Student Life at Woodberry Forest School • june 2015
Learning Past and Present History Department brings the past to life
Some might think it’s acceptable to put the past behind them, but Woodberry’s history teachers are constantly finding new ways to keep history fresh and exciting. For example, the department invited Holocaust survivor Esther Bauer to campus with the help of Jannis Stöter ’16, this year’s ASSIST scholar from Germany. Esther spoke directly to the hearts of the Woodberry community about her experiences as a Jewish prisoner in four Nazi Germany concentration camps with great optimism and even humor. Other history department offerings give students the chance to take an in-depth look at history. Third formers take a course called Stories and Histories, where they learn the great themes of history by reading stories from ancient times and later eras. And seniors can choose from a variety of electives that take them to Civil War battlefields, the Supreme Court, or the Virginia capitol to meet the Commonwealth’s governor. This year, new courses will include Trade, Technology, and Terror; a course on leadership taught by Headmaster Byron Hulsey ’86; and a course on the Middle East. These will be added to the already-popular Criminal Law; Military History; and the Sixties, which covers the 1760s, 1860s, and 1960s.
Serving Those Who Serve peer leadership council sends packages to troops
Even though they'd spent the year as mentors helping their groups of new boys adjust to life at Woodberry, the juniors and seniors on the Peer Leadership Council wanted to do even more. This spring, Ford Beazley ’16 challenged the groups and their leaders to reach out and help others by completing a worthwhile community service project. "We decided Operation Gratitude would be a great way to get everyone involved in a really good cause: helping deployed soldiers," Ford said. Boys bought items and wrote thank you notes to place in seven care packages filled with snacks, books, playing cards, and hygiene items. The charitable organization then ships the boxes to service members as a way to thank them for their service.
Bill Engel, Jannis Stöter ’16, and Esther Bauer
“The idea for the project came directly from the boys,” said Henry Heil, Woodberry’s assistant dean of students and the faculty organizer for the Peer Leadership Council. “I think that says a lot about our students.”
From the Headmaster “Here at Woodberry, we’re focused on preparing boys for their future. Great teachers and coaches have been the bedrock of this community since its founding, and that will never change. Our methods and approaches may evolve through time, but the passion and care we invest in the craft of teaching the boys under our care will never waver.” Byron Hulsey ’86 from "Great Teachers" on What Matters Most Read more: www.woodberry.org/headmastersblog Woodberry Forest School
Tiger Tales • june 2015 • 1