Student Life at Woodberry Forest School • JANUARY 2012
Weekends at Woodberry . . .
Art Students Visit D.C.
FOUR YEARS IN boy HEAVEN
One of the perks of going to an all-boys’ school is that weekend activities are geared toward guys — and our 1200-acre campus is packed with activities and facilities that reflect our students’ interests. When the weather is nice, students can go down to the Rapidan River to build forts, fish, swim, grill, and simply spend an afternoon relaxing in a hammock. There are a slew of basketball courts and ample playing fields to start a pickup game of ultimate frisbee, soccer, flag football, basketball, or lacrosse. In the winter, boys have their pick of hills to sled down, but Shack’s is a favorite. There’s also plenty to do indoors. The Belk Audio–Visual Center in the library has hundreds of DVDs and even a theater with a plasma TV and a surround-sound system. In addition, each dorm has at least one commons room with a TV to play video games or watch sports. And, for hungry students looking for something to do, hanging out at the Fir Tree sipping on a milkshake is always great! Students can take short day trips off campus. Tracey Stakem organizes the Friday afternoon shuttle into Orange each week and coordinates outside trips to ski resorts, amusement parks, sporting events, and movie theaters. Best of all are the visits to girls’ school for mixers and dances. Although Richmond and D.C. are just a short drive away, it’s always nice to return to the Forest!
There’s No Excuse for Dirty Laundry You’re going to have to come up with a better excuse than “I couldn’t find quarters to do my laundry.” All washers and dryers are free at Woodberry, and each dorm has its own set!
BEHIND THE SCENES
Kelly Lonergan’s visual art classes not only create their own art and work with visiting artists, but they also travel to Washington, D.C., and New York City to learn from masters old and new. In October, they headed to D.C. to visit the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the National Portrait Gallery, where they studied and sketched paintings and sculptures. In March, students in AP Studio and Honors Art History classes will take the train to New York to visit select museums and galleries.
fast fact
National Gallery of Art
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Weekends at Woodberry . . .
The dining room offers ten varieties of hot sauces, including Woodberry Forest Roadkill and Tabasco ® - whose corporate CEO, Paul McIlhenny, is a 1962 graduate! Mr. McIlhenny will be speaking at a Woodberry assembly in the spring.
Family feature
The Sydnors Raphael and Sarah Sydnor met on the Woodberry stage when they acted together in a play. Raphael graduated from Woodberry in 1997, and, after college, the couple married in the school’s chapel. Now parents to Sophia, 3, and Henry, 5 months, they live in House D with a dozen Woodberry boys. Mr. Sydnor teaches Spanish and coaches strength and fitness. Mrs. Sydnor teaches dance. What activities do you like doing with the boys on dorm? R: Our dorm has traditions like ice cream parties, decorating the commons room for Christmas, and cooking out. What’s great about having a family at Woodberry? S: Sophia loves the Christmas party at The Residence and the Easter egg hunt, but mostly she loves having so many friends living nearby. She really gets to know the boys at seated dinners. R: There are almost thirty children under the age of five on campus, so our kids eat with friends at the dining room, play together, and go to Tigers games. Even though our students are away from their families, they get to be part of the Woodberry families on campus. How have you been able to pursue your passions at Woodberry? R: I am lucky that Woodberry has supported me in learning and teaching physical fitness. I have worked with some of the world’s top-ranked instructors to get certified in weightlifting, kettlebells, and functional movement. S: I love teaching the boys to dance, whether it’s choreographing a musical or showing them some swing and salsa steps the week before Formal.
Meals at Woodberry
1952
The Reynolds Family Dining Room is the hub of the school — the place where students and faculty pause from their busy schedules and enjoy meals together. Breakfast and lunch are fast and casual, but seated dinners are a time to slow down and talk to one another. Four nights a week, students sit at tables with faculty members and their families and are served by white-coated student waiters (a longstanding tradition). Sharing meals helps students and faculty get to know one another better and creates a strong sense of community!
9500 plates served each week 720 rolls made each day 60 gallons of sweet tea consumed each week
Woodberry Squash It’s Fast and Furious!
Part chess match and part grudge match, squash is a fun and challenging sport. Armed only with rackets and goggles, players match wits and physicality in the close confines of a 32x21-foot box. What looks like a gentle country-club sport is in reality a grueling athletic competition that demands physical endurance, mental toughness, and a surgeon’s dexterity. A sport that requires a player to forfeit the match if he bleeds on the court must be taken seriously! And Woodberry Forest is the ideal setting for those who want to duke it out on the courts. The varsity and JV squads practice in a state-of-the-art facility with nine ASB courts, and both play competitive schedules against schools from the Charlottesville, Richmond, and Washington, D.C., areas. The boys are coached by the dynamic duo of legendary English teacher and sagacious head coach John Reimers and history teacher Lee Banta (former co-captain of the Amherst College men’s team). The demands are great, but, for those who have what it takes, squash is an exhilarating sport that you can play for a lifetime.
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Student Snapshot
The Honor System Our honor system, which has influenced life on this campus for more than 100 years, is our most important tradition. Imagine leaving your backpack — with all of your textbooks and notebooks inside — outside the dining room and picking it up, undisturbed, after the meal. Imagine never locking your door. Or being trusted to take an exam alone in a classroom without a teacher or proctor present. It’s simple: Lying, cheating, and stealing are not tolerated at Woodberry. The honor system is the foundation of our community and a lesson for life. Left: Math teacher Joe Fischer with his wife, Corey, and their dogs, Lilly and Charlie Below: A kitten helps out in the projection room in 1962
Furry (and not-so-furry) Friends Students and faculty aren’t the only residents of the Woodberry community. More than seventy dogs and cats — not to mention twenty pet rodents, fish, reptiles, and invertebrates — live in faculty households. There are plenty of opportunities to play catch with friendly dogs and stroke felines lounging in the sun. All the more reason Woodberry feels like a home away from home! Study Tip
Reading Tip
Begin assignments by looking through the headings and bold text to get an overview of materials before you read in depth. This tip comes from Woodberry’s Academic Development Center. Check out the ADC blog at wfsadc.wordpress.com!
Damien Chang Damien, a native of Kingston, Jamaica, is a sixth former (senior) who leads several groups on campus: He’s editor of the school newspaper, the Oracle; head of the International Forum; and captain of the debate team. He got a lot of attention last spring when he earned a perfect score on the SAT, even receiving a letter from Jamaica’s ambassador to the United States. Damien also runs track and belongs to the Caucus, Woodberry’s club for minority students. How did you and Team Jamaica bring your home country’s cuisine to Woodberry’s barbecue contest last spring? We cooked jerk chicken — not really barbecue, but close. Even though we didn’t have any pimento wood to smoke the chicken over, I think everyone got a small taste of Jamaica! Tell us about your love for writing. I have written many articles for the Oracle, but I really like the essays assigned by Mr. Amos and Mr. Hale. Their classes helped me write my college essays this year — I simply enjoyed doing those! What’s it like being an international student here? Even though my parents can’t visit very often, my friends’ parents will take me out to dinner, so I never feel left out. There have been some culture shocks, but I’ve learned lots of`interesting things. What is your favorite weekend trip? I love traveling with the International Forum, especially when we go to an authentic Korean restaurant in Washington, D.C. Since many of the members are Korean, they share their favorite foods and tell us about how they eat at home.
Woodberry Forest School Tiger Tales • January 2012 • 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!
have you finished your application? it’s not too late!
Applications
are due
1941
Feb 1, 2012
Admissions Checklist Tour campus and interview (plan to spend the night!) Submit your application Take the SSATs (and TOEFL if international) Submit teacher reccommendations and transcripts before February 1st (Instructions, directions, and more information can be found at www.woodberry.org/admissions)
CONTACT 888-798-9371
wfs.admissions@woodberry.org
WWW.WOODBERRY.ORG www.facebook.com/woodberryforestschooladmissions Fores Wo o d b e r t ry famili es! Di is afforda offers b d yo le stude need-bas u know th for all at Wo ed fin nt bo an odbe dy 12 sch rry ool y ? The me cial aid to e 40% o dian ar is grant grant f the $32,0 s wer f 0 aid bu e awarded 0, over $ or the 201 1 4 , dget is der and the en ,600,000 – ived f t i n ire fin r and a nnual om endow ancial ment giving ! MEET MIKE
In addition to directing the financial aid program, Mr. Szydlowski is the author of the tax manual distributed to all NAISmember schools, and he writes the family tax profiles used in workshops by NAIS and SSS.
UPCOMING EVENTS Jan 7 | SSAT Test Jan 14 | Semi-formal Jan 19–21 | Winter Black Box Play Jan 27–31 | Long Winter Weekend Feb 1 | Applications are due! Check out our website for more dates and information
Woodberry Forest admits students of any race, color, 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, 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.