Wesleyan Fall Magazine 2012

W ESLEYA N t h e m a g a z i n e o f w e s l e ya n s c h o o l

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volume viv, issue i

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

FALL 2012

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ADMINISTRATION Zach Young HEADMASTER Kathy Benson ASSISTANT HEADMASTER FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

WESLEYAN The Magazine of Wesleyan School • Volume VIV, Issue I

Chris Cleveland ASSISTANT HEADMASTER FOR ADVANCEMENT Matt Cole EXECUTIVE HEADMASTER FOR MAJOR GIFTS & PLANNED GIVING Joy Wood LOWER SCHOOL PRINCIPAL Ramona Blankenship MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL Sean Casey HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL Andy Cook DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Billy Coxhead DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS AND FINANCE Meg Foster DIRECTOR OF FINE ARTS Marc Khedouri DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS Mari Beth King DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS Greg Lisson DIRECTOR OF CHRISTIAN LIFE Chad McDaniel DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

WESLEYAN Magazine is published by the Communications Department of Wesleyan School and printed by Bennett Graphics.

Chris Cleveland ASSISTANT HEADMASTER FOR ADVANCEMENT Chad McDaniel DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS Alice Macgill COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST Mamie McIntosh GRAPHIC DESIGNER

PROOFREADERS Carole Crighton Kendra Morris FRONT COVER PHOTOGRAPHY Nikki Love ’13 FRONT INSIDE COVER AND BACK COVER PHOTOGRAPHY Brian Morgan Special appreciation goes out to the alumni, faculty, parents, and staff of Wesleyan School whose contributions make this magazine successful.

Every attempt has been made to ensure accuracy within this magazine.

However, please notify Chad McDaniel, Director of Communications, of any errors or omissions and accept our sincere apologies.

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

PHOTOGRAPHERS Dean Darsey Nina Kozlova Donna Hall Brian Morgan Julie Pack

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8 WELCOME NEW STUDENTS

30 DISNEY BAND COMPETITION

Wesleyan welcomes new students for the 2012-2013 school year.

10 FEATURES: THE SHARED

BLESSINGS OF WESLEYAN

An alumna, faculty member, and parent share how they have been blessed through their Wesleyan experience.

22 ADVISER PROGRAM

Read about the student benefits of the newly-implemented Adviser Program in the high school.

25 SERVE-HIS LEAGUE:

Lazarus Health Day

Junior Kaitlin Mullen reflects on serving at the 2012 Lazarus Health Day at Centennial Olympic Park.

Read about the middle school advanced band’s impressive performance at Festival Disney.

32 STATE CHAMPIONS

A photographic tribute to the Wesleyan girls cross country championship season.

46 FACULTY SABBATICALS

Two faculty members share highlights of their summer sabbaticals.

52 WESLEYAN ALUMNI

Catch up on alumni news, weddings, births, and read a feature on Athletics Circle of Honor inductee Webb Worthington.

CONTENTS

OUR MISSION:

Wesleyan’s mission is to be a Christian school of academic excellence by providing each student a diverse college preparatory education guided by Christian principles and beliefs; by challenging and nurturing the mind, body, and spirit; and by developing responsible stewardship in our changing world.

WESLEYANMAGAZINE MAGAZINE • • FALL F all 2012 2012 WESLEYAN

2 LETTERS|WELCOME 10 FEATURES 20 STUDENT NEWS 24 CHRISTIAN LIFE 27 FINE ARTS 33 ATHLETICS 40 LIBRARY NEWS 43 FACULTY NEWS 52 ALUMNI

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photography by Brian Morgan

welcome

Zach Young Headmaster

Dear Parents and Friends of Wesleyan,

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

The theme for this magazine is the same as that for the current capital campaign: Shared Blessings. In the New Testament, a blessing is anything that brings someone closer to God. Oftentimes a blessing can be something that brings a person to his knees rather than something that makes him stand up and cheer. The Beatitudes, for example, describe events that look bad in the short run but ultimately carry a reward.

Matthew’s version says, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.” I have experienced both tears and cheers during my years at Wesleyan. This letter will give you a taste of the school’s blessings in my life of both kinds.

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Almost certainly, the greatest blessings I have received have been the miracles that God has let me experience during the 17 years since I first came to Wesleyan on April Fool’s Day, 1996. There are too many to recount here, but all are worth telling, perhaps in a book someday.

The school’s greatest blessings (and the greatest blessings to me) have been the people that God has brought to Wesleyan to work on our faculty and staff. Every chance I get, I remind our families that this is how the main thing about the school, its Christian mission, is accomplished. These teachers, coaches, advisors, sponsors, and directors are who we put in front of their children 8-12 hours each day. In Luke 6:40, Jesus says, “Everyone when he is fully-trained will be like his teacher.”

Later, in Luke 17:2, Jesus says, “Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they

come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.” The responsibility of working at a school like this is immense.

The teacher for all our teachers is Jesus. Our teachers are, therefore, uniquely positioned to influence the children here because they teach them reality as the Bible explains it. And God has brought to us an extraordinary group of people to play this role in our children’s lives. If I were to name names, I would inadvertently leave someone important off of a list. But, I challenge our readers to think of the names of the people from Wesleyan in the lives of their children without putting them, as I do, in the category of richest blessings. Our teachers are the primary avenue for meeting the school’s mission.

When Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, he was initially bought by Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s guards.

Joseph did such a good job that in Genesis 39:6, it says, “with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.” Wesleyan’s administrators and teachers have often made me feel the same way because they take such care with Wesleyan’s children.

God has also richly blessed me in the children that He has brought to this place. Naturally, there have been many times when decisions they make cause grief for me and others at the school. Of course, that comes with the territory of shaping children for the world. Mercifully, God gives people in positions like mine short memories for the unpleasant encounters.

welcome | headmaster

I was recently reminded of one of the most difficult student episodes of my career when this student contacted me to follow up on an agreement we had made. The agreement had to do with a document that I had saved to give to this student later under certain conditions. The place I saved it was in a drawer in my desk where I put notes and letters people sometimes write in thanks or encouragement. As I searched for the document, I was overwhelmed at the volume of “thank yous” and “attaboys” that the drawer contained. They seemingly “hid” the bad memory that this document represented. It was actually difficult to find what I was looking for because of all the nice notes that surrounded it. It was as if God was reminding me that blessings come in many forms.

It has also been a great blessing to share the Wesleyan experience with my wife, Studie. Since the beginning, she has been on board about the school’s purpose and goals. Few husbands have wives like mine. Proverbs 19:14b reads, “a prudent wife is from the Lord.” Our relationship and our faiths have grown greatly

There have been other blessings, including the relationships that have been built over time with trustees, contractors, architects, parents, students, and friends from other schools. All of these provide a composite of the shared blessings that have come into my life because of the unlikely dream for Wesleyan School. You will read in these pages of others and their own shared blessings from Wesleyan. I hope that everyone involved with the school has been blessed to some degree by the role that this place has played in your life and in the life of your family.

In Christ,

Zach Young Headmaster

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

I have been blessed to see my two boys graduate from Wesleyan.

I have experienced their adolescent lives from a perspective that is very different from what most parents have the opportunity to see. I feel extraordinarily blessed for the teachers and coaches at Wesleyan who helped shape them into the men they are today. I have been blessed that Wesleyan has allowed me another venue for some of my hobbies like gardening, art, rugs, Bible, architecture and construction. I love the details of all of these pursuits. It has been a joy to combine work with pleasure in these odd ways.

because of Wesleyan and there is no doubt that of all my many blessings, she has been the greatest.

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photography by Brian Morgan

welcome | board of trustees

Rob Binion Chairman, Board of Trustees

Shared Blessings

The Lord has blessed Wesleyan School and its people in many ways, similar to the blessings he has promised all His people.

We are certainly not exclusive in our receipt of His gifts, but our relationship with Him is highlighted and, hopefully, punctuated through our journey at Wesleyan School. In particular, my family and I have grown together and grown in faith through our journey at Wesleyan.

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

In his book, Conformed to His Image, Dr. Ken Boa–a Wesleyan grandparent and renowned Christian author, lecturer, and teacher–instructs us in our responses to God’s invitations: “The most important response of our lives is to say Yes to the Gospels as supported by John 15:16, ‘You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain.’” Ken instructs us further: “God’s grace is always previous to our response, whenever we pursue Him it is because He has already pursued us.

Whenever we love Him, it is because He has first loved us (1 John 4:8-21). Whenever we offer up prayers, it is because He has already invited us to do so.”

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Our journeys at Wesleyan are similar in this regard. We certainly did not create this path, but yet we have responded to some invitation from Him, whether through a pursuit of a spiritual journey, an academic pursuit, or a basis for pursuit of programmatic excellence through the arts or athletics. We have all responded to Him and chosen to say Yes as a parent, teacher or student.

My wife, Cathy, and I chose the Wesleyan path in 1989 when our eldest son, Robert ’05, was three years old. Our pediatrician, Dr. Mike Papciak, told us about Wesleyan in our pursuit of a nurturing academic-based preschool for Robert. Our

response to Lucille Wrenn, the admissions director at that time, was based on a clearly articulated mission of love and nurturing for the children at Wesleyan. There was not a precedence of academic achievement, college admissions, or programmatic successes. Yet, the teachers and their faithful love for the students was enough for us to say “yes” to Lucy when she told us there was a spot available for the next year. The admissions process was a little different in those days–we filled out the application, handed her a check, and we were enrolled!

What I did not realize is that by saying yes to Wesleyan, we were indeed “saying yes to the Gospels.” The fruit of the faculty and administration was evident and it was pursuing us. This was indeed a shared blessing for Cathy and me. We had no concept of the impact that Wesleyan would have on our family from that day forward. The tenets of the gospels would be exposed time and time again over the next 23 years of our lives with the birth and enrollment of two more children, Barrett ’09, and Hannah–a Wesleyan sophomore.

The blessings and joyful times at Wesleyan have been bountiful for our family. However, as with the gospels that guarantee a life of sacrifice and tribulations, our journey at Wesleyan has also blessed us with choices and consequences along the way that were not always easy for us or our family. The financial commitment and life choices necessary for your children to attend Wesleyan are demanding. Dr. Ken Boa reminds us in Conformed to His Image that “Far from promising a life of ease and prosperity, the New Testament actually affirms that those who follow Christ will face a new dimension of obstacles and struggles that they did not know before they committed their lives to Him.”

welcome | board of trustees

When Zach and Studie toured the site of the new campus, there was nothing there but a main thoroughfare, sewer lines, trees and a few mounds of red clay that would soon be building sites for the new Wesleyan campus. Zach and Studie could not imagine what these mounds of clay would one day become, but they knew that God had called them to this place and it was their turn to “Say Yes to the Gospels.”

Raymond Walker called me again in the fall of 1995 to ask me for my first gift to Wesleyan. I didn’t know how much to give or how to give, but somehow we answered yes to his request. Over the years, there would be other capital campaigns and other requests for time. Cathy and I have said yes as God has allowed.

During the economic cycles of the last twenty-three years, we have endured uncertainty through faith, and continued to support Wesleyan through our gifts of time and treasure.

Our faith has grown. Our children understand God’s provisions as promised in the gospels. We have built relationships with God and he has shown us how to build relationships with others through our Wesleyan journey. If God had not led us to Wesleyan, our lives would surely have been enriched through other paths, but we have been so richly blessed by our Wesleyan journey that we can only thank God for this journey as we have experienced it. I hope that these shared blessings impact you in the same way to “Say Yes to the Gospels” as God presents the invitation.

May God Bless You,

Rob Binion

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

In the early to mid 90’s, as Wesleyan School developed its strategic plan to grow and expand its program into a high school, Cathy and I reaffirmed our commitment to God through Wesleyan in ways we could never have comprehended. The commitments of time and financial resources necessary to allow Wesleyan to expand were an unknown quantity, but, more accurately, were only known by God as His providential plan unfolded. Raymond Walker, the chair of the board in 1995, asked me to join the board and help identify resources and raise capital for our eventual relocation and expansion.

The simplest description for this anticipated journey was one of uncertainty. The only answer for uncertainty is faith or stated again, “To say Yes to the Gospels.” The board, comprised of eight members at that time, had more faith than resources! The board and administration prayed incessantly during this time because it was the only invitation from God we could truly understand.

In July of 1995, Wesleyan had no idea where we would relocate the campus and how we would pay for it. In October of 1995, Dan Cowart and Raymond Walker agreed on a land transaction that entailed a sacrificial gift of land from Dan and a mutual agreement on the continued focus of a Christian mission that would carry Wesleyan forward in this endeavor.

On April 1st of 1996, Zach Young began as Headmaster and orchestrated the final leg of a journey to our current campus that was on no one’s radar screen nine months prior. The sacrifices of the Wesleyan families and board to commit to the new location and campus were monumental. Many families from the Sandy Springs United Methodist Church campus did not follow the school to the new campus in Peachtree Corners, but still gave of their time, talent and treasures to allow God’s plan to unfold in miraculous ways. Other families were disappointed in the choice of the new location and understandably chose not to follow the school to the new location.

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welcome | development

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

photography by Brian Morgan

Developing Character through Giving

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Andy Cook Director of Development

ong before I came to Wesleyan, I was drawn to John Wesley, not primarily for his impressive spiritual legacy through sermons, theology and the Methodist denomination, but for his perceived failure during his time spent in Georgia as a missionary. History tells us that Wesley returned home to England disappointed. Plagued by a sense of failure, he questioned his faith so much that he ultimately would speak to an event after his missionary journey as his true conversion to the Christian faith. Through Wesley, I am reminded how I and anyone can miss the main point.

His day. Speaking of serving as well as any relational ministry, he commented, “The Gospel is the solution and the vehicle is compassion.” Compassion changes people and allows sensitivity to things of God to prevail. For donors, giving can amount to greater awareness of the presence of God in their lives as He presents them with the needs around them and the chance to help. Second, students are transformed, potentially to their core, by the opportunities they have at Wesleyan. This element of change, albeit of massive importance, is assumed; there is, however, one piece of their transformation that often goes overlooked, which brings us back to John Wesley.

Beyond procuring funding, what is the point of the development office? What role does the development office play in education? As an educator first and an administrator second (and throughout a Christian), I have observed many schools where development plays solely a support role in the school community. Fundraisers are both seen and heard, but hopefully not for long! In most independent schools, the development office supports education without actually educating.

John Wesley wrote and preached often about money and, specifically, gratitude. In his sermon, The Unity of the Divine Being, he observed, “True religion is, in two words, gratitude and benevolence.” Wesley’s ideas included that gratitude is the first response to God’s grace and the motivator for the good actions that follow by helping others. For Wesleyan students to be fully transformed by the gifts God provides through others, gratitude must exist.

A friend recently challenged me, asking, “Does your work amount to a transaction or a transformation?” Trans is a loaded prefix; you may recall trans has a number of meanings, perhaps the most common of which is “across.” One level of development work in schools simply involves passing a check across the table, transferring wealth in the form of a transaction. Both parties achieve satisfaction and the deal is done. This is good, but there is opportunity for so much more. Interestingly, for our purposes, a better definition for trans is “changing thoroughly.”

The Wesleyan development office has the opportunity each day to be a place for transformation where all parties move forward, thoroughly changed; this is the ideal and the main point.

With this in mind, the development office took a new step in educating, and, hopefully, transforming students. On September 7, after approximately 10% of the school year had progressed, students were invited to celebrate the gift of 10% of the school’s operating budget that comes from donors. Not surprisingly, the event was named John Wesley Day. Students in all grade levels wrote letters to every donor (alumni, parents, friends) to the 2011-12 Annual Fund. Whether the students truly understood the main point of feeling and expressing gratitude to God and school supporters cannot be fully known, but one thing is certain—Wesleyan’s development office is, and will increasingly be engaged in transforming lives. The development office now has a new means for developing character, and, specifically, the quality of gratitude, and we look forward to our opportunity to celebrate John Wesley Day again in 2013.

Who is transformed when people give? First, the donor is transformed by seeing need and showing compassion. Leonce Crump, pastor of Renovation Church in the Grant Park area, recently addressed Wesleyan high school students on Serve-

welcome | admissions

Matt Cole Executive Headmaster for Special Gifts & Financial Aid

he story of financial aid at Wesleyan is truly another miracle. For the recipients, and often the donors, there is no greater shared blessing than providing another child with an opportunity to attend Wesleyan. We are one of the very few schools that use no tuition dollars to cover financial aid. This allows all of our parents’ tuition to be earmarked for small classes and quality, Christian teachers. Put another way, all financial aid dollars come from donated funds—through our endowment, excess annual fund, the Gala auction, and the Georgia Tax Credit Scholarship Program.

Due to the “above and beyond” giving of our parents and friends, this year we will spend $1.4 million on financial aid on 106 students in grades 6 through 12. That is over twice the $600,000 we spent just four years ago. Over time, however, we have found that there are rumors about how financial aid is awarded. Let me dispel a few of them and share with you some blessings resulting from financial aid.

Another rumor is that financial aid dollars are awarded in some sort of random manner. The fact is that Wesleyan uses the NAIS/SSS scholarship service template after receiving the tax returns mentioned above. This template is the same one colleges use through the College Board for awarding college financial aid.

Two rumors, however, are true, and both are examples of shared blessings. We give consideration to current families who have children already attending Wesleyan. These families, who have lost jobs or had their income severely impacted during the recession, are first on our list. Over 50% of our financial aid

dollars go to current Wesleyan parents whose resources were affected by the economy. Other current parents have donated to our financial aid funds so that their children’s friends would not have to leave Wesleyan in hard times.

We do not have enough financial aid for those who qualify.

That rumor is also correct. Every year, we accept new students who demonstrate financial need and award them no aid because we have run out of money. There are parents who make aboveand-beyond gifts to the school for financial aid. We have had two families in the past year come forward with three separate gifts to our financial aid fund when they heard of the critical need. That is a shared blessing.

There are many heartfelt stories that can be told by Wesleyan financial aid recipients. A high school student who had demonstrated in their interview a love for the school and a real desire to be here, has embraced Wesleyan and participates in many Wesleyan activities and consistently works above expected levels. This student has already been accepted to college, and has made an incredible mark at our school. Another student in high school has spoken to groups outside of Wesleyan and voluntarily told the story about the difference financial aid has made in her life. Our financial aid students include those with parents who are disabled or deceased, those being raised or supported by grandparents, and those recommended to us by current parents who have come to know families through work, church and mission trips. In almost every case, the grade point average of financial aid recipients exceeds the norm, and their work ethic is very strong. These students will tell you about the quality education they have received at Wesleyan, and they will also tell you about the transformational love they have received from our Christian faculty. One parent of a Wesleyan graduate has even established a fund which makes it possible for financial aid students to go on mission trips and the senior trip. In this way, all students can have a truly Christian experience at Wesleyan.

Won’t you join current and prior Wesleyan parents and share your blessings with another potential Wesleyan student?

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

There is a rumor that financial aid goes to recruit athletes and highly-qualified academic students. The fact is that financial aid files, which include two years of tax returns and balance sheets, are totally separate from admissions files. Financial aid is awarded with no knowledge of a potential student’s athletic, artistic or academic ability.

photography by Brian Morgan

Financial Aid at Wesleyan

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WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

welcome.

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welcome | new students

Kindergarten

Pre-First

Lydie Barnett Vivi Cox Evelyn Dzikowski Trent Hilton Rachel Oh William Riley Ryan Ward

Alex Morgan Jason Reichel Sarah Shin Chandler Stupart Ben Tallant Charlie Taylor Skyler Williams Liza Yates

First Grade

Sixth Grade

Chandler Copenhaver Colin George William Sabonis-Chafee Aidan Staley Bond Surber

Nishu Afobunor Yewande Bello Zoe Blackmon Donald Conley Mondrian Dawkins Ryan DiFazio Cole Elsevier Charles Hill Quinn Kaloper McKenzie Keeler J.R. Martin Isabelle Moratti Anthony Papa Joshua Rahman Drew Shaffer Michael Steenekamp Hannah Sterling Grace Tyler Ian Venkatesan Laura Von Bargen Callie Weaver Jared Wildermuth

Fourth Grade

Seventh Grade

Laurel Edge Landon George Lexi King David Shin Kailey Kate Zavitz

Second Grade Brynn Bazemore Harris Browder Kenzie Gartland Schley Gordy Maria Hill Eva Rahman Sophia Shaffer Annie Venkatesan

Third Grade

Matthew Brown Caroline Bryson Megan Massey Adyson Means Alexander Staley Rosie Taylor

Fifth Grade

J’ernai Argilagos Collin Bailey Mark Baisier Matthew Chisholm Ryan De Smet Monica Delmonte Karrington Duggins Karson Gaudette Charlie McCartney Emma-Kate Means

Corey Berry Morgan Biagioni Russ Foust Lyla Gomez Marvin Guillen Lindsey Hayes Lexi Mellott Jack Mills Hunter Schrader Sumeet Singh Rawley Smith

Eighth Grade Whitney Archer Ashley Aycox Will Brown Sarah Dryden Dylan Frost

Gabby Hernandez Davis Koetter Katie Stipe

Ninth Grade

Emma Anderson Christina Ashley Lilliana Bardi Briah Bass Cole Becher Cairo Booker Maggie Borbone Mason Borucki Sarah Borucki Ben Buckley Taylor Burdett Lauren Daniel Sheridan Davenport Kendall Dearth JT Eigel Andrea Frant Joseph Gaddis Bryce Greene Charlie Hayes Martin He Wilton Kennerly Clare McKeon Bekah Middlebrooks Kyle Partain Clay Patrick Maddie Pickard Grant Sauer Autumn Smith Kevin Stipe Jordan Weaver Sydney Weissman Justin Wheless

Tenth Grade

Joseph Brown Trevor Dimock Leila Jordan Katherine Day Kent Kendra Koetter Tal Presley Tony Taylor

Twelfth Grade Paige Mosley

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

Alex Allgaier Elle Bragga Cam Brammer Xander Brenner-Jennings Britain Bridgers Katelin Browder Hunter Cobia Catherine Cullinan Tanner Damm Georgia Davis Jake Deadwyler Ella Dekreek Andrew Drayer Addy Kate Dusang Charlotte Ferdon Adrianna Figurilli Maddox Gartland Anders Guthrie Celia Hill Carter Hubbell Belle Huckaby Iva Jackson Jack Johnson Emma Johnson Will Kennedy Chloe King Hardy Krehmeyer Kerns Krehmeyer Jacob Kurian David Kwon Suzy Loetscher Luke Madison Tyler Mann Thomas Markley Leo Marquell Judson Means Jacob Menefee Lily Miller Rebekah Niemann Olivia Noel Bo Powell Bailey Rayburn Drake Salamone Eva Scheer Judd Stewart Lilly Surber Karina Thieriot Jacob Thomson Lauren Tucker Hattie Wasmuth Charlie Wise

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WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

features

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The Shared Blessings ofWesleyan written by Chris Cleveland Assistant Headmaster for Advancement

he idea behind the shared blessings theme is to look back with humble appreciation and see into the future with excitement and anticipation. It is the thankfulness of receiving something for which you did nothing to earn, and the gift of being able to provide the same for someone else. It is with this posture and mindset that we enter this year and our current capital campaign, as well as serving as the theme for this year’s magazine.

Psalm 24, the school’s scripture passage that is recited by all students and faculty in weekly Chapel, captures the spirit and truth behind the idea of shared blessings. “The Earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof…” Everything we have belongs to Him, and it is up to us to be good stewards of all of His blessings so that others might see Christ in us. It is through sharing the love of Christ with others, in word and deed, that we are able to share the blessings that have been shared with us.

I hope you will be encouraged by reading the articles in the pages that follow. More importantly, however, I pray that ours will be a community that shares its blessings with others, just as Christ has shared His blessings with us, all for His glory.

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

I think it is safe to say that the idea of shared blessings will play a prominent role in the feature articles you are about to read. In reading the articles written by long-time Wesleyan employee Sidney Tucker, alumna Meagan Hall, and “new” parent Susan Hughes, you will learn how three people from different perspectives have all reached the same conclusion: regardless of what drew them to Wesleyan, they have all been blessed through this community. It is our greatest hope that the Wesleyan community will provide for all of its members the opportunity to see God’s blessings in big and small ways, day-in and day-out.

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WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

photography by Donna Hall

features | alumni

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shared blessings of n ternal mpact Meagan Hall ’12 Freshman at Samford University

vividly remember my very first day of school at Wesleyan. I was in the sixth grade and a nervous wreck. Typical of any first-year student, my skirt was down to my knees, my shirt was perfectly tucked in, and I was reciting Psalm 24 over and over again in my head, just in case a test on it happened to pop up. At that point in my life, I was the textbook definition of a Christian. I numbly recited that Jesus died on the cross for me and saved me from my sins. I only went to church two days of the year, Easter and Christmas, and I prayed before dinner. My faith ended there. As far as a relationship with God, I had no idea what that even meant. Today, my faith is the most important part of my life, and I truly believe this would not be the case if not for Wesleyan and the incredible impact it had on my life. I have no idea who or where I would be–or even if I would be a Christian–without Wesleyan. There are three aspects of Wesleyan that not only helped me grow abundantly in my faith, but also helped to shape me into the individual I am today: teachers, cross country, and a mission trip to the Ukraine.

Even in the short amount of time I’ve been in college, it is already evident how special and unique Wesleyan’s faculty is. Never again will I be surrounded by so many faith-driven mentors and role models who truly care about me as an individual. The remarkable thing about the teachers I was blessed with during my time at Wesleyan is that they cared (and still do care) more about the person I am becoming, my character, and my faith than the grades I made on tests. I truly believe this learning environment cannot be found anywhere else, especially at a school with such high academic standards. In high school, not a day went by where I wasn’t challenged in my faith or learned something new about Christianity in at least one of my

classes. Some specific examples I recall are: Mr. Jones’ devotions he gave once a week; the time Mr. Pridgen canceled the class lesson in order to share with his students how God has a specific calling for each one of us; and, Dr. Blue’s AP Literature class, in which we discussed our faith as often as the great works of literature we were studying. The teachers God placed in my life at Wesleyan have greatly influenced who I am today.

Sports have always been a huge part of my life. I’ve tried almost every sport: tennis, softball, soccer, and the list goes on. But I’ve never been as impacted and uplifted from a sport than I was from cross country my senior year. When I look back on those few short months of my life, it’s not the hill workouts, shin splints, and perfectly–paced miles that first come to mind. Instead, I am reminded of the incredible friendships, the unbreakable bond of our team, and the spirit of the Lord immersed in every minute of the season. During cross country season, I was constantly being filled with the joy and peace of the Lord from both my teammates and my coaches. During long runs, we would hear about each other’s lives and encourage one another in our walk with Christ. During every meet, I had to depend on Christ for the strength to make it to the finish line. This complete and total dependence on Christ furthered my faith in more ways than I knew at the time. Another reason why cross country will always hold a special place in my heart is because of the incredible role models I was blessed with in my coaches. Not only did they make me want to run harder, but they also made me want to be a better person and follower of Christ through their strength of character, their love for the Lord, and the care they showered me with every day. It was during cross country season that I grew into the person that God created me to be, and its impact will never leave me.

features | alumni

The seven years I spent at Wesleyan will stay with me forever.

It was a time of growth, both in character and faith, and also of development into the person God created me to be. The friendships I made, the morals and values I developed, and the memories I formed are embedded within me and are a part of who I have become. I am so thankful to God for Wesleyan. I can’t even imagine who I would be without it. I can confidently say that the impact Wesleyan had on me is one that saved me from darkness and brought me into the eternal hope and love of Jesus Christ.

Top left: Meagan with Ukranian orphans, March 2012. Top right and above: Meagan, teammates, and coaches during her senior cross country season.

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

Both the teachers at Wesleyan and my season running cross country contributed immensely to the development of my character and faith. However, it was my trip to Ukraine over spring break of my senior year that changed the course of my life. I believe the greatest program at Wesleyan is the Missions Program. In no other place is there so much opportunity to fulfill the will of God, and to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). This blessing is incredibly amazing and unique. Although I only spent one week in Ukraine, it changed me forever. Not only did I finally come to the realization of just how truly blessed I am, but I also discovered my passion for serving orphans and for loving those who do not feel loved, and for revealing the perfect, abundant love of the Father to those who are fatherless. The purpose of my life and the reason why God blesses me with the breath to live every day was put into perspective. Earthly things that were once so important to me didn’t really matter anymore. God revealed to me that in my time here on Earth, I am created to serve His people in gratitude of Jesus’ sacrifice for me. That is what living is for.

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features | faculty

MW

photography by Brian Morgan

Sidney Tucker Assistant Director of Admissions blessing n (bef. 12c) 1 a: the act or words of one that blesses b: APPROVAL, ENCOURAGEMENT 2: a thing conducive to happiness or welfare 3: grace said at a meal Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.”

Psalm 24:1, KJV

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

JOY: Jesus, Others, Yourself

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shared blessings on y esleyan ourney

ne would find it difficult to spend much time on this campus without understanding it as a place of shared blessings. While Shared Blessings is the name of our current annual fund and capital campaign, it is, even more fundamentally, part of the fabric of the daily Wesleyan experience.

This fall marks my sixteenth on the Wesleyan campus, remarkable to me because at heart I’m a bit restless and can become bored with routines. Since coming here in the summer of 1997, I have worn a variety of hats, beginning as a largely clueless middle school principal. Then, as the circumstances of my personal and family life changed, I taught French in the lower school, oversaw the standardized testing in grades K through 12, and currently teach French in the high school while serving on the admissions staff. With Kathy Benson’s retirement this spring and Ramona Blankenship’s assumption in July of the role of Assistant Headmaster for Academic Affairs, I will be privileged–yes, blessed–to lead the middle school once

again. (It is a thrilling and daunting prospect!) I have moved from one place to another on this campus, but I have never had the desire to “move on.” This is the place where I receive (and, I hope, give) blessings on a regular basis.

The dictionary definition of the word blessing explains it as an act, a word, an attitude, or a concrete thing, and all of these kinds of blessings occur at Wesleyan day by day.

During my earliest years on this Peachtree Corners campus, I perceived tangible and visible blessings in many forms. When I interviewed with Zach Young in January 1997, the only permanent structure was Marchman Gymnasium. By the time I came to work that summer, Cleghorn Hall was nearing completion: there would be a permanent high school building to welcome back the Class of 1998, our first graduating seniors.

In succeeding years, I watched as building after building went from creative vision to physical reality at speeds I had never before witnessed. So many of the blessings in the early days here were financial: people who had already received abundantly from the Lord acknowledged that all that was theirs was really His, and then cheerfully followed His call to share their resources with Wesleyan.

My five years as middle school principal were filled with less tangible, but no less powerful, blessings as well. I had the opportunity to work alongside Gwen Cleghorn, whose wisdom, wit, integrity, and grace provided inspiration. I grew close to a colleague whose visible but never ostentatious faith had a significant influence on my becoming Catholic. I interviewed, and sometimes helped to hire, fascinating veteran educators and would-be educators who brought diverse gifts to our interactions. Most importantly, I watched 300+ middle school children dash (usually the fifth graders) or saunter (usually the

Left: Sidney with Kimmie Garner at the 2001 Honors Day Ceremony.

features | faculty

eighth graders) from class to class, first along sidewalks among the MEUs (Modular Education Units) and later down the corridors of Wesley Hall. These children blessed me with their smiles, their enthusiasm, and their humor (whether they were trying to be funny or not). When Stan and I married in 2000, the students presented me with a gorgeous Tiffany crystal bowl; it sits on a table in my living room as a constant reminder of the children and their parents. Even in the wrenching times of September 11, 2001 and the weeks that followed, I received and witnessed blessings of comfort, mutual support, and renewed faith in the Wesleyan community. We were all blessed by Zach’s prayerful and reassuring leadership and by the reminder of our frailty and our numbered days.

Beginning in the fall of 2006, I stepped into a completely different role at Wesleyan. For five years I oversaw and coordinated most of the standardized testing on campus.

While I had some contact with students in every grade from K through 12, it was limited, so most of my blessings came from colleagues and parents. I worked closely with teachers to administer the tests and make use of the results in the

Since last year, I have been happily back in the classroom, teaching French in the high school, and working with Mari Beth King, Sylvia Pryor, and Lesley Gentry in admissions. Our weekly admissions staff meetings, which always begin with a time of personal sharing and a devotional, bless me more than I can say. The privilege of leading tours of the campus and telling the Wesleyan story to prospective families is exhilarating.

Teachers and current students bless visitors to our campus with their smiles and words of welcome. Watching children go through the admissions process from application to interview to acceptance to enrollment and, finally, to integration into the student body is an experience I wish all the adults at Wesleyan could share.

Every employee hired at Wesleyan is asked to choose a Bible verse to be framed and hung in his or her office or classroom.

Several years ago I made this selection, not because it is my “favorite” verse, but because it inspires me and reminds me of why we are on this earth: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:48, NIV). Thank you, Wesleyan community, for being a fountain of shared blessings!

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

My time in the lower school was equally blessed. Once again I was in a gorgeous new building, expertly designed and decorated for the specific needs of young children. Having spent most of my life in schools, I had taught all but the youngest of children, and, because I had never raised children of my own, I was secretly terrified of kindergartners. In fact, they proved to be one of the richest blessings of my Warren Hall experience, as learning absolutely anything new seemed to thrill them. Their love and energy were boundless, and it was fun to watch them mature as they moved through lower school. My job teaching French was part time, another blessing that allowed me to spend time with my parents in the last years of their lives.

classroom, with administrators to look at trends and make decisions about new directions in curriculum and instruction, and with parents to talk about the children they and Wesleyan love so much. Each time I “met” with a parent in person, by phone, or by email, I was humbled and gratified by the absolute trust they put in Wesleyan and all of the things the school is trying to accomplish.

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photography by Brian Morgan

features | parents

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shared blessings from hoosing esleyan Susan Hughes Parent of Ryan ’16 and Kat ’18

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

hen I was asked to write an article about our family’s experience at Wesleyan, the request was accompanied by the following questions: “How has your family been blessed? Why is Wesleyan worth it?” Numerous answers came immediately to mind, but in thinking about those questions as a relatively “new” family (we are beginning our fourth year at the school, so we are a mere sapling in Wesleyan terms when compared to the many “evergreen” families in our midst) I couldn’t help but start by sharing a bit about our relatively recent process of finding and choosing Wesleyan, and the many blessings that have unfolded from there.

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As new Atlantans transplanted from New England, we were not familiar with the private school landscape here, and I spent a great deal of time researching and visiting schools across the metro area several falls ago. We were acquainted with a few of the older private schools through some college and professional friends who had also landed in Atlanta, but we were, by most measures, unbiased newcomers. With some professional experience in the world of education, I really embraced the challenge of trying to discern the heart of the schools here, and was determined to find a place that would provide what we were looking for academically, extra-curricularly, and spiritually for our children. After a lot of time in private schools that fall, I arrived at the conclusion that there was only one school that met all of our criteria–and that was Wesleyan. There were undoubtedly other schools that could provide outstanding academic and extracurricular opportunities, but there were no others where the students, teachers and staff, and parents made such a striking impression. I toured with and met Wesleyan students with a wide variety of interests, each of whom was, in addition to being courteous, well-spoken, and genuine,

extremely comfortable in their own skin. I sensed that not only the caring faculty, but the students themselves, provided each other with an extraordinary level of acceptance and support, the value of which seemed immeasurable to me at their ages.

The faculty was earnestly engaging and welcoming to us as visitors, and all seemed genuinely thrilled to be engaged in the work of this school. We did not know a single family–past or present–at Wesleyan before we started our first fall, but all those we encountered on our visits offered us the kind of sincere courtesy and kindness that is sometimes all too rare.

Most importantly, there were very few schools that appeared to me to live out their Christian mission across the entire fabric of the school, and in every encounter, on each day, as Wesleyan did. I sensed a discernable difference in Wesleyan as a Christian school in deed, and not just word, and in each individual we encountered. We heard Zach say at many a new parent event that this was not the school for everyone, but we reasoned after studying the private school market in Atlanta, and wagered by bringing our children here, that it was for us. It is with enormous gratitude that we can now say, with some meaningful historical basis, that it was all we had hoped and more. Wesleyan stood out among its peers in our initial observations, and it stands out even more now. We feel truly blessed to have our children here, and to have so very many answers to the question of how this school has blessed our family.

When friends and family members visit our campus, their first impression is of its facilities and impressive physical presence.

Each time, we tell them that that had nothing to do with our decision to come here. They likely doubt us until we introduce them to the people we cherish here...and then they understand.

From their first days here, our children, Ryan and Kat, have

features | parents

The influence of the people here also extends well beyond teachers and coaches. Both of our children, through their activities as middle school students, have had the wonderful experience of building relationships with older students who have become dear friends and mentors to them. Through theater and sports, they have directly reaped the benefits of being on a K-12 campus.

Having their instructors model the kind of character we pray they will embody is wonderful; having older peers model it is irreplaceable. The same kind of character is reflected in their

friends and the families here who have become our friends, and who surround us as we walk through these years together. The way Ryan’s friends lift each other up, protect each other, and enjoy one another brings tears to my eyes; it is a gift beyond measure. Beyond that, so many seemingly small and passing experiences create a backdrop of support and caring that seems to ensure that our children are made to feel loved and worthy for just who they are. I will be forever grateful for the care Wesleyan takes in transitioning children who are not evergreens into this world. As a new fifth grader, I do not think there was a moment in which Kat did not feel embraced by everyone around her, as if she had always been in their midst. Every time the kids receive a report card with a handwritten note from Mr. Young, it makes a wonderful impression upon them of their importance to him, and in turn to their school community, as individuals. There are few more powerful inspirations to a middle schooler than knowing you matter enough for the headmaster to read your report card.

So many of the memories that touch my heart have to do with the way Wesleyan has affected my children’s faith.

One of my favorite experiences at Wesleyan is the weekly chapel; watching the kids so joyfully worship and praise together never fails to move me, and I cannot think of a better way to start a Friday. I have heard teachers bear witness to their own faith and journeys in ways that have brought me to tears, and inspired yet more prayers of thanks for the people that surround my children here. In recent years when our children have witnessed close, young relatives in very difficult battles with cancer, among other difficulties they have watched those close to them endure, I have watched them turn to prayer in a way I do not believe would have come so naturally without the school. Both of them, of their own accord and at different times, have chosen to start their own personal studies of the Bible during the last year.

I could have hoped for that but never demanded it of them; the influence of the Wesleyan environment made it a choice I

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

been blessed to consider Wesleyan a second home where they are happy, challenged, engaged, comfortable, and embraced as new members of the school family–and that is a direct result of the people placed so thoughtfully in their paths. Almost without exception, the staff here has grown to know our children on a very personal level and make them feel comfortable and appreciated for who they are. Moreover, they have set a wonderful example of what adults of passion, competency, prayer, kindness and positive Christian impact can look like, and of how they behave. No amount of parenting or words of wisdom and advice from us can replace the impact of having those examples in their lives, moment to moment, every day that they come to school and are away from our home. When Ryan and Kat talk about encounters and relationships they have had both in and outside of the classroom with their teachers and coaches, I am overcome with appreciation for the influence these men and women have had on their perspective, their faith, and their lives. As a parent, I can try to impart, again and again, all the things that I think are important, but if my kids do not see them modeled by other adults, and hear them espoused by other adults, I am unsure that they will truly sink in. It is an enormous comfort to have the community of people at Wesleyan walking beside us as parents, and shaping the young adults our children are becoming. It is hard to place a value on how much that means to us.

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features | parents

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

did not need to. Ryan’s 8th grade mission trip–something he dearly wished to spend his spring break as a part of–was so very impactful. His words to us upon arriving home were, “I will never think about prayer the same way again,” this because he had spent the afternoon at a prayer session with the struggling widows they served in Chattanooga. I believe that God is more central to my children’s lives because of the reinforcement this community provides around the importance of putting faith first, and of truly living the motto “Jesus, Others, Yourself.”

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I also believe that the spirit of faith that lives on our campus and the JOY motto have played a large part in creating an environment where children are truly nurtured for who they are and into the best they can be. We have encouraged both of our kids to look for and work hard to develop the gifts God has given them, in all areas. Like many others here, those gifts and interests happen to span both the arts and athletics. Many people have counseled us that you cannot be both an athlete and an actor, or a musician, or an artist, as you approach high school, and in some schools I believe that may be difficult... but I do not believe that here. Wesleyan, as a community, has truly supported our children in following their own paths, and we are thankful that they can create the tapestry of activities and experiences that are most fulfilling for them. We are also thankful that so many of the students here choose to be the hands and feet and heart of Jesus in small ways every day, and in doing so encourage others to do the same. No place full of children finding their way will witness positive encounters all the time, but I have been in a lot of schools both personally and professionally, and I have never witnessed the array of small kindnesses, tolerance, respect and service between students that I see here, in a very genuine way, all the time. Beyond the students, I have seen these things between and among faculty, parents, and administration, and experienced an openness to me as a parent that can be rare. On several occasions when I have had questions or concerns, they have been met with genuine listening, consideration, and interest in perspectives and possibilities beyond the status quo. That kind of respect is not easy to feign, and I am so appreciative of adults here who truly practice what they preach.

There are not adequate words to describe how it feels as a parent to bring your children to a place each day that inspires so much of your confidence and trust. In our fourth year, I can say without reservation that we believe we are getting all that we are paying for, and more, in this school. We watch Wesleyan’s mission at work in our children every day and give thanks that they can be a part of it. We cherish the people that surround them above all else, but we embrace so much more about the philosophy of this place as well. We cherish the fact that they are pushed to work hard, and that they are not rewarded gratuitously; we

think too much of this world wants to make things “easy” for our kids, and that that is no preparation for their lives ahead as productive Christian men and women. All of our children have gotten trophies just for showing up at soccer practices since they were five; I am thankful for a place that believes that rewards need to be earned and that very little will have meaning if they are not. We measure the value of this place by how its influence is shaping our kids, and we believe that–by mission, program design, and example–Wesleyan is doing all we could ask. I am the second generation of my Italian family born in this country; education has always been an extremely important part of the dreams and ethos I was raised with. Faith was, too, and that which it espouses beyond our relationship with God–integrity, character, and a particular worldview on how we interact with and serve others. I know from my own life how each of these things has been instrumental in my journey, and it is this knowledge that informs the decisions I make for my children. I pray that they will be healthy, well-adjusted, hard-working, generous and loving adults of character who are faithful stewards of their own lives and their communities.

I know it is in God and these things that they will find true success and happiness. It is daunting to imagine the many paths they could take, but we know they will end up where they are meant to be...and we feel more confident by virtue of their education here that, wherever that is, they will have a foundation of character and faith that will carry them through whatever life brings.

We are thankful to Wesleyan for the shared blessings of wonderful role models and positive examples in our children’s paths, for the challenges and opportunities they have yet to embrace, and for the rare gift of a place that is as good as we could have hoped to bring our children to every day.

CHRISTMAS

AT WESLEYAN

A FEW WESLEYAN CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS: • Wesleyan Parents Club volunteers decorate the campus each year with festive wreaths, garland, and trees.

• Every new Wesleyan student donates a personalized Christmas ornament to adorn a tree on campus. Their senior year, the ornament is returned, as a remembrance of their years as a Wesleyan student.

• Middle school students create imaginative gingerbread houses, which, after display in Wesley Hall, are donated to local nursing homes, shelters, and charities.

• High school faculty participate in an annual Christmas sweater competition where winners are chosen by student applause. It’s not what you wear, but how you wear it!

student news

LOWER SCHOOL SCIENCE

Eyeball Day written by Sara Cooper Lower School Science Teacher

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

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id you know that eyeballs are filled with jelly?

Well, not jelly exactly, but a substance called the vitreous humor similar in consistentcy to jelly. Also, when the eye sees an object, the message sent to the brain shows the image upside-down and backwards.

Luckily, the brain is able to interpret the information and flip the image right-side-up and with correct left-right orientation.

These are a few of the fun facts the fourth graders in the lower school learned about the eye this fall. In order to help the students understand how the eye works, the science room was transformed into a three-dimensional eyeball for a day. A clear covering, the cornea, was draped over the outside of the science room door. The iris of the 3-D eyeball was blue and could be seen “contracting and relaxing” as students passed through the pupil of the eye to enter the inside of the eyeball. The clear lens was just inside the door and had to be traversed before one could enter the eyeball. Because the room was dark, flashlights were needed to see the inside of the eye. The white sclera was hanging around the outside wall of the eyeball. As light moved through the eye, it landed on the back of the eyeball where the red retina was hanging. The optic nerve on the back of the eyeball was represented by blinking white Christmas lights pulsing on and off, as messages were sent through the optic nerve to the brain, represented by the ceiling.

After weeks of working hard to learn the parts and functions of the eye, the real fun came on Eyeball Day, when the fourth graders gave tours of the giant eye. In preparation for the tours, the fourth grade students learned to draw an eye in art class.

They used their knowledge to illustrate personalized invitations for the kindergarten, first, and pre-first students. Then, on Eyeball Day, the fourth graders collected their assigned students from the classroom and, with a flashlight in hand,

Right & Above: Fourth grade students lead younger students through the 3-D eyeball.

gave the younger students tours through the eye, explaining how it worked. Several other visitors requested tours and the fourth graders were happy to oblige.

Although the students enjoyed learning about the eye and sharing their knowledge with others, the fourth graders reported that the best part of the day was getting to interact with the children in the younger grades. The students also suggested that next fall’s Eyeball Day be a full sensory experience, adding a jelly-like substance to the inside of the eyeball in order for younger students to “feel” what the vitreous humor is like.

A special thanks to the homeroom teachers and assistants who worked this exciting day into their schedules and to student teacher, Sarah Stalvey ’08, for helping prepare the science room for its Eyeball Day transformation.

student news | middle school MIDDLE SCHOOL

MATHCOUNTS written by Alice Macgill Communications Specialist

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aculty advisor Cherie Schofield’s MATHCOUNTS club provides an opportunity for middle school students who enjoy math to explore their ability to think “outside of the box.” Students meet every Friday morning before school to hone their mathematics, critical thinking and reasoning skills. They enjoy the ability to do things that they don’t do in their regular math classes, and, as sixth-grader, Will Rainwater, says, “it helps my overall math average.”

Above: Seventh grader Willem Conley practicing his math skills.

MATHCOUNTS is a national program, the goal of which is to ‘inspire excellence, confidence and curiosity in middle school students through fun and challenging math problems.’

MATHCOUNTS Competition Program includes a city-wide chapter competition at Georgia Tech each February. Over 500 students represent their schools during this event, at which Wesleyan’s finishing rank has continued to improve from year to year. Current eighth-grader, Angela Yang, placed in the top 25% of participants last year, earning the right to continue on to the state competition–a first for the Wesleyan MATHCOUNTS program.

Twelve students in grades 5-8 comprise this year’s MATHCOUNTS club. Mrs. Schofield says, “The kids love the fact that they don’t have to show any work, and can just think about how to do the problems and then write their answer. They love explaining how they came up with the solution. It is always rewarding for me to see the different ways the children come up with the same answer; most of their solutions reveal a very high level of thinking. I really enjoy working with these children, all of whom are so motivated and enjoy learning for the sake of learning!” Sixth-grader, Jennifer Nolan, says it best this way: “I just like to come and do math, because I love math!”

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Academic Bowl written by Alice Macgill Communications Specialist

Fifteen students in grades 5-8 spend their club time participating in friendly classroom competitions, which serve as practice sessions for the five matches each year against other school teams from across the Atlanta area. Dr. McCoy says, “The kids really enjoy these ‘outside’ competitions. There is a

Above: Pat McCoy leads students in an Academic Bowl practice round.

lot more opportunity for learning–and showing off their school spirit.” Each competition panel is made up of five students who have strengths in various subject areas. For example, an ideal panel will have a fine arts specialist, a literature specialist, a mathematician, a scientist, and a general expert.

As a testament to the club’s popularity, over half of the Academic Bowl members go on to participate on the high school Quiz Bowl team. Dr. McCoy says of her club’s appeal, “It’s fun and there is food! The kids love winning on a different sort of playing field.”

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

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cademic Bowl is a bright spot on the Wesleyan middle school club roster. Led by Dr. Pat McCoy, Academic Bowl meets every Friday afternoon from late September through early April. Dr. McCoy advertises her club this way: “If you like challenging questions, blinking lights, and fast-paced action, Academic Bowl may be for you.”

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student news | high school

Adviser Program IN THE HIGH SCHOOL written by Alice Macgill Communications Specialist Where there is no guidance the people fall, but in abundance of counsel there is victory. Prov. 11:14 (NASB)

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WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

ne of the most unique features of a Wesleyan education is the personal interest taken by our faculty in the emotional, spiritual, and academic growth of our students. Every interaction with a student is an opportunity to build trust, model Christian principles, and strengthen personal relationships, which, in turn, allows our teachers to offer informed counsel when needed. Our teachers are truly vested in developing the whole child in mind, body and spirit.

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To put structure to this purpose, the high school has initiated the Wesleyan Adviser Program, which is being introduced in grades 9 and 10 for the 2012-2013 school year. This program has several goals: to help students transition to high school; to help them to be successful throughout high school; and, to help teachers identify and address issues with which our students are dealing. In short, the Adviser Program provides more opportunities for freshmen and sophomores to take advantage of the school’s greatest resource–our faculty. Adviser and Bible teacher, Andy Cook, says, “An adviser ‘ups’ the accountability for students in the context of a caring relationship. They know that one more person is keeping a watchful eye on them and simultaneously taking interest in who they are. This combination can make a real difference. The Adviser Program formally complements the reason I’m in education–ministering to students.”

Twenty-five faculty members have offered to serve as advisers this year, and each will lead a group of no more than ten

students. Whenever possible, students are assigned to groups led by either their classroom teachers or extra-curricular coaches, to ensure that students interact with their advisers as part of their daily routine.

Advisers meet with their groups one Tuesday per month during program time. There is no agenda for these meetings, and group discussion is encouraged. Advisers also meet with each individual member of the group in a smaller setting, such as sharing a lunch or breakfast, or attending a school event together. Advisers also make a point to attend at least one extracurricular activity for each of their students. “I offered to serve as an adviser because I want to know my students on a more personal level,” says Suzanne Ragains. “I have always cared deeply about my students, and now I can formally be one more adult who is invested in their success.” Feedback from students has been positive, with comments heard such as: “This is really fun!”; “We love our group.”; and, “Thanks for looking out for me.”

The Adviser Program is intended to supplement, not replace, the grade chair system. Grade chairs are still the primary contact for communication between the school, parent and student.

As a mentor and encourager, the adviser serves to support the student individually, and can be a conduit to channel information to the grade chair when needed.

Suzanne Ragains says it best this way, “Every child deserves individualized attention. We already do a great job of taking

student news | high school

care of these children during obvious difficult times. The Adviser process ensures that even when the waters are seemingly still, students are talking with an adult about what is going on in their lives.

Mr. Young often reminds us that every person we encounter is dealing with something in his or her life. As advisers, we are able to encourage our students to share what is going on in their lives with a caring adult in a safe environment. Wesleyan excels at lauding and applauding our students for their outstanding accomplishments. As advisers, we can amplify this praise, and help students identify and celebrate the small victories of daily life that aren’t rewarded with certificates and trophies.”

Chris Cleveland, Kevin Kadzis, and Shellie Salazar meet with the students in their adviser groups.

The following faculty will serve as advisers for the 2012-2013 school year: sophomore advisers Caroline Antonio Meagan Brooker Chris Cleveland Matt Cole Andy Cook Joseph Cooper Matt Crew Russ Custer Kevin Kadzis Jonathan Koch Nina Kozlova Sidney Tucker

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

freshman advisers Dave Breslin Skipper Gholston Gabi Martinez-Esteve Linda McDaniel Corrie Nash Julie Pack Jeff Plunk Franklin Pridgen Suzanne Ragains Shellie Salazar Anne Shirley Annette Smith Dennis Stromie

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photography by Brian Morgan

christian life

2012-2013 CHRISTIAN LIFE THEME

The Kingdom of God

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written by Greg Lisson Director of Christian Life

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

n his latest book, NT Wright claims that the four gospels, at their core, are the story of How God Became King. Wright asserts that our understanding of the New Testament, and especially the gospels, has been skewed by our failure to appreciate the central role of the Kingdom of God in the life and teaching of Christ. Our Christian Life theme for this year, Secrets of the Kingdom, was chosen with the hope that Wesleyan would avoid this pitfall. Perhaps a brief tour through the book of Matthew will remind us of the significance of the Kingdom in the story of Jesus.

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Matthew begins his gospel by proclaiming the birth of Christ, tracing his lineage from Abraham through King David. He tells the familiar story of wise men from the east coming to worship “the newborn King of the Jews” and the subsequent terror as King Herod responds to the threat on his throne. In the next chapter, Matthew leaps all the way to John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness: “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” John’s proclamation leads directly to Jesus’ preaching ministry where we find a familiar message, this time from the lips of Christ: “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” Jesus continues his preaching with the Sermon on the Mount where he mentions this mysterious Kingdom no less than eight times. Then, in the following nineteen chapters, the word “kingdom” appears fortyfour more times as Jesus repeatedly alludes to his imminent reign. Matthew ultimately brings his story to a dramatic climax when Pilate questions Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” The soldiers mock him, “Hail! King of the Jews!”, and the charge against him is nailed to the cross, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”

Are you picking up the theme? This is the story of a man born amidst proclamations of kingship, who asserts repeatedly that he has come to inaugurate a new kingdom, but ultimately dies in humiliation while onlookers mock the very kingship he so

adamantly declared. If this is how the story ends, Jesus is simply a tragic lunatic with delusions of grandeur. Fortunately for us, however, there remains one final chapter in Matthew. There we find that three days after his death, Christ rose from the dead, thus inaugurating the kingdom he had spoken of all along.

Because of this resurrection, Matthew can conclude his riveting story of the life of Christ by declaring, in what may be the most powerful yet understated moment in all of literature, that “all authority in heaven and on earth” has been given to Christ. He has, in fact–just when all hope seemed lost–become King. This is the incredible, beautiful, mind-boggling conclusion of the story of Matthew–a conclusion he’s been foreshadowing all along.

In the genealogy connecting Jesus to David, in King Herod’s fear, in John the Baptist’s proclamation, in Christ’s preaching, in Pilate’s question, in the soldiers’ insults, and in the mocking words posted upon the cross–in all of these, Matthew has been pointing towards this magnificent conclusion: the God of Israel, in the form of Jesus Christ, has inaugurated his Kingdom. All authority now resides in Christ. The King sits upon his throne.

And yet, as we look around us, we see that God’s Kingdom has not yet come in fullness. We catch glimpses of it from time to time, but it is often obscured by the darkness of this world.

Thus, we are left with questions: What does Christ’s Kingdom look like? How do we enter into it? How do we prepare for it?

Who are the residents of the Kingdom?

The Bible is far from silent on these topics. The Old Testament contains numerous prophecies of the coming Kingdom, the Gospels paint pictures of the Kingdom through Jesus’ parables and preaching, and the letters of Paul hold invaluable teachings about life and practice in the Kingdom. This year, we, as a school, will delve into these scriptures in an effort to answer our questions about the Kingdom. In doing so, we hope to also gain a greater understanding of the four New Testament gospels, of ourselves as citizens of the Kingdom, and of Christ our King.

christian life | serve-his league

SERVE-HIS LEAGUE

Lazarus Health Day

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written by Kaitlin Mullen ’14

erving is a key part of the culture at Wesleyan. Every year the Wesleyan family makes an impact on the community by investing in service opportunities.

Wesleyan is very consistent in reminding students that a tangible way to represent the kingdom of God to the community is by loving and meeting the needs of neighbors. Serve-His League is a school organization led by high school Bible teacher Julie Pack that plans service opportunities in the greater-Atlanta area. Lazarus Health Day is an annual event in which Wesleyan students participate through Serve-His League.

Lazarus Health Day provided homeless Atlantans access to health care, food, books, clothes, and hygiene products. In addition, the men, women, and children played games and enjoyed social time with others. It was wonderful to see the joy on their faces as they were served and treated with dignity. I had the opportunity to sit down and hear the stories of many of the men and women. One memorable conversation was with a lady named *Lisa. She was sitting under a shade tree, and I felt a tug on my heart to talk to her. She explained that she and her husband had been homeless for six months, with some days being easier than others. Her husband was very sick; they were blessed to receive medical assistance at Lazarus Health Day. At the end of our conversation, I asked if I could pray for her.

She smiled and replied, “God is good all the time; pray for my husband’s health and for our future.” I took her gentle hands in mine and prayed over her. When we were finished, tears fell from her eyes, and she said, “A year ago I was given a Bible, and I don’t know where to begin.” She handed me the Bible, and I opened it to Matthew 5 where the scriptures tells of how God’s kingdom is a paradox. He blesses those who ordinarily would not receive blessings, because the kingdom of God is here. As we

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

This year’s Lazarus Health Day was held on September 16 in Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta. Over 1,000 homeless men and women came to Centennial Park to receive services, eat, and enjoy fellowship with others. In addition, over 500 volunteers came to serve the homeless. Among the event volunteers, were many Wesleyan students and teachers. Prior to the event, middle and high school students donated well over 1,000 pairs of men’s, women’s and children’s socks for the health fair. Wesleyan teachers drove the school mini-buses to transport people from homeless shelters to the health day. Twenty-one high school students, accompanied by five faculty members, went to the health day to pass out lunches and fellowship with the homeless. Lazarus Health Day impacted me a great deal. I am blessed to be at a school where as students we are taught to

invest in others. Through participating in Lazarus Health Day, I saw many ways the event impacted the lives of both those who served and those who were served.

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WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

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read, God spoke through me as I explained that she is blessed, and her reward will be in Heaven and that God is with her. The power and grace of God was revealed to her; all glory goes to God for the opportunity to pray and share His Word with her.

Lazarus Health Day provided her and her husband physical and spiritual relief. In addition to *Lisa, I have met many homeless men and women with incredible stories of how God is working in their lives. Her story is one of the many stories that took place when lives were impacted by the annual Lazarus Health Day. In addition to *Lisa and the many others who were affected by the service received at the health fair, the Wesleyan volunteers were also impacted. It is a gift to see God work through the giving of time to serve the homeless. At the health fair, many homeless men and women came to me and asked, “Why are you doing this for us?” I politely replied, “I love to invest in your life because I am changed for the better by each and every one of you.” God is a God of compassion, and His presence fully surrounds the homeless and the volunteers. Every time I am in the homeless communities in downtown Atlanta, I see God at work, and I feel His presence in a special way. The homeless have such knowledge of faith. They have faith like a child; they know

Left: Kaitlin Mullen ’13. Below: Alumnus and current Georgia Tech student Erik Trum ’09.

Right: Middle school teacher Katie Dixon ’04 transporting men and women to the health fair.

christian life | serve-his league

that God will provide for them like he provides for the lilies of the field.

At Lazarus Health Day, I also met a man named *Travis. I began our conversation by asking, “How is God working in your life?” He looked at me with his deep hazel eyes and replied, “I have no reason to complain. God has humbled me through this time of being homeless, and I have learned to rely on Him through everything.” His story made an impression because so often I believe I can live life on my own. *Travis’ words served as a reminder to rely on God in all things. The homeless have a beautiful understanding of God, for they rely on Him daily and trust in His purpose and plan. As a result of spending time with these men and women, I am reminded to trust in God. Similarly, Lazarus Health Day was impactful in seeing firsthand the power of God working through the volunteers. The Kingdom is God is here and working in huge ways. Thank you, Wesleyan, for providing students like me with opportunities to live out God’s kingdom through service! *Names have been changed to maintain privacy.

fine arts

photography by Brian Morgan

WE SLE YAN Fine Arts B LE SSING S

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written by Meg Foster Director of Fine Arts

s I look back on our last five years in the Fine Arts Building, I am amazed by how God’s blessings have been multiplied many times over. Beyond the brightly colored, spacious, state of the art facility are talented, devoted faculty and creative, motivated students. But eleven years ago when I began teaching at Wesleyan, it all seemed a far-off dream.

On a mid-July morning eleven years ago, then-director of Fine Arts, Jayne Burns, apologetically led me into my “music classroom” in Wesley Hall. Tables lined the perimeter of a very small room; atop them sat twelve miniature Yamaha keyboards.

Folding chairs sat end to end in front of the tables facing a small whiteboard. An old, out-of-tune piano resided at the front of the room, and one small metal cabinet took up the remainder of the wall space. “I’m so sorry about this, but you won’t have to be in here forever,” she said to me.

Jayne Burns had a clear and insatiable vision for Wesleyan Fine Arts far beyond my first-year-teacher scope–a vision of a building housing Wesleyan’s fine arts. A building where, from the minute a student steps in the doors, he or she is inspired to create for the glory of God. A building that housed not one, but four art rooms, so that art could meet for more than seven periods each day. A building with band and choir classrooms that were designed for peak acoustical performance with neighboring practice rooms for small ensemble rehearsal. A building with an intimate black-box theater housing a unique theatrical setting for a variety of plays.

The blessing of a fine arts building could not have come at a better time. In middle school chorus, the “thrill” of having my first classroom was wearing off as I packed thirty middleschool singers at a time in that small classroom, walking on their chairs as they stood to sing so I could better hear them and use “proximity” as a classroom management tool. The band and art programs were busting at the seams, and were the only academic classes still housed in trailers. The high school chorus was also thrilled to move from their windowless “bonus room” adjacent to the library; choir classrooms and libraries are not ideal neighbors.

In addition, the theater program was in desperate need of an additional performing space, as five shows per year in Powell was becoming more than the calendar could handle. In March of 2007, the Fine Arts Building became part of the miracle of the Wesleyan campus. As each program moved into its new space, the faculty and students saw God’s blessings multiply. Not only did this beautiful space accommodate our every need, but it also inspired more students to join the fine arts programs and raised the level of creativity and commitment.

Yet, nearly six years later, the blessings continue. The Fine Arts Building has helped draw a remarkable fine arts faculty who is not only accomplished in the field of arts education, but are also model Christian men and women for our students. Students have fallen in love with the arts in our classrooms, going on to major in and pursue careers in the arts: students like Jackie Hancock ’03, Eliana Marianes ’06, Emily Worthington ’08, and many more!

But, most importantly, each fine arts student leaves these walls with the knowledge that it is only because God first created that we are able to create. Creating is a privilege, and God deserves the glory.

In only five short years, God has accomplished much through the Fine Arts Building, the fine arts faculty, and the Wesleyan fine arts students. I joyfully anticipate seeing what He has in store for the arts in the years to come as His blessings continue to multiply.

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

But I didn’t care. I was just out of college, having completed two student teaching assignments, and I finally had a classroom of my own–my own bulletin board and door to decorate, my own syllabus to design, my own piano to play, and, most importantly, my own MUSIC students! The year began with twelve choir members, plus three additional boys that Matt Cole helped me to recruit. At that point, the only vision I had was fulfilled: a classroom full of students all my own! And to top it off, I was at a place where I was not only allowed, but encouraged to share my faith with my students. What a blessing! But what I didn’t know was that my blessing was about to be multiplied beyond my wildest imagination.

And through a series of blessings, combined with hard work and perseverance, Jayne’s vision of the Wesleyan Fine Arts building came to life in March of 2007.

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fine arts | profile

Kate Lackey fine arts senior profile • Daughter of Dotti and Mike Lackey • College choices: Belmont University, Ole Miss, SMU, TCU • Plans to major in theater and marketing • The Lackey family attends Mount Pisgah Methodist Church.

• In her spare time, she enjoys theater, painting and photography.

• Extracurriculars at Wesleyan: theater • Standout moment at Wesleyan: “I loved working and performing Pygmalion. Being Eliza was the most challenging character I have ever played, but it by was far the most fun! Especially with Ricky Yoder as my counterpart.”

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

• Inspired by: “In performing arts, I am inspired by the audience, whether making them laugh, gasp, or cry. The audience’s reactions inspire me to be the best I can possibly be. In visual arts, nature is a real inspiration for me. All of the shapes and colors around us outside are really inspiring.”

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• What the arts teaches you that other interests may not: “Performing arts help me really dig down and discover who I really am as a person; it has made me a better person. Visual arts help me express my feelings, rather than bottling them up until they explode! They both make me want to keep pushing myself and learning more.

The finished product for a play or a painting–the end result always makes me want to start anew!”

• Enjoys most about Wesleyan: “All the opportunities to be artistic. Not every school has the opportunities that Wesleyan does.”

• Unique feature about Wesleyan: “How amazing our theater department is–the actors, costumes, sets, lights, and the directors!

All of our finished products have been high-quality shows.”

Bottom: Kate as Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion.

fine arts | profile

Henry Pilgrim fine arts senior profile

• Son of Zoe and John Pilgrim • One sibling: Cassie ’15 • College choices: Berry College and Young Harris. May apply to other colleges.

• Plans to major in something related to math or science • In his spare time, he enjoys fishing, spending time on the water, playing video games, and practicing his musicianship.

• Extracurriculars: marching band • Stand out moment at Wesleyan: “I enjoy taking part in All-State band each year and the wide genres of music that I play there.”

• Inspired by: “The ability to express myself through music and give others a musical experience.”

• What he loves about the arts: “Performing in a marching band is always a unique experience, even when performing the same show a week later. Taking part in the band also shows that we are literally and figuratively part of a bigger picture.”

• What the performing arts teaches you that other interests may not: “Practice, determination, and initiative will reveal that all of the time that went into perfecting an act will have paid off immensely in experience and satisfaction.”

Top and Bottom: Henry performing with the Wesleyan Marching Wolves.

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

• Favorite part about Wesleyan: “The fellowship and friends made within marching band.”

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fine arts | features

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Advanced Band Wins Disney Competition written by Ruthie Colegrove Middle School Band Teacher

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WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

esleyan began a middle school band program in 2001. Since then, the band has grown from 37 to 120 members. Beginning in 2004, the advanced band has traveled to Disney World in Orlando to perform in the Magic Music Days. Each band is selected to perform in the park and experience the behindthe-scenes of Disney music making. In 2008, the Wesleyan advanced band was invited to participate in a more elite competition, Festival Disney. This is one of many competitions Disney hosts in addition to other educational music events, performance opportunities, festivals, and workshops. The musicians at Disney are among the finest in the world, and they are dedicated to excellence in music education.

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During the spring of 2012, the Wesleyan advanced band traveled again to Disney to participate in Festival Disney.

While the title of “Festival” denotes a party-like atmosphere, the competition includes performances, judges and ratings.

The music selection was some of the toughest music that the Wesleyan middle school band has ever played. This selection included three movements and a Greek Folk Song Suite.

The band, which competed in the junior high/middle school classification, performed the 20-minute program for three judges on stage at the Premier Theatre in Hollywood Studios.

The judges were Mr. Gary Smith, Director of Band Emeritus at the University of Illinois; Dr. Richard Good, Director of Bands at Auburn University; and Dr. Alexander Jimenez, Associate Professor of Conducting at Florida State University.

Above and Right: Middle school advanced band students perform at Festival Disney.

Above: Middle school advanced band at the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

The Wesleyan ensemble earned scores of 94, 96, and 96 for an overall score of 95.3. After their performance, Mr. Gary Smith addressed the band, stating he did not have any criticism for the group, only suggestions. Mr. Smith could not believe that these students were in middle school and said that “some high school and college bands do not play this well.” He complemented the band on their advanced music and how well they played the selections.

The festival concluded with a rock-star quality awards ceremony where Mickey Mouse made an appearance to congratulate the directors. The advanced band made Wesleyan band history, winning the middle school division and receiving superior ratings, Best In Class, and a Gold Award for Top Honors.

fine arts | honors

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1) Allie Bell ’17, All-State Chorus Round 1 Finalist.

2) Casey Bell ’15, GISA All-Select Band, percussion.

3) Erin Boyd ’15, GISA All-Select Band, saxophone.

4) Carrie Ciccotello ’14, 1st Chair Concertmaster GISA All-Select Orchestra; Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra, violin.

5) Victoria DiStasi ’13, 1st chair GISA All-Select Band, clarinet.

6) Grace Hodges ’13, SCAD 2D Design Challenge Finalist.

7) Garrett Huggins ’18, All-State Chorus Round 1 Finalist.

8) Ricardo Hurtado ’17, All-State Chorus Round 1 Finalist.

9) Jonathan Kim ’13, SCAD 2D Design Challenge Finalist.

10) Nicholas Montano ’16, All-State Chorus Round 1 Finalist.

11) Henry Pilgrim ’13, Atlanta Youth Symphony Orchestra, clarinet.

12) Christy Zachary ’13, 1st chair GISA All-Select Band, oboe.

Installation Sculptures These installation sculptures are made entirely from packaging tape and are formed around the artists’ bodies to create the human form. Students created each piece to be site-specific. Each sculpture’s purpose is to bring attention to the function of the space, such as the angel in the chapel, or a feature of the space, such as the Spiderman in the Fine Arts building which highlights the architecture.

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

HIGH SCHOOL

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2012

STATE CHAMPIONS

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY

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athletics

FALL 2012

photography by Brian Morgan

WESLEYAN ATHLETICS IN REVIEW

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written by Marc Khedouri Athletic Director

The purpose of our athletic program is not simply to fill the trophy case, but to further the Christian mission of the school and make a difference in the lives of the students who are in our programs. What excites me most about the Shared Blessings Capital Campaign is that the planned athletic department projects in Phase 1 of the program will allow more children to participate in programs on campus and thus be influenced by our coaches. Our coaches will always be our greatest blessing,

not the buildings in which they work. I have had the privilege of viewing Wesleyan along a 13 year continuum; I remember the trailers (we called them Modular Education Units when they were here, but trailers when they were gone!). I remember when we had only one or two fields and only one or two gyms and a weight room that could barely accommodate more than a handful of athletes–yet we made it work. I remember when we had stands on only one side of Henderson Stadium and when we all packed into Marchman gymnasium for basketball games.

Those are cherished memories.

Now, because of the generosity of many, we have much more. The goal for the athletic projects included in the capital campaign is to ensure that more students have access to our greatest blessing– our coaches. The men and women who work with our students are extraordinary people. When I correspond with our alumni, their memories are most often of the people who shaped and molded them. They reminisce fondly about particular events and games, but it always comes back to their relationships with their teammates and their coaches. The best part of shared blessings is that it allows more students to be impacted for the Kingdom through our coaches.

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

uring the spring and summer, it is a fairly regular occurrence that I encounter prospective students and their families excitedly wandering around campus. Having visitors during these seasons makes sense, as they coincide with our admissions acceptances and summer vacations. The look of wonder and amazement on the faces of students and adults alike is evident as they tour the campus. It always reminds me of how truly blessed we are. The comments I hear most often are “this looks like a college” and “is that grass real?” Because the campus and facilities are so incredible, the temptation is genuine to worship the gifts, instead of the Giver of the gifts. Our blessings are readily evident, our facilities are second to none, and we want for nothing. But, we must always remember that the best part of Wesleyan is the people.

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athletics | profile

ATHLETICS SENIOR PROFILE

photography by Brian Morgan

Katie Frerking • Daughter of Susan and Bill Frerking • Three siblings: Andrew ’11, Lauren ’15, and Grant ’17 • College choices: signed to play basketball at Auburn • Plans to major in biology (pre-med) • The Frerking family attends Living Faith Lutheran.

• In her spare time, Katie enjoys spending time with her family, shopping, baking, and taking an occasional nap.

• Extracurricular activities at Wesleyan: softball, basketball, track and field, senior girls Bible study, senior/freshmen girls Bible study, leader of sophomore girls Bible study, peer leadership, National Honor Society • Standout moment at Wesleyan: “I have been fortunate to be a part of many memorable moments in each of my sports. I can’t say that there is one experience in particular that stands out, but something that does stand out is the overwhelming support student athletes get from everybody at Wesleyan–especially the teachers.”

• Inspired by: “The fact that I can glorify God and be a witness for Him while doing something I love and enjoy.”

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

• When asked why she loves athletics: “I love competing and knowing when I go out on the field, court, or track, it’s just me against everyone else and that all of those people are working hard and trying to beat me. That’s what pushes me and makes me want to work hard. It’s also what makes winning such a good feeling.”

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• What athletics teaches: “It teaches you time management because it takes up so much of your schedule and forces you to be productive with the little time you have. It also teaches you how to work with other people as part of a team, and how to go through challenges and victories together as a group. Finally, it teaches leadership and builds character as athletes learn to work with their teammates and grow by learning from one another. Athletes understand the true meaning of Proverbs 27:17, which says, ‘As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.’”

• Enjoys most about Wesleyan: “I’ve enjoyed building relationships and getting to know all of the wonderful people I am surrounded by every day. Wesleyan is a special place and I feel so blessed to be a part of this family.”

• Unique feature about Wesleyan: “The way people at Wesleyan love each other is so unique. My parents have always told me I will never be at another place in my life where I am constantly pursued and invested in as I am here. The relationships I have built with teachers and coaches are lasting ones. I know I can speak for the entire student body in saying we are at a special place, unlike any other, and we are blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful, Christian people day in and day out. I feel so thankful to be a part of this Wesleyan family.”

athletics | profile

ATHLETICS SENIOR PROFILE

Brandon Gilliam • College choices: West Georgia, Georgia Southern, Coastal Carolina • Plans to major in engineering • The Gilliam family attends Holy Bethel Baptist Church.

• In his spare time, Brandon enjoys sleeping, listening to music, and working out.

photography by Brian Morgan

• Son of Erika and Timothy Gilliam, Michael Watkins (grandfather)

• Extracurricular activities at Wesleyan: football, basketball, and track • Standout moment at Wesleyan: “The Holy Innocents’ game where everybody came to the white-out.”

• Inspired by: “Wanting to continue my career of sports.”

• When asked why he loves athletics: “I am able to know that I worked hard all summer to be better than other opponents.”

• What athletics teaches: “Athletics teaches me determination and courage.”

• Enjoys most about Wesleyan : “Being more involved in social gatherings.”

• Unique feature about Wesleyan: “That Wesleyan is one big family, and everyone cares for one another.”

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

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athletics | team summaries

CHEERLEADING GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

The varsity girls cross country team ended the 2012 season as the Class AA State Champion after defeating Westminster by 10 points at the state meet. This victory came after the Lady Wolves were ranked second to Westminster all season, and battled a number of injuries which prevented our top runners from competing as a group during most of the fall. Luckily, the girls were were able to get healthy at the right time, and the team provided many highlights on the day of the state meet.

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Caroline Reed placed second, with a time of 20:10. Ellie Bradach–20:30 (3rd), Jordan Zimmerman–20:59 (7th), and Taylor Panther–21:00 (10th) joined Reed on the All-State team. Also representing Wesleyan in the state championship race and supplying the crucial fifth through seventh places were: Kylie Reed–21:12 (11th), Abi Irwin–21:33 (13th), and Mallory Macgill–23:54 (50th). Caroline and Kylie Reed, Jordan Zimmerman, Ellie Bradach, and Taylor Panther were recognized by the Gwinnett County Coaches Association as members of the All-Gwinnett County Team. Caroline was also honored by the Atlanta Track Club as a member of the All-Metro Team.

The 2012 team was composed of 49 girls and was led by senior captains Madison Jones, Rachel Koch, Mallory Macgill, and Daisy Mills. Throughout the year, the team discussed a number of different scriptures, including II Corinthians 12:9, Job 39:11, Philippians 4:13, Matthew 11:28 & 29, and Romans 5:3-5. These verses focus on our human frailty and God’s strength, and were an incredible lesson to the team on reliance on His strength and not our own.

The 2012 fall cheerleading season began in late July with the cheerleaders annual trip to camp at GCSU. The seventh grade, eighth grade, JV, and varsity cheer squads worked on new cheers, chants, stunts, jumps, and tumbling skills. Nine of the fifty-five cheerleaders competed in the All-American competition, and six were honored with this distinction. In addition, the varsity squad placed fourth in the varsity level competition and the eighth grade and seventh grade squads placed first and second, respectively, in the middle school level competition.

After camp, each squad focused its attention on perfecting what they learned at camp and practicing their cheers, chants, half-time and homecoming routines, band dance routines, and stunts. Each squad enjoyed supporting the football players and coaches by creating locker decorations, painting locker room signs and run-through signs. In addition, they enjoyed cheering for the football players during each exciting game and generating spirit at the homecoming pep rally and kick-off dinner.

The varsity cheerleaders worked to create a sense of “Wesleyan School” spirit by cheering on the wolves during lower school carpool, organizing the annual lower school Spirit Night, by painting faces at the Hoedown, and painting the windows in the high school. Despite their busy schedule, each cheer squad also participated in a service project at the Boys and Girls Club teaching cheers and band dances.

The 2012 fall cheerleading season was blessed to be full of: new and old friendships; a faith in God, in each other, and in our coaches; and JOY through praising God, loving others and challenging oneself.

athletics | team summaries

FOOTBALL The 2012 Wolves hit the football field facing the challenge of a new classification, a new region, and the 5th hardest schedule in AA according to the Massey Power Rankings. Yet, the team still found a way to generate a lot of excitement for fans and a great experience for the team.

Led by the outstanding senior class of Sam Carver, Griffin Bone, Alexander Dubose, John McCleskey, Danny Nocharli, Charles Mack, Brandon Gilliam, Rhett Delk, Jaye Rochell, Trince Degraffinreaidt, Michael Armstrong, David Monte, and Ben Johnson, the 2012 Wolves had thrilling wins over much larger schools like Salem and Stone Mountain.

One major highlight of the season was the unforgettable victory over Brookstone School at Homecoming, when senior Rhett Delk kicked a school-record 49-yard field goal to win as time expired. Yet another treasured memory for the Wesleyan football scrapbook! The team is proud of returning to the state playoffs in 2012 and looks forward to an even better season next fall.

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY The 2012 boys cross country team will always be remembered for their work ethic and competitiveness despite great odds. The team faced a unique situation after the graduation of eight of the top 10 runners from the 2011 season; senior Austin Schanen was the only returning runner to have ever raced at the state meet. This young team, however, pushed themselves all summer to give Wesleyan a chance for late-season success. As the season progressed, the team continued to grow as runners and as young men focused on using the gifts God has given them for His glory.

The night before the state meet, the team discussed Colossians 3:17 and its challenge to them as a team. This verse says, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the father through Him.” Despite a valiant effort, Westminster defeated Wesleyan by eight points, and the Wolves finished as State Runner-Up. The 2012 team was composed of 36 boys and was led by senior captains Cameron Anderson, Jake Morris, and Austin Schanen.

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

The top seven guys showed up at the state meet and ran an excellent tactical race, including an all-time great finish for Austin Schanen, as he out-kicked Westminster’s #2 runner. The top seven finished with the following results: Austin Schanen– 6th (17:55), Matt Moratti–9th (18:04), Benji Johnson–10th (18:05), Henry Collins–11th (18:06), Robert Kunce–16th (18:26), William Lee–49th (19:25) and Jake Morris–50th (19:26).

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athletics | team summaries

VOLLEYBALL SOFTBALL The middle school softball team had a fantastic season under the leadership of head coach Gabi Martinez-Esteve and assistants Whitney Panetta and Jimmy Stainback. The team posted a record of 12-4-1, and won the Wesleyan middle school tournament in dramatic fashion. We are excited to see what the future holds for this talented group!

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

The JV softball team also had a successful season finishing 11-3-2 and winning their division in the South Forsyth JV tournament. With a roster that included eighth, ninth, and tenth graders, the Lady Wolves improved tremendously throughout the season and did a great job of living out the program’s “One Body” motto. Congratulations to head coach Mary Stephenson and assistant coach Brandi Payne on a great season!

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The varsity team had its most impressive season yet in 2012. The Lady Wolves finished the season as the AA State Runner-Up and posted a record of 31-11. The highlight of the season was the push to the state championship that saw the Lady Wolves battle through the loser’s bracket of the state tournament to make it to the deciding game against Dade County, in which senior Victoria DiStasi hit a walk-off homerun, and CaraMia Tsirigos hit a monster homerun in her final high school at bat.

The 2012 season concludes the remarkable careers of seniors Amanda DeLaPerriere, Victoria DiStasi, Katie Frerking, and CaraMia Tsirigos. These four seniors have their names on the record board to commemorate their amazing statistical accomplishments, but what they accomplished as leaders is even more remarkable. Congratulations to head coach Nichole Dixon and assistants Mary Stephenson, Paige Pera, Carolyn Whitney, and Brandi Payne on a fantastic season.

The varsity volleyball team had a very successful 2012 season with a 35-12 record. Wesleyan was able to win the Area 6AA title and reclaim the Gwinnett County Championship. Notable wins during the season included wins over highly-ranked Mill Creek, Northview, Westminster, and GACS. Wesleyan seniors Hannah Fletcher, Anna Davis, and Jennifer Miller helped lead the Wolves to a final four appearance for the first time in three years. Team members included juniors Ashley Hughes, Natalie Connor, Katie Van Laeke, Kristen Pack, Ashley Moody, and Hannah Hoskin; sophomores Kendra Koetter, Lauren Frerking, Emma Bivings, Nikki McDonald, and Michaela Bailey; and freshmen Leah Davis and Maddie Jones.

The junior varsity team also had a very successful season earning key victories over Pope, GACS, Milton and Lassiter. Members of the junior varsity team included junior Kaitlin Mullen; sophomore Michaela Bailey; freshmen Leah Davis, Maddie Jones, Ellie Hall, Rebekah Middlebrooks, Maddie Pickard, and Jenny Van Laeke; and eighth graders Natalie Armstrong, Katie Newman, and Lauren Alexander. The JV team was coached by Ken Connor and Joseph Cooper.

The middle school program experienced a lot of growth during the 2012 season and had a great time playing the sport of volleyball. The A team, under the leadership of coach Guillermo Vallejo, had key victories over Westminster, Holy Innocents’, Lovett, and Lassiter. Team members included eighth graders Emily Greer, Paige Prettyman, Katie Stipe, Morgan Keller, and Audrey Mangum; and seventh graders Harrison Feininger, Elizabeth Bruehl, and Sutton West. The B team, under coach Collin Christensen celebrated success over Woodward, Lassiter, and South Forsyth. Team members included seventh graders Madison Lloyd, Kat Hughes, Meredith Lynch, Madison McKemie, Natalie Hamlin, Abbie Blauser, Anna Kate Johnson, and Kelsey Rappe.

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1) Ellie Bradach ’16, All-State Team, All-County 1st Team, cross country 2) Henry Collins ’16, All-Region Team, cross country 3) Anna Davis ’13, All-Area Team, GVCA Senior All-Star, volleyball 4) Amanda DeLaPerriere ’13, All-Region Team, All-County Team, All-State 2nd Team, softball 5) Rhett Delk ’13, Atlanta Falcons Captain in the Community Award, Gwinnett County Scholar Athlete Award, football 6) Victoria DiStasi ’13, Gwinnett County Scholar Athlete, All-County Team, All-Region Team, All-State 2nd Team, softball 7) Emily Farrow ’14, All-Region Team, softball 8) Katie Frerking ’13, All-Region Team, All-County Team, All-State 2nd Team, softball 9) Lauren Frerking ’15, All-County 2nd Team, All-Area Team, GVCA AA All-State, volleyball 10) Brandon Gilliam ’13, Gwinnett County Team First Award, football 11) Hannah Hoskin ’14, All-Area Team, Gwinnett County Scholar Athlete, volleyball 12) Benji Johnson ’16, All-Region Team, All-State Team, cross country 13) Dacia Jones ’14, All-Region Team, All-County Honorable Mention, All-State 2nd Team, softball 14) Jahmai Jones ’15, All-County 2nd Team, football 15) Kendra Koetter ’15, All-County 1st Team, All-Area Team, GVCA AA All-State, volleyball 16) Robert Kunce ’13, All-Region Team, cross country 17) Jennifer Miller ‘13, GDP Super-Six, Area Player of the Year, All-County 1st Team, GVCA AA All-State Co-Player of the Year, GVCA Senior All-Star, volleyball 18) Matt Moratti ’14, All-Region Team, All-State Team, cross country 19) Taylor Panther ’15, All-Region Team, All-State Team, All-County 1st Team, cross country 20) Caroline Reed ’14, All-Region Team, All-State Team, State Runner-Up, All-County 1st Team, Atlanta Track Club All-Metro Team, cross country 21) Kylie Reed ’16, All-County Honorable Mention, cross country 22) Austin Schanen ’13, All-County Honorable Mention, All-State Team, All-Region Team, cross country 23) CaraMia Tsirigos ’13, GDP Super-Six, All-Region Team, All-County Team, All-State 1st Team, GACA Class AA Player of the Year softball 24) Katie Van Laeke ’14, All-Area Team, volleyball 25) Jordan Zimmerman ’15, All-State Team, All-County 1st Team, cross country

TEAM HONORS

ATHLETIC SIGNINGS

Taylor Blackmon Kennesaw State University Basketball GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY Class AA State Champion

Katie Frerking Auburn University Basketball

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY Class AA State Runner-Up

SOFTBALL Class AA State Runner-Up

VOLLEYBALL Class AA Final Four; Area 6AA Champion

COACHING HONORS

Cary Marquell Football Talley Johnson Award

Paige Mosley Towson University Basketball

Chad McDaniel Steve Stepp Boys & Girls Cross Country Director of Sports Medicine Atlanta Track Club Coach Dave Hunter Award of the Year, GACA Class AA Girls State Coach of the Year.

Brittany Stevens Samford University Basketball

Chris Yoder Boys & Girls Cross Country Atlanta Track Club Coach of the Year

Kendra Talley Presbyterian College Basketball

CaraMia Tsirigos Indiana University Softball

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

Charles Mack Jennifer Miller University of Richmond Texas Christian University Football Preferred Walk-On Volleyball

Rachel Koch Vanderbilt University Preferred Walk-On Swimming

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photography by Brian Morgan

library news

WHAT CAN BE FOUND IN

A Christian Library written by Carolyn Chapman Head Librarian

T

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

he capital campaign has spurred the Wesleyan community to think about shared blessings and cheerful giving. One book in particular comes to mind when considering this Christian mission. In the book, The Blind Side, Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy explain a great deal about their lives and tell of the adoption and success of their son, Michael Oher. In their most recent book, In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving, the Tuohys discuss more fully the decision to bring Michael into their home and lives.

With their philosophy of “cheerful giving” and helping those who cross their paths, the family embraces the passage from II Corinthians which reads, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

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According to this generous couple, the mistake most people make is waiting to do something grand and, in turn, failing to do the simplest kind of giving which is so easily accomplished.

The Tuohys decided they wanted to do small things with great love. They call their theory of giving, “The Popcorn Theory.”

Realizing that they cannot help everyone, the Tuohys decided to help the people who “popped up” and were standing right in front of them. The Popcorn Theory is about noticing the people in need who we meet when we leave our homes each day.

In helping Michael Oher and adopting him as their son, the Tuohys believe Michael gave and gives them much more than they gave him. “We gave him a home—and he gave us back a stronger and more centered family. We gave him advice and support—and he gave us back a deeper awareness of the world.

We gave him love as a boy—and he gave us back a man to be proud of. Each thing we gave to him has been returned to us multiplied. But before any of that could happen, something else had to happen first. A fundamental precondition had to be met.

We had to notice him. We had to see him.”

In addition to In a Heartbeat, other great books which reveal important truths include: Ministry of Mercy by Tim Keller Why would someone risk his safety, destroy his schedule, and become dirty and bloody to help a needy person of another race and social class? And why would Jesus tell us “Go and do likewise?” Like the wounded man on the Jericho road, there are needy people in our path–the widow next door, the family strapped with medical bills, the homeless man outside our place of worship. God calls us to be ministers of mercy to people in need of shelter, assistance, medical care, or simple friendship.

Generous Justice by Tim Keller It is commonly thought in secular society that the Bible is one of the greatest hindrances to doing justice. Isn’t it full of regressive views? Didn’t it condone slavery? Why look to the Bible for guidance on how to have a more just society? But Timothy Keller challenges these preconceived beliefs and presents the Bible as a fundamental source for promoting justice and compassion for those in need. In Generous Justice, he explores a life of justice empowered by an experience of grace–a generous, gracious justice. This book offers readers a new understanding of modern justice and human rights that will resonate with both the faithful and the skeptical.

library | news

The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns This book is the compelling true story of a corporate CEO who set aside worldly success for something far more significant, and in doing so discovered the full power of the gospel of Jesus Christ to change his own life. He uses his journey to demonstrate how the gospel—the whole gospel—was always meant to be a worldchanging social revolution, a revolution that begins with us.

Improving Your Serve: The Art of Unselfish Living

by Charles R. Swindoll Swindoll offers a case for unselfishness and shows why serving others can be a much more fulfilling way to live. Readers will also learn how a radical application of biblical principles of servant-hood can transform them from the inside out—and make a real and lasting difference in today’s world. Improving Your Serve will help the reader build the foundation for a happy and fulfilled life through demonstrating love for others.

Shared Blessing (A Place to Belong): Inspiration for a Woman’s Heart by the Circle of Friends Ministries The Blessing: Giving the Gift of Unconditional Love and Acceptance by Dr. John Trent The Power of Kindness by the Editors of Random Acts of Kindness The Power of Half by Kevin and Hannah Salwen All of the books listed are available in the Chapman Library and may be checked out by any member of the Wesleyan family: faculty, staff, students, parents, and others who maintain their connection to Wesleyan and share their blessings with us as they are able.

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

The Mission of God’s People: A Biblical Theory of the Church’s Mission by Christopher J. H. Wright Wright shows how God’s big-picture plan directs the purpose of God’s people, the church. Wright emphasizes that the Old Testament teaches Christians about being the people of God. He addresses questions of both ecclesiology and missiology with topics like “called to care for creation,” “called to bless the nations,” “sending and being sent,” and “rejecting false gods.” The Mission of God’s People promises to enliven and refocus the study, teaching, and ministry of those truly committed to joining God’s work in the world.

Other books to consider: What If Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops

by Laura Story

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The Wesleyan Junior Players Present

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

TheSecret Garden

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faculty news

Jonathan Koch

faculty member for

TWO years

• Jonathan attends Atlanta Westside Presbyterian Church.

• In his spare time, he enjoys running, especially in local races; biking, backpacking, and other outdoor activities; reading and writing, especially poetry; solving crossword puzzles; and playing the classical guitar.

• Attended high school at the Gilman School in Baltimore, Maryland • Earned a bachelor of arts in English from Davidson College

• Standout moment at Wesleyan: “Every athletic road trip that I have been on, because it is incredible to see how the students and coaches carry themselves when outside the Wesleyan community. The consistency of character, the attitude of humility, and the joy-filled atmosphere that pervade these trips are a true testimony to the active work God is doing at this school. It is a privilege to be a part of that work.”

• Path to education: “Throughout my high school and college years, I had many teachers and coaches who positively influenced me—not only by educating me about running and English, but also by being role models of a well-led, Christian life. By becoming an educator, I hope to serve the same role for the next generation of students.”

• Before teaching full-time at Wesleyan, Jonathan served as a faculty fellow for the 2011-12 school year upon graduating from Davidson College.

• Enjoys most about Wesleyan: “The people. From the staff, to the faculty, to the administration, to the students, I cannot imagine a group of people with whom I would rather have spent the last two years of my life.

I have truly enjoyed the opportunity to integrate my faith and my intellect because, for my entire academic career, I have had to limit the intermingling of these two central aspects of my life.”

• Unique or Special Feature of Wesleyan: “Having logged many miles on the cross country trails, the track, and the fields of Wesleyan’s campus, I can firmly say that we have some of the best running facilities in the area (especially considering the size of our campus).”

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

• Teaches high school English: American Literature and Composition. He serves as a varsity cross country coach, varsity swimming coach, and varsity track and field coach.

photography by Brian Morgan

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Sara Morman

faculty | profile

faculty member for photography by Brian Morgan

• Married for six years to Timothy, a fine furniture designer and craftsman, who has a degree in Christian ministry and a heart towards vocational ministry.

• Expecting their first baby in January 2013.

• Sara attends Mt. Paran Church where she and her husband co-lead a small group and partner with a sports camp in Austria.

• In her spare time, Sara enjoys knitting, reading, backpacking, and cuddling with her two pugs.

• Attended high school at Loyola Sacred Heart High School in Missoula, Montana • Earned a bachelor’s of arts in Latin and French from the University of Montana • Earned a masters of arts in leadership in teaching from the College of Notre Dame in Baltimore, Maryland

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

• Teaches middle school Latin and French and serves as the middle school theater director. Previously served as the middle school theater choreographer from 20082010.

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• Standout moment at Wesleyan: “The first is having the privilege of teaching the same kids from grades 6 through 8 and second is praying with students for three years for my healing from Lyme disease. The day I found out the Lyme was gone, the students were waiting with hidden cupcakes just in case we needed to keep praying. To tell them the good news and celebrate the glory of God with them was priceless.”

• Path to Education: “While I always knew I wanted to teach, I was exposed to a variety of teachers and teaching styles as I attended eight different schools growing up. I consider this an asset because I learned what it meant to be the “new kid” and what made excellent, memorable teachers. While tutoring my peers in high school, I saw the empowerment and confidence that came from comprehending the material. I enjoyed

FOUR years

seeing that confidence spill over into other areas of their lives. I still love watching that happen with my students!”

• Before coming to Wesleyan: Sara taught at Loyola Sacred Heart High School in Missoula, Montana for four years teaching Latin in grades 7 through AP, classical civilization, and drama.

• Enjoys most about Wesleyan: “I love that part of my job is to know where my students are emotionally and spiritually, not solely academically. I am free and encouraged to stop my lesson to discuss a chapel message, an issue that is on one my student’s hearts, or to go to the Veritas room for prayer. I feel so blessed and privileged to know my students’ hearts and to be able to pray with and for them. The most important element of their lives is their relationship with Jesus and I get to hear and learn about that! I also enjoy getting to share life with my colleagues–that we are family. I love that former students still stop by to say hello. I am able to see these students grow and mature, not only physically (which is always staggering!) but emotionally and spiritually as well. ” • Unique or Special Feature about Wesleyan: “Prayer!

This place is bathed in prayer. When we moved here, I had Lyme disease and the Lord was teaching us the importance of being surrounded by a community and allowing others to walk alongside you through trial.

I reached out to my colleagues, Moms in Touch, and my students for prayer. In those last three years of my illness, we all watched and rejoiced as the Lord healed me as I went from thirty-six pills a day to none, and as I gained energy and strength. We all celebrated, and, in turn, I have been able to pray for my colleagues, students and the parents of my students in deeper ways. It is a beautiful, powerful gift when God’s people pray!”

faculty | profile

Mary Willson Schill

faculty member for

THIRTEEN years • Children: Kiki Schill, 25 years old, who is getting her masters of arts in teaching from Emory University; and Bo Schill, 27 years old, who lives in Atlanta and works for Arthrex Inc. selling orthopedic surgical supplies.

• Mary Willson attends St. Luke’s Episcopal Church where she is involved in Standing Together, a group of adults who support single mothers. They meet with the mothers every other week for dinners, picnics, and life coaching.

• In her spare time, Mary Willson enjoys tennis, reading, arts and crafts, calligraphy, and travelling.

• Attended high school at St. Catherine’s in Richmond, Virginia • Earned a bachelor’s of arts degree from Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia • Earned a masters of education from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia

• Standout moment at Wesleyan: “My most memorable experience is my first mission trip to Peru when our team climbed a mountaintop in the Andes to provide a vacation Bible school program for the students

in a small school. The Wesleyan students enjoyed every moment with these young Peruvian students and shared their faith through their love and caring behavior. My later mission trips to the Ukraine, Los Angeles, Peru, and Costa Rica were also meaningful and inspirational in following the school’s JOY (Jesus, Others, Yourself ) motto.”

• Path to education: “I enjoyed many sports throughout my life and wanted my students to enjoy lifteime learning and competitive sports.”

• Before coming to Wesleyan: Mary Willson was a substitute teacher in DeKalb County when her children were young. Previously, she taught physical education and art at St. Anne’s Belfield School in Charlottesville, Virginia.

• Enjoys most about Wesleyan: “Prior to teaching at Wesleyan, the school’s Christian mission was very appealing to me as was being able to share my faith with my students and nurture this faith in the Wesleyan community. I have enjoyed getting to know the wonderful faculty and students in the Wesleyan community. This community is guided by Christian principles and really cares about one another.”

• Unique or Special Feature of Wesleyan: “Most importantly would be the Christian atmosphere at Wesleyan among the faculty, students and parents, which produces an outstanding sense of community. After teaching and coaching in the high school, middle school, and lower school, I am always impressed that our school divisions work so well together and genuinely care about one another.”

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

• Currently teaches lower school physical education.

Previously taught sixth grade physical education and middle school art. Currently serves as an assistant varsity boys and girls tennis coach and assistant middle school swimming coach. Previously served as the varsity girls tennis coach (2 years), assistant varsity swimming coach (2 years), varsity girls lacrosse coach (10 years), and JV girls softball coach (2 years).

photography by Brian Morgan

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faculty | news

following the footsteps of apostle paul:

A Summer Sabbatical written by Russ Custer Bible Department Head; High School Bible Teacher

A

Athens. Corinth. Ephesus. Thessalonica.

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

ny list of the great cities of antiquity would surely contain most, if not all, of the cities mentioned above. And, to anyone who loves the history of the Christian church, the names of these cities are almost magical. To visit even one would be a wonderful opportunity; to visit them all would be the dream of a lifetime for me. This past summer, that dream became reality thanks to the summer sabbatical program Wesleyan offers its faculty.

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A number of years ago, upon leaving seminary, I first taught high school sophomores a class on the theology of the apostle Paul. Ever since, I always thought how incredible it would be to take a trip where I followed the footsteps of this influential apostle as he spread the gospel onto European soil. For the past several years, I have again been teaching a class on Paul’s thought, and the dream of such an endeavor was rekindled. So, in the fall of 2012, I applied for and received a sabbatical grant and in June, my wife and I headed to Greece to walk where Paul walked, and to study his theology at many of the places familiar to readers of the New Testament.

Upon receiving the grant, I located a Christian ministry in Dallas which conducts trips that follow Paul’s footsteps on his second missionary journey, and this is the group I traveled with for my two weeks in Greece and Turkey. Flying into modern day Thessaloniki, we spent four days with this cosmopolitan city in northern Greece as our base. From here we took day trips to Berea, Kavala (the Biblical city of Neapolis) and Philippi. I can only begin to describe my excitement as I stepped on the same stones that Paul did more than two thousand years ago as he traversed the Via Egnatia from Philippi to Thessalonica.

One of the great roads of the famous Roman highway system, much of the Via Egnatia has been unearthed among the ruins of ancient Philippi. Archaeologists have also discovered

the bema, the raised judicial platform in the forum (or the agora in the Greek language). It was on this bema where Paul received a beating at the hands of the magistrates in Philippi. I could not help but think: Would I be willing to suffer as much as Paul did in the cause of Christ? In addition, once Christianity was legalized by the emperor Constantine in the 4th century, cities often built a house for the local bishop and again, archaeologists have uncovered the bishop’s house in ancient Philippi. On the floor of this house is a mosaic and one can see the name of Paul in this mosaic, one of the oldest extra-Biblical references that we have to the apostle Paul.

From Thessaloniki, we traveled south to Meteora, the region of Greece that formerly housed 24 monasteries on the towering sandstone formations above the town itself. It was here that individuals came in the 8th century to live in the caves in these sandstone cliffs, as they determined that the answer to Jesus’ admonition to be in the world but not of the world was to

Above: The Via Egnatia

Left: Inscription with Gallio’s name at the Museum of Delphi.

Above top: The bema in Corinth where Paul appeared before Gallio. Above bottom: The ancient stadium in Ephesus.

escape the temptations of life and adopt an ascetic lifestyle in these caves. Then, in the 1400’s, these individuals began to live in communities and the monastic movement became very popular here.

This same phenomenon occurred in Athens (Acts 17). Previously, I would remark to my students, “My understanding is that at the base of the Areopagus (Mars Hill to the Romans) is a plaque which contains the words of Paul’s sermon to the leading men of Athens.” Now, I have a picture of this plaque with me standing next to it and pointing at the words! I must also say the same sense of amazement that gripped me upon stepping on the same stones that Paul did in Philippi struck me here as I stood on the Acropolis and next to the Parthenon and looked down at Mars Hill. Knowing that Paul was actually at this same place, wading into a discussion with some of the leading philosophers of that day, and asking them to make a decision about Jesus, was an incredibly moving experience.

It was very rewarding to return to Wesleyan in August and realize that our school theme for this year is The Kingdom of God. In fact, our verse for September was from none other than Paul himself. He writes in I Corinthians 4:20 that “the kingdom of God consists, not of words, but of power.” It is in the life and ministry of Paul that we see clear evidence for the truthfulness of this verse. After all, how else but as a result of God’s power do you explain that in his lifetime, Paul took the gospel of the kingdom from Jerusalem and its immediate environs and spread it all the way into the province of Asia Minor and into Greece as well? Scholars estimate that during his missionary journeys, Paul covered about 10,000 miles and this mostly on foot.

God so demonstrated his power in Paul and his work that the western world has never been the same since. I am thankful to the Wesleyan community for the incredible opportunity to study firsthand God’s kingdom power at work in this great apostle of the Christian faith!

Above: The Parthenon.

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

It was then on to Delphi, and this part of the trip was especially meaningful to me. Students often question how we can know when Paul undertook his missionary journeys. One thing I always point to is the proconsul of Achaia, a man named Gallio (Acts 18: 12-17), who was the brother of the more famous Seneca. We know from Roman history that proconsuls only served one-year terms and we know that Gallio was proconsul between 51 and 52 AD. By reading how many months Paul spent in one place or another, scholars can date the times of Paul’s journeys by counting either backward or forward from Gallio’s time. And, how do we know Gallio served between 51 and 52? It is primarily due to an inscription which is housed at the museum in Delphi. In years past, I would have to say to my Wesleyan students something like, “My understanding is that in ancient Delphi, there is an inscription with Gallio’s name and the dates he served in Corinth.” Now, I can show the actual picture of this inscription!

From Athens, it was on to Corinth and, interestingly, much of the archaeological work in ancient Corinth is being done by Americans and they have unearthed many of the ruins of this influential city. Again, the bema where Paul appeared before Gallio has been discovered, and much of the ancient forum has been unearthed. Much the same is the case in Ephesus, and especially meaningful to me was the stadium, where the crowd rioted for two hours after realizing Paul was so effective in his preaching of Jesus that people were abandoning the worship of Artemis, whose temple here in Ephesus was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

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faculty | news

exploring london and paris through film:

A Summer Sabbatical written by Michael Mann Lower School Instructional Technologist

D WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

uring college, I spent four summers working for Life Way Christian Resources, a Christian publishing house in Nashville, Tennessee. Each summer, I traveled with a team of counselors to various regions of the United States leading mission-based summer camps, known as Mission-Fuge, for high school students. My particular job was to film the various mission teams telling the stories of each group for the students to take home as a souvenir.

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After college, I accepted a teaching position at Palm Beach Day School. While there, I began a film and news team for middle and high school students. I continued my training and work experience through Thunderhead Films in Palm Beach, Florida for a few years, learning more of the technical aspects of shooting television commercials. It was always a natural fit for me to use my film background in the classroom in order to engage my students in projects that demonstrated the learning process and objectives of the classroom curriculum. When I applied for Wesleyan’s teaching sabbatical, I desired an experience to continue my education in digital filmmaking.

During my sabbatical, I attended a two-day film course on cinematography at the London Film Academy, and spent the next five days shooting B-roll film in London and Paris. Needless to say, it was very easy to find great scenery in which to stretch my filming techniques and apply some of the new-found tips and tricks I learned in class. During college, I studied in London for a year, so I knew my way around the underground transportation and streets of downtown London. In preparation for the class, I had a number of locations in mind to shoot

and carefully mapped out how I was going to go about it. One of the great aspects of the Wesleyan teaching sabbatical is that spouses are encouraged to attend. When I broke the news to my wife, Elizabeth, that I had been accepted, her bags were packed the next day!

When we arrived in England–to my surprise–the sun was just beginning to set and the shadows were perfect for filming. I immediately went to Piccadilly Square, a lively theatre district in central London, and started shooting some B-roll film. The age of the buildings in London has always captured my imagination. One could be lost in any part of the city and still find amazing architecture and scenery to film.

On my first day of class, after a quick Starbucks run, I made it to the London Film Academy, a renovated, older Episcopal church with various rooms for editing, screening, and training.

The course tutor was Paul Wheeler, who has 26 years of film industry experience in films such as King Lear and Pride and Prejudice. He retired after a long tenure with BBC and is now a full time instructor. I knew I was in for a treat when he began the day by introducing himself and then spent 15 minutes explaining how politically-incorrect he was, and asked us not to be offended by this. Needless to say, his stories of Hollywood and working with directors (none of which I can share on paper) were extremely funny and entertaining.

During the two-day class, we discussed the history of film and how it has evolved over the past 20 years into all types of new genres. With regard to how movies are filmed, I learned

Below: Michael with Cinematographer instructor Paul Wheeler. Right: Michael and wife Elizabeth.

On a more personal note, after the conference was completed and I had shot a few days of film, my wife of 10 years, Elizabeth, and I had the opportunity to renew our vows at St. Martin-inthe-Fields in an afternoon Eucharist service with some of the local congregation. This was a special afternoon for both of us, and we ended the evening with dinner and a performance of Les Miserables. Beth and I reflected on the past 10 years and where

God has led us. We are very grateful to be happily married with two boys, Cody and Tyler, and our first child, Bella, our Jack Russell/Beagle.

Overall, this experience stretched my understanding of film, both technically and artistically. I look forward to bringing this new training to my roles here at Wesleyan and applying some of these techniques to the production of videos for the Wesleyan community. My hope is that these videos will showcase our students excelling in the classroom and on the sport fields. I am thankful to Wesleyan and the sabbatical teaching program for encouraging and supporting me to grow professionally; I know it will enhance my classroom with fresh, new ideas.

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

there are several approaches. We studied classic 16 mm film, digital film, 3-D film, and CGI film–all of which are still rather new and developing in their respective markets. The course was also a tech guy’s paradise of film equipment. We explored lighting sets, various lens types, and my favorite part of the lecture, storytelling. Mr. Wheeler stressed the idea that the cameraman is creating for the audience, not the director or producer.

To produce a successful film, one must create an emotional connection with the audience. It is the cameraman’s job to interpret and sort out the details from the director to make this emotional connection come to life whether by the angle in which one films, the depth of field of the shot, or the mood or tones one uses in post-production. While these tools are available and excellent resources, a successful film simply comes down to whether one is an effective storyteller.

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faculty | announcements

New Faculty and Staff

Alex Klein Technology Specialist

Alice Macgill Communications Specialist

Scott Watson Technology Specialist

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

Newest Additions

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Charles Edward Bradbury V Grandson of Tom & Jo-Ann McCauley 9 pounds, 7 ounces, 21.25 inches September 2, 2012

Nayan Andrew Merrill Grandson of Kathy Merrill 6 pounds, 12 ounces, 20 inches August 20, 2012

Hudson Michael-Lee Weigel Son of Josh & Jenni Weigel 7pounds, 6 ounces, 20 inches September 18, 2012

Crawford Chase Iverson Grandson of Zach & Studie Young 7 pounds, 11 ounces, 20.5 inches September 4, 2012

In Memoriam Joyce Yergin Taillon September 5, 2012 Sister of Jewel Anderson Instructional Technologist

Pepito Cabaysa Lafuente, Jr. November 15, 2012 Brother of Pam Lafuente Sanchez Middle School Modern & Classical Languages

Commander Andrew L. Frahler November 28, 2012 Father of Andrea Shupert High School English

William James Kalkman October 22, 2012 Father of Carol Evans Lower School Assistant

May Elizabeth McCoy June 19, 2012 Mother of Pat McCoy Middle School Modern & Classical Languages

Robert Small November 19, 2012 Father of Barbara Lewis Middle School Social Science

The Wesleyan Players Present

The Mayfair affair

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

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alumni

CLASS Lindsey Glenn ’98 lives in Atlanta with her two children, both of whom attend Mt. Vernon Presbyterian School. Along with volunteering, Lindsey owns her own interior design firm.

Laura Weathers Miller ’02 lives in Washington D.C. with her husband, Barry. He is an engineer at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and she is a nurse at George Washington University Hospital in downtown D.C.

Kristina Mohme Dawson ’04 graduated from the College of Dental Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia in May 2012. She is practicing dentistry in Peachtree Corners with her father.

Drew Prehmus ’04 attends Duke University where he is getting his master’s degree in business administration. He plans to graduate in 2014.

Vance Exley ’00 moved back to Atlanta after working in Big Sky, Montana for several years as an activities director for the Big Sky Resort. He completed his associate’s degree at Georgia Perimeter College and played on their tennis team.

He has since gained his USPTA certification and has launched his own tennis business: Vance Exley Tennis, where he coaches USTA 10 and under tennis programs.

He is also a volunteer coach for Emory University’s womens tennis team.

Michael Cain ’03 graduated from the Medical College of Georgia in May 2012.

He started orthopedic surgery residency in Augusta this July.

Kendall Christian Stowell ’03 lives in Atlanta with her husband, Nick. In May, Kendall opened a Billy Reid clothing store on the west side in Atlanta.

Above: Tyler King ’05 and his fiancee Anna Linkenauger.

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

Mandy Flemming Harris ’05 lives in Macon with her husband John. He is in law school at Mercer University and Mandy teaches at First Presbyterian Day School.

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Tyler King ’05 got engaged to Anna Linkenauger on Saturday, November 24 on Wesleyan’s campus. Tyler and Anna met in Fort Worth, Texas where Tyler was living before J.P. Morgan transferred him to San Francisco, California. Anna was training for the Olympic trials in swimming and taking classes at TCU. She graduated from North Carolina State University on a swimming scholarship.

Above: Dane Richards ’01 and family.

Dane Richards ’01 lives in Watkinsville, Georgia with his wife, Deborah. They have three children, Josiah (age 5), Ember (age 3), and Sage (age 1). Dane is an engineer in the University of Georgia College of Engineering Outreach Service.

Above: Kendall Christian Stowell ’03 in her Billy Reid clothing store.

Christine Ramsey ’06 graduated in May 2010 with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Converse College. In May 2012, Christine graduated from Winthrop

University with a master’s degree in education with an emphasis in school counseling. She is currently employed as the school counselor at Hendrix Elementary School, an International Baccalaureate school in Boiling Springs, South Carolina.

Brooke Blews Woodwards ’07 plans to graduate from the Conflict Management program at Kennesaw State University in December 2013. Additionally, she is working full-time at Richmont Graduate University in the development office. This fall, Brooke was nominated to be on the Samford Young Alumni Board and joined the Junior League of Atlanta. She is also doing her first year placement at the Chastain Therapeutic Riding program.

William Ballard ’07 graduated from the Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech in May 2012. While at Georgia Tech, he interned for McDonald’s USA. After graduation, William accepted a real estate group position as the Development Coordinator for the Raleigh, North Carolina Region.

Matt Gossett ‘08 graduated from Washington and Lee University in May 2012. He is currently teaching English as a second language in France. In November, he met Wesleyan faculty member Matt Cole, who was on a Washington and Lee University alumni trip, in Prague.

Mark Johnson ’08 is joining the submarine force after graduating from the Naval Academy in 2012.

Left: Will Thompson ’09.

Alli Pope ’08 was accepted to Mercer University’s Physician’s Assistant program and will start in January 2013.

Emily Worthington ’08 attended UGA to study furnishings and interiors through the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, a study which specializes in residential design, specifically kitchen and bath design. She has started her own business, Emily B Worthington Interiors, and works as an independent contractor.

Ryan Schulze ’09 spent the summer in South Africa through Campus Outreach (a ministry committed to building laborers for the gospel on small college campuses around the world) along with other University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, and North Georgia college students.

Kyle Patrick ’09 is a senior at Auburn University, where he is president of the Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity and majoring in accounting.

Will Thompson ’09 was elected President of the Student Association at George Washington University and has an internship with Morgan Stanley for the semester.

Below: Ryan Schulze ’09 and friends in South Africa.

Rachel Eller ’10 was inducted into the Theta Psi Chapter of Gamma Sigma Alpha Greek Academic Honor Society at Samford University this fall.

Rebecca Ruiz ’10 is a sophomore at Clemson University where she is involved in FCA, sorority life, serves as a Young Life Leader, and is helping educate the community in Food Nutrition.

Russell Matherly ’12 is involved in the theater & music programs at Kennesaw State University. He has been asked to perform in their opera program, and has been chosen to participate in the Music Theater, & has been cast as the male lead in Cabaret.

Davis Brooks ’12 is a freshman at Auburn University, where he is an equipment manager for the Auburn Tigers football team this season.

Below: Wesleyan Faculty Member Matt Cole and Matt Gossett ’08 in Prague.

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

John Olson ’08 graduated cum laude from Auburn University in May 2012. He is now working for Regions Bank in Birmingham, Alabama in their management training program.

Alumni Davis Brooks ’12 & Andrew Frerking ’11; Wesleyan faculty Jan Azar & Demetrius Frazier; Current students Katie Frerking ’13, Mikayla Coombs ’17, Devyn Lowe’ 17, Capri Frazier ’17, Nicole Azar ’21, and Andrew Azar ’24 at an Auburn University football game.

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alumni | marriages

MARRIAGES Kelly Cross Blum ’02 married Dirk Blum on September 1, 2012 at Country Club of the South. Crystal Cross ’05 was in the wedding, and Laura Weathers Miller ’02, Caroline Kramer ’02, and Brenna Mengert ’02 were all in attendance.

Amy Bensten Boring ’02 married Chuck Boring on June 23, 2012 at the Atlanta History Center. Sisters, Sarah Bentson ’05 and Claire Bentson ’08 were maids of honor and Jacquelyn Schell ’02 was a bridesmaid.

Kristie Arnold Conner ’06 married Cameron Conner on May 19, 2012 at Camp Creek Golf Course in WaterSound, Florida with a reception at WaterSound Beach Club. Brett Arnold ’01 and Katherine Owen ’06 were in the wedding.

1.

Kristina Mohme Dawson ’04 and Andrew Dawson ’04 married on June 23, 2012 at Dunwoody United Methodist Church. Laura Mohme ’05, Rachel Dawson Routledge ’01, Christian Young ’04, Doug Mohme ’12, Harrison Lamons ’04, Eric Karaszewski ’04, Trent Sawyer ’04, and Chase Howe ’04, were all in the wedding party.

Vance Exley ’00 married Lisa Moltzen Exley in May 2011 at Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.

2.

Christie Groome Farmer ’03 married Hank Farmer on August 25, 2012 at Lake Burton Club in Clayton Georgia. The wedding party included Kendall Christian Stowell ’03, Amanda Gustin ’03, and her brother, Hunter Groome ’07.

Kimmie Freeman Goetz ’04 married Ralson Goetz on September 8, 2012 at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, with a reception at the Atlanta History Center. The wedding party included Leslie Henderson ’04, Katie Gallup ’04, Maegan Hamlin ’04, Michelle Klaer ’04, Paige Gupton ’04, and Phillip Freeman ’08.

Mandy Flemming Harris ’05 married John Harris on January 12, 2012 at Atlanta First United Methodist Church with a reception at Summerour Studio. Taylor Voelker ’05 was maid of honor and Abby Dutson ’05 was a bridesmaid.

Kristin Herrig Herringdine ’04 married Shane Herringdine on July 21, 2012 at St. John United Methodist Church in Atlanta.

3.

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

9.

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7.

5.

4.

6.

8.

alumni | marriages

Courtney Masters Schneider ’04 and Austin Schneider ’04, were married on March 24, 2012 at Flint Hill in Norcross. The wedding party included Trenton Schneider ’06, Tyler Johnson ’10, Caroline Johnson ’12, and Shelby Masters ’13.

Courtney Parker McCants ’06 married John McCants on August 25, 2012 at Haig Point on Daufuskie Island, South Carolina. Her maid of honor was Meghan Breslin Sawyer ’06.

Laura Weathers Miller ‘02 married Barry Miller on October 6, 2012 at Caves Farm in Owings Mills, Maryland. Caroline Kramer ’02 was maid of honor and Amy Bentsen Boring ’02 and Kelly Cross Blum ’02 were guests at the wedding.

10.

Laura Dutson Moye ’03 and Brian Moye ’03 married on September 29, 2012 at Peachtree Christian Church in Atlanta. Abby Dutson ’05 and Sarah Goodkind Wakefield ’03 were in the wedding.

Meghan Breslin Sawyer ’06 and Trent Sawyer ’06, married on September 29, 2012 at St. Luke’s Chapel in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, with a reception at Daniel Island Club on Daniel Island, South Carolina. The wedding party included, Courtney Parker McCants ’06 as matron of honor, Katherine Owen ’06, Eric Karaszewski ’04, Chase Howe ’04, and Andrew Dawson ’04.

Claire Whigham Slape ’08 married Zach Slape on May 12, 2012. The wedding was held on her uncle’s property in Dublin, Georgia.

Anastasia Eaccarino Terry ’98 married Dennis ‘Blaine’ Terry Jr. on May 27, 2012 at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation, with a reception following at Capital City Club in Brookhaven.

11.

Brooke Blews Woodward ’07 married Alexander Woodward on September 2, 2012 at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center. Maggie Worthington ’06 was in the wedding.

13.

15.

16.

17.

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

12. 14.

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alumni | births and news

BIRTHS Coraline Suzzane Roman Daughter of Aldwin & Christine Busch Roman ’01 September 20, 2012 8 pounds, 2 ounces, 21 inches

William Andrew Marsh Son of Amy & Allen Marsh ’00 October 18, 2012 6 pounds, 18 inches

SAVE THE DATES! WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

ATHLETICS CIRCLE OF HONOR: FEBRUARY 8, 2013

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FINE ARTS CIRCLE OF HONOR: MAY 2, 2013 2003 TEN YEAR REUNION: MAY 18, 2013 1998 & 1999 FIFTEEN YEAR REUNION: FALL OF 2013

alumni | features

ATHLETICS CIRCLE OF HONOR

2012 INDUCTEE written by Rebecca Carpenter ’02 Alumni and Special Events Coordinator

Since its inception in 2007, the Wesleyan Athletics Circle of Honor has grown to include thirteen alumni and faculty inductees. The Athletics Circle of Honor recognizes those athletes, coaches and friends of the school who have made significant contributions to Wesleyan’s sports programs on their respective fields of play and who have demonstrated model citizenship and sportsmanship while in high school and beyond.

WEBB WORTHINGTON ’05 • Sports played at Wesleyan: Diving, Football, and Baseball

Despite his happy-go-lucky personality, Webb was always an incredibly fierce competitor. ‘Pressure makes diamonds’ was a phrase I would often use when referencing Webb. He would thrive with more spectators, more divers, and heightened competition. Whatever the situation, he always nailed the dive to perfection. He always rose to the occasion, even with the pressure of winning state for the fourth consecutive time.

I have many wonderful memories of Webb, but one that always sticks in my mind is his famous “fish out of water” routine. Not surprisingly, he took his routine on the road to work on the largest cruise ship in the world. Unlike many champions who might be self-absorbed and myopic, Webb truly was built for others. Whether it was serving as the de facto coach for younger divers until Wesleyan hired a coach, mentoring ninth graders as a Peer Leader, or engaging in multiple Bible studies, Webb got it at a young age and still gets it.

There is no denying that Webb was the best at his sport. There was nothing more that he could have achieved at the high school level; no honor that he did not receive. He won the Georgia state title all four years (only the fifth athlete ever to do so). He was a national champion. He was the first diver of significance at our school and others came to Wesleyan because of him.

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

• “Engaging conversationalist, sterling character, disarmingly genuine, incredibly affable, profoundly insightful, and wonderfully playful, that’s Webb. To know Webb is to love Webb; everybody loved him, even his competitors. Even though every one of them knew Webb was going to beat them, they also knew he would encourage them to do their very best, as well as make the event significantly more fun.

This year, Wesleyan’s Athletic Department has chosen Webb Worthington ’05 for inclusion in the Circle of Honor. On February 8, during the varsity basketball game, an induction ceremony will honor Webb and his contributions to Wesleyan’s swim and dive program, his exemplary leadership, and his outstanding effort and resulting achievements in high school and college.

- cont’d. on page 58

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alumni | features

WEBB WORTHINGTON ’05, cont’d I can think of no person who is more deserving of this honor than Webb. He is a true champion in every sense of the word –as a person, as a student, as a teammate, as a competitor, as a mentor, as an athlete, but most of all as a Christian.”

- Colin Creel, Former Wesleyan Head Swim and Dive Coach After Wesleyan, Webb went on to dive for the University of Georgia, where he was a four-time finalist at the SEC Championships. He was a student in the Terry College of Business majoring in finance and real estate. After graduation, Webb worked for two years on the largest cruise ship in the world, Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas, as a lead performer in their diving and variety shows. He now works for SWH Residential Partners as an Analyst.

WESLEYAN MAGAZINE • FALL 2012

• Achievements while at Wesleyan: Four-time State Dive Champion (2002-2005) National Dive Champion (2005) Four-time All-American 1st Team All-State (2003-2005) 2nd Team All-State (2002) Gwinnett All-County Team (2002-2005) Gwinnett County Diver of the Year (2005) Team Captain (2005) School Record–meet score of 557.20 for 11 dives (2005) Meet score of 316 for 6 dives, 2nd all-time for Wesleyan (2005) Most Valuable Diver (2005) Team Finishes: 1st in class AA (2004), 2nd in class AA (2005), 2nd in class A (2002) Gold Club Award (awarded to Wesleyan swimmers and divers who score an exceptionally high amount of points over the course of their careers. Divers must score 240 points by the end of their senior season and place in the top 16 at the state meet at least once.)

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• Achievements while at the University of Georgia: Four-time NCAA Championships qualifier Four-time SEC Championships Finalist Runner-up SEC Freshman of the Year Multi-time SEC Diver of the Week Team Captain as a senior

A LETTER FROM THE

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Rob Binion, Chairman Kim Sutton Adair Bob Atkinson Dan Cowart Edress Darsey Steve Deaton Diane Duane Erika Laughlin Mark McIntosh Mike Nicklaus

As the end of 2012 approaches, it is exciting to reflect on the past three years since our Alumni Association Board was formed. Under the leadership of our first president, Allen Marsh, we created a structure to begin serving the growing number of Wesleyan alumni. Having served as a class representative and Vice President, I was deeply honored to learn in May that I had been nominated as President of the Board. As an alumna, it is truly a privilege to serve on the board among my peers and discuss the goals we share for our alumni program. With a young alumni base such as Wesleyan’s, the opportunities seem endless for what we can accomplish!

Michael Parks

When I look back on the ten years that I spent as a student at Wesleyan and all the memories I made with the class of 2004, I am instantly reminded of what a blessing it was and still is to be part of the Wesleyan family. One thing I always loved about being a student at Wesleyan in the early years was having a chance to watch the school grow and evolve. I was part of the move to Norcross which laid the foundation for the school as it is today. In a similar way, our young board has the challenge of making decisions that will determine the exciting traditions future alumni will experience.

Bill Warren

As an Alumni Association Board, we strive to communicate effectively with each and every alumnus and inform them of the current initiatives of the school, such as the goal of the current Shared Blessings Capital Campaign. As alumni, our gifts to Wesleyan will expand our existing chapel where we gathered every Friday morning, add more athletic fields like those on which we practiced each afternoon, and create more financial aid so that deserving students will have an opportunity to experience Wesleyan as we did. Shared Blessings is the perfect theme for this campaign. All things are possible when we share our blessings with the school which so richly blessed us.

We want to see our alma mater continue to grow and expand, and in order to do so, it is our duty and privilege to give back to the place that rewarded us in countless ways.

David Andersen ’01, Annual Fund Chair

At our first meeting of the year, the board established some goals, one of which was to create and maintain positive and open relationships with each other and with the school. Our hope is to further develop an environment that makes the Wesleyan family proud and eager to share in our future.

Page Long ’06

Sincerely,

Allison Christopher ’04

Jim Pierce Mary Ramsey Paul Robertson Frank Simpson Bill Stark Danny Strickland Anna Tanner Bob Worthington Zach Young, Ex-Officio

ALUMNI BOARD Allison Christopher ’04, President Reed Dailey ’01, Vice President CLASS AGENTS Calder Justice ’02 Christie Groome ’03 Blake Bowen ’04 Eric Karaszewski ’04 Stuart Lawder ’05 Emily Sheppard ’05 Mark Rockett ’06

Parents of Alumni: If this issue is addressed to your child who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please notify the Alumni Office of the new mailing address. (Rebecca Carpenter: 678-223-2133 or rcarpenter@wesleyanschool.org).

Office of Communications 5405 Spalding Drive Peachtree Corners, GA 30092 (770) 448-7640

WESLEYAN SCHOOL

NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID NORCROSS, GA PERMIT NO. 130