Student Life at Woodberry Forest School • june 2016
Senior Distinction Select Sixth Formers Pursue Passions
“My goal was to see sixth formers excited and engaged in activities that are both intellectual and creative,” says Ted Blain, faculty leader of the new Senior Distinction program. This spring, thirteen seniors completed nine projects on topics of their choosing, ranging from engineering to filmmaking. Every project began with a boy’s interest, mixed with expert faculty guidance, and ended with a hands-on product. The “distinctive seniors” spent their final month at Woodberry excused from classes so they could devote full attention to their projects. Some of the projects had an artistic bent: One pair of sixth formers built ukuleles and wrote original lyrics for a song they performed on the brand-new instruments. Another wrote two one-act plays; a third wrote, directed, and filmed three short movies in the styles of famous directors. Science and technology attracted the interest of other guys, whose projects focused on the creation of robots, a motorized vehicle, and astrophotography. When they presented their work to the school at the end of the school year, the boys said they learned different things than they expected to learn. “I learned to work with a partner and handle frustration,” says one. With the first year’s projects wrapped up successfully, Mr. Blain was already looking toward the future of the Senior Distinction program. “I hope it thrives, and I hope it grows,” he says.
Left to Right: David Williams, Iain Leggat, Shep Sims, Garnett Reid, Caleb Rogers, Graham Goldstein, Jared Thalwitz, Spencer Goodwin, Darby Henagan, Ben Debnam, Jimmy King, David Willis, and Robin Kay; Seated center: Mr. Blain
Chosen by fellow students and faculty members, these student leaders oversee dormitories and serve as mentors and guardians of the school's 117-year-old honor system.
Prefect Board Selected Thomas Bledsoe • Hickory, North Carolina Basil Boyd • Martinsville, Virginia Calder Clay • Lansing, North Carolina Lee Cozart • Raleigh, North Carolina D’Angelo Davis • Las Vegas, Nevada Carter Friddle • Charlotte, North Carolina Robbie Grass • Needham, Massachusetts Terrell Jana • Surrey, British Columbia, Canada Derek Lora • Kearney, New Jersey Griffin McDaniel • Fredericksburg, Virginia Richmond McDaniel • Fredericksburg, Virginia Will Medick • Great Falls, Virginia Chris Oldham • Winston-Salem, North Carolina Max Park • Palisades Park, New Jersey Joe Stephenson • Brodnax, Virginia Lindell Stone • Dallas, Texas Gresham Walmsley • Charlottesville, Virginia Michael Warren • Raleigh, North Carolina
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Woodberry Worldwide This summer, three Woodberry Forest leaders visited students, parents, and alumni in South Korea and China. Headmaster Byron Hulsey ’86, Assistant Headmaster for Admissions and College Counseling Scott Schamberger, and Assistant Headmaster for External Affairs Catherine Wharton enjoyed special events and receptions in Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.
Teacher feature
Ted Blain For the past three decades, Ted Blain has been as much a part of Woodberry as the books he and the other English instructors teach and the campus roads he strides on his daily four-mile walks. The English department chair directs one theater production each year and leads the new Senior Distinction program. When he has time, Mr. Blain writes fiction — he’s a published mystery novelist and short story author — and reads widely to find the next great book to use in the classroom. How does a strong background in English prepare boys for their future? Expressing themselves effectively in writing and speech will serve boys in whatever occupation they happen to pursue. Over the years, we've changed from a literature-based to a skill-based curriculum with a strong emphasis on writing. We still read plenty of literature, but the texts vary from year to year. Boys produce every kind of writing from lyric poetry to formal analysis, from personal essay to close reading, from developing and defending an argument to creative nonfiction and short stories.
Shanghai
Spring Activities 1. Soap box derby spectators 2. Formal 3. Ultimate frisbee 4. Fourth form ropes course 5. Special Olympics service day 6. Kickball 7. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 8. Baseball
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What is your favorite part of your Woodberry day? Being with my students in class. What makes you proud to be a part of Woodberry Forest School? My two favorite days of the academic year are the day new boys arrive and graduation. On the Sunday the new boys arrive, I feel proud to introduce a group of boys to a school that has served thousands of young men well. Graduation makes me reflect on how much a boy can grow in a few years. No boy's story ever ends up exactly the way I think it will when I first meet him, but all the stories are interesting ones, and, on graduation day, they all have happy endings.
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Red’s Raiders Take First Woodberry Cup Spring Events Cap Great First Year
Spring trimester saw some of the Woodberry Cup’s most thrilling contests. Small teams raced the clock to build soap box cars and then raced each other in a downhill time trial. And April’s kickball tournament was surprisingly intense.
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.
A huge multi-event day in May challenged students to contribute their talents across campus. Some piloted canoes around a buoy in Robertson Lake while others joined a beach volleyball tournament. Outdoor enthusiasts tackled a climbing challenge, sportsmen engaged in a fishing derby, artists used found objects to create works of art in the woods, and teams battled it out on Woodberry’s own paintball field. In the end, Red's Raiders proved victorious, winning by under a hundred points. Student captain William Poole ’16 and faculty coach Joe Fischer provided successful leadership — a combination of laid-back fun and fierce competition. “We formulated a plan for every event,” says team member Baron Becker ’18. “We each knew exactly what to do to get the job done.” And get the job done they did. Red’s Raiders will spend the upcoming school year proudly holding and defending the Woodberry Cup through another year of fun-filled academic, athletic, artistic, and service challenges.
student snapshot
Maxwell Johns ’18 A fourth former from High Point, North Carolina, Maxwell Johns ’18 makes the most of his time at Woodberry. He’s been in the spotlight for his skills in athletics and the arts. He plays cello in the string ensemble; publishes in and serves on the staff of The Talon, Woodberry’s literary arts magazine; and consistently notches double-digits for the varsity basketball team. Why did you choose Woodberry? Woodberry has the people and resources to change the trajectory of my future. When I visited, I saw the kind of person I could be. How has playing basketball shaped your time here? Basketball is definitely a big part of my life. It gives me something to look forward to during the hardest part of the year and feels like a fraternity of brothers within the larger camaraderie of the school.
GRAHAM GOLDSTEIN Woodberry cup commissioner
When Graham Goldstein ’16 spent a trimester at St. Johns College in South Africa, he saw how a British-style house system helped bring students together. As commissioner of the Woodberry Cup, he served as the chief student leader who thinks up ideas for contests and carries them out. What was your favorite Woodberry Cup event? The soap box derby was great! Everyone had fun, whether he built a car, drove one, or watched the drivers go down the hill. What has leading the Woodberry Cup meant to you? My goal has always been to not only make it through Woodberry, but to leave it better than I found it. I feel great about what I’ve done and now the younger guys will make the cup even better.
What is it like playing in the orchestra? It’s rewarding. I like to hear the way a piece comes together. At first things sound kind of rough; my part may sound awkward, and I may not be able to play it very well in the beginning. But by performance time, we are making music that evokes emotion. What inspires you to write? I write about things I observe and feel that many people may not know about. A lot of my inspiration comes from the books that I read. What advice do you have for a new student? It’s important to dive in! Don’t come to Woodberry with a pre-defined sense of self. You might find success in areas you didn’t expect to find yourself as a new boy.
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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
June 2016 Tiger Tales
How to apply to woodberry Tour campus and interview Spend the night (optional) Take the SSATs (and TOEFL if international) Submit the application with recommendations and transcripts before January 15
it’s not too late to sign up for woodberry forest summer camps!
Visit woodberry.org/camps or call 540-672-6044 to register. football camp July 13–16 • Ages 12–16 basketball camp July 17–20 • Ages 9–16 lacrosse camp July 21–24 • Ages 10–16
WOODBERRY.ORG | wfs.admissions@ woodberry.org | 888-798-9371 facebook.com/woodberryforestschool | instagram @woodberryforestschool | twitter @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. The school is authorized under federal law to enroll nonimmigrant students.