Student Life at Woodberry Forest School • January 2016
WFSPN Launches Student-Led Broadcast Network Shares Forest’s Events
The Forest's new student-led Woodberry Forest School Production Network (WFSPN) premiered in October by airing Gameday at the Forest to accompany live-streamed coverage of the St. Christopher's-Woodberry Forest varsity football game. The brainchild of Gray Robertson ’16, WFSPN covers sports and arts events and boasts its own website. Since Gray arrived at Woodberry from Mountain Brook, Alabama, he has avidly pursued his goal of becoming a sports journalist. He hosts a weekly Internet radio show, Gray’s Sports Update, now in its fifth season. He also serves as the play-byplay announcer for Woodberry’s football and basketball audio broadcasts, and coaches the JV and Bengal football teams.
The Woodberry Cup The Woodberry Cup is a new tradition that challenges teams of both students and faculty to a year of competition in athletics, academics, arts, and service. The winning team at the end of the year claims the cup.
It took more than just Gray, though, to bring WFSPN to life. The student leadership board, made up of seniors Richmond Adams, Mac Hereford, Jimmy King, Win Sompayrac, and Gray, handles details like operating video cameras, creating the website, and posting to social media. “WFSPN provides a platform all across Woodberry where boys can hone their skills and share their talents in writing, graphic design, filming, and performing,” Gray says. He and his co-directors mentor younger guys who can pick up the ball after leadership board members graduate. “I want WFSPN to give opportunities to everyone,” Gray says. “Age doesn’t matter. What matters is that every boy has a chance to be who he wants to be.” Check out WFSPN at woodberrybroadcasting.com
from the headmaster
“Good sportsmanship from all of us is an elemental form of character, and it is important that we all demonstrate the ability and willingness to be humble in victory, gracious in defeat, and respectful in a tie.” byron hulsey ’86
Flickerball
Woodberry Cup competitions became more intense after the trimester grand prize was announced — an off-campus dinner and trip to the movies for the winning team. Recent events included a Halloween costume contest, a pumpkin-carving contest, a Woodberry Feud game show, and a Flickerball tournament. “Thus far, every team has won at least one event in the Cup,” says Henry Heil, Woodberry’s assistant dean of students. Congrats to Moubray’s Mustangs for claiming the prize! They enjoyed a delicious meal at ???? Final Fall Trimester Standings 1. Moubray’s Mustangs 1035 2. Red’s Raiders 955 3. Glover’s Grizzlies 775 4. Rapidan Regiment 760 5. 89ers 725 6. Campbell Crazies 675 7. Walker’s Rangers 635 8. Madison Generals 560
Woodberry Feud
Woodberry Forest School Tiger Tales • January 2016 • 1
Dancing for the Kids first woodberry Forest Dance marathon raises funds for children
The boys in Woodberry’s Swing Dance Club love to dance with girls from the local community, so they created an exciting new opportunity to do just that. “My classmate Jared Thalwitz and I got the idea to host a dance marathon to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network,” says Rob Prater ’16. The duo and their leadership team began planning the marathon over the summer.
student spotlight
Jimmy King ’16 Jimmy King, a senior from Greensboro, North Carolina, contributes to school life in so many ways that his name is a familiar one around the Forest. The soccer co-captain runs the 400m on the track and field team, is a photographer, and brings his tech skills to Woodberry Forest School Production Network (WFSPN). What are some ways you’ve been able to pursue your interests at Woodberry? My teachers have helped me discover new interests. I’m especially excited about completing a Senior Distinction by pursuing a special project during my last month at the Forest. I have already talked with some teachers about my proposal to design a compressed air-powered motor. You traveled to the Galapagos Islands on a Woodberry study abroad trip last summer. What was your favorite part of the trip? The highlight for me was learning about the obscure wildlife in the Galapagos and swimming with wild sea lions and penguins. I took a lot of photos of the animals and showed them in my own photo exhibition in the Upper Walker Gallery of Woodberry’s fine arts center. How were you involved in the first WFSPN broadcast? We broadcasted our first varsity football game on October 31, and we were still getting used to our equipment. As we were about to go live, we discovered the cameras weren’t working and we couldn’t connect to the wi-fi. But we managed to pull off our first broadcast, and, even though it was stressful, the announcers named me the Man of the Match because I managed to get all the equipment functioning properly.
Not only did they need to persuade friends and family members to sponsor them, but they also had to find donors to provide food, entertainment, and t-shirts for the crowd. “My proudest moment during the planning phase was raising enough money to hold a big event,” says Rob. When the big day arrived in late October, over one hundred Woodberry students and girls from Chatham Hall were ready for ten hours of music, dancing, food, and games. Student DJs provided custom mixes; a pumpkin-carving contest produced some creative masterpieces; and games, puzzles, and a photo booth kept everyone entertained. After the last song played, the boys learned that the marathon brought in more than $7,000 to support the University of Virginia Children's Hospital.
Woodberry Forest Dance Mara thon
Remembering Tiger Heroes Military appreciation day honors those who serve
Woodberry celebrated a special day this fall honoring those who have served in the US armed forces. Many alumni, students, and faculty members gathered in Anderson Hall on October 31, 2015, to dedicate the new Wall of Honor, a display paying tribute to the Woodberry alumni who lost their lives in service to their country during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Then, the varsity football game against St. Christopher's School opened with a Presentation of Colors by the US Marine Corps Ceremonial Platoon based in Quantico, Virginia. Football players wore special camouflage jerseys for the game, which the Tigers won 48–14. Woodberry Forest thanks its military members, past and present, for their service.
What advice would you give a prospective student about making the most of their time at Woodberry? Woodberry is a place where, yes, grades matter. But it’s also a place where the focus should be on the entire experience. Enjoy the moment, enjoy your friends, enjoy your surroundings. I will never take this experience for granted because there is no other place like it. 2 • January 2016 • Tiger Tales Tales
Woodberry Forest School
Decking the Halls
Alumni spotlight
Chip Brierre ’10
Every year, boys use greenery gathered from the school’s 1,200-acre campus to craft wreaths and garlands to make St. Andrew’s Chapel beautiful for the Christmas Candlelight Service.
Making it Work intro to engineering course challenges innovators
Creativity is on the syllabus in Introduction to Engineering. The popular hands-on elective fosters invention and innovation in its students, who team up to build towers from drinking straws or catapults from ordinary lumber. Along the way, they use knowledge and skills gained in their math and science classes to solve real-world problems. “To cite one example, the boys used what they learned about projectile motion mechanics in their third-form physics course to develop a computer program that modeled the path of the pumpkins they fired from their catapults,” says Cameron Aubin, the course’s creator and teacher. There is no textbook. Course material is presented through selections from journals and periodicals which touch on electrical, computer, mechanical, and biomedical engineering along with computer-aided design and robotics. More than learning about the field of engineering, boys also practice collaboration and creativity. “Engineering is an inherently collaborative discipline,” says Mr. Aubin, who earned a degree in biomedical engineering from Duke. “Boys spend most of this class working together in groups.” He encourages students to come up with new ideas. “I always encourage the team to think creatively for better results. To quote a former professor of mine, ‘If it works… it works.’” TALLEST DRINKING STRAW TOWER
15ft3in
When Chip Brierre ’10 of Richmond, Virginia, decided to stop playing varsity football, Coach Clint Alexander offered to keep him involved with the team. Chip signed on as the Tigers’ videographer, which led him to a career in broadcast journalism. He is currently a TV sports anchor at WRIC in his hometown. How did Woodberry help you become a TV sports anchor? Being the football team videographer and doing game analysis with Greg Jacobs on radio broadcasts were both important. I also gained stage experience when I played Franz Liebkind in The Producers and Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. I learned from drama teacher Brent Cirves how to have good stage presence and hit the accents on words to deliver a punch. I use these skills when I’m reporting and anchoring. What were your favorite Woodberry moments? My friendships developed over a milkshake or a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel in the Fir Tree snack bar. I also remember the Senior Shake after my very last St. Andrew’s Chapel service, hugging everyone and thanking them for all the amazing lessons they’d shared. That brought me to tears. Where did you go to college and what did you study? I attended the University of Miami in Florida, where I earned a degree in broadcast journalism and sports administration. While there, I worked as a videographer for the Hurricanes football team and anchored SportsDesk on the university’s student-run television station. How did you land such a great job straight out of college? I applied even though I didn’t have the experience requested. But when I demonstrated to them my passion, my work ethic, and my persistence, they offered me the job.
LONGEST PUMPKIN LAUNCH
40meters
Woodberry Forest School Tiger Tiger Tales • January 2016 • 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
January 2016 Tiger Tales
FIRST ROUND APPLICATIONS DUE JANUARY 15
LAST DATES TO VISIT FOR FIRST ROUND CONSIDERATION
woodberry.org/apply
January 6–18
*Applications received after January 15 will be considered for rolling admission beginning in april.
Give us a call to schedule a tour!
campus snapshots
WOODBERRY.ORG | wfs.admissions@woodberry.org | 888-798-9371 facebook.com/woodberryforestschool | instagram.com/woodberryforestschool | twitter.com/WoodberryForest
Woodberry Forest admits students of any race, color, sexual orientation, disability, religious belief, 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, religious belief, or national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic or other schooladministered programs. This school is authorized under federal law to enroll nonimmigrant students.