UMS-Wright Crest Winter 2013

The

Crest

happenings around campus

Winter 2013

What’s Inside

Around Campus Around Town At A Glance Awards & Achievements Events Around Campus The Annual Fund

Lower School Shows Their Thanks

Top: On November 22 Kindergarten students

celebrated Thanksgiving by presenting the musical We Give Thanks under the direction of lower school music director Kristi Howze.

It was a fabulous way to start the holidays!

Below Right and Left: Miss McClelland’s K4 class learned about Native Americans at Linda’s Learning Farm.

Students

Bulldog Bytes

Around Campus

Winter Weather!

Ms. Calhoun’s after school Bulldog Bytes (robotics) class working with their new EV3 robots.

K5 students Ty Waters, Cooper Elmore, and Luke Romano have fun in the cold weather!

Bucket Filling

Has your child come home saying he/she is a bucket filler or that someone helped fill his/ her bucket? Are you wondering what that means? Lower School Counselor Mrs. Blair Schoenvogel read the story, “Have you Filled a Bucket Today” by Carol McCloud to all of the Lower School students during the first semester. The book explains to children that we all carry an invisible bucket in which we keep our feelings about ourselves. When our buckets are full, we are happy; when they are empty, we are sad. It’s important to know that we can fill our own bucket and so can others. The best way to fill up our own bucket is by doing things to fill the buckets of others.

Throughout the year, we will be speaking with students and engaging them in activities that encourage them to be bucket fillers, both in and out of school.

The Virtual Language after-school enrichment class celebrated the end of the session with a Christmas party

Lower School Carpool Helpers make the morning much more fun for our younger students (and their parents too)!

Virtual Learning

including foods from each of the countries studied. Students in grades 3-5 can participate in a semester course choosing from French, German, Latin, and Chinese instruction. The elementary level course is an online program offered through Middlebury College and facilitated by Lower School teachers Susan Calhoun and Becky Hall. Pictured: Chaney Scott McCorquodale, Gracie Platt, Ava Enfinger, Paul Murray, and Addison Faggard.

French teacher Mrs. Liz Barker and her high school students invited the 6th grade Latin students to take a virtual field trip to the Eiffel Tower. Students stood on their chairs to look over the sides of the Tower

as part of the 360 degree view; the view was projected on the screen in the front of the class. Students were given historical facts, and discussed descriptive adjectives, the protest from some people while the tower was being built, and the influence Latin had on the French language. Pictured: Emani Mhoon helps Cate Moore with her virtual tour of Paris.

Alumni Around Campus

Join us for the 2014 Arts Hall of Fame Thursday, February 13th, 2014

Above Left: Curran ‘02 and Lundy ‘01 Foose, along with Tatum and Mabry, cheer on the Bulldogs at the Homecoming game. Above Right: Lee Dzwonkowski ‘05 hard at work during the Alumni Call-A-Thon.

Upcoming Alumni Events February 13 March 19 March 23 April 5 Fall 2014

Arts Hall of Fame Lyon Newell Charity Throws Meet Alumni Kickball Tournament Easter Egg Hunt Reunion Weekend, during Homecoming

Parents Around Campus

Join Us for These Upcoming Parents’ Association Events January 15 March 16 March 20 March 21 April 4

Parents’ Association Meeting @ 9:30 am Presentation - “A Look at the Future of UMS-Wright” Bulldog Run Puttin’ On The Dawg - Preview Event Puttin’ On The Dawg – Spring Party Dawgs on the Hunt

We would like to thank all the volunteers and committee members for their spirit and dedication to our school that made Homecoming such a success!

Inductees: Communication Arts/Broadcasting ~ Demetri Ravanos ‘99 ~ Literary Arts/Publications ~ Walter Edgar ‘61 ~ Performing Arts ~ Jody Powell ‘78 ~ Visual Arts ~ Gay Outlaw ‘77 ~ Induction Ceremony 9:30 am David R. Dunlap Auditorium Luncheon 11:00 am Louise Robinson Moorer Reception Gallery Contact Laura Davison at 251-470-9025 or ldavison@ums-wright.org for more information.

Want to Get Involved?

Please be sure to check out the Parents’ Association section under the About tab on the website to access the 2014-15 Volunteer Interest Survey! We would love to have your help next year!

Guests had a fabulous time at the “Seasonal Celebrations” Luncheon with UMS-Wright grandparent Bev Church and current parent Sallye Irvine!

Walk the Dawg We are thrilled to share that Walk the Dawg raised over $8,600 this year! We greatly appreciate the support of our sponsors, donors, parents, students, and faculty! Congratulations to Mrs. Oswalt’s 4th grade class for raising the most money and Mrs. Johnson’s K5 class for the most participation!

Students & Faculty Around Town

Lower School Chorus

The sang in the Sounds of the Season Christmas program which was aired on WALA Fox 10 and WFNA CW 55 throughout December.

They also sang at the Governor’s Mansion on December 9.

Several groups from The

Creative

Dance Center performed at the

Junior League of Mobile Christmas Jubilee in November. Pictured here is the Senior Company.

The Middle School Congress teamed up with the Junior League of Mobile to promote awareness about bullying at Dumas Wesley Community center.

6th Grade Visits The International Festival

Katherine Monson and Kate Johnson

The 3rd grade classes went to the

USA School of Computing in November to learn a program that creates 3D animations.

For her Girl Scout Gold Award Project, UMS-Wright senior Ann Claire Carnahan built Keep Mobile Beautiful’s first ever website! Please check out the brand new website at www.KeepMobileBeautiful.org, which features lots of information about recycling, beautification, litter prevention, education and volunteer opportunities, and so much more!

On November 12, 2013 The

History Museum of Mobile

hosted the third annual Herstory Awards honoring the contributions of south Alabama women who make a difference in the history of our city and region. Congratulations to History teacher Mrs. Foy Hannum, one of the 2013 Honorees, who is pictured here with Patricia Edington, president of the History Museum of Mobile’s Board of Directors. (Photo courtesy of History Museum of Mobile)

Just before a tournament in Biloxi, the girls varsity basketball team walked in the Alzheimer’s Walk.

CALENDAR at a glance Jan 7 Jan 20 Jan 30-31

Volunteers from the UMS-Wright Band and Chorus played at the St. Jude Give Thanks. Walk. on November 16 where they walked in honor of St. Jude patient and classmate Krisanna Roberts.

Feb 7 Feb 13 Feb 28 Feb 28 Mar 3-7

Classes Resume School Holiday Middle School Play, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 1st Grade Play, Barnyard Musical Arts Hall of Fame 5th Grade Play, Rats End of 3rd Quarter Mardi Gras Break

Lower School Gives Back The Lower School helped

collect can goods for the Can

Do Good competition with

Middle school students

collected over $1,050 for the American Diabetes Association for their annual walk.

the Upper School Key Club.

Together they collected 685 pounds of food! Pictured here are 5th graders Katie Faggard and Celeste Murray.

CAMP GRACE

Service at a glance November and December were full of service projects starting in K4 through 12th grade. Here is a quick look at the organizations that our students supported throughout the holiday season: K-4 - Wilmer Hall K-5 - Westminster Village Assisted Living 1st - Penelope House 2nd - USA Children’s and Women’s HospitalTreehouse 3rd - Salvation Army 4th - The homeless through Government Street Presbyterian Church programs 5th - Needy families through the Ransom Café Candy Cane Christmas Event Middle School - Dumas Wesley and The Sybil H. Smith Family Village Upper School - Goodwill Easter Seals

For the past six years, our 8th grade classes have been fortunate enough to use the facilities at Camp Grace for their annual class trip. This year’s 8th grade class (Class of 2018) spent a week at Camp Grace building picnic tables, benches, adirondack chairs, and shooting houses. The students also participated in the ropes course, which challenged them to work closely together. At night, there were guest speakers who informed, inspired, and entertained everyone. On Wednesday night the Class of 2018 was able to present donations (proceeds from furniture pre-sells) in the amount of $3,500 to both Camp Rap-a-Hope and UCP/Camp Smile. Each organization uses the facilities at Camp Grace to hold their annual camps. On the last night, members of the class and teachers entertained everyone by singing karaoke. Bonding as a class, working together to accomplish a goal, and giving back to the community were the three major themes of this service trip.

It was a wonderful week!

Awards

&

Achievements

Cross Country

Congratulations to our Girls Cross Country Team for bringing home the 4A State Championship trophy and to Robert Hope, the 4A Boys State Champion! Also congratulations to Robert Hope who finished 1st place in his division in the Southeast regional Footlocker Championship held in Charlotte, NC on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Alabama Vocal Association Solo/ Ensemble Festival

Superior Rating: Janie Chow Excellent Rating: Bailey Sawyer & Lydia Henry

All-State Choir Participants

HIGH School SATB – Janie Chow, Alaina Garsed, Lydia Henry and Bailey Sawyer HIGH School TTBB – Brock Hughes MIDDLE School Treble – Mary Elizabeth Howze Janie Chow – District 7, 1st Alternate, Outstanding Choral Student

State Trumbauer

Morgan Alford, Ashton Irvin, Mary Hartley King, Mariah Langan, John McElhaney, Max Menaker, and Nicolas Neese all received superior ratings for Individual Events and Studio Theatre Performance. Ann Claire Carnahan and Payton Reedy won 1st Place in Duet Classical Dramatic. In addition, the Studio Theatre performance received a superior rating and Jenny Lincoln was named a member of the All Star Cast.

YOUTH JUDICIAL Congratulations to the UMS-Wright students who competed at the YMCA Youth Judicial Mock Trial Competition in November in Montgomery. All six of the upper classmen teams progressed to the Top 20 and three of the teams advanced to the Top 10. The Defense Team of Haley Horn, Mary Chamberlin Cummings, Lucy Mostellar, Sara Ann Thornley, Callie Robinson, Gary Grady, and Mary Moran Harris earned 3rd Place. Individual Awards included Lucy Mostellar - Top Prosecution Attorney, Callie Robinson – Top Prosecution Witness, Parker Butler – Top Defense Witness, and Nancy Gracen Klein – one of the Outstanding Judge Award recipients.

Volleyball

The UMS-Wright Volleyball team completed its 2013 season with a return trip to the AHSAA Elite 8.

Pictured top row L to R: Tristen Turk, Anna Stevens, Carley Paulk, Coach Libby Hoffman. Middle row: Kendall Baker, Sarah Morris, Natalie George, Kelsi Huggins. Bottom row: Mary Moran Harris, Hadley Summersell, Whitney Hinton, Lindsey Williams, Jordan Roach.

Swimming

Congratulations to the State Swimmers and Divers for a proud showing at the 1A-6A State Swim and Dive Meet.

Allie Riddle placed 3rd in the State in her first year of competitive diving! Paige Madden placed 1st in both the 200 Individual Medley and the 100 Butterfly, breaking the state record in both events! Paige now holds more individual state records than anyone in the state! And UMS-Wright remains the school with the most state records! For a full recap of the season, please visit the Swimming and Diving page on the website under the Athletics tab.

Seniors Anna VanDerwood and Jordan Pitts enjoyed a few moments with Dr. Sherman Hong (conductor) after their performance with the Hattiesburg Community Band on November 3.

Gabby Bowden and Mary Elizabeth Howze are both members of the 2013-14 Mobile Youth Orchestra.

Events

Congratulations to Wright Players for their superior performance at the Walter Trumbauer Festival held at Troy University.

Around Campus

Please visit the Performing Arts page on the website for a full listing of the awards!

Performances Around Campus

The UMS-Wright middle school drama club presents: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Thursday, January 30 at 6:00pm and Friday, January 31 at 9:10am. Tickets are $1.00. All ages are welcome. Pictured from left to right, Rob Wingate (Grandpa Joe), Christian Mason (Charlie Bucket) and Ben Rothermel (Willy Wonka).

Spelling Bee In early November, the 2nd grade wowed the audience with their play, Go Fish!

Congratulations to our winner Marcelle Ellis (7th) who will represent the school in the County Spelling Bee.

Homecoming 2013

These Junior and Senior boys lead the way through the spirit tunnel for the Homecoming Game.

Congratulations to the 2013 Homecoming Queen Megann Price and the following young ladies who were elected to the homecoming court: freshmen Allison Daniels and Anna Miller; sophomores Maura Crook and Susan Slaton; juniors Emani Mhoon, Laura Tamblyn and Lizzie Zieman; seniors Ann Kay Alexander, Lauren Cave, Samantha Kraver and Lucy Mostellar.

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage

UMS-Wright Preparatory School Advancement Office 65 Mobile Street Mobile, Alabama 36607

PAID

Mobile, AL Permit No. 1202

Photography provided by Liz Terry, History Museum of Mobile, Fusion Point Media, parents, and faculty and staff. Newsletter design by Eliza Lewis.

From the Admissions Office… Testing will begin very soon for all 2014-

2015 applicants. If you have questions or need to request an application, please contact Anne Stabler in the Admissions Office. (251)470-9044 or astabler@ums-wright.org.

The 2013-14 Annual Fund

Our children. Their future. Start here. >>>

An education at UMS-Wright is one of the most important contributors to our children’s future success. Each year, The Annual Fund is used to not only balance our budget, but is also used to create the best possible education, facilities, and experience. With your contribution, our students’ lives will be shaped, and you will enjoy a peace of mind from knowing you have invested in a child’s future.

It all starts here with an investment that lasts a lifetime.

Please help us by considering a donation! To donate online, you can go to www.umswright.org/donate or visit the Annual Fund page under the Giving Tab to download a pledge card. Please contact Lindsay Otts at 251-470-9020 with any questions.

Dear Friends and Families, On behalf of the Board of Trustees and as a parent and alumna of UMS-Wright, I want to thank each of you for your support of our school. Without you UMS-Wright would not be what it is today. In order for the school to maintain its momentum and continue achieving excellence in education, arts and athletics, our collective support is crucial. I would like to provide a short explanation of the Annual Fund— a way in which you can give back to this incredible institution and the children who learn and play each day at UMSWright. The Annual Fund is a key component of UMS-Wright’s general operating budget. Currently tuition dollars make up 94% of the operating budget. Fluctuation in enrollment numbers can have a significant impact on dollars available to run the school. Currently the Annual Fund makes up only 3% of the operating budget-we are striving to increase that percentage in order to help prevent significant tuition increases. Thank you to all of you who continually give to this fund. For those of you who have not contributed in the past, I hope you will consider a new tradition.

Sincerely, Liz Freeman