STUDENT LIFE AT WOODBERRY FOREST SCHOOL • JANUARY 2013
Holidays at the Forest
ON- AND OFF-CAMPUS CELEBRATIONS
Woodberry Forest goes all out for Christmas. Boys deck their rooms with lights. Trees bring cheer to the Walker Building. And the Pipe Band takes its show on the road — literally. They put on Santa hats and march in the Town of Orange Christmas Parade.
LABS IN EVERY CLASSROOM
Designed for Learning
EXPLORE THE NEW SCIENCE BUILDING
DISPLAYS TO INSPIRE
CLASSES FLOODED WITH NATURAL LIGHT
HIGH-TECH COLLABORATION
New discoveries in science are important for our nation’s future — so it makes sense that Woodberry’s newest addition has been built for physics, chemistry, and biology instruction and learning. The Manning Family Science Building boasts three floors of laboratories and classrooms, tripling the amount of space the science department used to have. That’s a good thing, since the number of students taking science classes at Woodberry has dramatically increased since 1970.
But the true meaning of Christmas comes just before break when everyone decorates St. Andrew’s Chapel with greenery cut from the Forest and gathers for the Christmas Candlelight Service to hear biblical stories told with lessons, carols, and candlelight.
Now boys can go to the rooftop observation deck to study the stars, grow plants in one of two greenhouses, and study with their classmates in numerous collaborative spaces. The physics classes will even do free-fall experiments in class by dropping items from the top of the dramatic, two-story atrium, or from the third-floor balcony. The classrooms are outfitted with the latest high-tech teaching tools, such as data collection systems that measure force of temperature hundreds of times per second. The common areas feature a fossil wall and other museum-quality displays. A slice salvaged from a 200-year-old oak tree that once stood on the lawn in front of The Residence hangs in the entrance hall; its rings are labeled with the dates of scientific discoveries and key events in school history. Thanks to the Manning Family Science Building, Woodberry boys will soon be on their way to making tomorrow’s scientific breakthroughs. When you visit campus, be sure to check out this phenomenal place to learn about science.
CENTRAL STAIRWAY
A Tiger in the Tournament of Roses
TIGER WATCH
Woodberry alumnus Ed Reynolds ’10 will don #29 to play for Stanford University in the 2013 Rose Bowl. The free safety’s 80-yard interception return in the Cardinal’s final regular-season game helped secure Stanford’s spot in the granddaddy of all bowl games. WOODBERRY FOREST SCHOOL
TIGER TALES • JANUARY 2013 • 1
Semiformal Rocks
DANCE BRINGS GUESTS TO THE FOREST
TEACHER FEATURE
Craig Dawson Craig Dawson is Woodberry’s new head varsity basketball coach, head coach of the Basketball Camp, and an assistant director of admissions. Craig is a graduate of Wake Forest University, where he played guard for the Demon Deacons and finished his career as one of the most prolific shooters in school history. He set a school record — and shares the ACC record — for making the most three-pointers (11) in a single game in 2002. He and his wife, Kesha, have a four-year-old daughter, Erin. What do you enjoy most about living on dorm? It’s definitely fun getting to know the boys outside of the classroom or the gym. It’s a good way to see a different side of them. Whenever there’s a game on TV, my apartment fills up with boys, and we watch together. They also ask me for advice about school and their personal life — even girls!
What was your proudest moment as a Demon Deacon? It was having the opportunity to play for Skip Prosser, the ultimate player’s coach. No matter how hard he pushed his players, he’d come by a few minutes later and say something kind and supportive. He kept the game fun, and I’ve tried to model my own coaching techniques on his.
It’s always fun when Woodberry students can show off their school — especially to female guests! This year’s semiformal will bring over 200 girls to campus. Couples enjoy dinner followed by nonstop dancing to the band Trademark. Festivities wrap up at 11:00, when the boys return to their dorms. Many girls retire to their own private slumber party in the Wall Room. Girls come to campus from near and far, including schools such as Foxcroft, St. Mary’s, St. Margaret’s, Oldfields, VES, Episcopal, and Salem. Past experience predicts a great time is in the offing!
Ed Bailey, Student Inventor
HARNESS THE POWER OF YOUR BACKPACK!
Edward Bailey ’13 recently invented The Footprint, a device that collects electricity from the kinetic energy produced when it is carried around in a backpack and uses it to charge cell phones, iPods, or other electronics. The idea for the invention came to Edward, a self-proclaimed tinkerer, from out of the blue, and his science teachers offered support, advice, and the tools he needed to build his prototype battery charger. Erik Born, science teacher and track coach, was especially helpful, says Edward. “He would talk it over with me during track practice and challenge me to think about conquering the flaws.” Edward tucks his prototype, housed inside a Woodberry Forest water bottle, into his backpack each day. He’s planning to continue to tinker to reduce the size of the device to the size of a deck of cards. The Footprint, protected by a provisional patent, offers an environmentally friendly way to collect energy from anything that moves, whether a backpack, a purse, a car, or a truck, and power anything that can be plugged into a USB port. Edward has started his own company, E3 Kinetics, and called on his connections with Woodberry alums for business advice and investments. “There’s so much electricity that can be harnessed,” he remarks, “without using harmful means.”
What’s your favorite place on the Woodberry campus? I try to stay out of the Fir Tree snack bar — too many temptations! I always enjoy my time on the basketball court in the Dick Gym with my players.
What has most impressed you about the Woodberry community? There’s no such thing as a silly question, and everyone will go out of their way to help you. They’ve made me feel very welcome, and I’m having a blast! 2 • JANUARY 2013 • TIGER TALES
WOODBERRY FOREST SCHOOL
Climbers Reach New Heights
NEW TEAM BRINGS ACTION TO THE WALLS
Indoor climbing is an exciting wintertime activity at Woodberry. The Tigers are members of the Washington Area Interscholastic Climbing League. Led by Coach Nolan LaVoie, they practice on the school’s climbing wall and on walls at local climbing gyms. This season, they’ll travel to eight climbing competitions, where they’ll scale walls as high as forty-five feet. Climbers follow their chosen route in a set time without falling or getting off course, and they earn points based on the difficulty of the climb. Each boy’s top two climbs are scored. The challenges of climbing are big and the rewards great —even for boys brand new to the sport!
Winter Varsity Sports
STUDENT GROUP SNAPSHOT
BASKETBALL
Funky Business
With a lot of young talent, we are working hard to master the fundamentals of the game. The Tigers have already participated in the Potomac School Tip-Off Classic and the Mercersburg Classic.
Kofi Som-Pimpong ’13: Bass Guitar Will Lankenau ’13: Drums Isaac Keohane ’13: Tenor Sax, Recording McGregor Joyner ’13: Trombone, Guitar, Mandolin, Drums, Vocals
SQUASH
Our energetic young team is set on improving its game against the stiff competition we will face this season. The squad has played four matches and one tournament thus far, going up against schools from Washington, D.C. to Cleveland, Ohio. SWIMMING
An early highlight of this season came when the Tigers topped the Collegiate Cougars in a head-to-head dual meet at the Ruffin Memorial Natatorium, with a final score of 94 to 89. The team finished first in seven of the twelve events, and many swimmers had lifetime and/or season-best swims — and all five of our divers earned lifetime best scores. WRESTLING
We started the season off at the Forest Park Duals in northern Virginia, finishing with a 2–4 record overall. With wins at two dual-meet matches against Collegiate and St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes, our overall dual-meet record improved to 4–4.
When you hear the phrase “monkey business,” you might think someone is up to something questionable. But the members of the student rock band Funky Business are up to some real good. Not only do they play good — and often original — tunes, but they also use their talents to do good in the world. Last spring, the guys donated all the money they earned cutting and selling their CD, Funk to Folk, to the Roots of Music program. A group of New Orleans at-risk youth will be marching and playing in the Tournament of Roses Parade this January, partly because of the generosity of Funky Business.
INDOOR TRACK
Our indoor track team is already off to a great start. In our first match, Joseph Seo ’15 set a new school record in indoor pole vaulting: 14' 2". The previous record, 13’ 9”, was set seventeen years ago by Ryan Smith ’95. For the latest news and standings, check out the athletics page of the Woodberry website. GO TIGERS!
TAKE A BREAK!
STUD Y TIP
Establish a block of concentrated study time without distractions, say thirty minutes, and then give yourself a ten-minute break. Repeat until your work is finished. You will accomplish more in less time! For more tips, go to Woodberry’s Academic Development Center blog at wfsadc.wordpress.com! WOODBERRY FOREST SCHOOL
Q&A WITH BANDLEADER McGREGOR JOYNER What kind of music do you play? We combine funk, jazz, rock, and folk styles. How did you find out about Roots of Music? I emailed New Orleans philanthropist Stanton Moore, who is the most famous funk drummer of all time. He suggested the program. What else do you like to do? I’m the editor of the school newspaper, The Oracle, and I am in another band, too, called Also Known As. We’ve already recorded two more songs that I wrote.
TIGER TALES • JANUARY 2013 • 3
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