Colonnade THE
A STEWARD SCHOOL PUBLICATION
ISSUE 33
|
2019
INSIDE LEARNING FOR THE REAL WORLD
STAND-OUT ALUMNI
C O M PA S S 2022: STEWARD'S STRATEGIC PL AN
SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS
facebook.com/TheStewardSchool twitter.com/stewardschool pinterest.com/stewardRVA instagram.com/thestewardschool youtube.com/TheStewardSchoolRVA vimeo.com/thestewardschool Snapchat: @stewardschool
View past issues of The Colonnade and Year In Review at stewardschool.org/colonnade. Stay tuned for more information about the digital issue of this magazine on Steward’s social media!
WWW.STEWARDSCHOOL.ORG
CONTENTS
4
Sparking Inspiration in Our Community
5
I Am a Steward: Nancy Huang
14
Steward’s Compass Guides the Way
16
Learning for the Real World
22
Taking the Lead
Head of School Dan Frank
This sophomore international student gained a whole new perspective through Model UN
Steward launched a Strategic Plan for the next five years this past fall
Facilitating experiential learning opportunities to encourage a global mindset and real-world application
Madison Ellis Ellington ‘09 becomes the new business owner of her childhood dance studio
SECTIONS 4
Steward News
10
Steward Athletics
12
Steward Arts
14
Spartan Spotlight
16
Cover Story
22
In Our Community
MISSION | Prepare our students for college and for life in a community defined by robust academics, inspiration, engagement, and care.
S T E W A R D NEWS
Sparking Inspiration in Our Community Two years ago, we adopted a new tradition of having a schoolwide theme each year, which guides both the academic and extracurricular programming. This year, our theme is inspiration. Inspiration is not just part of our written mission; it comes to life here every day, and it can be found at every turn — in classrooms, conversations, friendships, and teams. In this magazine, you’ll see many examples of inspiration, including the music and stories we shared with our fall Visiting Innovators, the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura (page 6). From the experiential learning detailed in our cover story “Learning for the Real World” (page 16) to the ways that alumni like Katie-Beth Kurilecz ‘06 (page 26) and Madison Ellis Ellington ’09 (page 22) are bringing positive change to people’s lives every day, Steward is an inspired and inspiring community. Personally, I am inspired by our incredible faculty, who consistently go the extra mile to develop new and creative ways for our students to learn. I’m inspired by our students, who are always stretching to do their best, and by their families’ unfailing support. When I consider all the positive growth that has taken place among our community just this school year, it’s more than inspiring. It’s stunning.
• All of our Spartan varsity athletic teams made it to their respective state tournaments this fall. • Our theatre department was one of the first in the nation to perform Chicago: High School Edition. • Our student musicians performed at the Richmond Folk Festival. • Our art teachers led a schoolwide fundraiser for UNICEF on Whirled Peace Day. • Our faculty and staff have come together to research and develop initiatives that will bring our new Strategic Plan to life. What a year it has been already! So, what’s your inspiration? What provides the spark that helps you get through your day, week, month, or year? Give it some thought — you might be surprised by the places you find it once you start looking. We hope you’ll find some inspiration for your own life in the pages of this magazine. If so, please share your thoughts with us.
A few exciting highlights from the first half of the year: • Our newest alumni headed off to 32 colleges and universities with a recordbreaking $5.7 million in merit-based scholarships.
A D M I N I S T R AT I O N
P U B L I C AT I O N S TA F F
Stephanie Boyar, Kate Boyles, Dan Frank, Laura Weisiger, Rachel Williard, Contributing Writers
Dan Frank, Head of School
Stephanie Boyar, Editor
Lisa Dwelle, Associate Head of School for Finance and Operations
Kate Carpenter, Designer
Stephanie Boyar, Kate Boyles, Dr. Samuel Brannon, Dan Busler Photography, Barbara Coates, Carley Hamilton, Emily Oliff, AJ Parson, Washington State University, Wendell Powell Photography, Jenny White Photography, Rachel Williard, Contributing Photographers
Dr. Adam Seldis, Director of Upper School Susan Atkinson, Director of Middle School Ingrid Moore, Director of Lower School
Kate Boyles, Lisa Dwelle, Rachel Williard, Contributing Editors Carley Hamilton, Contributing Designer
Worth Higgins & Associates, Inc., Printing
The editors have made every attempt to ensure the accuracy of information reported in this publication. We apologize for any inadvertent errors.
DAN FRANK, HEAD OF SCHOOL
The Steward School admits students without regard to race, religion, color, ethnic or national origin, age, sex, disability, marital status, military status, pregnancy, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, genetic information, matriculation, political affiliation, or any other characteristic protected by law to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of these protected characteristics in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
S T E W A R D NEWS
I AM A
STEWARD:
NANCY HUANG ‘21
Nancy Huang jumped right into a whole range of extracurricular activities as soon as she started at Steward in 2017 as part of the school’s international student program. Born in Nanping, China, Nancy spoke very little English when she moved to the U.S. last year, though you’d never know it now. As a sophomore at Steward, she is an active member of the Model UN club, for which she represents the interests of her designated country at a conference of 1,200 other Model UN delegates each fall after months of research. We spoke with Nancy about her participation in the Model UN club at Steward, and how it has changed her worldview.
How did you become involved in Model UN?
“In daily life, we don’t always feel close to the problems of other countries. But when we're defending our countries as delegates, we feel like these are our problems.”
I found out about Model UN when I was in middle school in China, and when I heard that Steward had a Model UN club, I decided to join right away. It’s fun because when you represent a different country, you have to put yourself in that country’s position. It could be totally opposite from your country or what you know, but when you start researching your country for conferences, you learn so much. I’ve learned about countries I’d never even heard of before.
Tell us about this past fall’s Virginia Model United Nations conference at the University of Virginia.
The topic for the committee this year was the World Health Organization. Our two proposed problems to address were water security and food shortages. Before
the team goes to the conference, we each research and write position papers on both topics from our countries’ perspectives. Then, at the conference, one of those topics is chosen for each country to present on, so you have to be prepared for both. This year, I represented Qatar with my partner [Gracie Goodpasture ‘19] and we discussed issues of access to water.
you are able to see the problem from different sides. It’s more complex than you might think.
Do you see international relations in your future? After I graduate from Steward, I plan to stay in the U.S. for college and hope to major in international business.
What’s the most interesting part about Model UN to you?
It’s called Model UN, but when you’re at the conference, you feel like you’re at a real United Nations conference. In daily life, we don’t always feel close to the problems of other countries. But when we’re defending our countries as delegates, we feel like these are our problems. We really care. There are a lot of countries that have to make decisions about important things like immigration and refugees. And when you’re researching these issues,
STEWARD ONLINE We regularly update our online newsroom with quality content about campus events, unique academic projects, and innovative ideas from community members. Check out Steward's online newsroom!
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S T E W A R D NEWS
Making Music Out of Trash The world-renowned Recycled Orchestra of Cateura came to Steward in November as the first in this year’s Bryan Innovation Lab Visiting Innovator
series.
“I am here because of music,” Recycled Orchestra of Cateura director Favio Chávez said onstage in Steward’s Robins Theatre. “I have learned so much more from music than anything else in my life. Most of all, I’ve learned that our Orchestra has the ability to inspire people.” On November 14, 2018, Mr. Chávez and eight other members of the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura (some as young as 13) traveled from Paraguay to Richmond to bring their music and message to Steward as a part of this year’s Bryan Innovation Lab (BIL) Visiting Innovators series. Steward’s World Languages department approached Director of the BIL Cary Jamieson last year with the idea to invite the Orchestra to Steward, and Ms. Jamieson and the rest of the BIL faculty took to it immediately. “We loved this idea because the Orchestra’s story overlapped with so many of our values and strengths here at Steward:” Ms. Jamieson said. “Our commitment to sustainability, our incredible Music and Fine Arts departments, our passion for making, and the idea of ‘inspiration,’ our theme for the year. It truly spoke to the idea of improving our world with what we have on hand. To me, it’s one of the most innovative and inspirational stories out there.” The Recycled Orchestra was established in 2006 by Mr. Chávez, an environmental engineer and music
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enthusiast as a means to keep kids from playing in the nearby landfill. Twenty-year-old Ada Rios was among the members of the Orchestra who visited Steward, and her story is one of those featured in the awardwinning 2016 documentary about the Orchestra, Landfill Harmonic. Also among the Innovators that day was co-director of the film Juliana Penaranda-Loftus, who shared her story and served as a translator for Mr. Chávez. Cateura, Paraguay, where the Orchestra members grew up, is the site of a gigantic landfill. Because of this, most of the families who live there make their living by collecting trash and selling it. The landfill is what first brought Mr. Chávez to Cateura. “I came as an environmental engineer,” Mr. Chávez said. “I worked with people in the community on different issues around the environment and what they could do to alleviate the situation.” A lifelong music lover, Mr. Chávez began giving free music lessons to some of the local children of Cateura early on in his time there. It was in his search for a solution to the problem of inaccessibility to real instruments that he came up with the idea of using the landfill to make music. “I saw that the people in the community had the talent to use [this trash] to make instruments,” Mr. Chávez said. So the Recycled Orchestra was born, and their story
S T E W A R D NEWS has been inspiring the world ever since. While here at Steward, the Orchestra performed on the stage of the Robins Theatre for Lower, Middle, and Upper School students, and the energy in the room was palpable. Ms. Rios led the group in a rendition of Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” on her violin made from a pizza pan and a fork, followed by Ezequiel Takebe on a harp made from materials from his childhood swing set. Mr. Chávez invited young Spartans up on stage to share in the creation of music from recycled materials as well. Kindergartener Mason Wingfield got a chance to play “New York, New York” on Ms. Rios’s violin with help from Ms. Rios herself, and second-grader Keegan Turnage played a set of drums made from discarded x-ray film. “In order to be a good musician,” Mr. Chávez told the Lower Schoolers, “You also have to be a good human being.” After a full day of performances and visits to classrooms, the Orchestra ended their time on Steward’s campus in the BIL at the Musical Maker Fair with 200 members of the Richmond and Steward communities. Maker Fairs are a near-constant feature of Visiting Innovator events at Steward, and always focus on the concepts of making, technology, and sustainability in a way that intersects with the Visiting Innovator’s story. At the Musical Maker Fair, one of the featured activities was taking a piano apart and learning how it works from the inside out. Members of the Orchestra also walked around with their handmade instruments and attendees were invited to touch and see them up close. Impromptu jam sessions broke out between Steward’s music teachers and the Paraguayan musicians. “The energy was amazing,” Ms. Jamieson said. It was clear that everyone in the room at the BIL and the Robins Theatre during the Orchestra’s two performances could feel that same energy, including Mr. Chavez and the Orchestra itself. “While performing at Steward,” Mr. Chávez said, “I could feel the truth of the message that music can unite people across different cultures and communities. In a time like this when the world can feel really divided, it felt, in that room, like we could be unified through music.” Before the Orchestra left Richmond, they were able to share their music and their inspiring story with the Greater Richmond community. On November 15, as a result of a collaboration between Steward, the
Richmond Symphony, Richmond Memorial Health Foundation (RMHF), and the City of Richmond, students from community and area schools were invited to attend a performance with the Recycled Orchestra at the Dominion Energy Center in the Carpenter Theatre free of charge. Together with Ms. Jamieson, the Richmond City Council’s 7th District representative Dr. Cynthia Newbille and Director for Arts and Equity at RMHF Kendra Jones opened up the program, which was attended by over 1,300 people. “This is an extraordinary group of people,” Dr. Newbille said. “The opportunity for you all to share and learn from each other is really important for us.”
“While performing at Steward,” Mr. Chávez said, “I could feel the truth of the message that music can unite people across different cultures and communities. In a time like this when the world can feel really divided, it felt, in that room, like we could be unified through music.”
Ms. Jones echoed Dr. Newbille's sentiments, saying, “Our desire today is for you all to leave here aware of the hope and the creative possibilities that exist and persist in all of our circumstances.” Standing up there with Dr. Newbille and Ms. Jones and presenting the Orchestra’s story to this community of kids was a powerful moment for Ms. Jamieson. “All of us are constantly receiving a lot of negative messaging about the future of our world,” she said. “But we [at Steward] believe that the world’s problems are opportunities for these kids to make a difference. I hope [the Orchestra’s story] inspired a lot of kids and showed them that anything is possible.” Following a screening of a portion of the documentary Landfill Harmonic, the Recycled Orchestra performed a few musical numbers and then invited students from schools all over Richmond, including Steward, to come up on the stage and play one last piece together. The young musicians played and sang “Stand by Me,” arranged and directed by Lower School music teacher Samson Trinh. “We all have different stories, backgrounds, and tastes,” said Mr. Chávez. “But we are all human beings, and music allows us to connect. We can still create something beautiful. That’s why we love music – it builds bridges.”
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S T E W A R D NEWS
Harmony, Discord, and the Notes in Between A group of Steward students, faculty, and staff attended the annual National Association of Independent Schools’ People of Color Conference this past November.
“It’s an experience I will never forget,” junior Cameron Jarvandi said, speaking about his time at the National Association of Independent Schools’ annual People of Color Conference (PoCC) in Nashville, TN. This year’s conference took place from November 28-December 1, and the theme was “Harmony, Discord, and the Notes in Between,” as it relates to equitable schools and inclusive communities. PoCC was originally started in 1986 as a means to help faculty and staff of color working in independent schools navigate their careers and better care for students of color in those institutions. The conference is now a venue for faculty and staff of all ethnicities to discuss the ways in which they can be a part of making their institutions better places for people of color. For as many years as we can remember, Steward has been in attendance at PoCC. This year, Director of Development and co-chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Council Shawn Morrison, Upper School Curriculum Dean and Director of Library Services Melissa Freed, and Director of Upper School Dr. Adam Seldis represented the school at the conference, along with a group of Upper School students attending the student-focused subset of PoCC, the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC). In addition to Cameron, student attendees included Jonah Costen ‘21, Kennon Cummings ‘21, Kyndall Diamond ‘19, Allie Maxwell ‘19, and Mary Pastore ‘21. All of the attendees agreed with Cameron’s sentiment – the conference was eyeopening. “It is always a hugely uplifting experience to spend a few days with other educators from around the globe who take professional development seriously,” Dr. Seldis said. “But to spend those two days just focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion – three incredibly important concepts to any good
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educational institution – was a blessing.” Both students and faculty/staff members started off the conference in the same room, listening to the same keynote speakers. But then they parted ways – Mr. Morrison, Mrs. Freed, and Dr. Seldis attended panels and presentations under the PoCC umbrella, and the Upper Schoolers participated in separate activities with the SDLC subset. One of the most memorable moments at SDLC for both Cameron and Kyndall was hearing Christian Picciolini speak. Mr. Picciolini is a former violent extremist who is now an award-winning television producer, speaker, and peace advocate. “When [Mr. Picciolini] shared his story, it was so emotional,” Cameron said. Hearing about the danger of hate groups from someone who used to be on the inside was something Cameron and Kyndall both said they never thought they would experience. For Mr. Morrison, too, the presentations and discussions were enlightening. “As co-chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Council, it felt very relevant for me to go to PoCC from a professional standpoint,” he said. “And from a personal standpoint, I care a lot about, and have great empathy for, students of color. It was so uplifting and encouraging to hear about experiences from other people working in independent schools. It helped me feel even better about the work the Diversity and Inclusion Council is doing at Steward.” Each day of the conference was long and intensive, so the chaperones assumed the students would be exhausted when they picked them up at the end of programming. “Instead,” Dr. Seldis said, “they were so incredibly energetic and jazzed from their day, and all had so much to share about what they had learned and how they had changed as people. Quite extraordinary.”
He added: “The real learning takes place when they get back to Steward. The students are now in possession of some important and powerful information, and have learned from the best on how to deliver that to other students. So we look to the conference attendees to become student-leaders, acting as a catalyst as we continue on our journey of being as inclusive and equitable as we can be. As faculty, we will guide the students as they go along that journey, but we are excited to see where they will take us.” Cameron is already making plans for the ways he is going to implement what he learned at the conference. “I have a lot of ideas, including incorporating group activities we participated in at the conference into an assembly at school, and starting a People of Color Club at Steward,” he said. Kyndall agreed with the sentiment. “Everyone from Steward who went to the conference wanted to bring a tradition back that will hopefully continue on for a while,” she said. “Like gatherings for Upper School students to talk freely and participate in activities that we learned while we were at the conference.” Mr. Morrison hopes that some of the skills the students learned during SDLC will stay with them for longer than just their time at Steward. “I believe that by coming to this conference, the students will leave with bits of knowledge that they can go back to for encouragement and hope for the rest of their lives,” he said. “No matter their circumstance, they’ll always have the reminder that there are thousands of other people who believe they deserve to be treated with dignity. I hope they will be able to take that and use it to encourage others.”
WES T EARE W A R D NEWS STEWARDS: KYNDALL DIAMOND ’19 AND ALEX FABIATO ‘19 The Ray Tate Student-Athlete Scholarship is awarded each year to seniors who have made outstanding contributions to Steward Athletics and school life. The 2018 recipients of this award are seniors Kyndall Diamond and Alex Fabiato. We caught up with these outstanding Spartans to discuss their passion for sports and aspirations for the future.
What sports have you played during your time at Steward? Alex: I have played varsity basketball since I started at Steward sophomore year. Kyndall: I have played varsity lacrosse since eighth grade. I also played varsity basketball in tenth grade and volleyball in Middle School
What does receiving this honor mean to you personally? Alex: Receiving this honor means a lot to me because it feels like my hard work is paying off. It’s fulfilling and motivating to have that effort acknowledged, and it makes me want to keep working hard. Kyndall: Being chosen as the recipient of the Ray Tate Student-Athlete Scholarship is an enormous honor. I know there are a lot of other people who could have been chosen, and I appreciate that all of my hard work has not gone unnoticed.
Do you have a philosophy or guiding principle when it comes to athletics? Alex: I live by the guiding principle, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” This always reminds me that anything is possible. Kyndall: Playing sports has taught me the importance of teamwork, and to always go hard for what I want. I have learned to never give up, and to always give it my all. Before the very first draw goes up to start each lacrosse game, I close my eyes and take a deep breath, reminding myself to stay calm and to do what I need to do.
The only thing I can control at this moment in time is this game.
What’s your favorite sports-related moment from your time at Steward? Alex: My favorite moment when it comes to Steward athletics was winning a game against Virginia Home School last year in front of all my teachers, classmates, and friends from my former school. Kyndall: Last lacrosse season, a game against Cape Henry went into double overtime. Then the last draw went up, and we got it and took it straight to goal. When I say I have never felt more blessed then, to be a part of something so fantastic, I mean it. My team has been through thick and thin, and to see our hard work pay off so tremendously made me feel like we have come so far. I have such a strong group of girls by my side each and every day.
Will you pursue athletics in college? Alex: Yes, I’m committed to play basketball at Randolph-Macon College next year, and I’m very excited. I’ve always wanted to play a collegiate sport, and in eighth grade, collegiate basketball became my dream. I’m very blessed to be given this opportunity. Kyndall: Next year, I will be continuing my academic and athletic career at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. I will be playing defense and/or midfield there. After college, I hope to go into the cybersecurity field and find a job in Washington, D.C.
SAVE THE DATE January 31
Fine Arts Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
February 7-9
Winter Play, Who Am I This Time? (And Other Conundrums of Love)
February 12
Visiting Innovator
March 2
Parents Association Gala and Auction at the VMFA
March 20
Entrepreneurship Forum
March 22
Lower School Oratorical
April 4
Senior Showcase
April 6
Steward Spring Invitational and Debbie Robson Pancakes for a Purpose/Fun Run
April 25-27
Spring Musical, Honk!
May 9
Lower School Spring Program
May 16
Spring Instrumental Concert
May 22 Upper School Recognition Assembly and Spring Choral Concert May 30
Grade 5 Recognition Assembly
May 31
Grade 8 Recognition Assembly
June 2
Baccalaureate
June 3
Graduation
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S T E W A R D ATH L E TI C S
A Triumphant Fall Season for Spartan Girls Commitment to long term skill-building and to one another took Steward’s fall varsity girls athletic teams all the way to state championships.
The fall of 2018 was a banner season for girls’ athletic teams at Steward, and our coaches largely credit this to the seamless chemistry between their players formed early in the season and even earlier in their athletic careers at Steward. From established teams that came together this year to achieve long-awaited victories to new teams that are gaining momentum to individual runners setting record race times, Steward girls ran the fields and courts this fall. For the first time in Steward’s known history, all of our fall varsity athletic teams (both boys and girls) qualified for and competed in the state tournaments. Director of Athletics Bruce Secrest feels strongly that the skills and the tight bonds needed to get to
this level of play are built long before the athletes make varsity teams. “For the past four years,” Mr. Secrest said, “Assistant Director of Athletics Christen Heidler and I have been building a program in which athletes for each sport across the Middle School, JV, and varsity teams are practicing the same kinds of drills, workouts, and philosophies. The varsity coaches coordinate the pieces of this, so when they reach varsity, they are prepared. The coaches can then focus primarily on refining skills, rather than teaching them from scratch.” Mrs. Heidler believes that the accomplishments of the girls’ teams mean a lot more than just a winning record. “It’s not about winning and losing, although we’re so proud the teams represented the school well in all the tournaments this fall season,”
Mrs. Heidler said. “It’s about Steward girls making a name for themselves in athletics.” Mr. Secrest and Mrs. Heidler both say it’s important to them to invest in young people and to work with passionate coaches who have that same philosophy. “That’s what we’re about here at Steward,” Mr. Secrest said. “It’s not just a job – it’s so personal.” For Mrs. Heidler, that investment pays off in watching the players succeed. “In one way or another, I’ve either taught or coached most of the girls who are now on varsity teams,” she said. “It’s really fulfilling to watch their accomplishments and growth. It’s fun for me, now in the Assistant Director of Athletics role, to see them shine like we always knew they could.”
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS VARSITY CROSS COUNTRY
VARSITY FIELD HOCKEY
VARSITY GIRLS TENNIS
VARSITY VOLLEYBALL
Though varsity cross country is coed and the team practices all together, the girls and the boys run in separate races at meets. “This season, the bond between the girls was special,” Coach Laura Akesson said. "At our state meet, the girls’ race was the last race to run. With three other big races tearing up the course beforehand on a cold and rainy day, getting traction to push forward without sliding out was challenging. In the end, [the girls] finished eleventh out of 41 teams."
The varsity field hockey team closed out their season with an 8-5-1 record, and made it to both the TCIS Tournament and, for the first time in many years, the state tournament. “I think that this year, the difference started with our three-day pre-season camp run by [Steward alumna and co-founder of Virginia Beach’s TCOYO Field Hockey Clinic] Sandy Szilassy ‘86,” Varsity Field Hockey Coach Susan Twining ‘84 said. “The girls were excited to play, and once we started beating teams that we lost to last year, we got stronger."
Despite the setback of significant injuries among highly-ranked players this past fall, the varsity girls tennis team had a remarkably successful season. It culminated in the team’s place as runner-up state champions after holding their spot in the top three of TCIS teams all season. “Over the past three years, a very young team has matured into a conference force by improving their conditioning and ballstriking consistency as well as the execution of point and game strategies and tactics,” Coach Ed Schulman said.
Varsity girls volleyball had an unparalleled season this past fall, with a 20-4 record and a 15-game winning streak, finishing at #3 in one of the most competitive conferences for volleyball (TCIS). According to their coach Greg Young, the root of their success was their tight team bond and a shared mission to prove the team was a statewide force. “The chemistry this team has is incredible,” he said. “They find a way to have fun with one another while staying focused."
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WE ARE S T E W A R D ATH LETI CS STEWARDS:
EFTON REID ’21, ISAIAH SIMMONS ‘21, AND ZACH ROSENTHAL ‘21 Though basketball season didn’t even kick off until November, three of Steward’s varsity boys basketball players started off the 2018-19 school year with a big achievement. Sophomores Efton Reid, Isaiah Simmons, and Zach Rosenthal were all ranked highly by Prep Hoops, a national resource for college basketball recruiting. Efton was ranked #1 in Virginia for their age group, Isaiah #28, and Zach #50.
“All my players at Steward have put an exhausting amount of energy and passion into the offseason in preparation for this year,” said varsity boys basketball coach Curt Kassab. “Recognitions [like the ones from Prep Hoops] are a direct result of their commitment to hard work and a desire to improve both individually and as a team. My excitement about this team stems from the buyin from every single kid in our program. They want to build something special at Steward.”
What did the Prep Hoops ranking recognition mean to you? Efton: The number-one ranking proved to me that the hard work I’ve put in so far has paid off, but I still have more work to do. I’m committed to continuing to focus on my goal of winning games. Isaiah: When I found out about my ranking, I just told myself to keep at it. Regardless of the number, I know I still have room for improvement. Zach: The recognition meant a lot to me. It motivated me and made me feel like I can really play with some of the guys out there that are nationally known. It gave me a sense of pride and a lot of confidence in my game. At the same time, I know I can still work to get that ranking up.
What are your goals for the basketball season at Steward this year? Efton: My biggest goal for our team this season is
to make it to States and win the championship for our division. Isaiah: This season, my personal goal is to make first team [All-District in the TCIS conference] and my goal for the team is to make the state championship. That’s the ultimate; that’s what we’re all going for. Zach: We put in a ton of work at practice, and no one wants that to go to waste, because we have a lot of talent on this team and we’re really getting to play well together. So a goal I have for the team is going into every single game that we play with a mindset that we can win it.
What are your plans for basketball after graduating from Steward? Efton: My hope is to play basketball at a Division I level, but I want to play for a school that feels like a good fit for me beyond basketball – the culture, the classes, all of it. Most of all, I want to have a good relationship with the coach like I have with Coach Kassab. If you don’t have that relationship, you don’t have anything. Isaiah: I want to play basketball in college on a high-energy team, under a coach that trusts me. That trust, and the freedom to use your talent that comes with it, is really important to me. Zach: After graduating, I’d like to play college basketball at the Division I level where I can contribute, but I’d be extremely grateful to keep playing basketball at any collegiate level.
FALL TCIS
TOURNAMENTS Congratulations to these Steward athletes and coaches on their strong showings in the Fall TCIS Tournaments! BOYS SOCCER Tyler Steinfatt, 1st Team Sam Popp, 2nd Team CROSS COUNTRY Jabrianna Lara, All-Conference FIELD HOCKEY Grace Fass, 1st Team Casie Steinfatt, 1st Team Saara Qureshi, 2nd Team GIRLS TENNIS Julia Monroe, 1st Team Singles Anna Caplice, 2nd Team Singles Anna Pastore, 2nd Team Singles Nayla Turpin, 2nd Team Singles Julia Monroe and Sonali Sanjay, 2nd Team Doubles VOLLEYBALL Hannah Lipinski, 1st Team Kennedy Crook, 2nd Team Crary Moore, 2nd Team Logan Warren, 2nd Team Coach Greg Young, Coach of the Year
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S T E W A R D ARTS
Chicago: High School Edition Steward became one of the first schools in the nation to put on a production of the high school edition of Chicago. With Steward’s schedule of three theatre productions per academic year, theatre teachers Craig Smith and Susan Sanford are always on the lookout for new and exciting shows to bring to the school. They frequently approach the play publisher Samuel French to hear about the latest scripts and rights becoming available. So when Mr. Smith heard last fall that Samuel French might be releasing a high school edition of Chicago, both he and Ms. Sanford (who directed Chicago: High School Edition) were thrilled. “If you’re a musical theatre aficionado or a student of musical theatre, you have an appreciation for Chicago,” Ms. Sanford said. When the rights to Chicago: High School Edition were released to the public in January of 2018 and Steward secured the script right away, students in Steward’s theatre program were just as enthusiastic, if not more. The longest-running musical currently on Broadway and the longest-running American musical in Broadway history, Chicago first debuted in 1975. The original musical was written by John Kander, with lyrics by Fred Ebb, and book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The Broadway version had a revival in 1995, so between this and the 2002 movie starring Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Upper School theatre students were very familiar with the musical. “The kids were really excited about it,” Ms. Sanford said. “Most of them had seen the movie and knew the music.”
According to both the teachers and the students, the script adaptation for a younger set of actors and audiences was relatively seamless. “I think they did a really nice job of showcasing the original musical,” said Evelyn Dumeer ‘19, who played Velma Kelly. “I had to look really hard to find the places where they cut songs. It flowed really well.” Some of the challenges and opportunities for creativity became clearer as rehearsals began. For example, the vocal range for Roxie Hart (played by Corinne Brager ’19) was transposed up for a younger voice. “It was definitely a challenge at first, since it’s such a famous score and I knew the music so well,” Corinne said. “But [music teacher Samson Trinh and I] worked through it and by the end, it felt completely natural.” Decisions had to be made about content that was cut from the score for length, as well. “Mary Sunshine’s song was cut,” Ms. Sanford said. “And we actually put it back in because we wanted Kendall Shamus ‘20 to have a song to show off her incredible vocal range.” The dance numbers, too, were altered to accommodate a cast of less experienced dancers, but Ms. Sanford felt strongly about incorporating some of the choreography from of the original Broadway production. “Keeping the integrity of the [Bob] Fosse style while also keeping it appropriate for the kids and the audiences was certainly a challenge,” Ms. Sanford said. “As was creating choreography that was achievable without requiring ten years of dance background while keeping it challenging for the kids who were experienced dancers.” Some of the most rewarding moments for the cast
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came from remaining committed to the lightningfast pace of the original show. Corinne recalls the quick costume change that almost wasn’t. “In the middle of the number ‘Nowadays,’ I had to run off stage and change from my black dress into a sparkly silver dress, jacket, hat, and cane all in about 20 seconds,” Corinne said. “The first three times we tried to do it, we failed monumentally. But with the help of some amazing cast members (Morgan King ‘19, Nancy Walker ‘22, Zoe Macgill ‘22, Hailey Wharram ‘21, and Leah Weinstock ‘20) we eventually got it done, and it was the best feeling!” After seven weeks of rehearsal, Steward’s production of Chicago: High School Edition debuted on October 18, 2018 and ran through October 20. The musical broke the record for largest audience attendance at any Steward theatre production, and received praise from the entire community. For many of the students, including Corinne, performing in this musical was fulfilling a dream. “The best part of the show was the last week when everything came together, from the intense choreography and songs to the costumes and set,” Corinne said. “It was an amazing experience to play one of my dream roles on the Steward stage.”
S T E W A R D ARTS When did you first get involved in theatre? I performed in my first show with Virginia Repertory Theatre when I was eleven (Madeline’s Christmas), and then joined the cast of my first Steward show the next year, when I was in seventh grade. I played Addaperle in The Wiz, and Craig Smith was my first director at Steward; he’s incredible. I had seen several Steward shows before that, and watching the talented older kids was so inspiring. When I joined the cast of my first show, the older kids made it feel like such a welcoming environment. Even though I was only twelve at the time, I didn’t feel out of place.
You have performed in both musicals and plays at Steward. Do you have a preferred genre of theatre?
I AM A
STEWARD: EVELYN DUMEER ’19
Senior Evelyn Dumeer has been acting in Steward theatre productions since she was twelve, and has been performing in shows put on by professional theatre company Virginia Repertory Theatre for even longer. Having just finished up a run as Velma Kelly in Steward’s production of Chicago: High School Edition, Evelyn is now in her final stretch of performances both at Steward and in the Richmond theatre community. We caught up with her as she reflected on her theatre experiences and how they have inspired her, both onstage and in life.
I’m more drawn to musicals typically because I love singing and dancing, but I appreciate both musicals and plays equally. You can cover more nuanced topics in plays as opposed to musicals, because you don’t have that commitment to a big production number. Plays are a really incredible medium for social issues and historical dialogues. I think it’s important for musical theatre actors to do both, because acting in plays teaches you to build characters and stay focused in a way that can be difficult when you’re performing in musicals.
Do you have any particularly memorable shows from your time at Steward? Anything Goes (our spring 2018 musical) was one of my favorite shows that I’ve ever done. I played Reno Sweeney, and I had never performed in a musical with that much choreography before. It was Susan Sanford’s first time directing a musical at Steward, but she choreographed the whole thing herself and she did a marvelous job. All of the shows are special, though, because of our amazing community. At the start of rehearsals for every show, there are people who have never done theatre before, and they end up loving it, and it’s wonderful. I love the fact that we always embrace them with open arms and they get to join our little family.
What’s next for you in terms of acting? I will be attending Emerson College in Boston in the fall, majoring in Theatre and Performance, but I plan to come back to Richmond in the summers and work at the Virginia Repertory Theatre. After college, I would definitely like to continue musical theatre, wherever that may take me.
An Artist and a Scholar Along with her many theatrical accomplishments, Evelyn Dumeer also received the honor of Commended Student in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program. Commended Students are those who placed among the top 50,000 scorers of more than 1.6 million students who took the 2017 PSAT and were recognized for their “exceptional academic promise.”
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SPAR TA N S P OTL I G H T
The Steward School has always provided an atmosphere of limitless creativity and a rigorous curriculum. As we look to the future, we see great opportunity for Steward to build upon our successes and have a lasting impact within the school, within the individual, and within the community. Our plan will help guide us through 2022 and will focus on FUEL THE MIND | STIR THE IMAGINATION | UNLEASH THE POSSIBILITIES
Steward’s influence in five specific areas.
Steward’s Compass Guides the Way In September of 2018, Steward launched Compass 2022, the Strategic Plan for the next five years, which highlights five key areas of importance: Steward for Learning, Steward for the Individual, Steward for All, Steward for Community, and Steward for Life. FUEL THE MIND | STIR THE IMAGINATION | UNLEASH THE POSSIBILITIES
Steward launched Compass 2022 this past fall, the Strategic Plan for the next five years created by faculty, staff, alumni, parents, students, grandparents, and trustees. BY STEPHANIE BOYAR
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“When I think about all five initiatives put together,” Head of School Dan Frank said, “the through-thread that I see is the idea of enduring relationships.” Whether it’s in fostering a true curiosity in learning, teaching students self-love, creating meaningful connections between students of all different backgrounds, encouraging partnerships with the Richmond community and beyond, or serving as a lifelong home for alumni, Steward values relationships of all kinds, and its place as a community that can facilitate them. In order to put these five initiatives into motion, Compass 2022 outlines detailed Milestones and Guideposts setting specific goals and timelines for the school to reach each goal. Committees were formed around each initiative, and faculty and staff members were tasked with discussing, evaluating, and mapping out plans to achieve their set goals. Some of these committees were already in existence at Steward in service of academics and programming, and some are ad hoc committees consisting of faculty and staff who volunteered to aid with an initiative that they are particularly passionate and knowledgeable about. As a
result, “the vast majority of faculty will be participating in the execution of the Strategic Plan,” said Mr. Frank. Lower School Academic Dean Becky Groves is in charge of coordinating all the Strategic Plan committee work that touches curriculum and programming. She says the early committee meetings have been productive and exploratory in nature. “Many of the early Milestones in the Strategic Plan were designed to set up self-study groups to investigate within the initiatives,” she said. “So much of what we’re doing this year is gathering information and getting lots of voices to chime in on various topics.” The many different voices of our community are particularly important when discussing the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative set forth in Compass 2022 (Steward for All). “One of the things that has been most exciting to me over the past several years has been thinking about our curriculum as it relates to diversity, inclusion, and equity,” Mrs. Groves said. “We’re continuing to move forward in that direction, and I’ve seen great synergy in the committee meetings with faculty across divisions looking at their existing curriculum and seeing it through that lens.” Director of Development and co-chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Council Shawn Morrison believes that prioritizing diversity in our student body as well as faculty and staff is imperative as it relates to Steward’s mission to
SPA RTAN S POTLI G H T prepare our students for college and for life. “Our hope is that, [when they leave Steward], our students will be equipped to work in an environment with people from all walks of life,” Mr. Morrison said.
STEWARD FOR LEARNING Complexity and Creativity
STEWARD FOR THE INDIVIDUAL Attending to the Whole Person
STEWARD FOR ALL Strength in Diversity
STEWARD FOR COMMUNITY Meaningful Partnerships
STEWARD FOR LIFE Forever Belonging
Mr. Morrison is also deeply involved in the initiative serving alumni relations, Steward for Life. He is excited to welcome a new team member to the Development department (though she’s certainly not new to the Steward community), current Director of Admissions Robin Oliff. Mr. Frank announced this fall that Mrs. Oliff would be stepping away from her role in Admissions at the end of the 2018-19 school year and taking on a newly created part-time position that will engage Steward’s alumni in Richmond and other key cities. “This exciting change will allow me to utilize the connections and relationships I have formed with parents and alumni over the last 16 years in order to help Steward create and implement a robust alumni program,” Mrs. Oliff said. Steward’s outreach and involvement in the Greater Richmond community comes into play when engaging alumni, but also holds its own category in Compass 2022 – Steward for Community. “Steward for Community is potentially the most innovative because it’s the most limitless,” Mr. Frank said. “It’s uncommon for a school to give an initiative like this such deep consideration, and thread it into its curriculum.” Cross-divisional conversation and collaboration has been a significant benefit of having specific common goals like these to work toward. “We’re all being very intentional about what we’re doing,” Mrs. Groves said. “We want to make sure there is a ‘one school’ feel to everything we do, and that there is a logical progression as students move from division to division.” The Health and Wellness initiative (Steward for the Individual) is a topic that has been particularly interesting to discuss across divisions. Health and Wellness Coordinator Michelle Khalife believes this initiative is often the first step toward many of the
other aspects of Compass 2022. “One of the highlights of [Steward for the Individual] is the focus placed on attending to every dimension of a student’s wellbeing,” Ms. Khalife said. “Our Milestones reflect the understanding that in order for a student to achieve their academic and occupational goals, they must be adequately equipped to make healthy decisions that celebrate self-awareness, diversity, and resilience.” Mrs. Groves spoke about the way in which Steward for the Individual is being discussed in terms of curriculum. “During the first marking period, we spent a considerable amount of time looking at our homework policies as they relate to the health and wellness of our students,” she said. “Many of our discussions and conclusions revealed that we have been very intentional about this topic for the past few years. It was helpful to reflect back and think about the progress we’ve made.” Reflection and constant evolution, along with action, are integral parts of Compass 2022 and Steward’s future. Both Mr. Frank and Mrs. Groves feel strongly that in order for progress to occur, Steward must consistently reflect, reevaluate, and have the ability to change course if needed. “We don’t necessarily know what the end result of some of these conversations will be,” Mrs. Groves said. “We’ve left many things intentionally open-ended for that reason. We have check-in points during which we evaluate the information we’ve gathered so far, and discuss how it affects and influences us moving forward.” Mr. Frank agrees, stating, “I believe we should continually be in strategic planning mode.” Mrs. Groves said, “These are conversations that we should and always will be having, in which we reflect on our curriculum and make sure it is meeting the needs of all our students, and that we are innovative in our thinking and practices. The journey is never over.”
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COV E R S TORY
LEARNING FOR THE
REAL W RLD Steward facilitates experiential learning opportunities across all three divisions to encourage a global mindset and realworld application of classroom lessons. BY STEPHANIE BOYAR
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COVER S TOR Y
At Steward, real-world, hands-on learning is a strategic priority, as is attending to the whole person when it comes to each of our students. That’s why the nationally recognized and valued concept of experiential learning is a natural fit at our school. “At its core,” said Dan Miller, Chief Learning Officer at the Association for Experiential Education (AEE), “experiential learning is about providing students with an experience along with the guidance and reflection to apply the learning that comes from that experience to other aspects of their education, and their life as a whole.”
CONCRETE EXPERIENCE
Doing / having an experience.
ACTIVE EXPERIMENTATION
REFLECTIVE EXPERIENCE
Planning / trying out what you have learned.
Reviewing / reflecting on the experience.
ABSTRACT CONCEPTUALIZATION Concluding / learning from the experience.
AEE, and many organizations like it, credit David Kolb and his Experiential Learning Cycle (originally conceived in 1984) for kick-starting the conversation about the benefits of hands-on learning and defining a process that produces the best results for students. The cycle includes the experience itself, followed by reflection, a brainstorming period about ways in which to use the new knowledge, and finally, experimentation and application of the learned concept to other experiences. Mr. Miller and his colleagues point to research in neuroscience as hard evidence that this method of education not only works, but is effective long-term. “When your brain makes connections based on actual experiences that you’ve had,” Mr. Miller said, “those connections are going to be much stronger than those that are made based on words you hear or read in a book. Experiential education provides powerful moments, and powerful moments lead to long-term retention.” We have always valued creativity, empathy, and real-world application on the part of our students, faculty, and curriculum. In a world changing faster than ever, this requires constant reimagining and resourcefulness on the part of our faculty and staff. They are not only up to the challenge, but enthusiastically diving into hands-on learning opportunities in their classrooms, in the community, and in their lives outside of Steward.
HANDS-ON CAMPUS If you had walked by Steward’s new eighth-grade science teacher Mike Mailey’s classroom in September, you would have seen a handdrawn sign that declared the room quarantined and instructing all his students to meet out on Waddell Terrace. The students were in the middle of their engineering unit and had just finished up a project during which they experimented with Stomp Rockets. Mr. Mailey used this “nuclear fallout” as a clever segue into their next project by making them refugees from their own classroom. Steward’s school-wide read for the 2018-19 school year is Refugee by Alan Gratz, which follows three young refugees from different countries and time periods in history as they fight for survival. Teachers across all three divisions are implementing lesson plans around the book and its message, and for Mr. Mailey’s take on it, he chose to take his students outside the classroom by “fleeing” to the Bryan Innovation Lab for a study of the concepts of the book while incorporating engineering. After they spent the first day learning what it might be like to be a refugee along with what physical obstacles they might face, the students were tasked with building boats out of materials that Mr. Mailey put together with Shane Diller, Lead Technologist in the Bryan Innovation Lab. The project ended up going in directions that not even Mr. Mailey had anticipated when Mr. Diller offered up the BIL’s 3D printer so that students could print propellers for their boats, should they choose to go the mechanical route instead of building sailboats.
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“As a teacher, I’d never had access to a 3D printer before,” Mr. Mailey said. “But since Mr. Diller presented this opportunity and I had the motors to pair with the propellers, we ended up introducing electricity into the curriculum earlier than I had originally planned. This project allowed that to happen naturally. So when these students are learning about it in a more in-depth way later in the year, they will have a better understanding of why learning about electrons is relevant and applicable to real life.”
understanding. And when they go into Intro to Physics next year, even if they are a little intimidated by the equations, they also think, "I know why we’re doing it."
Mr. Mailey hopes that he’s teaching his students to try new and bold things with their projects as a part of the learning process, rather than be afraid of failure. “The goal with the engineering unit is to go through the engineering design process and channel our inner kindergartener,” he said. “Engineers build the tallest towers, but kindergarteners build the second tallest because they’re not afraid to be wrong. They’re constantly pushing the limits because they just want to see if it works. And that’s the mindset I want my students to get into with these projects. When we prototype something, it’s okay if it doesn’t work. We get a chance to do it again.”
“When I decided I wanted to plan a lesson around the order of operations,” Mrs. Oliff said, “I was looking for one that would engage all different kinds of learners – the kinesthetic learner, the auditory learner, and the visual learner. Studies show that when students use their senses during lessons, they frequently exhibit higher retention rates.”
When asked why he gravitates toward hands-on projects and experiential learning, Mr. Mailey said, “One of the worst interactions I have with people is when they find out I teach science and I see that shudder. Because they had a physics class that was all equations, all theoretical, all the time. You can get lost if that’s the approach that you have to it. What I love about eighth grade at Steward is that we get to break that apart while building our conceptual
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Teaching a deeper understanding of concepts by using engaging projects at Steward doesn’t start in Middle School. In Lower School teacher Emily Oliff’s fifth-grade math class this fall, students donned scrub caps and surgical face masks in order to better comprehend the order of operations.
When Mrs. Oliff’s students arrived on the day of the project, they each had a manila envelope on their desks containing a scrub cap, a face mask, and gloves. They had two minutes to brief themselves on their mission for the day before their “Head Surgeon” (Mrs. Oliff) walked in and told them they had six patients scattered around the classroom who needed saving. In order to save them, the students would need to team up in groups and solve math problems using the order of operations. “Some students would do it one way and then others would do it a totally different way,” Mrs. Oliff said. “And then sometimes they would come together and realize they weren’t getting the same answer. They were then able to talk it out, and the students
who learn better by talking problems through got the chance to solve it the way that worked best for them.” Gaby Marshall, one of Mrs. Oliff’s fifth-grade students, says she loves learning this way. “Rather than doing worksheets and working independently, we work as a team and Mrs. Oliff always makes it lots of fun.” For another student in her class, Kamran Mohanty, it’s about having the opportunity to figure out the problem without simply having your answer marked wrong on a piece of paper. “If one person gets the problem wrong, Mrs. Oliff doesn’t say the answer,” he said. “She goes to another person, and then another person. And it feels like we can teach each other.” Mrs. Oliff strives to make her classroom a safe space for all types of learners by giving them room to get things wrong at first, and learn at different speeds. “The idea that it’s okay to get it wrong and that our brains grow by doing that, that’s a big thing for me,” she said. “When I went through school, being wrong felt shameful and embarrassing. But the whole point of projects like this is learning teamwork, talking through problems, and realizing that it’s okay to make mistakes and that we learn from mistakes. Those are really important skills.” EXPERIENTIAL PROGRAMMING IN THE BRYAN INNOVATION LAB Not only do teachers like Mr. Mailey bring their students to the Bryan Innovation Lab when they’re
COVER S TOR Y planning something hands-on and creative, but BIL Director Cary Jamieson and BIL Lead Technologist Shane Diller are constantly planning innovative programming of their own. One small example of many took place in 2017. The BIL hosted a professor and several students from VCU’s Department of Fashion Design and Merchandising, who held a two-hour seminar on upcycling denim. Emory Sutton, now a junior at Steward, was inspired by the experience and sees fashion in a whole new light after taking part in this project. “I had a previous interest in fashion, but ever since then, it’s been my biggest passion,” Emory said. “I study it; I watch runway shows; I became really interested in embroidery and taught myself to do different patterns. Just one little experience that was totally optional completely changed my mindset.” Emory plans to pursue an internship with the VCU professor she met that day, and is excited about her potential future in the fashion industry. “My interest in entrepreneurship also blossomed after the fashion project at the BIL,” she said. “The entrepreneurship program at Steward was kicking off, and I was interested in starting my own company, hopefully involving fashion. So when thinking about what to major in when I go
to college, I’m hoping to major in business and incorporate fashion into that.” This is exactly the kind of enriching experience that Ms. Jamieson hopes her students have when they come to the BIL. “As the Director of the Innovation Lab, it’s really important to me that we take advantage of the wonderful opportunity for exchange between Steward and the Richmond community,” she said. “I encourage students to talk to the experts, and I make it a goal to put those experts in front of them. You can, of course, Google something and figure it out on your own, but it’s so impactful to be able to talk to someone that is actively doing it in the world.” REAL-WORLD APPLICATION As often as Steward hosts innovators and experts on our campus, we make every effort to get our students out into the Richmond community as well. Each September, the entire Middle School heads off-campus during what we call Community Week. It’s a time that students and teachers alike look forward to every year, because it involves a kind of engagement and education that doesn’t happen in the classroom. This fall, the Middle School, along with the Bryan Innovation Lab, debuted a redesigned Community Week curriculum for grade 7 entitled “River Stewards,” centered around the James River.
“We were the first independent school to ever do a week-long program exploring the ecology of the James River,” Ms. Jamieson said. “We worked with some of the most established nonprofits in Virginia, experts in ecology and restoration education on the James River.” Seventh-grade students participated in an immersive experience led by the James River Association and VCU’s Rice Rivers Center during which they learned how living species all coexist and depend on one another to make a sustainable system. This included an overnight trip to Presquile Island on the James River to return recycled oyster shells to the riverbed with the VCU Rice Rivers Center. This process aids an effort to restore decimated oyster beds, which limits erosion and improves water quality. The students were able to learn not only what the impact of humans is on our local ecology, but how they can help with solutions and mitigation in their own lives. “I believe being more hands-on should be the future,” said Taylor Littleton, a representative from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service who accompanied the students on one of their trips to the river. The seventh-grade team plans to continue this program next year, and hopes that it will become a pillar of the Middle School.
Thank you so much for an amazing hands-on experience. Thank you again and I hope you continue to inspire people as you have me. – Ethan Dumeer ’24, in a thank you note to the James River Association and the VCU Rice Rivers Center
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Director of the Middle School Susan Atkinson said, “I am thrilled with the program that Ms. Jamieson helped the seventh-grade team redesign for Community Week,” she said. “The hands-on experiences helped the students gain a deeper understanding of how all organisms work together to support a bigger ecosystem, as well as how to be good stewards.” Ms. Jamieson said that seeing thank-you notes from seventh-grade students (like the one from Ethan Dumeer included on page 19) warmed her heart and left her even more inspired to continue the relationship with the river and those who take care of it. “We are The Steward School, and learning stewardship fits in really well in the mission to help a lot of amazing people in Richmond,” she said. When it comes to experiential learning out in the Richmond community, one of the most established curriculum units at Steward is the fourth grade’s participation at VCU’s Market Day, an annual event during which 1,800 students from the Richmond area take over the entire floor of the Siegel Center with products for sale that they’ve designed and created themselves. Fourth-grade teacher Chris Tickle has been running his economic enrichment program, the Mini Economy, at Steward for 13 years. Market Day is the culminating activity in March, and something the fourth-graders prepare for all year.
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From September to March, Mr. Tickle’s students learn the basics of economics, create their own monetary system, and each design and price their own products to sell. In February, Mr. Tickle holds a trial-run Market Day at Steward, and each student starts with the same amount of “money” in the currency they created as a group. They all buy and sell products to and from one another, but the goal is to end up with a profit. “They have to learn how to price their product exactly right,” Mr. Tickle said. Market Day at Steward is a warm-up for the big event at VCU in March. “The kids who had a hot product at Steward’s Market Day usually make the same thing,” Mr. Tickle said. “They may invite other students to come help them so that they can make more. The kids whose products weren’t as successful may decide to do something entirely different or join one of the students whose product sold better.” When Market Day arrives, appraisers from Richmond’s business community walk around looking for students with outstanding products or marketing. At the end of Market Day, those students may receive awards. But Mini Economy isn’t over quite yet for Steward’s fourth-graders. Those students who saved or had money left over are able to purchase or bid on special experiences offered by Steward’s faculty. Big-ticket items include baking “Death-by-Chocolate” brownies with Lower School
Academic Dean Becky Groves, a tour of the Robins Theatre to see the fly space and catwalks with technical theatre teacher Ryan Gallagher, and offcampus lunch with Head of School Dan Frank. Mr. Tickle is passionate about encouraging financial literacy at an early age, and believes that the experiential aspect of Mini Economy and Market Day is vital. “It’s not just reading and doing a worksheet,” he said. “You’re actually creating a product, managing a limited budget, and trying to make a profit. We still include a lot of literature in my lessons, but when it comes down to it, the students are taking those lessons and putting that knowledge into their product.” EVALUATING EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROJECTS One of the biggest questions that comes up when implementing experiential education in a curriculum in a practical way is: How should students be evaluated? As Middle School teacher Corbin Orgain '96 mentions when discussing her own summer internship on the next page, experiential lessons and projects must be evaluated differently from traditional classroom assignments. Several teachers at Steward had interesting takes when it came to this question, but all agreed that the evaluation method came about naturally.
COVER S TOR Y When deciding how to grade the boats his students created for the project inspired by Refugee, Mr. Mailey experimented with a theory he had read about many times before but had never tried. “I wanted to experiment with creating a rubric as a class,” he said. “Students jumped in right away and told me exactly what their boats should be tested on: design, carrying capacity, speed, and whether it overcame obstacles. They decided the fastest should get the highest grade.” Both Mr. Mailey and the students knew intuitively and agreed upon grading what made the most sense: essentially, how well the boat they built did what it was built to do. Mr. Tickle had a similar answer when asked how he evaluated his students’ performance in the Mini Economy unit. “The evaluation for this project is more self-evaluative for the students. If they’re making money, they must be doing something right. If they’re not, they need to look at what they could be doing better. We build in a lot of opportunities for reflection.” Mr. Miller (Chief Learning Officer at AEE) may have put it best when he said, “[The evaluation] is the best part. The way that you evaluate students that are learning experientially is that they do the thing. And if they do it well, they learned what you’re trying to teach them. If they don’t, then there’s real-time, kinesthetic feedback happening for that student. Steward is as committed as ever to its curriculum of rigorous academics in the traditional classroom sense. But as the world outside of Steward is changing and evolving at a faster rate than ever, it’s critical that our students are also taught how to apply the lessons they learn in the classroom to the real world in an authentic way, rather than just theoretically. Not only will they make better mental connections and retain more of what they have learned, they will also better learn to think and act as members of a community as they are exposed to people and experiences they wouldn’t be normally. As Ms. Jamieson said, “Students at Steward are incredibly talented and they have wonderful ideas. Learning how to take your idea and put it into action is an important skill to have in the world. And you cannot design or innovate if you don’t understand what the problems are, what your resources are, and all the different people that can be a part of that solution.”
ALUMNI IN ACTION:
THE “FABRIC” OF AN EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION
When talks first began at Steward about formally prioritizing experiential, hands-on learning in the curriculum, Corbin Orgain ‘96 got goosebumps. “Goosebumps and jazz hands,” she said. “I knew we were on to something that was going to be cool.” It was then that a lightbulb went off in her head. “If this excites me so much,” she said, “why don’t I go out and give this a try? If we’re serious about experiential learning here at Steward, some of us need to get out there and see what that is going to look like.” It wasn’t long before Mrs. Orgain asked fellow Steward alum Michael Maszaros ‘99 if she could be a summer intern at his Colonial Heights-based interior design firm, Cabin Creek Interiors. Mrs. Orgain has known Mr. Maszaros since he was in kindergarten at Steward in 1986 alongside her little brother. “Michael said ‘yes’ right away,” she said. “It was too easy!” Mrs. Orgain began a three-week design internship at Cabin Creek this past July. She has always been passionate about decorating, so getting the chance to do everything from organize fabric samples to meet with design reps was a dream come true for her.
that the process of student assessment for internships needs to be completely different from traditional classroom grading. “How do you figure out a way to give the student a grade without also altering the experience?” she asked herself. “If I were required to write about my experience [at Cabin Creek] every day, I might have been sitting there logging every little thing I did in my head as opposed to being present in the moment and then reflecting in a way that felt right to me.” If Mr. Maszaros were grading his intern, she would have passed with flying colors. “I think being a teacher made her go into student mode,” he said. “She was very inquisitive and incredibly open-minded about learning our processes.” Mrs. Orgain believes that immersive learning experiences like her internship at Cabin Creek are essential for educators in order to hone their skills. “Steward made me a lifelong learner,” she said. “They instilled in me a love of learning, so I’ve never been one to sit back and stop learning. But I also think you have to [keep learning] to be a good teacher. You have to be paying attention to how you learn, because it makes you more aware of how other people learn.”
One of Mrs. Orgain’s biggest takeaways from the experiential learning experience was
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IN O UR COM M U N I T Y: ALU MNI
Taking the Lead Class of 2009 alumna talks about her new business – running her childhood dance studio When Madison Ellis Ellington ’09 wasn’t walking the halls of Steward growing up, she was around the corner dancing through the studios of West End Academy of Dance in the Canterbury Shopping Center. A dance student at West End from the age of four through age eighteen, Mrs. Ellington has always looked back fondly on her formative years at the school. And as of June 2018, following her heart has brought her full circle, back to West End as the dance school’s new owner. It wasn’t always clear that Mrs. Ellington would wind up at West End. After dancing all through college with a club dance group at the University of Virginia, she moved back to Richmond and accepted a corporate office job that left little room for creativity. It wasn’t long before she found herself drawn back to dance. “I realized I missed that part of my life,” Mrs. Ellington said. “So after a few years, I started teaching at West End, first as a substitute teacher and then full-time.” After two years of teaching dance during the time she wasn’t at the office, she noticed that her favorite part of every week was coming to West End. “The most rewarding moments for me,” she said, “were, and still are, teaching a student who has never taken a dance class before how to count
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music, find a beat in a song, put dance moves to it, and remember a routine. Then, suddenly, they’re performing onstage and it’s like you helped to transform them.” So when West End’s owner at the time announced that he was going back to graduate school and selling the school, Mrs. Ellington knew she had to make a big decision. “[Running my own studio] was something I’d been thinking about for a while,” she said. “This opportunity came up, and it was a oncein-a-lifetime chance. I decided to go for it.” With the enthusiastic support of her parents and her now-husband, Trey, Mrs. Ellington bought West End Academy of Dance in June of 2018. She feels strongly about retaining the robust traditional ballet program that West End has come to be known for since it was founded over 40 years ago by Mary Munroe. Mrs. Ellington credits West End’s professional teachers for this quality of training. She plans to maintain the judgment-free, low-pressure environment while simultaneously instilling strong technique and skill in the students. In addition, she's committed to continuing to build on the successful jazz, tap, modern, contemporary, and hip-hop programs. “When students graduate from our studio,” Mrs. Ellington said, “they are extremely knowledgeable
dancers, and that’s something that I think is really important.” Mrs. Ellington also wants to maintain the culture of a tight-knit community at the school. “Though we have a large number of students,” she said, “it’s always felt very homey, supportive, and comforting here. I want to keep that true today.” Reflecting on her own childhood memories of West End, Mrs. Ellington recalls looking to older dancers as role models for her own future. “During our big recitals, I remember looking up to the older students and aspiring to be like them one day. That’s a big reason I always want to make sure that our older dancers are being good role models for our younger ones.” As for her own future, Mrs. Ellington is excited to continue the work that she feels she is meant to do. “When thinking back to my time at Steward, we were always encouraged to try new things, and taught that failure is okay. Taking a chance on a new endeavor is definitely scary, but what is life if we don’t take chances? I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to change career paths to pursue a lifelong passion.”
IN O U R CO M M UNI T Y: ALUMNI LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
STEWARD CONNECTS
Dear Spartan Alumni, We’ve had a successful start to the 2018-19 academic year! In June, the Alumni Association Board held a summer happy hour for alums at Ardent Craft Ales in Scott’s Addition. It was so much fun to reconnect with old friends and meet new fellow alumni! At Convocation at the end of August, we proudly presented the fifth annual Alumni Achievement Award to Katie-Beth Kurilecz ‘06. Katie-Beth could not be with us at Convocation because she lives and works overseas, but she sent us an inspiring video message in lieu of accepting the award in person. She spoke about her work on behalf of refugees and her commitment to aiding international development, encouraging students to follow their hearts and to let that drive them to help others. In November, we had an amazing time at the third annual Trucks & Shucks Oyster Roast, despite the rain. We brought the party inside to Steward’s Multipurpose Gym and danced the night away! Shortly after Trucks & Shucks, alumni hit the town once again for a Thanksgiving Social at the brand new shuffleboard bar, Tang & Biscuit. And we’re looking forward to getting together once more on January 31 to celebrate our alumni honorees at the inaugural Fine Arts Hall of Fame induction ceremony and reception! I’m so happy to participate in these great experiences and continue to bond with my fellow Spartan alumni. Remember that we are always looking for more alumni to get involved. Whether you’re an
5 THINGS YOU CAN ACCESS ON THE ALUMNI WEBPAGE STEWARDSCHOOL.ORG/ALUMNI 1 ALUMNI NEWS This magazine isn’t your only source for news about your fellow Spartans! We regularly publish feature stories on our own alumni digital newsroom, so be sure to check out the page to stay updated. 2 ALUMNI EVENTS Check out our comprehensive list of all of the upcoming alumni events in 2019.
artist, an athlete, or simply want to spend time with friends, the Alumni Association has something for you!
ATHLETIC CALENDAR Stay updated about dates when you can come see your Spartans playing hard on the fields, courts or in the pool. 3
Laura Weisiger '02 | President, 2018-19 Steward Alumni Association Board 4 UPDATE YOUR INFORMATION Announce special news, such as a marriage or the birth of a child, by submitting a class note, or simply update your address and/or contact information so we can have it on file. You can also opt in for text updates about upcoming events.
FACULTY, STAFF, AND ALUMNI DIRECTORIES Keep in touch with your fellow alumni as well as your favorite faculty and staff members by searching for their contact information in our database. 5
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Hitting a High Note Class of 1993 alumna talks about her life onstage, from voice lessons with Bonnie Anderson all the way to professional opera.
PHOTO CREDIT: DAN BUSLER PHOTOGRAPHY
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Before professional soprano singer/ performer Stephanie Mann ’93 played the lead in many of Steward’s plays and musicals as an Upper School student, there was a time when she thought she might not act or sing again. Ms. Mann performed in children’s theatre programs as a young girl, but when she started at the middle school she attended before Steward, she opted out of auditioning for theatre or vocal groups. “I was overwhelmed by the idea of doing theatre there,” she said. “So I wasn’t even really singing at the time.” It was attending a Steward production of Once Upon a Mattress with her mother, Lynne Mann (who taught computer classes at Steward at the time) that sparked the fire in Ms. Mann to start performing again. “I remember standing up when the show was over,” Ms. Mann said. “I turned to my mother and said, ‘I want to do theatre again.’” Ms. Mann started at Steward the next year, and she began taking piano
lessons with music teacher Bonnie Anderson. “[Mrs. Anderson] got me singing,” Ms. Mann said. “She coached me for a while [vocally] and then my junior year, she suggested I find another teacher because she didn’t have the background to coach me on classical voice.” The first Steward musical Ms. Mann performed in was Where’s Charley? and she played the female lead, Amy Spettigue. “It was a blast,” she said. She went on to perform in several more plays and musicals at Steward, winning the Fine Arts award three years in a row. After graduating from Steward, she continued to pursue her theatrical dreams, majoring in theatre at Brandeis University and receiving her master’s degree in Music in Voice and Opera Performance from The Boston Conservatory. These days, Ms. Mann splits her time between her day job at a law firm in Boston, Massachusetts and her career as a performer in operas, musicals, and plays. “The biggest challenge is finding time to practice, memorize,
and review outside of rehearsal. When you’re cast in an opera, you’re expected to come to the first rehearsal with your role nearly memorized. That also requires translation if it’s in another language.” As a classically trained soprano, Ms. Mann sings in Italian, French, German, Spanish, and English, and just recently performed in a production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, in which she played Donna Anna, one of the female leads. “I had played that role before, but in Italian,” she said. “This time, it was an English translation, so I had to approach the role almost as if I were learning it for the first time. Oftentimes during performances, I had to remind myself not to sing it in Italian.” Despite the challenges that come with acting professionally while simultaneously holding a full-time job, Ms. Mann loves performing. “It’s addictive,” she said. “I love working on music and meeting new people or working with old friends. It’s a wonderful experience.”
IN O U R CO M MUNI T Y: ALUMNI
International Inspirations
Two Spartans Awarded Virginia Tech’s Balanced Man Scholarship Sigga Eiriksdottir ’14’s ambition to achieve her dream of an international career in forensics and criminology developed right here at Steward. Ms. Eiriksdottir first arrived in Richmond as an international student from the Netherlands in 2012, with plans to stay for a year while attending James River High School in Midlothian. But during that first year and after talking with her host mothers, Brenda and Mahnaz Moosa, Ms. Eiriksdottir found herself drawn to Steward. “I liked the size and how personal it was,” Ms. Eiriksdottir said. “I also really liked the sports program and the organization around it. I quickly noticed that the teachers and staff really cared and wanted the best for their students, which made the decision to transfer to Steward and graduate from there very easy.”
When Virginia Tech freshmen Murad Matar ’18 and Ryan Odibo ‘18 ran into each other at the Sigma Phi Epsilon Balanced Man Scholarship award banquet, they were shocked. Neither of them had realized that not only had they both applied for the scholarship, they were two of the 15 finalists selected out of 285 applicants to attend the banquet. Later in the night, Mr. Matar and Mr. Odibo both received the Balanced Man Scholarship, along with two other winners pictured here. The scholarship is awarded to incoming male freshmen who show they best follow the ideals that Sigma Phi Epsilon holds in high regard, which include scholastic achievement, community service, and extracurricular activities. There is no obligation to join Sigma Phi Epsilon in order to apply or receive the Balanced Man Scholarship. According to Ebika Odibo, Ryan’s mother, the two young men were chosen by the committee because their essays and interviews stood out. “The fact that two Spartans got it out of 285 applicants gave me chills,” Mrs. Odibo said. “It speaks highly of Steward and how the school prepares kids.”
Steward Alum Recruited to Division I Basketball Program
Now a graduate student studying Forensics, Criminology, and Law at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, Ms. Eiriksdottir still finds herself back in Richmond regularly to visit her host family. “I try to come back as often as I can,” she said. “So far, I have made it back every summer.” Ms. Eiriksdottir’s plans after she graduates with her master’s in February 2019 include pursuing a career with Interpol, the Dutch Forensic Institute, or for the national police. “I have always had the dream of pursuing forensics since I was very little,” she said. “Steward gave me the courage and ambition to go out and pursue that dream.”
Marvin Cannon ’17 just finished up his first semester at Washington State University, where he is playing basketball for the Division I Cougars as a sophomore. Mr. Cannon was recruited as a freshman out of Barton Community College in Great Bend, Kansas, where he led his team to a 29-7 season culminating in a spot in the 2018 NJCAA Division I National Tournament quarterfinals. Cougars coach Ernie Kent made Mr. Cannon his first of nine other Division I offers in the offseason, and he accepted. Mr. Cannon will continue a basketball career at WSU with the skills he honed PHOTO CREDIT: WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY
at Steward, where he averaged 21.2 points and 6.4 rebounds as a senior. This Spartan is one to watch as he continues to impress on the court, now on a national scale!
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IN O UR COM M U N I T Y: ALU MNI
Katie-Beth Kurilecz ’06 Honored With 2018 Alumni Achievement Award Katie-Beth Kurilecz ’06 was honored with Steward’s Alumni Achievement Award at Convocation on August 30, 2018 for her work on behalf of refugees and her commitment to aiding international development. After graduating from The Steward School in 2006, Ms. Kurilecz went on to study law at Newcastle University and received her Master of Law (LLM) from King’s College London. Ms. Kurilecz has a cross-sector background having worked in the business, political, and charity sectors. She specialized in human rights and immigration law at university and has dedicated the last five years to working in international development and helping refugees. She currently works as the Direct Marketing and Supporter Care Manager for the charity All We Can, an international development and emergency relief organization. Ms. Kurilecz is also passionate about her local community and is a committed member of local community groups and campaigns ranging from supporting women and legal aid to conservation. Ms. Kurilecz could not be with us at Convocation because she lives and works overseas, but she
I AM A
STEWARD: KATIE-BETH KURILECZ ’06 At Convocation 2018, the Class of 2006 alumna was honored for her work on behalf of refugees.
sent us an inspiring video message in lieu of accepting the award in person. “My advice is always to follow your passions and help others,” she said. “Thank you to my family, my friends, and my teachers here at Steward. It is your passion, creativity, and courage that inspires me every day.”
We are currently accepting nominations for the 2019 Steward Alumni Achievement Award. Go to stewardschool.org/alumni-achievement-award to make your nomination today!
Scan here to watch Ms. Kurilecz’s moving remarks on the importance of following your heart and letting it drive you to help others.
Steward Holds Inaugural Fine Arts Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony FINE ARTS
HALL OF
FAME
On Thursday, January 31, Steward is holding the first-ever induction ceremony for our new Fine Arts Hall of Fame in the Lora M. Robins Theatre. The inductees are members of the Steward community who have been exceptionally influential in the arts at The Steward School and beyond. The first inductees to be honored with a ceremony and reception are former music teacher Bonnie Anderson, Fielding Archer ’80, Michael Congdon ’00, late former Head of School Paul R. Cramer, Stephanie Mann ’93, former business and operations manager Margaret Hassan, and former art teacher Rugene Paulette. For more details, go to stewardschool.org/fine-arts-hall-of-fame.
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Class Notes
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In August 2017, Madeleine Arthur ’11 began a PhD program in public health and epidemiology with an emphasis on drug addiction at Boston University. 1 Dani Blake ’09 (née Fraizer)
married Turner Blake on November 3, 2018 in Richmond. The pair first met at a seventh-grade dance hosted at Steward and attended by students from St. Christopher’s and St. Catherine’s Schools. The wedding party included Steward alumna Gracie Andrews ’09. 2 Carlos Cevallos ‘13 entered medical school at the University of Virginia in August 2018 (pictured here at his White Coat Ceremony) 3 Madison Ellis Ellington ’09 married Trey Ellington on September 8, 2018 in
Charlottesville, Va. Steward alumni in the wedding party included Maclaine Ellis ‘13 and Admissions Associate Beth Farmer ’09. 4 Steward Admissions Associate Beth Farmer ’09 married Steward’s Assistant Coach for varsity boys soccer, Casey Smith, on September 29, 2018 in Richmond. They held their rehearsal dinner at the Bryan Innovation Lab and Steward alumni in the wedding party included Liz DeLaney ’08, Mary Martha DeLaney ’08, Madison Ellis Ellington ’09, Kate Farmer ’11, and Blair Oliff ’10.
Claire Kirchmier ’14 began working as a nurse in the mother infant unit at MCV after graduating from James Madison University with a degree in nursing in May 2018,
and got engaged to Michael Sims ’13 in November 2018. Ashlee Kurfees ’01 (née Healey) and her husband, Nick Kurfees, gave birth to a baby girl, Finley, on November 28, 2018. Upper School Division Assistant Lee Healey, was thrilled to welcome her new granddaughter this year. 5 Bryan Law ’78 retired from the Richmond Fire Department in August 2018, where he was a lieutenant and served for 33 years (pictured here with fellow RFD firefighter Andrew Ware ’03).
Jason Lewis ‘00 opened his own business in 2018, GVA Tire & Auto in Oilville, Va. Meg Montgomery ’05 and her husband, Steward’s Director of
Plant Operations Chad Montgomery, gave birth to a baby boy, William Rivers, on December 4, 2018. 6 Jordan Rennie ’09 and his wife, Lauren Rennie, gave birth to a baby boy, Liam, on March 21, 2018. 7 Mary Margaret Wroten ’07 (née Watson) married Andrew Wroten on May 5, 2018 in Richmond. Steward alumni in the wedding party included Kelsey Mohring ’08 and Monica Casper Shleis ’07.
Do you have an important life announcement? Scan here and submit a class note!
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IN O UR COM M U N I T Y: S N APS HOTS
First Day of School
Fall Social
You can download additional photos from these events and more on Steward Snaps!
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IN O U R CO M M U NIT Y: S NAPSH OTS
Whirled Peace Day
Fall Spirit Week
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SpartaFest Fall Festival
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IN O U R CO M M U NIT Y: S NAPSH OTS
Trucks & Shucks
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MS/US Grandparents Day
Founders Society Celebration
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IN O U R CO M M U NIT Y: S NAPSH OTS
Ray Tate Spartan Golf Classic
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IN O UR COM M U N I T Y: S N APS HOTS
Thanksgiving Assembly
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Spartans: What Inspires You? Steward’s theme for the 2018-19 school year is inspiration. We're curious about what inspires each and every member of our Steward community, whether you have grandchildren who graduated years ago or you’re a brand new Spartan who just started at Steward this past fall. To help you and your family get excited for 2019 as you sit around the dinner table or in the car on a long road trip, take these questions and learn about what inspires your loved ones. Their answers may surprise you!
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