STUDENT LIFE AT WOODBERRY FOREST SCHOOL • MARCH 2013
The Talon
STUDENT PUBLICATION WINNING AWARDS
Among Woodberry’s great traditions is its student-run literary arts magazine. Since 1949, the Talon has published poems, stories, nonfiction, paintings, sculptures, and photographs created by members of the school community.
Physics Without Limits
ANALYZING MOTION WITH ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES
Most classes teach students how to answer questions, but Woodberry’s Physics Mechanics class challenges boys to ask them. “When boys ask their own questions, design their own experiments, test their own ideas, and present their own results, they learn to think like scientists,” says course instructor Curtis Phillips. “It’s all about the process.” There are no textbooks or pre-set labs in this class. Instead, boys take advantage of the school’s sophisticated Noraxon MyoVideo and MyoMotion measurement tools to answer questions — and to obtain results that their teachers hadn’t predicted. On a recent morning, the students measured the angles and position of the vertical jump to see what it takes to jump higher. One student attached reflective sensors to his clothing and jumped up on a force plate, a specialized scale connected to a computer. Other boys used a video camera to capture the angles of the jumper’s legs throughout the jump. The instruments sent that data to a laptop operated by a student who had written a program to analyze vertical displacement.
Anyone at the school — students, teachers, staff members, or families — can submit work to the Talon’s review boards. All names are removed from the pieces, so they are judged only on their merit. Once a student has had something accepted for publication, he may join one of the review boards and eventually become an editor. Editors work with the writers to fine-tune accepted pieces, design the publication using Adobe® InDesign® software, and put finishing touches on the final magazine. Once it’s printed, everyone in the community gets a copy. For the 2011–12 editions of the Talon, three Woodberry writers won top Gold Circle awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association for their poetry and nonfiction, and the entire publication won a Gold Medal. The Talon earned Silver Crown awards each of the two years before that. Year after year, The Talon is a source of pride across campus.
Physics Mechanics is a great introduction to the type of open-ended research the boys might conduct in college. Or, as David Daniel ’14 puts it, “In this class, there are no limits.”
UNDER CONSTRUCTION . . . AGAIN!
FAST FACT
Just because faculty and students have settled into the Manning Family Science Building doesn't mean Woodberry is finished with building projects. Construction on a new facility to house the mathematics department, a computer science program, and the community dining room begins this spring, with the building opening in the winter of 2015! WOODBERRY FOREST SCHOOL
TIGER TALES • MARCH 2013 • 1
Joe Coleman, a 1979 Woodberry graduate and an alumnus of Princeton University, has worn many hats since returning to the Forest nearly seventeen years ago. He has been a teacher, a coach, and director of admissions, and is now the assistant headmaster and dean of students. Joe and his wife, Mary, have reared their seven children on campus. Joe has a warm smile, a big heart, and a wealth of knowledge when it comes to student life at Woodberry.
“Why should I attend Woodberry Forest School?”
I think the answer is quite simple: the people. At Woodberry Forest you are surrounded by a talented, diverse group of fun-loving guys who challenge you to be the best you can be. They quickly become your friends, and you will find they genuinely care about you. You are also surrounded by an accomplished group of adults who care not just about your academic performance, but also about what type of person you become. Finally, you become connected to a group of men who are known for supporting their school and each other.
DEAN OF STUDENTS
Joe Coleman MEET DOUG!
“How do you know if Woodberry is the right fit for you?”
Do you want to be challenged for success? Do you want to develop your talents? Do you want to be part of a community that cares? Do you respond positively to challenges? Do you stand for the hard right against the easy wrong? Deciding to come to Woodberry is not a high school decision — it’s a life decision. YEAR » 6th Form (senior)
CONSULTATION MR. AMOS We rev
HOMETOWN » Richmond, VA
h Mr.
enge to Caesar's r, but it's
my weekly paper. gives me some gre guidance on how t improve my writin
SPORTS » Football: Leadership Committee, All-Prep; Basketball: Captain, All-Prep; Lacrosse: Starting mid-fielder COLLEGE » Notre Dame: Will play outside linebacker for the Fighting Irish and plans to major in business
12:30 PM
WHY I CHOSE WOODBERRY » I came to lacrosse and basketball camps when I was younger and liked the environment here. Mr. Coleman stayed in LATIN WITH MR. contact with me, and later I got to know SWANGER Coach Alexander and was impressed by him. It's a challenge to All things considered — including academics translate Caesar's and community — I wanted to come to Gallic War, but it's Woodberry to better prepare myself for worth it. success in life.
11:00 AM
FIRST AND SECOND PERIODS
G
allia est omnis divisa in partes tres, quarum unam incolunt Belgae, aliam Aquitani, tertiam qui ipsorum lingua Celtae, nostra Galli appellantur. Hi omnes lingua, institutis, legibus inter se differunt.
Free period — the perfect time to get in some extra studying.
8:00 AM 7:15 AM
⟫
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF Doug Randolph
ADVISER » Dr. Boesen. Cookie nights at his house are the best!
WAKE UP My day starts at 7:15.
2 • MARCH 2013 • TIGER TALES
10:15 AM 7:30 AM BREAKFAST WITH MY FRIENDS Breakfast gives me a few minutes to catch up with my friends and fuel up for a busy day.
MYTHOLOGY WITH MR. AMOS My favorite class. It's amazing how stories from ancient literature have so much significance for modern life.
All Gaul is divided into three parts, one of which the Belgae inhabit, the Aquitani another, those who in their own language are called Celts, in ours Gauls, the third. All these differ from each other in language, customs and laws.
11:50 AM LUNCH WITH MY CLASSMATES IN THE DINING ROOM My favorite? The Reuben! WOODBERRY FOREST SCHOOL
A Chat with Gray
STUDENT SPORTS BROADCASTER
When he started his talk radio blog a year ago back home in Alabama, Gray Robertson had a cell phone, a shaky Wi-Fi connection, and a lot of sports trivia in his head. Now Gray’s Sports Update is a weekly broadcast from Woodberry’s recording studio that has attracted up to 5000 listeners. For his “Just a Chat” feature, Gray develops questions to ask guests like CBS’s play-by-play announcer Tim Brando and former Michigan head football coach Lloyd Carr. While interviewing guests, Gray looks up stats on the Internet, holds giveaways of sports memorabilia, and takes questions and comments from audience members who contact him by Facebook, Twitter, or phone. His interviews have included a few Woodberry luminaries: Head basketball coach Craig Dawson is a former Wake Forest guard who shares the record for earning the most three-pointers in an ACC game, and Jacob Rainey ’13 is the Tiger quarterback featured last fall on ESPN’s E:60 program. Gray’s broadcasts are helping him to prepare for his dream career as a sports commentator. “I remember everything I hear about sports,” he says. “I wish it were the same way for math!” Listen in! HTTP://WWW.BLOGTALKRADIO.COM/GRAYS-SPORTS-UPDATE
WITH
view He eat to ng.
AP AMERICAN GOVERNMENT & POLITICS WITH DR. JORDAN We're learning about the balances of powers in federalism and the role of political parties.
2:30 PM
STUDY BREAK
6:15 PM DINNER AT MR. BLAIN'S TABLE I'm always up for seconds — which we can have when we answer one of Mr. Blain's trivia questions.
1:00 PM ANATOMY WITH DR. JERRY Of all of the systems we've studied in Human Anatomy and Physiology, the circulatory system is my favorite.
After study hall, I hit the Fir Tree with my friends. My standard order is two sausage biscuits, fries, and a shake.
10:00 PM
3:45 PM
LOOKING FORWARD TO THE WEEKEND In my free time on weekends, I like to lift weights, watch sports, play pick-up games of basketball — and catch up on sleep!
LACROSSE PRACTICE
1:45 PM PSYCHOLOGY WITH MRS. HEMMING My other favorite class. Understanding how the brain works is the best thing I've learned all year. WOODBERRY FOREST SCHOOL
We warm up, stretch, run some individual drills, and then practice game situations.
STUDY HALL After dinner, I head to the quiet of Dunnington Reading Room for study hall — and I make the most of my time by working through the 15-minute break.
7:45 PM
10:30 PM UNWIND BEFORE BED Watching sports or playing video games makes for a relaxing end to a full day . . . then off to bed.
TIGER TALES • MARCH 2013 • 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
Here’s Your latest copy of Tiger Tales!
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT WOODBERRY?
THE COMMUNITY AND BROTHERHOOD Edward ’13 • EVERYTHING, BUT I DO ENJOY THE WEEKENDS Brandon ’15 • MR. REIMERS Michael ’16 • ROD AND GUN CLUB/SKEET TEAM Ben ’13 • FRIENDS Connor ’15 • THE RAPIDAN RIVER Michael ’14 • THE FIR TREE, NATURE WALKS JP ’14 • DIVING, TRUST, MRS. ROB, AND MY ADVISER, COACH ALEXANDER Quintin ’15 • FREE DAYS Paul ’15 • SATURDAY NIGHT BASKETBALL IN THE CAGE Christian ’15 • NO STEALING Jacob ’13 • LIVING AND HANGING OUT WITH MY FRIENDS Kevin ’15 • INCREASED INDEPENDENCE William ’13 • SENIOR PRIVILEGES David ’13 • FRIENDS AND COMMUNITY Thompson ’14
WWW.WOODBERRY.ORG
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/WOODBERRYFORESTSCHOOLADMISSIONS
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.