. Football co-captains Mac Jones ’54 and Grant Hering ’54 led a conga line through the Upper School hall and were able to get others to join in on the key line. Cheerleading remained a popular sport for girls—some years as a varsity sport and others as an elective—until it ultimately ceased in 1999.

Looking Back

Badminton

While the majority of Upper School girls played basketball during the winter of 1952, 10 girls chose to form a badminton group. Up until the week of Feb. 26, the girls played merely for the fun involved in the game. Then during the last official week of winter sports, the group held a tournament. The 1952 badminton team.

Softball

Softball was offered as a spring sport for girls in the early years of the school. In 1951, in contrast with previous years, softball became the minor sport as the emphasis was placed on tennis. Lacrosse replaced softball as a spring option for girls in the early â&#x20AC;&#x2122;60s.

The 1946 softball team.

Other Sports and Activities

Students were encouraged to organize their own groups around particular interests. By January 1920, a staff was formed to edit the Tower Dial, its first edition proposing the paper as a chronicle of school life. In the months that followed, the quarterly editions reported the formation of the Mandolin Club, Audubon clubs (organized by grade), the Reading Club and the Dramatic Club. The editors proposed forming an athletic association, marked its organization within the first school year and recorded the wins and losses of various teams as sports grew in popularity. When Headmaster Burton P. Fowler instituted the country day program in 1930, a variety of new activities were introduced: fencing, archery, hiking, ice hockey, soccer, handicrafts, deck tennis, badminton and swimming.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

FAMOUS VISITORS TO THS THROUGHOUT THE DECADES

Robert Frost Poet, 1931

Bill Tilden Tennis star, 1926

N.C. Wyeth Artist, 1935

James Farmer Civil Rights Activist, 1960s Nelson Eddy Musician, 1930s

Howard K. Smith News Anchor, 1960s

Margaret Mead Anthropologist, 1940 22

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

Danny Glover Actor, 1998

Looking Back

John Lewis U.S. Congressman, 2011

Buzz Aldrin Former Astronaut, 2001

Gwen Ifill Journalist, 2013 Joe Biden Vice President, 2003

Dr. Mehmet Oz â&#x20AC;&#x2122;78 Surgeon and TV Personality, 2017

Elie Wiesel Writer, Political Activist, Holocaust Survivor, 2002 George Will Political Columnist, 2017 Ann Curry Journalist, 2019 Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS HOW THE THS CAMPUS HAS EVOLVED OVER THE PAST CENTURY RESEARCH BY ALISON MCKENNA ’57

1919-1923

The original building was estimated to cost $300,000. Construction began in early 1919, but it was clear that the building would not be ready in time for a fall 1919 opening, so space was leased on Pennsylvania Avenue to house the kindergarten and 1st Grade. Tower Hill had absorbed the students of the Greenhill School, and that was used to accommodate the remaining grades during that first year. Enrollment the first year was 206 students. When Tower Hill officially opened in the fall of 1920, it was considered “an example of the most modern thought in design and facilities.” The building had been completed for $600,000, twice the estimated cost.

1923-1941

There were 234 students enrolled in 1923, and between 1923 and 1941, there were few physical changes to the main school. Land opposite the main entrance on 17th Street was acquired in the late ’20s and was used as a playground. Today, it’s used for the Kaleidoscope After School Program and Admission. Also in the late ’20s, the school was given property

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

with a track and club house on DuPont Road, now the Wilmington Charter School site.

1941-1950

The Victor du Pont estate—currently the track and football field—was sold to the school in 1943, and the first floor of the original home housed the newly formed prekindergarten. The second floor was used for faculty apartments. The house became known as the PK Building. The land around it was graded and became the field hockey field starting in 1945. Behind the home were tennis courts. By 1946, enrollment had grown to 365 students, and there was need for a larger gym. The original gym was located at the back end of the Lower School hall on the first floor. The seating capacity was minimal. The original rafters can be seen in the classrooms at the back end of the Middle School hall on the second floor. Weaver Gym opened in the fall of 1949 and was, at that time, one of the largest and most modern gyms in the state. The Science Department took over

Looking Back

From left to right, the main building in 1920, 1960 and 2019.

the old gym on the first floor, and classrooms were constructed on the second floor. This, in 1949, was the first major change to occur in Tower Hill’s main building in 30 years.

1950-1960

In the ’50s, enrollment grew from 317 to 551 students. In the late ’50s, the 1919 Auditorium, which seated about 180 students, was enlarged by incorporating the music classroom behind it. A two-floor L-shaped wing was added to the main building, which created the courtyard area.

1960-1976

In the early ’60s, a third floor was added to the L-shaped wing. The old PK building and tennis courts were demolished, and the current football field and track were constructed in its place. A new preschool was built on the playground space across 17th Street. The former kindergarten room was converted into a new and larger library, which is now the Lower School Library. The library had been located where the reception conference room is now located. The Stabler Building opened in 1967—a tribute to Headmaster Brooke Stabler, who passed away in 1964. The construction of this building was estimated to cost $75,000, and the original plan included a covered walkway that connected it to the main building.

However, costs increased to $150,000, and the covered walkway was abandoned. In the late ’60s, the St. Amour estate across Rising Sun Lane was donated to Tower Hill. The house was torn down, and the grounds provided much-needed athletic fields, mainly for soccer and baseball. By 1969, Tower Hill’s first capital campaign was announced to raise money for the construction of a new library/science wing. The library/science complex was completed and opened in January 1973.

1976-1986

In 1976, a second capital campaign, the Seventh Decade Fund, was in the works. This campaign was to provide Tower Hill with the athletic space it needed for Lower and Middle School gym programs, as well as adequate facilities for all winter sports teams to practice at the same time. It also included renovations to the cafeteria and art areas. The land on which the Carpenter Field House was built had been donated to the school by Walter S. Carpenter, Jr., one of Tower Hill’s original founders. The Walter S. Carpenter, Jr. Field House was built with funds donated to the Seventh Decade Fund and was dedicated in 1980.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

CAMPUS IN 1958

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

Looking Back

Historically, Tower Hill’s Lower School had been composed of two classes per grade, and many qualified applicants had to be turned away when classes were filled. In 1982, the trustees authorized an expansion of the Lower School. Over the next six years, one grade each year from pre-K through 4th Grade was increased from two to three classes. This expansion program was accomplished with minor renovations to classrooms—even offices were converted to classrooms—and did not necessitate at the time any major building project.

1986-2000

By 1986, enrollment was at 650 students, and it was clear that the Lower School, by then the largest of the three divisions, needed more room. By the late ’80s, the trustees agreed to sell some land across Kennett Pike. This land had been acquired by the school in the late ’60s, and only a portion was being used for athletic fields. The field hockey and girls’ lacrosse field had been relocated there in the late ’60s, and the bridge over Kennett Pike was constructed between 1969 and 1970. The unused land was sold, and the proceeds from the sale paid for the construction of a new Preschool wing adjacent to the Lower School Library. Funds were also used to build tennis courts behind the Carpenter Field House. When the Preschool wing was completed in 1991, the entire Preschool was relocated to the main building, which left the former Preschool building available for the After School program, where it remains today.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

CAMPUS IN 2019 Photo by Josh Boughner

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

Looking Back

A new auditorium had been a need of the school for many years. The original 1919 Auditorium had been enlarged in the late ’50s to accommodate seating. In the early ’70s, the stage had been extended to accommodate the increased enrollment and number of students who were involved in the various musicals and performances. A capital campaign to raise funds for a new auditorium was underway by 1994. Between 1994 and 1997, The Next Stage: Tower Hill’s Campaign for the Arts raised $6.5 million to construct and endow the Pierre S. du Pont Arts Center. The building opened in 1996.

2000-TODAY

In June of 2000, the first phase of the Campaign for Tower Hill began to renovate the science and art facilities and update the infrastructure. The renovations and additions to the academic building were essentially complete for the opening day of school in 2001. The St. Amour gardens were reconstructed during the 2003-2004 school year. In 2004, the new Music building was completed and the pre-K moved into the Stabler Building. The Dining Room was renovated in 2005. From 2005-2010, the Campaign for Athletics raised $10 million to upgrade the athletic fields and the physical education and athletic facilities. During the winter of 2009, the Harrington House on Mt. Salem Lane was purchased and renamed the Hayward House in honor of Rosa Laird Hayward McDonald ’34. In May of 2010, the Carpenter Field House was reopened after renovations. During the 2011-2012 school year, the groundbreaking ceremony was held for the Math and Science Center, and Tower Hill began to explore new approaches for digital technology in the classroom. The Math and Science Center opened on the first day of school in 2013.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

FIELD HOCKEY HISTORY

A LOOK BACK AT TOWER HILL’S 100 YEARS OF FIELD HOCKEY EXCERPTED FROM FOREVER GREEN: A COMMEMORATIVE HISTORY OF TOWER HILL SCHOOL

FIELD HOCKEY was popular from the very

start. One of the veterans of Greenhill School to remain under Headmaster Burton P. Fowler was Ellen Baldwin, “Baldy,” the most consistently successful coach in Tower Hill history. She was director of the girls’ physical education and empress of field hockey in the state of Delaware. Due to concerns about small numbers on teams, Fowler began to require athletic participation. Starting in 1930, boys and girls were required to stay until 4:30 p.m. two days a week for physical activities. This encouraged a larger participation in team sports, and eventually students ended up spending every afternoon at school. Tower Hill athletics took off. The hockey team earned the epithet “Red Rippers” as they tore the guts out of Friends’ team year after year. Baldy’s girls were undefeated every year from 1931 to 1936 and retired the Tryon Cup twice. In 1931, only one goal was scored against the team in the whole season. Pat Moseley Trepagnier ’37 had been a member of some of Baldy’s championship hockey teams and returned to Tower Hill after graduation from

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

Skidmore in ’41. Working one year with Baldy before she retired in June 1942, Moseley successfully filled the huge shoes left by her mentor, coaching all girls’ sports until June of 1946. The 1943 hockey team was undefeated and untied under Moseley. All eight victories were by at least two goals, and Friends, A.I. and Sanford were defeated twice. The team also went undefeated in 1945. The hockey teams that played during the fall of ’46, ’47 and ’48 faced some tough times, winning only six games, total, during those three seasons. In the 1950s, often overlooked were the girls’ records, which overall and percentage-wise were better than the boys’. While the 1957 football team was stretching Tower Hill’s unbeaten streak to 19 games, the hockey team was also undefeated but relatively unnoticed. While on its way to a winning season, the 1956 hockey team defeated a previously undefeated Friends team. The next year, many of the team’s members returned to provide the nucleus for Tower Hill’s first undefeated season since 1945.

Looking Back

L: The 1922 field hockey team. C: The 1943 field hockey team. R: The 1991 field hockey team celebrates winning the state championship.

Betty Richardson, who began coaching in the late ’50s, left in June of 1961, but the hockey team continued to prosper. Nevertheless, when Betty Rich decided to return after a brief hiatus, the future of Tower Hill field hockey was ensured.

the coaches and girls have brought to the playing of this game epitomizes the ardent pursuit of excellence in all areas pledged in the school’s motto—Many Things Done Well.

The first Delaware State Hockey Tournament was fittingly won by Tower Hill under Richardson. In Miss Rich’s opinion, the team’s strength was its mental and physical toughness, as symbolized by goalie Muffy Seitz ’74 who played in the state tournament with a cast on her leg. The field hockey team continued to prosper and won three consecutive state field hockey championships in 1980, 1981 and 1982. In 1990, Robin Adair Harvey’s first year as assistant coach, the team caught fire under new coach Pam Matsanka during the state tournament and beat Tatnall in the finals. The team won the state championship for the next three years. Under Harvey’s leadership as head coach, the team won 10 state titles between 1997 and 2008. Field hockey was and has remained one of the most successful programs at Tower Hill. The energy that

Captain Mary Stuart Gamble Freydberg ’83 and coach Betty Richardson celebrate, in 1982, the third consecutive state field hockey championship.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

ROBIN ADAIR HARVEY

LEGENDARY FIELD HOCKEY COACH RETIRES FROM TOWER HILL FIELD HOCKEY LEGEND Robin Adair Harvey retired this past spring after serving the Tower Hill community for 29 years.

Since she started as head field hockey coach in 1994, Harvey earned an incredible career record of 396-44-16 and won 10 state titles. She announced her coaching retirement in the spring of 2018 but continued to teach in the Physical Education Department during the 2018-2019 school year before announcing her retirement in February 2019. “The success that Robin had on the field is certainly what many will remember her for, but it was her passion for the game of field hockey, love of Tower Hill and the amazing way she motivated and taught each student-athlete who played for her that she will long be remembered for,” Athletic Director Seth Kushkin said. “All of us that are a part of the Tower Hill Athletic Department are better coaches and people having worked alongside Robin.”

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

In 2017, her last year as head coach, Harvey was selected by MAX Field Hockey as the State of Delaware Coach of the Year. She also received the Delaware Field Hockey Coaches Association 2017 Coach of the Year Award. Throughout her time at Tower Hill, Harvey has coached countless student-athletes who went on to play field hockey in college, and she even coached two players who have been members of the United States Olympic field hockey team. Meredith Keller Giacco ’99, whom Harvey coached, has since taken over the role of head coach. “Robin does not settle for anything but your best,” Giacco said. “You can let it go or go after it. When you made the right choice, you were on top of the world. Her guidance and determination, once embraced, led to an almost euphoric feeling of accomplishment. It is something that sticks with you forever.”

Looking Back

Lower School Faculty, 1994-2019 Head Field Hockey Coach, 1994-2017 Assistant Field Hockey Coach, 1990-1993 Career Record: 396-44-16 State Titles: 10 Harvey began teaching in the Lower School in 1994 before teaching in the Physical Education Department. “Robin is a true Hiller in every sense of the word,” Physical Education Department Chair Chris Aitken said. “The impact she has had on our students and this school will certainly be remembered for years to come. She truly is one of the best!” The role of being a coach and a physical education teacher is particularly unique since those teachers are some of the few who interact with students of all ages, Tower Tots through seniors, Aitken said. “Robin’s character and ability to adjust her teaching and coaching styles has allowed her to connect with many students in the building,” he said. “After spending 15 years with Robin teaching side by side, I can honestly say that she is one of a kind. She is a master teacher when it comes to developing the necessary skills of our young athletes.” This year, Thom Harvey, Robin’s husband, created the Robin Adair Harvey Endowed Varsity Field Hockey Coach Fund. Income from this fund will support the stipend of the varsity field hockey head coach in perpetuity. Giacco will be the first beneficiary of this fund. “I’m grateful for the work ethic she instilled in me. And yet, it did not end there,” Giacco said. “I had the pleasure and education continue while coaching alongside of her. She brought out the best in so many and never gave up on any single individual. I have learned so much from her. She is truly a legend.”

To make a gift to the Robin Adair Harvey Endowed Varsity Field Hockey Coach Fund, visit towerhill.org/makeagift or call 302-657-8353.

Top to bottom: Harvey gives a pep talk to the 2008 team during the state finals against Brandywine High School; Harvey coaching in the early ’90s; Head of School Bessie Speers, field hockey Olympian Caitlin Van Sickle ’08 and Harvey during the Opening Assembly in 2016; Harvey coaching in 2016.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

SCHOOL LIFE

JOURNALISM AND INTEGRITY JOURNALIST ANN CURRY SPEAKS FOR FORUM SPEAKER SERIES BY AMY WOLF, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING

AWARD-WINNING journalist Ann Curry

doesn’t believe her opinion matters that much. To her, the voices and the stories of the people she covers matter much more. “I believe that I don’t matter. The stories matter,” Curry said at the Forum Speaker Series in March. “So how do we tell these stories in a way that reaches people in a way that’s powerful and effective? We shouldn’t think about these stories, as you’re seeing a great deal today, from our own vantage points, but rather we need to work the muscles so that we can document all vantage points.” Curry is the current executive producer and reporter of We’ll Meet Again, a PBS series that features reunions of people whose lives crossed, and then separated, at pivotal moments and during worldchanging events. A former NBC News Network anchor and international correspondent, Curry has covered the wars in Syria, Darfur, Congo, the Central African Republic, Serbia, Lebanon, Israel, Afghanistan and Iraq, and reported on nuclear tensions from North Korea and Iran.

Curry said she believes in analyzing stories for the truth, working hard to get both sides of the story and listening to all the nuances that the truth involves. “I come from a time before people talked about fake news, when it was our job to put aside our opinions and work to find the truth,” Curry said. “This work is being threatened by an economic change, and in this transition, some people are yelling and are causing more bias to emerge. It’s really about truth and trust and the struggle to get there.” Curry said she is both worried and excited about our future, and that the one thing that gives her hope is that humans are trending toward compassion and understanding. “There is a real hope that when people really understand the problem and raise the problem as real that we’ll find a solution,” she said. “To not have faith in the possibilities would be to not pay attention to history. There is evidence that greatness—heroism—is in all of us.”

Curry spoke to Upper School students, faculty and parents as part of the Forum Speaker Series, which brings prominent experts, scholars and media figures to Tower Hill. The Tower Hill Forum was founded by the Rappolt family in 1998 in recognition of the dedication, scholarship and professionalism of the Tower Hill family. During her lecture, Curry gave some unexpected advice for someone who’s spent decades in front of the camera: “Read more and watch less.” Curry said she prefers to read newspapers and magazines, where there tends to be less bias than on cable networks. “We’re in a tough moment. There’s every reason to criticize journalism today,” she said. “But I also know that journalism is incredibly important because it is a way for people to hear ideas and information. And as human beings, ideas and information are what allow us to thrive and move forward.”

Ted Hughes ’19, Tara Fletcher, Ann Curry, Anna Reynolds ’19 and Megan Cover

VIDEO EXTRA

Watch a clip from Curry’s lecture and Q&A at towerhill.org/bulletin

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

TOWER TERM

EXCERPTS FROM STUDENT RECAPS OF THE THIRD MINI-SEMESTER OF EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PAINTING AT LONGWOOD GARDENS Among the birds chirping, trees blowing in the wind and fountains spraying water into the air is a group of Tower Hill students peacefully drawing while taking in the scenery. Painting at Longwood Gardens is one of the 20 Tower Terms offered in this year’s spring Tower Term, where students used their eyes differently in order to create genuine artwork made in plein air. Torrey Kist, art teacher and the instructor of this Tower Term, described plein air painting as “painting outdoors on site, on location in the environment with little materials.” For some students, this was their first time trying out this technique. —Bella Mulford ’21

BEEKEEPING Eight Tower Hill high school students crowd around Langstroth beehives as Rev. Tom Speers separates the boxes and pulls out a few frames. The students, clad in white bee suits, marvel at the hundreds of bees that cling onto the frames.

Some of the students hold the bee-covered frames to get a closer look. The frames of honey are surprisingly heavy. The bees from the frames crawl onto some of the students, and they peer closer to the small creatures through their netted masks. This year, Beekeeping is a Tower Term in which high school students from different years learn about honey bees. The students enjoy learning about bees in an experimental environment. “It’s something I wouldn’t get a chance to do otherwise, so it’s a unique piece of knowledge,” Ben du Pont ’20 said. —Bella Gattuso ’22 FLYING DRONES In the Flying Drones Tower Term, students learned about drones and their role in the world today. They learned how to operate the drones, including how to take pictures and how to fly the drones to get aerial views. In this Tower Term, students got first-hand experience with drones and learned how to edit the photos that they took. At the end of the course, they created a 3D panoramic virtual tour of the school. During the first couple of days of this course, students created obstacle courses to work on their drone-flying skills. On the Nitsche Pitch on campus, students used objects like hurdles and hula hoops to make the course and competed to see who could complete it in the least amount of time. —Madison Fisher ’21 36

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

SCHOOL LIFE

GRILLING SCIENCE In Grilling Science, a “seniors-only” Tower Term, students learn everything there is to know about barbecue: meat prep, cooking, seasoning and preparing the grill. One of the most popular Tower Terms, Grilling Science was completely filled within 15 minutes with a roster of 18 students! In this Tower Term, students prepared their own food with guidance and help from the instructors, making foods like cheeseburgers, grilled watermelon and even doughnuts. This laid-back course helped students develop a love and a better understanding of the art and science of grilling. They even cooked brisket, ribs and pulled pork on the grill that started cooking at midnight and finished at 5 p.m. the next day. —Madison Fisher ’21 WALK ON THE WILD SIDE “While being a participant for Walk on the Wild Side, I didn’t expect to have so much fun hiking and canoeing. This Tower Term allowed me to enjoy all the aspects of nature,” said Aidan Quig ’22, who found a new passion while hiking and exploring in the Walk on the Wild Side Tower Term, which is based on time with nature and away from the normal day-to-day tasks. He found unknown happiness through nature and connection. The students went on the Brandywine Wilderness Canoe Trip, where they learned how to work as a team by making a team effort to work the small canoes. They enjoyed this trip, as it was very different from their daily lives. —Dean Hammod ’22 META TOWER TERM The Meta Tower Term is the Tower Term responsible for covering all the others. The students in this Tower Term try to visit every other Tower Term and either create a video or write an article about it. Students act as reporters and are able to interview, film or take part in a course they are focusing on. Meta Tower Term’s headquarters was in the Communications Office, where the team members spent most of their time organizing the photos and videos taken during the day. When the students were not in the office, they were visiting Tower Terms around campus. The group was able to get up close and take videos of bees buzzing around the hive, go-karts in action and students playing cricket. —Nick Lenhard ’21

Read more about all 20 Tower Terms, view photos and watch videos at towerhill.org/bulletin Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

NEW BOARD LEADERSHIP ERIC T. JOHNSON, M.D., TAKES THE HELM AS BOARD CHAIR

Tower Hill’s new Board Chair, Eric T. Johnson, M.D., pictured second from right with Head of School Bessie Speers, Malcolm Johnson ’18 and immediate past Board Chair Michelle Shepherd at the 2018 Graduation Ceremony.

The Tower Hill School Board of Trustees named Eric T. Johnson, M.D., board chair at its May meeting. Johnson joined Tower Hill’s Board in 2013 and has served the school in various leadership capacities, including as a member of the Strategic Planning Committee, a member of the Advancement Committee and co-chair of the Committee on Trustees. Johnson is the associate chief of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and director of Orthopaedic Trauma Services in the Christiana Care Health System. He is on the clinical faculty at Wilmington Hospital and St. Francis Hospital and serves on Christiana Care’s Board of Directors. Johnson practices with First State Orthopaedics and serves as adjunct associate professor in the physical therapy program at the University of Delaware. Johnson is a 1990 graduate of the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine and completed his residency in orthopaedic surgery at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and fellowship in Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery at Cooper Hospital, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He is a 1990 diplomate of the National Board of Medical Examiners and a 1999 and 2008 diplomate of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. Johnson was a 1990 recipient of the Dean’s Award for Student Leadership Penn State’s College of Medicine and Christiana Care’s Surgical Sub-Specialist of the Year in 2000. His two children, Spencer ’16 and Malcolm ’18, are Tower Hill graduates, currently attending Yale and Brown universities, respectively.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

Immediate past Chair Michelle D. Shepherd completed her term at the end of the 2018-2019 school year, having contributed to the school in many significant ways since joining the board in 2010. Among many other committees, Shepherd served as chair of the board’s Committee on Trustees, chair of the Head of School Search Committee, a member of the Institutional Strategy and Positioning Study Working Group and a member of the Strategic Planning Committee. Shepherd retired from Bank of America in 2008 as the company’s East Division Executive. She has served as a director of the American Heart Association, Delaware Affiliate, and as a trustee of Delaware State University. Currently, she is a trustee of the Delaware Historical Society, a director of the Mary Campbell Center in Wilmington and chair of Georgetown University’s Alumni Admissions Program in Delaware. Her daughters—Isabel ’20 and Ella ’22—attend Tower Hill. “Michelle Shepherd’s exceptional work on behalf of Tower Hill School has strengthened the board and the school in a myriad of ways, and we are extraordinarily grateful for her vision and leadership,” Head of School Bessie Speers said. “It has been a privilege to work with Michelle, and it will continue to be an honor to work with Dr. Eric Johnson as our new board chair. Eric has shown a deep commitment to Tower Hill and the board, and we are fortunate to have him as chair as we celebrate Centennial and this next century for Tower Hill.”

Robert DeSantis began his career with T. Rowe Price Associates in Baltimore before joining MBNA America/Bank of America, working in multiple capacities during his 20 years there. Since then, he has been active in real estate investment and is a principal of Shefford LLC, focusing on venture capital investment. A 1985 graduate of Loyola College, DeSantis has served on the boards of Community Service Building Corporation, The Bayard House, Social Venture Partners, Loyola Blakefield School and Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Towson, Maryland. He is the parent of four Tower Hill graduates—Caroline ’15, Lily ’19, John ’19 and Peter ’19—and the brother of former Tower Hill Board Chair Michelle Shepherd. He and his wife Suzanne served as Annual Fund parent leadership co-chairs for the past two years.

SCHOOL LIFE

NEW TRUSTEES

FOUR JOIN TOWER HILL’S BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Heather Richards Evans ’80 is founder and president of Yaverland Foundation, which supports conservation, education and the arts, with a particular focus on programs benefiting underserved communities. She is vice chair of the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art and previously served on several boards and advisory committees for organizations in the local region. She was a litigation associate with O’Melveny & Myers in New York City before moving to London, where she was active in strategic planning for the American Friends of the British Museum, Business in the Community and West London Action for Children. Evans attended Tower Hill from kindergarten through 9th Grade before transferring to Phillips Academy, Andover. She is a graduate of Princeton University (A.B., history, 1984) and New York University (J.D. 1989) and is a member of the bars of New York and New Jersey. Her three children, Grant ’11, Imogen ’14 and Henry ’16, attended Tower Hill through Middle School. Catherine Miller is a former senior marketing manager for the computer hardware company Gateway. She also held brand management and marketing positions for The Pillsbury Company and GE Information Services. She began her career in account management for the advertising agency DDB Needham. She has held multiple board positions in the community, including treasurer and president for the Junior League of Wilmington. Catherine earned a B.A. in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. She has served as president of the Tower Hill Home and School Association and has three children: Christopher ’16, Philip ’16 and William ’23. Lisa A. Olson ’76 is senior trial counsel with the U.S. Department of Justice, representing the United States in complex civil litigation issues under the Constitution and federal laws. Her clients have included the president, the Supreme Court, Department of Justice, Department of State and Department of Defense. Olson earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Princeton University in 1980 and a J.D. from University of Virginia School of Law in 1983. She was an associate with Whiteford, Hart, Carmody & Wilson and Bingham, Dana & Gould in Washington, D.C., before joining the Department of Justice in 1987. She has received the U.S. Department of Justice Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service, Special Commendation Awards, Special Achievement Awards and Performance Awards. She serves as treasurer of City Wildlife, admissions committee member of the Cosmos Club and board member emeritus of Music for Autism.

WITH GRATITUDE FOR THEIR SERVICE TO THE BOARD

Tower Hill School thanks the following trustees, whose terms concluded with the 2018-2019 school year, for their service to the board: Jon Abramczyk Ted Ashford III Anthony Cucuzzella, M.D. ’82

Michelle Shepherd Vance Wilson

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

AROUND SCHOOL MATH LEAGUE Tower Hill’s Math League team capped its season with a third-place finish at the Delaware Secondary School Mathematics League Invitational Meet, held in Dover on April 10. Tower Hill was one of 20 teams to qualify for this statewide event, where team members Olivia Lin ’19, Peter Zhong ’19, Brooke Livingston ’19, Noah Wang ’20 and Vincent Cai ’21 carried Tower Hill’s team to its highest finish in school history. Lin was recognized at a banquet held after the meet for her exceptional individual performance over the course of the season.

WEEK OF THE YOUNG CHILD Preschoolers celebrated the Week of the Young Child in April by playing music, enjoying tasty treats, working together in the Experiential Outdoor Classroom and more! The Week of the Young Child is an annual celebration hosted by the National Association for the Education of Young Children to spotlight early learning, young children, their teachers, families and communities.

SERVICE Eleven Upper School students participated in the 2019 Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s “Student of the Year” campaign and raised $52,838 to fight blood cancers. Led by Umar Aulia ’20 and Joe Zakielarz ’20, the team, named “We Severely Dislike Cancer,” ran the fundraiser in honor of Aulia’s mother, who passed away from acute myeloid leukemia in 2017.

CULINART INCLUSION WEEK Tower Hill’s Social Justice Program is truly schoolwide. Director of Dining Services Jerry Buckworth organized a conversation for his team in April with Director of Social Justice Dyann Connor about the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) work. Connor expressed the importance of students treating all staff members with respect, and explained how DEI programs are carried out in all three divisions. The Q&A dialogue was part of CulinArt Group’s Inclusion Week 2019.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

SCHOOL LIFE TOWER TOT SEA TURTLE BAKE SALE The Tower Tots held their annual Sea Turtle bake sale on April 4 to raise money for the Ocean Isle Sea Turtle Protection Organization in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. In addition to learning about sea turtles, students in both classes were active participants in the advertising and selling of baked treats. Through their great efforts, they adopted nest 22 and raised a total of $604.25! KENKEN MATH PUZZLES The Middle School math classes teamed up with Lower School to bring KenKen puzzles to Tower Hill. KenKen puzzles are a name of arithmetic and logic puzzles created by Japanese math teacher Tetsuya Miyamoto, who intended the puzzles to be an instruction-free method of training the brain. Middle School math classes visited Lower School classes to teach the younger students strategies for solving the puzzles.

WHEEL OF THEODORUS To culminate their unit on right triangles, eighthgraders in Beth Andersonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s algebra classes created their own Wheels of Theodorus, spirals composed of contiguous right triangles. Visit towerhill.org/bulletin to watch students explain the connections between irrational numbers and the right triangles and how they used the Pythagorean theorem to create the spirals.

INTERNET SAFETY The 7th Grade Digital Citizenship class wrote online internet safety stories for kindergarten and first-grade students with the Book Creator and Storybird apps. The seventh-graders read the stories to their buddies in May, and then together they co-wrote a story based on being safe online.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

NEW YORK CITY TRIP On June 3, the 6th Grade visited the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, New Jersey, and the Financial District in New York City. The student-led tours of the Financial District, dubbed “Hiller Tours,” included Federal Hall, the Federal Reserve Bank, Wall Street, Trinity Church, Ellis Island (from afar), One World Trade, the Charging Bull and the New York Stock Exchange. Through the kindness of sixth-grade parent Nicole Fanandakis and her father, Nick Fanandakis, the students were welcomed to the trading floor of the NYSE to witness the ringing of the closing bell by the DuPont Company. This closing bell commemorated and celebrated DuPont’s spin-off from Corteva and DowDuPont to become a publicly traded company. How fortuitous for the 6th Grade to be in New York on this historic day, and how fortunate for the 6th Grade to have this extraordinary opportunity made possible by Fanandakis. CHESS NUTS Congratulations to Coale Crouch ’24, Micheal Liu ’26, Daniel Fink ’25, Stokes Mellon ’25 and Richie Angiullo ’25, who competed as a team for Tower Hill School at the 2019 National Junior High Chess Championship. Tower Hill finished in 4th place out of 37 teams in the U1250 K-8th Grade division. Liu and Crouch finished in 4th place with 5 out of 7 points, and after tie breaks, Liu tied for 19th place and Crouch tied for 20th. Mellon finished in 5th place with 4.5 points and tied for 33rd place after tie breaks out of 199 participants. Liu and Crouch were awarded trophies, and the school and all of the boys received a plaque.

THE SYMPOSIUM The Symposium: Intersectionality of Identities in a Global Society at Tower Hill School in April brought Upper School students together for meaningful dialogue about cultural competency, equity and inclusion. Students from Sanford, Tatnall and Wilmington Friends joined Tower Hill for presentations by special guest speakers Sarah McBride, national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, and Alden E. Habacon, one of Canada’s leading diversity and inclusion strategists and facilitators.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

SCHOOL LIFE

FACULTY FOCUS

LOWER SCHOOL MUSIC TEACHER SARA BUSH BY AMY WOLF, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING

the music for the 4th Grade Show. She also leads the 2nd Grade Hoedown and directs the 3rd and 4th Grade choral concert. One of the main focuses in Lower School music—Tower Tots all the way through 4th Grade—is an emphasis on steady beat. “It’s basically the heartbeat of music, and I try to instill that, especially in the younger grades,” Bush said.

TO LOWER SCHOOL music teacher Sara

Bush, teaching students is like gardening. When gardening, she said, you first cultivate the soil, then plant the seeds and then tend to those seeds so they can grow. And if they’re deviating from where they’re supposed to be, you have to support them to get them back on track. “And it’s very much the same with children,” Bush said. “You have the ones who kind of veer off course, and teachers have to gently guide them back and show them where they need to be.” Bush has been teaching Lower School music at Tower Hill for 24 years, and she currently teaches Tower Tots through 4th Grade, including chorus. She was previously a teacher in the Red Clay School District, and she transitioned to Tower Hill early in her teaching career. She was encouraged to interview by Eric Perkins, former Music Department chair, with whom she had performed in the professional music circuit. When she first began teaching at Tower Hill, Bush taught pre-K through 2nd Grade in addition to writing and directing the musicals in those grades. “Since I’ve been at Tower Hill, one of the things I’ve done and brought to the table is that I’ve written musicals. Many, many original children’s musicals. Most of them are educational and humorous,” she said. “I used to write, direct, choreograph and produce them, including making scenery, so I did a lot of that all on my own.” Today, she teaches all grades in the Lower School, produces the pre-K and kindergarten plays and teaches

Beginning in kindergarten, students learn ostinatos, which are short repeated patterns, and Bush introduces quarter notes, eighth notes and rests. From there, the difficulty level increases until they’re doing more complex patterns in the latter grades of Lower School. “Music is very cyclical, so you might teach the same concept all the way through a school year,” Bush said. “It’s kind of like a spiral curriculum, and you keep hitting on the same type of skills, which increase in difficulty as the children advance. There’s steady beat, dynamics, notation, rhythm, pitch and the musical staff, and the instrumentals I teach are recorder and guitar, which basically emphasizes strumming patterns.” The benefits to teaching music at a young age, Bush said, are endless. “For starters, take the brain. When a child performs music, or when they listen to music, new neurological pathways are being formed, and new connections are being formed in the brain,” she said. “In my opinion, kids can’t get enough, because that naturally spills out into other areas of their education and will assist them.” Bush said there’s not a single aspect of teaching music she loves the most; all parts of her days are equally exciting and fun. “I enjoy everything. All of it,” she said. “I get to share something that is a passion of mine with children, and I see on their faces the joy that it brings. Some of the best moments are those times when a student steps out of their comfort zone and you can see that they feel something, whether it’s pride or just a sense of accomplishment or just sheer joy. And you can see that; you can feel it.”

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

ATHLETICS BOYS’ TENNIS WINS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP Congratulations to the boys’ tennis team on winning the state championship! Robby Ward ’19 won first singles, Charlie Sternberg ’23 won third singles, Alex Racape ’20 and Aidan Donoho ’20 won first doubles, and Gaurav Rastogi ’21 and Drew Allen ’23 won second doubles.

FIRST DOUBLES CHAMPIONS Congratulations to Ella Shepherd ’22 and Ava Steinberger ’23 on winning first doubles in the state tennis championship!

GIRLS’ SOCCER STATE RUNNER-UP The girls’ soccer team was the state runner-up after its efforts against Caravel fell short in the DIAA Championship on June 1. Congratulations to the team on a fantastic 14-3-1 season!

BASEBALL COMPETES IN STATE TOURNAMENT The boys’ baseball team finished the regular season 10-8 and competed in the DIAA state tournament, where they lost in the first round to Delmarva Christian.

GIRLS’ LACROSSE COMPETES IN SEMIFINALS The girls’ lacrosse finished the regular season 13-2 and competed in the quarterfinals of the state tournament, where they unfortunately lost to Padua 11-12.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

SCHOOL LIFE

GOLF TEAM WINS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP FOR FOURTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR Congratulations to the golf team on winning its fourth consecutive state championship! Rylie Heflin ’21, Jennifer Cleary ’20 and Henry Stone ’23 all placed in the top 10. BOYS’ LACROSSE COMPETES IN SECOND ROUND OF STATE TOURNAMENT The boys’ lacrosse team finished the regular season 10-5 and defeated Charter 8-6 in the first round of the state tournament. The team competed in the second round of the state tournament, where they unfortunately lost to Salesianum 7-15.

TRACK AND FIELD The track and field team competed in the DIAA Championship in Dover on May 17 and 18. The girls’ team finished 14th in the state. Jalyn Miller ’22 placed 8th in the 800-meter, Olivia Langlois ’21 placed 6th in the 100-meter hurdles, Reese Mullins ’21 placed 6th in the shot put and the 4x800 (Caroline Kirtley ’22, Sarah Greenberg ’20, Miller, Anna Reynolds ’19) placed 6th. The boys’ 4x800 (Joe Pinto ’19, Will Zong ’20, Mark Sheehan ’22, Varday Jacobs ’20) placed 6th, and Jaedan Fitzhugh ’21 placed 8th in the high jump.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

GRANDPARENTSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; AND FRIENDSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; DAY

More than 500 grandparents and friends joined students on campus on April 18 for special musical performances and classroom visits.

4 1

3 1., 3. and 5. Grandparents and friends visit classrooms. 2. An Upper Schooler poses with her grandparents between classes. 4. A Middle School student poses for a picture with his grandmother between classes. 5. The Lower School puts on a show in the theater featuring songs and dances taught by music teacher Sara Bush.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

SCHOOL LIFE

LATIN DAY

The annual Latin Day was held at Tower Hill this year on April 17 and included students from Tower Hill, Upland Country Day School, The Independence School, Sanford School and The Tatnall School. Multa Bene Facta in action!

5 1. Students parade around Nitsche Pitch. 2. Sarah Gano ’22 participates in the Graiae Sisters’ Eye Toss, a mythologically themed field event. 3. Students participate in the “Stygian Stomp.” 4. Latin teacher Harry Neilson, Ph.D., poses questions to students. 5. Students compete in a Latin Certamen in which they answered trivia questions on mythology, grammar and more.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

TOWER DAY

On April 29 Tower Hill celebrated the fourth annual Tower Day, a spring surprise for students. The entire school gathered in Rockford Park for a bit of Tower Hill history, a green-versus-white all-school relay and a water ice treat. In honor of Tower Hillâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 100th year, students were also able to climb to the top of the Rockford Tower.

3 1. A Lower School class enjoys time in Rockford Park after Tower Day. 2. Head of School Bessie Speers, Middle School teacher Carl Wismer and a Lower School student begin Tower Day with a little Hiller history. 3. A Lower Schooler races to the finish line during an all-school relay. 4. Students wave from the top of the tower. 5. A Middle School student high-fives Tower Hillâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s white tiger mascot during the festivities. 6. Upper School students pose for a photo in front of the tower.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

SCHOOL LIFE

CENTENNIAL FIELD DAY

Tower Hill celebrated its 97th annual Field Day on May 24. Two new flags were added for the Centennial year: a Field Day flag and a â&#x20AC;&#x153;winner poleâ&#x20AC;? that displayed green and white ribbons for each win a team has accumulated. The flags were carried by two previous Field Day captains in the Upper School.

1. Middle Schoolers pose for a photo on the sidelines. 2. A kindergartener participates in a relay race. 3. A Middle School student jumps over a hurdle. 4. Students cheer on the Green team from the sidelines. 5. The physical education teachers pose for a photo. 6. Seventh- and eighth-graders compete in the tug-of-war.

3 4

5 4

6 7

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

THE ARTS

1. Third-graders perform their production of Tower Will: A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 2. Lower Schoolers perform in the 3rd and 4th Grade Concert. 3. Middle Schoolers perform in their spring choir concert. 4. Upper School dance students Emma Bidic ’19 and Anna Reynolds ’19 take their dance practice to the Experiential Outdoor Classroom with theater and dance teacher Rachel Marlowe. 5. A Middle Schooler’s pastel painting of a dog.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

SCHOOL LIFE

THE ARTS

6 7

10 6. and 7. Faculty and students in all divisions perform in the spring all-school musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. 8. Parents and students admire artwork at Evening of the Arts on May 17. 9. Upper Schoolers perform in their spring choir concert. 10. An Upper Schooler performs a solo at the spring band concert.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

ALUMNI EVENTS 1

1. On March 14, Michele du Pont Goss ’59 hosted a wonderful group of Tower Hill alumni at her home in San Francisco, California. First row: Michele du Pont Goss ’59, Brad Mills ’83, Jack Egan ’73, Bessie Speers and Tom Speers; second row: Caroline Gee Prezzano ’97, E.G. Crichton ’65 and Sandy Loving Linder ’58; third row: Charlie Page ’93, Andrew Fong ’99, Anita Nabha ’97 and Sarah Cabell ’99. 2. Andrew Fong ’99 and Sarah Cabell ’99. 3. On Feb. 20, K.C. Hughes Halpern ’75 and John Halpern hosted a group of Tower Hill alumni, grandparents and friends at their home in Palm Beach, Florida. Pictured are George Marshall, Sheila Cavanagh Marshall ’63, Edward Elson and Susie Elson. 4. Bessie Speers, Tom Speers, Renee Kitchell Lickle ’49 and Bill Lickle ’47. 5. K.C. Hughes Halpern ’75, Mary Lunger McKay ’66 and John Halpern. 6. Head of School Bessie Speers had the opportunity to connect with alumni in the Raleigh-Durham area on Feb. 8. Pictured are Mike Alvarez ’06, Bob Mosbrook ’56, Bessie Speers, Stan Stager ’58, Margaret DeWees Rubin ’06, Lindsey Wenzel ’16, Cameron Cucuzzella ’18 and Raisa Shulkov Dunton ’06.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

ALUMNI EVENTS

1. Philadelphia-area alumni, parents, faculty and friends enjoyed a wonderful evening at the Racquet Club of Philadelphia on May 2 courtesy of hosts Isabella Speakman Timon ’92 and Philip Timon. Pictured are Matt Twyman ’88, Megan Friedman ’07, Michelle Coulter, Bessie Speers and Heidi Johnson Davis ’01. 2. Pete Anderson, Alaina Brandon, Brett Anderson ’17, Barbara Anderson and Allan Kyle. Laird Hayward ’02, Isabella Speakman Timon ’92, Tyler Akin ’02, Greg Mackenzie ’06, Kristin Mumford and Philip Timon. 4. On July 10, Stephanie Bredin Speakman ’64 hosted an alumni gathering in Nantucket. Pictured are Phoebe Brokaw Davidson ’97, Charles Davidson, Bessie Speers and Stephanie Bredin Speakman ’64. 5. Alumni, parents, faculty and friends joined us for the 30th Annual Golf Outing on Monday, June 10. Pictured are Ryan Schultz ’97, Margaret Ingram, Ben Dutcher and Chip Cresswell ’97. 6. Jim Graham, Peggy Babiarz, Ray Babiarz and Ellen Cannon ’72.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

CLASS NOTES ’70s

1972 Sam Hughes and Bede Wellford enjoyed a wonderful time over dinner conversing with a favorite English teacher, Jonathan Lovell. 1979 Mary Ann Kelly MacDonald will be moving to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Her husband, Michael, is the new general manager at the Rehoboth Beach Country Club.

’80s

Brad McMillan was promoted to partner at Commonwealth Financial in January 2019.

’90s

2003 Steven Skolfield was recently appointed director of the middle and upper form at St. Edmond’s Academy. Skolfield returned to Saint Edmond’s after three years at the University of Delaware, where he worked as a statewide curriculum trainer and instructional specialist in mathematics. During his nine years at Saint Edmond’s, he taught math, science and engineering in the middle form. 2016 Abby Manning, a junior lacrosse player at Wesleyan, now leads the women’s lacrosse program with the most goals in a single season. Her 54th tally recently surpassed the old mark of 52, as she scored five goals in the Cardinal’s regular-season finale!

Local artist Becca Pettinaro painted her own Angel Wings mural, on display at the Powder Mill Square shopping center. Sophie Peipher, a women’s lacrosse player at Swarthmore College, was named Centennial Conference Women’s Lacrosse Offensive Player of the Week. Peipher scored nine goals in a 2-0 week for Swarthmore. Her six goals in the win over Muhlenberg were a game high. Her three goals in a back-and-forth win over McDaniel that was decided by just two goals proved to be crucial. 2017 Morgan Rollins, a biomechanical engineering major at Temple University, is continuing her work on developing affordable, 3D-printed neuroprosthetics.

1990 Ashley Altschuler, president of the Tower Hill Alumni Council, recently opened a new office in Wilmington for McDermott Will & Emery, where he has transferred as a litigation partner. McDermott is a top-tier firm and has 1,100 lawyers in more than 20 offices around the world. Altschuler previously worked for DLA Piper. 1994 Amanda Golding Riegel will lead the Transition Practice at Carney Sandoe & Associates. 1997 Elizabeth Jennings was recognized by Coca Cola for her volunteer commitment. Larry Kimmel was voted top personal injury attorney in Delaware by Delaware Today magazine. Kate Lemay organized a show at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., on women’s suffrage. There was an incredible line-up of people who attended the opening, including Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton.

’00s

2000 Katie McCoy Dubow was a QVC guest host for Cottage Farms! She made her debut appearance Jan. 15. An award-winning garden communicator and trend spotter, Dubow speaks around the world on garden trends and marketing. She is creative director at Garden Media Group, a public relations firm specializing in the lawn and garden industry.

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

Clockwise from top left: Katie McCoy Dubow ’00 was a QVC guest host for Cottage Farms. Morgan Rollins ’17 continues her work on developing affordable, 3D-printed neuroprosthetics. Sam Hughes ’72 and Bede Wellford ’72 enjoyed a wonderful time over dinner conversing with a favorite English teacher, Jonathan Lovell.

WEDDINGS 2008 Erica Bickhart Berger married Greg Berger on May 18, 2019. 2009 Lucy McMurry married Chris Gorman on July 13, 2019, in Davidson, North Carolina, where they met. They will be moving from Charlotte to Chicago to start a new adventure. 2010 Monica Wilson Imbrenda married Michael F. Imbrenda, Jr. on March 23, 2019, in Philadelphia. Many Hillers were in attendance, including Joanna Kelly ’10, Taylor Martel ’10, Sloan Trapnell ’10 and Koko Ekong ’10. Clockwise from top left: Erica Bickhart Berger ’08 and Greg Berger; Ashley Gahagan ’08, Erica Bickhart Berger ’08, Loring Weaver Knott ’08, Ashley Isken ’08 and Meghan Graham ’08; Joanna Kelly ’10, Taylor Martel ’10, Monica Wilson Imbrenda ’10, Sloan Trapnell ’10 and Koko Ekong ’10; Monica Wilson Imbrenda ’10 and Michael F. Imbrenda.

BIRTHS 2006 Michael Alvarez and his wife, Natalie, welcomed a baby boy, Seth Michael Alvarez, in January 2019. 2008 Stephanie Luke Lazar and Nicholas Turner welcomed a baby boy, William Magnus Turner, in April 2019. Great grandmother is Betty Keith Luke ’50. 2009 Mary Hobbs Taylor ’09 and Jesse Taylor welcomed a baby boy, Paul Charles Taylor, in March 2019.

CONDOLENCES 1937 Jean Howell Gates on April 21, 2019 1942 Marion Ann Morgan Ryan in May 2019 1943 Anne Carpenter Waugh on March 29, 2019

Paul Charles Taylor 1956 Mikell Evans Flothe on March 17, 2019 Donald B. Hanson in June 2019 George V. Lenher on April 6, 2019 Peter S. Wells on March 20, 2019

1949 Daniel C. Lickle on Feb. 5, 2019

1965 Robert M. Silliman on Feb. 4, 2019

1952 Edith ‘Skippy’ Riegel Miller on Dec. 25, 2018

1966 Ellis W. Jones on June 4, 2019

Arthur H. Hyde on April 27, 2019

1969 Donald A. Bussard on May 29, 2019

1953 Nancy “Missy” Kitchell Lickle on May 24, 2019

Send Class Notes to thsalumni@towerhill.org with a high-resolution photo. Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

Tower Hill School

Centennial Celebration Sept. 20-21, 2019

RSVP for all events at towerhill.org/100

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019

Schedule of Events friday, sept. 20 Class Visits and Tours, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Founders’ Day and Schoolwide Pep Rally, 2 p.m., DeGroat Field Forever Green and White Reception, 5-7 p.m., Centennial Tent Artists and Authors Show Opening, 7-9 p.m., Founders’ Gallery

saturday, sept. 21 Centennial Convocation, 10 a.m., Centennial Tent All-School Barbecue, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., Alumni House Tent Reunion Luncheon, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., Hayward House Artists and Authors Exhibit, All Day, Founders’ Gallery Celebrating Past, Present and Future, 1:30 p.m., 1919 Auditorium Student-Led Tours, 2-3 p.m., Main Entrance on W. 17th Street Centennial Gala, 6-11 p.m., Centennial Tent

Tower Hill Bulletin

Fall 2019