STUDENT LIFE AT WOODBERRY FOREST SCHOOL • OCTOBER 2012
Welcome Back to The Forest!
Passport to Learning
September 9 marked the opening of school as Woodberry welcomed 127 new students and their families to the Forest. On opening day, the first order of business for each “new boy” was meeting his mentor, the “old boy” responsible for helping him check items off his to-do list and take the first steps toward becoming a Tiger. New boys, mentors, and parents spent the morning unpacking gear, organizing dorm rooms, finding gym lockers, picking up post office keys, and, most importantly, getting to know each other and the Forest.
While the Forest was filled with summer campers, forty-five Tigers were traveling the globe — volunteering and studying languages, culture, and literature. Read more about their adventures at www.woodberry. org/blogs.
FAST FACT
Students with a deep interest in and talent for making art can take Varsity Art in place of their afternoon athletic requirement. While the program is primarily for fifth- and sixth-form students, younger boys may qualify. Students work on personal projects and group collaborations. Trips to galleries and visits from guest artists expose them to a variety of materials, techniques, and ideas about art and its creation. WOODBERRY FOREST SCHOOL
NICARAGUA
Art is a Varsity Sport!
SCOTLAND
In the afternoon, Headmaster Dennis Campbell and Harrison Stuart, director of admissions, welcomed new parents, introducing them to boarding school life and helping them understand what to expect from their sons’ first year. Thanks to a shortened academic schedule over the first four days, new boys eased into the Woodberry routine as they learned their teachers’ styles and the school’s traditions — and began to anticipate some of the fall’s big events. Before they know it, these boys will be welcoming their parents back to campus for Parents’ Weekend.
SPAIN
TIGERS TRAVEL THE GLOBE
THE 124th SCHOOL YEAR KICKS OFF
TIGER TALES • OCTOBER 2012 • 1
OPENING
DAY
Courtesy of the Amherst College Office of Public Affairs.
2012
Skeet Team
Leadership in High Places
FACULTY FEATURE
Henry Heil
Boys who love the great outdoors will have a blast at Woodberry, thanks to our experiential and adventure-based outdoor education program. With guidance from safetyminded, fun-loving experts, boys splash in our indoor and outdoor pools and scale our climbing wall. They conquer our Alpine tower, low-ropes course, and sevenmile Perimeter Trail. They relax in the milelong section of campus that borders the Rapidan River. And, when they’re ready for even more challenges, Woodberry is less than an hour away from some of the finest hiking, climbing, and paddling in the nation! Check out the latest in outdoor education news at www.wfsoutdooreducation.blogspot.com.
Henry Heil came to Woodberry as a member of the history department in 2004. He is the head baseball coach, and he oversees the Kenan–Lewis Internship program, which gives recent college graduates the chance to teach their own classes while learning from experienced faculty members. Henry is also beginning his tenure as Woodberry’s director of residential life. He and his wife, Kerrin, are parents to one-year-old Maggie. As the new director of residential life, what changes are you most excited about? After living on dorm for eight years at three different boarding schools, I have a lot of ideas that I want to bring to the director of residential life position. I want to make sure that all of our students have a great experience living on this beautiful campus and on dorm. This summer we’ve put down new carpeting, installed new flat-screen TVs to go with our new HD satellite service, increased the number of gaming consoles in the commons rooms, and purchased new furniture for many of the dorms. We’ll have a lot of dorm activities throughout the year, like pumpkin-carving contests, athletic challenges, and social get-togethers. And our dorm faculty and prefects (student leaders) will be a daily presence in the students’ lives. Living on dorm gives every Woodberry boy the chance to learn from each other, grow, and mature, and I’m looking forward to facilitating that.
What’s your favorite thing about coaching baseball? I’ve seen so many great baseball players come through Woodberry. Not only have we developed close relationships during their time on the team, but those relationships often continue well beyond graduation. Two of our Tiger alums are playing baseball at the collegiate level right now, and more will follow! I can’t wait to get out there on our new bermuda surface in the spring. 2 • OCTOBER 2012 • TIGER TALES
As skeet team members take aim at clay pigeons sailing overhead, the rest of the school can hear shotgun pops in the distance. Woodberry’s skeet range is an awesome hilltop facility, featuring a high house, a low house, a five-stand, and several gun safes. Three times each week, the team practices handling shotguns safely and expertly under the tutelage of a skilled instructor. Most importantly, they learn that respect for guns, nature, and their Woodberry brothers go hand-in-hand.
Varsity Fall Sports Hit The Ground Running CROSS COUNTRY
Varsity cross country— the Harriers — traveled to the mountains of Bath County to help build strength and endurance and to jell as a team. Mountain runs, hill sprints, and recovery swims in mountain streams helped lead the Tigers to great performances at the Woodberry Invitational and their other cross country meets. SOCCER
Varsity soccer has welcomed Mark Parsons (formerly coach of kids involved with the Chelsea Football Club in England!) as their new head coach. The team recently defeated Liberty Christian Academy and Benedictine High School, and now boasts a three-game winning streak.
AP Success! When it comes to AP exams, Woodberry boys are on solid ground. This past year, 87% of the boys who took these tests earned scores of 3 or higher, well above the national average of 59% and the Virginia average of 63%. Thirty percent scored the top grade of 5, qualifying them to place out of introductory-level courses in college. Many students who took an Honors course — instead of the AP version — decided to take the AP exam at the end of the year. They, too, scored big! In 2012, for example, twenty-six Woodberry Honors Physics I students took the corresponding AP exam, and twentyfour scored a 3 or better (with an average of 4.08). At Woodberry, teachers don’t just teach to the test — they are flexible, creative, and passionate about helping their students learn, and they pursue their students’ interests throughout the year. WOODBERRY FOREST SCHOOL
FOOTBALL
After graduating more than forty seniors last spring, the young football team recently celebrated a come-from-behind victory against Blair Academy, winning 43–33, and triumphed over Paul VI Catholic High School, 39–14. The record of the Tigers, who face one of the toughest schedules in the Prep League, stands at 3–2. For the latest news and standings, check out the athletics page of the woodberry website. GO TIGERS! STUDY TIP
Plan it out
Use a day planner to note important dates, such as tests, project deadlines, and athletic events, and to help prevent you from getting behind in your studies— or being surprised by a test or quiz. Organization is key to success! This tip comes from Woodberry’s Academic Development Center. Check out the ADC blog at wfsadc.wordpress.com! WOODBERRY FOREST SCHOOL
ALUMNUS SNAPSHOT
Landrus Lewis Landrus graduated from Woodberry in 2008 and is a senior at Amherst College in Massachusetts. Majoring in psychology, he is also a defensive back, captain, and 2011 First Team All-NESCAC player on the varsity football team. For the past four summers he has returned to the Forest as a Sports Camp counselor. After graduation he hopes to pursue a career in athletics or become a dentist or chiropractor. How did you find out about Woodberry Forest? I found out about Woodberry through the A Better Chance program, which helps place motivated students in independent schools. What was your favorite part of being a counselor at Sports Camp? It was great bestowing knowledge on the kids about sports that I know and enjoy. Which coach or teacher had the greatest influence on you? Coach Alexander helped me reach my potential in high school as an athlete, but also as a man, too. He really helped me make one of the best decisions of my life — going to Amherst College. Mr. Coleman helped me to become a better student and learn how to survive life at Woodberry; he really just helped me to become better in all things. How did Woodberry best prepare you for college? Woodberry really just put me in a better place: The classes and the schedule prepared me for college life, and being at Woodberry helped me to get into Amherst. And, I met some of my best friends there as well. TIGER TALES • OCTOBER 2012 • 3
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TRAVELING TO THE FOREST
Woodberry Forest School is located in central Virginia, a short drive to major metropolitan areas, international and regional airports, and train stations. Charlottesville–Albemarle Airport (CHO) — 30 miles Dulles International Airport (IAD) — 75 miles Reagan National Airport (DCA) — 88 miles Richmond International Airport (RIC) — 88 miles Baltimore—Washington International Airport (BWI) — 121 miles Culpeper Amtrak (CLP) — 16 miles Fredericksburg Amtrak (FBG) — 44 miles
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CONTACT 888-798-9371 WFS.ADMISSIONS@WOODBERRY.ORG Woodberry Forest admits students of any race, color, sexual orientation, disability, and national or ethnic origin to all of the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sexual orientation, disability, or national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic or other school-administered programs.