125 Years of Educating Boys
Student Life at Woodberry Forest School • june 2014
Going Grill-to-Grill at Spring Barbecue team mexico takes home first prize in judged competition
Smoke filled the lawn when the tenth annual spring barbecue competition brought together eight student barbecue teams representing regional grilling styles from around the country and the world. While cooking meat over flames sounds simple, the process started long before the big Saturday. Under the supervision of a faculty sponsor and with the help of the kitchen staff and the grounds crew, each student team worked hard planning their entry, cooking it, presenting the finished product to a panel of judges, and serving it to a hungry crowd. They rounded up recipes — often containing closely guarded secrets — ordered ingredients, and prepped their food in the school’s kitchen. Some teams set up shifts in the early morning hours to watch over slowcooked meats from the comfort of hammocks they’d strung up in the surrounding trees. Team Mexico’s Cochinita Pibil, a barbecued pork shoulder soft taco with pickled onions and pineapple salsa, proved to be the judges’ favorite. Other teams represented the barbecue traditions of China; Korea; Lexington, North Carolina; Eastern North Carolina; Texas; Canada; and Alabama. “We had a varied and energetic representation of many regions with great meat-grilling traditions,” said Jason Slade ’90, associate director for enrollment and international admissions, who heads up the event. “These teams of students and faculty are to be commended for their hard work and dedication — and for the regional pride they shared with the whole community.”
“Genius Grant” Winner Returns to the Forest MacArthur fellow works with student writers
Woodberry Forest was honored this spring with a week-long visit from one of its alums, MacArthur Fellow Donald Antrim ’77. He came to talk to English classes and to lead a group of eleven students in a writing workshop. Each young writer shared a short story or memoir and received feedback from their peers and Donald during the three-night session. “The workshop was a great way to learn both how to be a better writer and a better editor,” said one of the participants. A Brown University graduate and the writer of three novels and a memoir, Donald frequently publishes fiction and nonfiction in The New Yorker and teaches writing at Columbia University. Ted Blain, Woodberry’s English department chair, and John Reimers, Donald’s Woodberry adviser, invited him to visit Woodberry. Donald was selected by the MacArthur Foundation to receive its “genius grant,” a $625,000 Image courtesy of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. prize, in 2013. News of the award “came out of the blue,” via a telephone call he received while riding over the Manhattan Bridge in a taxicab. He compares the mission of the MacArthur Foundation to aspects of Woodberry’s purpose: “Both take care of people so they can rise to a challenge and make a better world.”
Tiger Tales • JUNE 2014 • 1
student snapshot
Andrew Hope ’14 Andrew Hope, a senior from Cary, North Carolina, is a top-tier diver on Woodberry’s swimming and diving team, a Bible-study leader, and a student ambassador for the admissions department. With his non-stop smile, Andrew loves welcoming prospective students to campus and giving them a behind-the-scenes look at Woodberry life. Why do you like being a student ambassador? I’ve probably given over sixty tours since I was a fourth former. It’s always great to meet the future of Woodberry Forest! What do you remember about your tour when you were a prospect? Well, I remember it was a rainy day! I noticed how many people would greet my mom and me and start a conversation with us. I knew it was a place where people would help me get around.
Spring in the Forest Warmer weather means new adventures for Tigers! A sampling of springtime activities includes one-club golf, informal corn hole competitions, the drama department production (this year it was The Three Muskateers), the Formal, and sand volleyball at the pool.
Local Kids Enjoy Woodberry's Ropes Course joseph baggett ’15 organizes afternoon visit
Recently, a dozen kids from the Boys and Girls Club of Orange arrived at Woodberry's ropes course ready for a challenge. The effort was coordinated by fifth former Joseph Baggett, all in the name of community service. Joseph planned everything himself with minimal adult involvement. He recruited volunteers to belay climbers and facilitate activities, communicated with the directors at the Boys and Girls Club, and made sure everyone was safe. With his team of student helpers, he led groups in low-ropes activities and assaults on both the Alpine Tower and the Carolina Climbing Wall. Before leaving campus, the guests got a turn on the big swing.
What are the most common questions prospects and parents ask? I’m always asked how the food is; I talk about my favorite Woodberry meals and about the Fir Tree snack bar. And the boys usually want to know when we see girls. That’s when I tell them about the mixers and dances they’ll be invited to and other opportunities they'll have to meet girls. What personal touches do you bring to your tours? I like talking about the friendships I’ve made at Woodberry. I also mention the honor system and how I’ve never had anything stolen from my library carrel, even though I leave my computer and my wallet there sometimes. What are your plans for your future? I got a fellowship to take a gap year at Saint Felix School in Suffolk, England, with the English-Speaking Union Secondary School Exchange. I’m hoping that experience will help me build on my academic preparation for college. 2 • Woodberry Forest School • 125 years of educating boys
The young participants were grateful for the experience. One summed up the afternoon: “My favorite part was the whole thing!”
Sports Honors
recent awards and accolades for alumni, coaches, and students
Two WFS alums have recently moved to the major ranks in their sports. Ed Reynolds ’10 was picked in the fifth round of the NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, and has signed a four-year deal with the team. Spencer Medick ’09 was the first overall pick in the Frontier League baseball draft; he is now part of the Arizona Diamondbacks major league organization. Woodberry is proud to have four Prep League coaches of the year: Ben Hale for cross country, Curtis Phillips for indoor and outdoor track and field, David Budlong for wrestling, and Marc Hogan for golf. Track season was overwhelmed with individual and team awards. Outdoor track won first place in both the Prep League and VISAA State meets for the second year in a row — the first back-to-back wins in forty-nine years. This is also the first time Woodberry has held all four titles in one year — Prep and State for both indoor and outdoor track. For a summary of track awards, visit their blog at www.woodberryforesttrackandfield.blogspot.com.
Not Your Typical Summer Job
cleaning and studying the rapidan river
This summer, four recent Woodberry graduates will return to the Forest to work for Stream Sweepers, a non-profit based in nearby Orange. Kiefer McDowell, Perry Hammond, Kav Gillespie, and Davis Teague — all members of the Class of 2014 — will help to clear trash and debris along twenty miles of the Rapidan River, including much of Woodberry's southern property line. They will also collect data about the river's ecological health to provide a quick snapshot that will help guide future conservation efforts. Now in its second year, Stream Sweepers is a local organization that does not receive any government funding. Instead, the group taps into grassroots fundraising methods and community support. Its goal is to increase community involvement and shared responsibility for the environment.
Lazy-hazy-crazy days of Summer Reading! Everyone at Woodberry (including teachers!) will be reading Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff during the break. Want more recommendations? Go to the library page on the Woodberry website, where you will find the complete summer reading list! www.woodberry.org/academics/library
faculty feature
Frank Tallman ’95 Woodberry alum Frank Tallman returned to teach history at Woodberry in 2004. A graduate of Vanderbilt University, Frank finished a graduate degree at Dartmouth College while working at the Forest. He and his wife, Tricia, and their three children, Parker, 8, Mason, 6, and Greta, 3, live on campus and fully participate in the life of the school. The little Tallmans like to hang out on the sidelines when he’s coaching Bengal lacrosse — Woodberry’s no-cut team for novice players — and varsity soccer, eat in the dining room, and hang out with their 400 “big brothers.” How does being a Woodberry alum help you be a better Woodberry master? Though I have sprouted a few gray hairs recently, I am often seen by the boys as "one of them" because I have gone through the privileges and challenges that define a Woodberry boy. Where have you traveled that relates to your teaching? For my sabbatical, I went to Normandy to tour all the D-Day sites and tour the WWI battlefields near Verdun. I toured an area where my great-great-uncle fought, died, and is buried. This summer I will take a course at Oxford University on the ancient Greeks and Romans. What trips do you and your students take? Every year, I take my students to James Madison's Montpelier, to various Civil War battlefields in the area, and to Harpers Ferry, WV, and Sharpsburg, MD, to view sites associated with John Brown's Raid and Lee's Maryland Campaign of 1862. What is fun about coaching Bengal lacrosse? It is amazing to teach a sport to a boy who has no experience and watch him improve as the season continues. The energy, attitude, and physical aspects of a team of third and fourth formers is awesome. I love to see my former Bengal lacrosse players on varsity a few years later.
Tiger Tales • june 2014 • 3
Presorted First Class U.S. Postage PAID Orange, VA Permit No. 97
Woodberry Forest School Office of Admissions 898 Woodberry Forest Road Woodberry Forest, VA 22989-9989
June 2014 Tiger Tales
WOODBERRY CLASS OF 2014 FACTS & FIGURES
98 students in the Class of 2014 • 682 college applications submitted Will attend 57 different schools in 22 states, DC, and 1 foreign country 2 finalists in National Merit or National Achievement programs • 10 students enrolling in an Honors College or equivalent • 2 students participating in English Speaking Union exchange program • 16% playing collegiate sports • $700,000+ merit aid awarded for next year
Summer Camps9 It's not too late to sign up!
Go to www.woodberry.org/summer or call 540-672-6044 for details and applications.
football camp
July 9–12, 2014 Ages 12–16
basketball camp
July 13–16, 2014 Ages 9–16
squash camp
July 13–17, 2014 Ages 10–16
lacrosse camp
WWW.WOODBERRY.ORG
www.facebook.com/woodberryforestschool | www.instagram.com/woodberryforestschool
July 17–20, 2014 Ages 10–16
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. This school is authorized under federal law to enroll nonimmigrant students.