Colonnade THE
A STEWARD SCHOOL PUBLICATION
ISSUE 34
|
2020
INSIDE C O M PA S S 2022: GUIDING STEWARD FORWARD ENTREPRENEURSHIP: THINKING INSIDE THE BOX H E A LT H A N D WELLNESS FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS
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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
Infinite Possibilities Today...and for the Next 50 Years A letter from Head of School Dan Frank
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Thinking Inside the Box
14
A Healthier Community
16
Compass 2020: Guiding Steward Forward
22
“What I See Is Progress”
Steward’s Entrepreneurship Studies program partners with local packaging design firm Stephen Gould for a hands-on design challenge
A look at four faculty members who are improving health and well-being within our community
Steward’s strategic plan has made a lasting impact on the school one year after launching
Lt. Col. Matthew Smith ’88 returns to campus to share stories from his time overseas in the military
SECTIONS
5
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
Infinite Possibilities Today... and for the Next 50 Years Dear Steward Community, Last year in the pages of this magazine, we wrote about our then-newly unveiled strategic plan, Compass 2022, in “Steward’s Compass Guides the Way.” The article shared our goals for the plan’s lasting impact on each individual, the school, and the community.
In the year that has passed, I’m pleased to share that we’ve made great strides within each of the plan’s five focus areas: 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), and Steward for Life (Forever Belonging). Compass 2022 represents our community’s collective vision for the future. It also exemplifies the advances our community can make when we rally together in support of progress. Flip to page 16 to read “Compass 2022: Guiding Steward Forward” for exciting details about the work our faculty, staff, and students have done this past year. As Compass 2022 will benefit our community today and in the future, so will the Steward50 campaign. Steward50 is a capital campaign that will not only help bring the vision of our current strategic plan initiatives to life, but will also help fund access, faculty recruitment and retention, and programmatic improvements for years to come. As we approach our 50th anniversary in 2022, I encourage you to consider both how you can support the progress of our strategic plan as well as the Steward50 campaign. Together, there’s no limit to what we can achieve.
FUEL THE MIND | STIR THE IMAGINATION | UNLEASH THE POSSIBILITIES
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
Dan Frank, Head of School
Nathan Blake, Editor
Lisa Dwelle, Associate Head of School for Finance and Operations
Kate Carpenter, Designer
Dr. Adam Seldis, Director of Upper School Susan Atkinson, Director of Middle School Ingrid Moore, Director of Lower School
Lisa Dwelle, Sydney Smith, Rachel Williard, Contributing Editors Carley Hamilton, Contributing Designer
DAN FRANK, HEAD OF SCHOOL
Nathan Blake, Dan Frank, Rachel Williard, Contributing Writers Nathan Blake, Hunter Carrico, Girl Scouts USA, Eric Hopp, AJ Parson, Wendell Powell Photography, Christina Sturniolo, Rachel Williard, D'Jaris Woody, Contributing Photographers 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.
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:
MIGI WANG ’21
First-year international student Migi Wang ’21 has jumped feet first into becoming a Spartan by playing tennis, joining Steward’s choir, and even starting her own club, the East Asian Culture Club. She’s also keeping busy in the classroom, taking AP United States History, AP Calculus BC, Honors Chemistry, and Honors English, among other courses. We caught up with Migi to hear her thoughts about her transition to Steward and what makes this school special.
Why did you choose to study in the United States?
In China, students study to prepare for one important exam that will help determine an individual's future direction. As a middle school student, I began to realize that although I did well in the Chinese education system, it could not help me achieve my goals. My parents told me that if I scored well on the middle school test, I could study in America. I studied very hard and made my dream come true. Also, I’m interested in studying East Asian studies in college, and am considering the University of Chicago because of their strong program.
Can you tell us about the East Asian studies club you founded?
know much about it. I decided to start the East Asian Culture Club at Steward to help them learn more about Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cultures. The club already has 30 members, including a few other international students. During our first meeting, students got to try mooncakes that we bought from the Asian market together. I also showed students a tea ceremony and explained the importance of each step. For future meetings, I’m planning on teaching some aspects of Asian languages, like teaching students how to write their names in Chinese and some basic Korean communication.
Which course have you enjoyed most at Steward?
and historical materials, some of them in very old English, which is challenging but fun.
How is Steward different than your previous school?
My previous school—another American high school in Kansas— was actually smaller than Steward, but Steward feels like a smaller community. At Steward, people say hi to me and introduce themselves to me many times so that I can remember their names and faces. I’ve already gotten to know more people here in one semester than I did all of last year in Kansas, which is amazing. Our campus is beautiful, all of our sports teams are so talented, and the cafeteria is amazing! I just love it.
involved as much as you can. Go to homecoming, try activities you wouldn’t normally try, and express your opinions in class even though you may feel shy. People actually listen to you and respond, which makes you feel confident. You’re an international student; if you make mistakes, that’s normal, and people will understand. If you don’t know something, just ask!
STEWARD ONLINE We regularly update our online newsroom with quality content about campus events, unique academic
In China, I studied Japanese activities like tea ceremony and flower arrangement, and also had experience in Korean practices. I get a lot of questions from my classmates about Asian culture, and I realized that many American students don’t
I love AP United States History because I knew almost nothing about American history before taking this class. In my class at Steward, we talk about how people think differently about historical events, so you really have to form an opinion for yourself. I’ve read so many interesting articles
What advice would you give other international students?
Try to get involved as much as possible. This is my second year in America, so I tell the other firstyear international students to get
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
Thinking Inside the Box Upper School Entrepreneurship Studies Program Collaborates with Packaging Design and Product Development Firm Stephen Gould On October 11, students in our Entrepreneurship Studies program took a trip to Scott’s Addition for a hands-on learning experience at Stephen Gould, the largest independent custom product and packaging solutions provider in the United States. This type of opportunity brings classroom lessons to life and is one among many partnerships the program’s students have participated in with other local companies such as Capital One and The Martin Agency over the last few years. “Our Entrepreneurship program allows students to step outside of their required curriculum and engage with local businesses and entrepreneurs,” Melissa Freed, Upper School academic dean and faculty guide for the program, said. “They get to learn universally valued skills
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like collaboration, design iteration, and public speaking, which students strengthen with every partnership they participate in.” The recent trip to Stephen Gould included an in-depth discussion with Steward parent Michael Falcone, head collaborator at the organization’s Richmond branch. He explained the company’s business model and gave students an overview of the different brands his branch has been involved with, from Rosetta Stone to Rolex. “I think learning to collaborate with people and being able to communicate well is an art in itself,” Mr. Falcone told the group of students. “If you stay committed to moving in a positive direction with other people, you’ll be amazed with the results.” He credits relationshipbuilding to be the foundation of Stephen Gould’s success as a global enterprise since expanding its business from manufacturing boxes to “becoming a turnkey source for marketing and purchasing projects.” Jacob Credle ’21, who is an intern in Steward’s marketing department, wrote about his experience: “The day was filled with many important lessons, but the one that impacted me most is the idea that
everything in the packaging business is multifaceted. Packaging is literally never one-sided. But figuratively, packaging requires so many more moving parts than most people realize. There are people who design the components that house the product, people who design the shape and functionality of the box, and people who design the artwork that goes on or inside the box. The Stephen Gould employees we spoke to all emphasized that since they began working in packaging, they haven’t been able to go to the store without thinking about how their purchases are packaged.” After touring Stephen Gould’s design studio, Mr. Falcone posed a challenge to the group: prototype a premium “thank you” box for VIP customers of custom menswear company Alton Lane. Each box required three items: a thank you message, a $100 gift card, and a token of appreciation. The catch? The per-box budget needed to be under $16, accounting for producing the box, fulfillment, and the cost of the box’s contents. Students spent one month testing designs and business plans before reconvening on November 18, when they pitched their prototypes to Mr. Falcone and three of his associates in Steward’s very own boardroom. Each group presented on why they chose
their unique token of appreciation and how it aligned with Alton Lane branding, which they researched using the company’s website and marketing materials. The winning group—composed of Anya Bhargava ’21, George Goldstein ’21, Michael Magnano ’20, Sachin Sanjay ’20, Emory Sutton ’20, and Cole Tyler ’23—designed a box that housed a bottle opener etched with Alton Lane’s logo and a custom ID number to convey how special each customer is. “That sort of touch makes people feel like they’re really part of something,” one of the Stephen Gould associates said following the winning team’s pitch. “Every customer has a different need, and we like that you spoke to the need of feeling included.” In the spring, students in the Entrepreneurship Studies program will have another opportunity to partner with an outside group to test their business acumen, this time with Sandbox, a Richmond-based consulting group. Steward will also send a group of Entrepreneurship students to the ninth annual Tom Tom Founders Summit and Festival in Charlottesville to pitch their ideas among some of Virginia’s most innovative thinkers.
S T E W A R D NEWS
Steward Launches Girls on the Run Program “In Girls on the Run, I’ve learned that you shouldn’t hide from people who are mean to you,” Juliet Forlano ’28 said. “You should always stand up for yourself politely.” Ava Falcone, also a fourth grader, concurred. “We’ve learned that we can do anything.” Girls on the Run, while new to Steward this year, is a national program that’s changed the lives of millions of third- to fifth-grade girls. The organization inspires “girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum that creatively integrates running.” Having Girls on The Run at Steward is fitting since wellness is one of the main initiatives of the strategic plan, Compass 2022, explained Lower School teacher Laura Pruitt. She volunteered to lead the program along with Middle School Division Assistant Karen
Battle of the Brains Team Leading in Early Rounds of City-Wide Competition
In trivia competitions, all eyes are always on the first person to buzz in with an answer. In the case of Steward’s Battle of the Brains team, “all eyes” means people watching television across the city. This November, the team won the first round of the televised city-wide tournament in a competition against Fork Union Military Academy. As this magazine goes to press, they are preparing to compete in the second round of the tournament against Fuqua School in mid-January as part of a year-long series among area high schools that airs on WTVR, the local CBS affiliate, on Saturdays at 10 a.m. This is the third year that a Steward team has won in the first round of the tournament. “I knew we were on track to win when we swept the Asian capitals category, but you never fully exhale until the end of the match,” Coach Eric Hopp said.
Ashworth and Lower School teachers Kris Marchant and Katy Koppanyi. The group met twice a week this fall for a total of 22 sessions. At the end of the season, the girls participated in a Girls on the Run 5K with other area schools. The sessions covered social-emotional topics such as making healthy choices, setting boundaries, understanding emotions, recognizing their strengths, and learning to be leaders. In each session, the group started with a discussion about the day’s topic and then continued the conversation with buddies (both children and adults) while running (or skipping or walking) around campus. Mila Rene ’28 couldn’t contain her smile when asked about the program. “It makes me feel happy,” she said. Mission...accomplished.
The team—George Goldstein ’21, Alex Kight ’20, Sachin Sanjay ’20, and Sonali Sanjay ’20—earned their spots through a pre-test that Mr. Hopp offered at the beginning of the school year. “Once the team is selected,” Mr. Hopp explained, “we practice by playing Trivial Pursuit, which is fun and also highly competitive.” The team members can answer any question as they battle for points, though each person has his or her favorite subjects, George explained. Subjects range from mathematics and history to pop culture trivia and sports facts. “The difficulty isn’t necessarily in how challenging the questions are, so much as being able to answer fast enough and confidently enough—more so than the other team,” George said.
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S T E W A R D NEWS
The Science of Questions Lower, Middle, and Upper School students sought answers big and small
applied their knowledge of the scientific process to create their own water filters and research local water systems.
LOWER SCHOOL WADES DEEP INTO WATER
Middle School science teacher Mike Mailey planned to cover topics like energy, force, and motion this past fall, and he knew he needed to make these concepts tangible. He brought them to life in a unit on collision by promising to drop pumpkins off the roof of the Lora M. Robins Theatre. Of course, there was a catch—students needed to design protective gear to ensure their pumpkins survived the fall.
Students in Katherine Goodpasture’s fourth-grade class dove deep into water conservation this fall, but one of their first assignments was to answer a simple question: What percentage of an apple is water? “I can say that living things are mostly water,” Ms. Goodpasture said, “but students should see for themselves how essential water is to life.” Inspired by an activity she saw during a professional development conference, Ms. Goodpasture used the question as an opportunity to teach the method for structuring scientific investigations.
MIDDLE SCHOOL PITCHES PUMPKIN PROTECTORS
“I wanted students to understand more than how to protect pumpkins,” Mr. Mailey said. “This was an opportunity to investigate force, time, mass, and velocity in a fun, hands-on way.”
“I asked students to guess before they heard anyone else,” Ms. Goodpasture said, calling the exercise a “public prediction.” Initial hypotheses ranged from 5% to 94% (the correct answer is roughly 84%), after which students weighed healthy apples on a balance scale as a point of reference. Next, they dried the apples in a sunny window, then weighed the dehydrated fruit to determine how much water was lost.
Each team included a project leader, an engineer, an information analyst, and a marketer, all of whom collaborated to build a system that not only protected the pumpkin, but also appealed to a lay audience. The teams pitched their designs to Middle School students and teachers, seeking to earn “pumpkin pesos” as a vote of confidence. By the time students were ready to drop their pumpkins—with the help of Steward’s maintenance crew—some teams had already tested their designs over 10 times.
“The goal was to get them to report their results in as few words as possible,” Ms. Goodpasture said. “I tried to teach them that a picture really is worth a thousand words.” The class later decorated the fourth-grade hallway with their scientific process posters like the one pictured above. Later, students
“Overall, we had a 53% survival rate,” Mr. Mailey explained, “which is up from last year’s 25%. Students went back and noted where last year’s designs went wrong. They really embraced the underlying scientific concepts through building, marketing, testing, and data analysis.”
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UPPER SCHOOL CONTEMPLATES THE UPPER HAND At what point does an athlete’s competitive edge become an unfair advantage? That’s one of the many questions Laura Akesson’s Biomedical Design class tackled with input from Dr. Rayvon Fouché, director of Purdue University’s American Studies department, who spoke to Mrs. Akesson’s students in the fall. Dr. Fouché—a former competitive athlete himself— specializes in sports and technology in society, and spent much of his time exploring the idea of fairness. When one student questioned whether athletes should be allowed to technologically enhance their bodies, Dr. Fouché prompted deeper thought by responding with another question: “Isn’t the whole sports system built around the concept of gaining the largest advantage over your competition?” he asked. The conversation touched on numerous topics, including nutrition, biometric tracking, performance-enhancing drugs, and socioeconomics. Time and again as students reached seemingly resolute conclusions, Dr. Fouché posed counterarguments that deepened the conversation. “One company has designed an extremely effective distance running shoe molded to the individual athlete’s foot-strike,” Dr. Fouché pointed out. “Is that fair to athletes who can’t access that shoe?” “About 80% of Middle and Upper School students play a school sport,” Mrs. Akesson said. “What do they want the world of athletics to be like? How do they want to compete in it? I hope students will start thinking about their role as scientists to answer those questions.”
WES T EARE W A R D NEWS STEWARDS: CRARY MOORE ’20 AND MICHAEL ZUCCARO ’20 “Ray Tate was a man who cared deeply about the student-athletes at The Steward School and was the founding president of the Spartan Club,” Chuck Wingfield, president of the Spartan Club, said. “The Ray Tate StudentAthlete Scholarships were created to honor him and to highlight the role he believed that athletics play in developing well-rounded young adults.”
What sports and extracurricular activities have you participated in at Steward? Michael: Soccer, tennis, basketball, swim team, band, Student Life Committee, and National Honor Society. Crary: Soccer, volleyball, Model UN, Diversity Club, theatre, and National Honor Society.
What do you love about playing sports at Steward? Michael: There are great opportunities here because of our size. I’ve never had a coach who wasn’t encouraging and positive—they pick you up in the down moments, but also push you when you need it. Also, I love the camaraderie. Everyone’s nice and we joke around, but when it’s game time, it’s strictly business. We have each other’s back. Crary: I agree—people want to win. We’re competitive here. We have fun, but we leave it all on the court.
How has being an athlete made you a better student? Michael: I take being a student-athlete to heart. I’m not an athlete-student.
Crary: Balancing sports and school has made me more organized, responsible, and dedicated as a student.
How has playing sports made you a better person? Michael: As an athlete, I’ve learned to lead by example. Also, because playing sports is my choice, I know I have to be dedicated to it. This is true in the rest of my life too. I stick with the things I choose to do. Crary: I’ve become a rock for my teammates. I can be supportive and give advice when something’s wrong. And when I’m frustrated myself, being an athlete has helped me learn to overcome.
Do you have a favorite sports moment at Steward? Michael: For tennis, it’s winning states back to back! In soccer, we have certain songs that we play on the bus right before every away game. We all know to listen for them, then we start jumping up and down and singing along. Crary: Before every volleyball game we listen to the same speech together as a team, “Winning Is Simply a Mindset.” We’ve all memorized it. It’s made us stronger together.
SAVE THE DATE February 6-8
Winter Play, "The Outsiders"
February 19
Visiting Innovator
February 29
Gala and Auction
March 20
Family Bingo Night
April 18
Debbie Robson Pancakes for a Purpose and Fun Run
April 18 Spring Athletic Invitational Tournament April 22
Visiting Innovator
April 23-25 Spring Musical, "Guys and Dolls" April 28
Spring Ice Cream Social
May 8
Lower School Grandparents and Special Friends Day
May 14
Spring Instrumental Concert and Awards Ceremony
May 18 Upper School Recognition Ceremony May 20
Spring Choral Concert and Awards Ceremony
May 29
Grade 5 Recognition Assembly
May 29
Grade 8 Recognition Assembly
May 31
Baccalaureate
June 1
Graduation
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S T E W A R D ATH L E TI C S
Fall Athletic Season Among Best in History For the first time in history, all of Steward’s fall varsity teams made it to the state tournament.
VARSITY GIRLS TENNIS WINS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
TWO VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY
Steward’s varsity girls tennis team finished the 2019 season as the VISAA Division II state champions, defeating a tough Norfolk Collegiate team 5-2 to capture the girls tennis program’s first state title. They completed their best season in history with a regular season record of 15-2, and Julia Monroe ’20 took home the honor of VISAA DII Player of the Year. Kurt Hammerschmidt, who, together with Ed Shulman, coaches both boys and girls tennis, attributed the team’s success to “four years of super athletes, experience, commitment, and consistency. That’s what makes a great team.”
The Steward volleyball team had another winfilled season this year—finishing the season with 18 victories—and juniors Hannah Lipinski and Kennedy Crook helped lead the way. Both Spartans were listed on the American Volleyball Coaches Association 2019 Phenom Watch List. This distinction places them in a small field of uncommitted juniors across the nation who are invited to attend the Phenom College Preparatory Program (PCPP) in Pittsburgh, where there are usually more than 150 college coaches in attendance. Over the past seven years, 80% of athletes who participate in the PCPP have gone on to play volleyball in college!
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS VARSITY CROSS COUNTRY
VARSITY BOYS SOCCER
VARSITY VOLLEYBALL
VARSITY FIELD HOCKEY
Over half of Steward’s varsity cross country team set personal records at this year’s state meet, a theme that played out all year long according to coach Laura Akesson, who awarded animal crackers and Whales cheddar snacks each time a runner set a personal record throughout the season. “Like any sport, disappointments happened, but not often and short lived,” she said. The girls team finished #8 out of 37 teams in the state tournament, even though half of the team were first-year runners, while the boys finished #13 out of 39 teams despite losing their #2 runner at the beginning of the season.
Varsity boys soccer entered the state semifinal tournament as the #1 seed and charged headfirst in a nailbiter against Seton School played at Richmond’s City Stadium. The game went into overtime and two rounds of penalty kicks before Steward fell 5-4 to Seton. Our Spartans finished the season with a 17-3-2 record with a roster that included 14 seniors and four All-Conference and AllState players, including Sam Roberson ’23, who scored a goal in 18 straight games and was awarded VISAA DII Player of the Year.
Varsity volleyball coach Greg Young is proud of this year’s squad not only for their excellent season—finishing with an 18-6 record and another appearance in the state semifinals—but also for their determination to bring a volleyball culture to Steward. “This team has worked hard to make back-to-back finalfour appearances in the state tournament,” Mr. Young said. “But now we’re seeing a unified culture of volleyball on campus that integrates the Middle School, JV, and varsity teams, and this season I was excited to see our girls take ownership over that culture and move it forward.”
Steward’s varsity field hockey team had a great season, finishing the regular season 9-6 and ending 10-8 overall. They made it to the state semifinals after earning a huge double-overtime win over The Covenant School. Though the girls fell to the #1 seeded Cape Henry Collegiate 5-1 in the state semifinals, coach Susan Twining has seen her team grow in leaps and bounds and has high hopes for next season. “Each year, this team continues to improve and compete well against some strong opponents,” she said. “We are looking forward to an even better season next year, with a strong group of returning players.”
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S T E W A R D ATH LETI CS
ATHLETICS AT A GLANCE DEVELOPING THE WHOLE ATHLETE AND SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS Steward’s athletic program has grown over the years to include more than 45 Middle and Upper School teams. Participation is at an all-time high, and our win-loss record, postseason accomplishments, and Spartan spirit are soaring. Congratulations to the athletes and coaches who continue to unleash their possibilities on and off the field.
FALL TCIS
TOURNAMENTS Congratulations to the following Steward athletes on their strong showing in the Fall TCIS Tournaments!
of US students participate in athletics; 82% of Middle School students
BOYS SOCCER James Cox, 1st Team Sam Roberson, 1st Team Trevor Maiese, 2nd Team Wit Moore, 2nd Team CROSS COUNTRY Jabrianna Lara, All-Conference Ben Poling, All-Conference
VOLLEYBALL Madeline Guidon, 1st Team Hannah Lipinski, 1st Team Kennedy Crook, 2nd Team
74% of our varsity teams have qualified for their state tournament in the past two years
9 State Championships: 6 in the past 6 years
88
5 yrs
In the past 4 years, 88 student-athletes have received All-State honors
FIELD HOCKEY Grace Fass, 1st Team Saara Qureshi, 1st Team Casie Steinfatt, 1st Team GIRLS TENNIS Julia Monroe, 1st Team Singles Anna Pastore, 1st Team Singles Julia Monroe and Anna Pastore, 1st Team Doubles
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80%
62% of varsity head coaches have coached their programs for 5 or more years
Average 6 college signees a year
SINCE BECOMING FULL MEMBERS OF THE TCIS TWO YEARS AGO, THE SPARTANS HAVE EARNED:
1
Conference Championship
2
Players of the Year
3
7
Regular Season Championships
Tournament Runners Up
2
80
Tournament MVPs
All-TCIS Honors
3
Coaches of the Year
4
Betty Jean Riddick Sportsmanship Awards
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S T E W A R D ARTS
Matilda the Musical Released for amateur productions this year, The Steward School Theatre Department was one of the first schools to produce the recent Broadway hit “Matilda the Musical.”
“It’s becoming a tradition for us to be among the first schools to produce Broadway hits,” director Craig Smith said. “Last year, we performed the high school version of 'Chicago,' which had just been released. This year, we were excited to share ‘Matilda’ with our community. Musicals at Steward are always a lot of fun, but this really adds an extra layer of excitement.” Written in Dahl’s classic dark humor, “Matilda” tells the story of a gifted young girl who is not appreciated by her parents or by the evil headmistress of the school she attends (at Steward, headmistress Miss Trunchbull was played by Daniel Corcoran ’20). Matilda (Elise Gresham ’24) finds comfort in her wonderful imagination and under the care of the sweet Miss Honey (Kendall Shamus ’20), and she stands up to all her challenges in this witty and fast-paced musical. Not only did the cast, which spanned students from Lower, Middle, and Upper School, sing and dance throughout the show, they did it all in British accents. Andrew Hall ’25 played Eric, a character he described as a “schoolkid who gets his ears stretched by Trunchbull.” Andrew went so deep into character that he said he had a difficult time not speaking in a British accent, even off stage. Elise, who played the titular role of Matilda, said the same thing happened to her.
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Andrew and Elise agreed that the play’s popularity with audiences was not just the result of Dahl’s characteristically dark humor and the actors’ British accents, but also because it left audiences with an important lesson. In a manner befitting thespians, the duo shared the moral of “Matilda” by spontaneously breaking out into one of the show’s most popular songs, “Naughty,” singing the lyrics: “Even if you’re little, you can do a lot.” Elise explained how the character Matilda exemplifies that idea throughout the play. She said, “Matilda finds ways to use her mind through reading and telling stories to escape her own life. She finds her power.” Andrew discussed what he hoped audiences took away from watching the show, saying attendees should realize “you don’t have to let the people around you control how you feel, what you do, or define who you are. Be yourself.” “And be resilient,” Mr. Smith added, relating the show to the school’s year-long theme of resilience. The show opened on Thursday, Oct. 24 in the Robins Theatre and ran for three nights. It was the first of two musicals this year for Steward’s theatre department, the other being Frank Loesser’s classic Broadway hit “Guys and Dolls,” which opens on April 23 under Susan Sanford’s direction.
S T E W A R D ARTS
I AM A
STEWARD:
BRIANNA WOODY ’25
Seventh-grader Brianna Woody may have joined Steward just last year, but she’s already making a name for herself as a committed student and athlete. Aside from playing basketball, volleyball, and soccer, Brianna is also a member of the Trailblazers Club as well as the Middle School choir. Brianna has also gained notoriety outside of Steward, specifically for her musical talents. She attends the GreenSpring International Academy of Music, where she has played harp since second grade, while also playing the piano and singing with the Virginia Choristers.
Over the summer, Brianna had the opportunity to play with the chorus, harp, and chamber ensembles on board the Queen Mary II as it cruised to London for seven days. This was Brianna’s first opportunity to travel abroad and perform with the touring group. From this experience, she was asked to perform at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. for a private event. Brianna was one among just twelve harpists to perform at this historic venue in front of an international audience. “Brianna's knowledge of music theory helps her learn music quickly, and we are especially proud that she was recently selected to represent Steward for district choir held this February,” Middle School chorus teacher Heidi Taylor said. We sat down with Brianna to discuss her art and her experience performing in front of others.
When did you begin playing harp, and what draws you to this instrument?
I enjoy playing challenging pieces. Once you have a better understanding of how the harp works, it’s more fun to play because you learn your way around it and your hands get used to the feel of the instrument.
Can you tell us what it was like performing in the National Cathedral?
Our ensemble was seated at the cathedral’s entrance, so it was pretty loud as people entered, and the crowd made me a little nervous. Some of the pieces we performed were new to me, and there were speakers next to my harp, so every time I made a mistake, it would be amplified. I had to find opportunities to play portions of pieces I knew and step back when I couldn’t perform some of the more difficult techniques. The pieces I did know sounded really good with the rest of the ensemble. Overall it was a challenging but fun experience.
always says, "Teamwork makes the dream work," and I think she’s right.
Do you have any other musical aspirations in mind?
I want to learn how to play more difficult pieces, but I really want to focus on getting better at “hands together,” which is when you use both hands to play different notes at the same time. I feel like once I learn to do that consistently, I’ll be able to understand the harp in a new way.
How did you get over the jitters of being the center of attention? My mom suggested I try a harp program offered at my previous school. I thought, “Sure, why not?” Then I went to GreenSpring International Academy of Music after one of my previous teachers suggested I join their harp ensemble with two of my friends who were already there. It sort of took off from there, and I’ve been playing for four years.
It’s easier and a lot more fun when you’re with a group. Once, when I had a solo as a singer, I was shaking the whole time and my voice tightened up. But when I’m in a group of other performers, I can relax a little more and rely on them. My mom
Scan here to read more stories from the Steward Arts Newsroom
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SPAR TA N S P OTL I G H T
A Healthier Community Steward adds new roles dedicated to cultivating community and cultural health
“It’s culture work,” said Tiffany Goodman, Steward’s new diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) coordinator. “How do we build a healthier community at Steward?” Mrs. Goodman is referencing a group of new and familiar faculty and staff working together to fulfill three goals within our strategic plan: Steward for the Individual (Attending to the Whole Person), Steward for All (Strength in Diversity), and Steward for Community (Meaningful Partnerships). The team—which builds off existing programming from Chris Petrie, dean of student support in the Middle School, and Livia McCoy, dean of student support in the Upper School—consists of Mrs. Goodman; Rashad Lowery, coordinator of campus life and community stewardship; Kris Marchant, junior kindergarten and Lower School character education teacher; and Michelle Khalife, Steward’s health and wellness coordinator. This group is collaborating to identify how the work of the new positions will strengthen and grow our current programming. Though their roles vary in scope and audience, the group envisions a creative synergy where each meets students at different developmental stages while addressing integrated aspects of health and wellness that affect Steward as a whole. Their broad definition of community
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health includes social-emotional learning, character development, physical and mental health, and community engagement. These health topics have been a part of Steward’s curriculum for years, already discussed in Ms. Petrie’s advisory and Ms. McCoy’s freshman seminar, which every freshman takes for one marking period and is now in its fifth year. She described the class as an opportunity to prepare students to learn how to make and keep friends, hone their verbal and nonverbal communication skills, handle conflict, and develop resilience. “Anxiety is so prevalent with students,” Ms. McCoy said. “The wellness skills we learn in freshman seminar will set them up for success now and later in life.” Mrs. Marchant’s work brings a character education role back to the Lower School that had been a long-time part of programming but was open last year. Merging research from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) with feedback from student and faculty surveys, her year-long curriculum interweaves five specific domains: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. “We cover a lot of ground, from resilience to selfregulation to diversity to empathy,” she said. “Those
SPA RTAN S POTLI G H T COMMUNITY HEALTH AND WELLNESS TEAM
can be abstract concepts for Lower School students, but we scaffold them for each age group in ways that make sense to them. For instance, resilience for fifth graders may mean dealing with interpersonal conflict, while for our five-year-olds it might mean learning to ride their trainingwheel bikes.” Settling into his new position at Steward, Mr. Lowery spends a lot of his time working one-on-one with Middle and Upper School students and teachers. A major goal of his is to find tools for assessing what each student is passionate about, then helping them use those passions to better the world around them through service learning opportunities. He said formal assessments can give glimpses into the community at large while also moving students toward action. “I’ve recognized there’s a universal hunger for people to feel included and safe, where people can be who they really are,” he said. “But at the same time, we notice that students want accountability, something that gives guidelines for how to care for each other and themselves.” Ms. Khalife is in her second year at Steward, working with students on concepts of health education, specifically physical and mental wellness. “I’m a big proponent of ‘finding your flow,’” the former mental health counselor said. “In class, that means giving space for students to vocalize and practice coping skills they already have as well as learning new techniques. We also spend a few minutes each period decompressing together, whether it’s through conversation, stretching, playing games, or staying hydrated.” When asked how Steward’s strategic plan has impacted her curriculum, Ms. Khalife pointed to the school’s development of wellness spaces around campus, the result of an ad-hoc committee on which both she and Mrs. Marchant sit. She also mentioned investments in
yoga mats, straps, and blocks that make mindfulness more comfortable and accessible, as well as bringing to campus speakers like Chris Andrews of Let’s Talk, who promotes the mindful use of technology.
Tiffany Goodman, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator
Mrs. Goodman’s prior career in mental health counseling, social-emotional teaching, and culturally-responsive training gives her a broad foundation for serving as a thought leader and supportive resource for students, faculty, and staff on DEI discussions. The field of DEI, Mrs. Goodman explained, is influenced by a wide range of issues that improve student learning and outcomes, and falls right in line with her passion for “serving the underserved.” “This position touches on social and economic differences, what students do and don’t have access to at Steward and why, and diversity and differences in how certain individuals or people groups are treated and why,” she said. “This can enhance the opportunities and experiences of everyone on campus.” Individually, each of the team members serves as a point person and mentor for different age groups, from junior kindergarten up to faculty and staff. But together, the team’s combined and sustained focus on community health sets the precedent for what Steward wants to be in the lives of our students and families: a healthy, warm, and relationship-based place, where students can grow and thrive.
Rashad Lowery, Coordinator of
Campus Life and Community Stewardship
Kris Marchant, JK and LS Character Education Teacher
Mr. Lowery states: “Our overarching goal is innovative education, care for the community, and care for the self.” Mrs. Marchant believes that’s no small feat, but that the team is the right group for the job. “Each of us brings a different puzzle piece to the table,” she said. “Different experiences, education, and backgrounds. And all of that combines to make a pretty full picture of community health.”
Michelle Khalife, Health and Wellness Coordinator
COV E R S TORY
COMPASS
2022
GUIDING STEWARD FORWARD
This year, Steward’s strategic plan has changed the way our students thrive, our faculty connects, and our community grows.
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COVER S TOR Y
The Steward School created a strategic plan, Compass 2022, to define and prioritize the vision we have for the school’s future and carry us through Steward’s 50th anniversary. In it, we named five key areas in which we would like to grow as a community, to inspire pride in and commitment to Steward while enhancing the experience for all of our students, alumni, families, and partners. These initiatives, which in many ways overlap with and reinforce one another, are supported by discrete milestones and guideposts that ensure our commitments remain focused and progress continues to move forward. Our capital campaign, Steward50, will help bring about the realization of the strategic plan, as it will provide the financial security necessary to bring our dreams for Steward’s future to life. In the next pages, we are excited to showcase some of the ways Compass 2022 has already impacted our community for the better.
Steward for Learning CREATIVITY AND COMPLEXITY By the time our students graduate, they will be fluent in the language of innovation, whether it’s programming digital devices, using design thinking to develop products that meet real needs, or using systems thinking to understand the interconnectedness of all that we do. Moreover, Steward’s emphasis on entrepreneurship and growth mindset encourages students to embrace the unknown and express their innovations in an accessible manner. However, to truly master these skills, students need early exposure and consistent practice. Four years ago, a cross-divisional group of Steward’s math teachers embarked on a unique professional development journey that would change the course of math teaching and learning at Steward forever. The group took an online course with Dr. Jo Boaler, a Stanford professor and leader in the field of mathematics education. One big takeaway from the course was that the “traditional” approach to teaching math was not meeting the needs of students today. Another was the idea that mistakes make your brain grow. The group of teachers was so inspired that they invited Dr. Boaler to share her ideas with the entire school community. Her visit, as a Bryan Innovation Lab Visiting Innovator, was transformative. As Lower School Director Ingrid Moore explains it, the Lower School quickly shifted to building math confidence and skill through a more flexible approach that included embracing mistakes, celebrating creativity, and working towards a deeper and more meaningful number sense and mathematical literacy than a traditional math curriculum can provide. Lower School Academic Dean Becky Groves says the success of this approach to math is reflected in higher standardized testing scores, and she also sees an important cultural shift happening in the Lower School. “Now you hear children saying, ‘I’m a mathematician!’ That’s how we know something is working.” Lower School Math Coach Beverley Fox was an early adopter of the growth mindset approach to math after participating in Dr. Boaler’s first online course. Using this framework, Mrs. Fox provides students with journals that are filled with dozens of
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unique word problems. But instead of promoting timed tests and rote memorization, the journals challenge students to expand the number and types of strategies they employ to conceptualize math problems. “Getting the problem right is not the most important issue,” Mrs. Fox said. “Understanding the numbers, finding a way to solve that works best for them, and articulating how they approach math are the important skills in math journals.” In Steward’s Lower School, teachers want to build confidence and introduce higher order thinking at a young age so that students can practice strategies that can be applied to any range of math situations. Group discussions, or “math talks,” are an integral part of the process. In every grade, you will see children sitting in a circle and sharing with the class how they solved a problem. At this point, teachers haven’t said the correct answer. But students are all happy to share with each other, and often learn by seeing a classmate’s process. Mrs. Fox says students as young as five and six already hold internalized beliefs about being innately good or bad at math. Steward’s approach to teaching and learning pushes back against those beliefs, encouraging students to play with math in experimental, individualized ways, and to see that everyone can achieve high levels of math. “Sometimes they arrive at the correct answer in a way I’ve never seen in my 30 years of teaching,” she said. “To me, that’s the exciting part.”
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Steward for the Individual ATTENDING TO THE WHOLE PERSON Steward has long valued care for the individual, in that we purposefully build and protect supportive spaces for faculty and students to become the best versions of themselves. But we also recognize that modern challenges such as 24/7 web connectivity, a fractious political climate, and uncertainty about the future contribute to increased levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout—barriers to overall wellness. “We have a lot of kids that are dealing with this in silence because they’re embarrassed or they think people are going to judge them and not believe them,” Jennifer Rothman, senior manager for youth and young adult initiatives for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, told The New York Times in 2019.¹ At Steward, we believe it is our role as educators to help students invest in their own well-being. To do that, we acknowledge their struggles while also teaching self-care skills that are structured, evidencebased, time-efficient, engaging, and empowering. In reviewing 28 empirical studies published between 2001 and 2013, The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools found strong evidence that schoolbased behavioral health interventions contribute to higher grades, better time management, improved problem-solving skills, and lower rates of violence and absenteeism.²
Inspired by the strategic plan’s commitment to fostering a balanced community, Health and Wellness Coordinator Michelle Khalife has introduced a new curriculum centered on teaching positive behavioral skills. “In the past, health education was very fear-based,” Ms. Khalife said. “The programming was content driven but didn’t focus much on the skills necessary for students to address the problems they were being introduced to.” She gave the example of the “Just Say No” campaign from the 1980s, which intended to prevent substance abuse and the effects of peer pressure by reminding youth to “just say no” but failed to promote actionable solutions—in this case, refusal skills. Flipping that model on its head, Ms. Khalife’s health education class begins with teaching integral life skills like communication, active listening, and empathy that can then be applied to a wide range of situations. To teach refusal skills, for instance, Ms. Khalife has her students produce original skits that come from the source material of their own experiences. “Now they can pair a usable skill to the problem we’re learning about and practice responses in a safe place,” she said. Thus far, students’ reactions to the skills-based health curriculum have been encouraging. “Going through different topics in class such as substances and human sexuality showed me that my awareness of them is part of my well-being,” one student wrote in their end-of-semester reflection paper. “I
COVER S TOR Y also learned that health is a state of mindfulness of everything around you, such as being aware of social situations and norms. Learning about these situations in class definitely altered my view on what it means to be healthy.” Ms. Khalife said the impact of a skills-based health curriculum lies outside the classroom, determined by the choices students make in the real world. That proving ground is much larger than an end-ofsemester test. But, she remains optimistic. “It’s like planting seeds,” Ms. Khalife said. “We won’t fully know how it affects students for many years, but at least we know the seed was planted.”
Steward for All STRENGTH IN DIVERSITY We expect that all members of the Steward community—students, faculty and staff, administration, parents, and trustees—keep their minds and hearts open to difference as a source of strength and a means of growth for the entire community. That language comes directly from Steward’s Diversity and Inclusion Statement, and it forms the core of our commitment to celebrating diversity inside and outside of our community. Fostering diversity makes sense intuitively; society is the sum of our variations. While there will always
be more ways to be inclusive, we believe our community is prepared to do the work of nurturing differences in race, ethnicity, gender expression, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, culture, religion, and family structure, as well as diversity of perspectives, skills, learning styles, and expertise. “Time and time again, diverse groups out-perform homogenous groups,” said Dr. Katherine Phillips, Paul Calello Professor of Leadership and Ethics and senior vice dean of Columbia Business School.³ In hundreds of controlled experiments, she and other researchers have found that teams are more likely to share unique perspectives and skills when differences among them are visible. In an increasingly globalized workplace, it is crucial that students develop an understanding of and appreciation for difference. To make difference more visible, our community celebrated the first annual Cultures of Steward Potluck and Cultural Fair on October 4. World language teacher Jen Blanco, who helped create and promote the event, says it evolved out of another Lower School tradition. “For years, we have held a Hispanic Heritage Celebration in Lower School during the school day,” Mrs. Blanco said. “This year, we wanted to create a schoolwide event that could bring together Lower, Middle, and Upper School and celebrate the rich diversity in our Steward community.”
The potluck featured dishes, cultural artifacts, and activities from more than 20 countries and drew in a crowd of students and families across each of Steward’s three divisions. Steward parent Paul Yoon led an energetic Japanese Taiko drum demo, and Shreya Natarajan ’25 led attendees in an Indian dance. Families helped themselves to many dishes from around the world, including varenyky from the Ukraine, Korean chap chae noodles, gumbo from the southern United States, Columbian empanadas, German cake for dessert, and more. Participants also had the opportunity to browse artwork, money, dolls, flags, and clothing on display from all across the globe. Steward knows that commitment to diversity goes hand-in-hand with an intentional effort to support different groups within our community as they represent themselves in the ways that make sense to them. The Steward Potluck and Cultural Fair is one promise to students, families, and alumni that we agree with writer Randa Abdel-Fattah when she writes that “We are, at almost every point of our day, immersed in cultural diversity: faces, clothes, smells, attitudes, values, traditions, behaviours, beliefs, rituals,” and that we will continue to learn about and celebrate the cultures that comprise our Spartan family.⁴
“This year, we decided to create a schoolwide event that could bring together all the divisions and celebrate the rich diversity in our Steward community.” – Jen Blanco, Steward World Language Teacher
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Steward for Community MEANINGFUL PARTNERSHIPS Although Steward aspires to national recognition among independent schools, we never take for granted the wonderful local community we call home. Richmond and its surrounding areas form a hotbed of food and arts culture, cutting-edge startups, and educational institutions that offer unique opportunities for students to learn in new, exciting ways. But Richmond also faces pressing challenges—food access, endemic poverty, and affordable housing among them—requiring innovative solutions. We believe the Steward community is poised to address these and other issues in partnerships with key stakeholders that are symbiotic and sustainable.
“I liken it to gardening,” Ms. Jamieson said. “We’ve been trying to create rich, fertile soil for partnerships and opportunities that help support the mission of the school and the Bryan Innovation Lab, to bring forth people who can help inspire kids to improve our world.” For years, Ms. Jamieson had hoped to bring a truly once-in-a-lifetime speaker to The Steward School: former NFL player and NASA astronaut Leland Melvin. With the assistance of Virginia STEM coordinator Chuck English and the Science Museum of Virginia, Ms. Jamieson formed in-roads with Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Richmond to finally make that happen on October 10, specifically citing the help of VCU STEM scholar Dr. Al Byers and Dr. Andrew Daire, dean of VCU’s School of Education.
"We need to be engaged with real-world things and looking at a much bigger picture than our campus because that’s the lens our students should be looking through for the rest of their lives." – Cary Jamieson, Director of the Bryan Innovation Lab
Cary Jamieson has been making connections with local, national, and international partners for six years in her role as director of Steward’s Bryan Innovation Lab. Some of those partnerships are ongoing, like those with the James River Association and Shalom Farms. Others are still growing and may require years of work before culminating in an event or program. But that’s all part of her plan.
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Dr. Daire introduced Mr. Melvin at Steward as our first Bryan Innovation Lab Visiting Innovator of the year. He spoke to a crowd of Steward students and families, as well as 150 Richmond Public Schools students from Chimborazo Elementary School and Fairfield Elementary School. “Part of my role is to make sure our future teachers have the knowledge and teaching skills to work
with students from all backgrounds, ethnicities, and economic levels so that we can ensure every student has the opportunity for a wonderful education similar to what students get here at The Steward School,” Dr. Daire said. “This event is bringing together a collaboration that does just that.” Mr. Melvin’s presentation, titled “The Right Stuff Is the Never Give Up Stuff,” incorporated autobiographical photos, videos, and stories that chronicled his growth from precocious child scientist to NASA-trained space explorer. Themes of resilience and inspiration served as a backdrop to Mr. Melvin’s day on campus, which also included hand-made rockets launched over Steward’s athletic fields by students and faculty. Steward parent Suzanne Shaia noted how Mr. Melvin’s story impacted her and all three of her children. “What spoke to me the most is that Mr. Melvin did not have one goal in his life that he worked hard to reach, but that he has followed his own path and achieved many amazing things along the way,” she said. Ms. Jamieson affirmed the impact of Mr. Melvin’s visit by saying, “We need to be engaged with real-world things and looking at a much bigger picture than our campus because that’s the lens our students should be looking through for the rest of their lives.”
Steward for Life FOREVER BELONGING At Steward, we join together as a community to prepare students for what lies beyond graduation. The student experience means engaging in
COVER S TOR Y opportunities that prepare them to be anything from entrepreneurs to productive problem solvers and to find success in their own unique ways. Over half of alumni organizations say that lack of engagement is the primary reason why members don’t stay committed.⁵ To keep our community thriving, we know it’s crucial to increase—and sustain—the number of connections Steward graduates have to the school and each other. Dan and Sally Caldwell (pictured right), who have sent all four of their children through the school, agree. Mr. Caldwell had worked with Spartan Club founder Ray Tate on fundraising projects for the University of Richmond, and it was Mr. Tate who recommended that the Caldwells send their kids to Steward. They both described how they felt a sense of pride in getting involved as parents. Mr. Caldwell gravitated toward fundraising, eventually chairing Steward’s previous capital campaign, and is now serving his second term on Steward’s Board of Trustees. Mrs. Caldwell began her long history volunteering with the school as a Lower School room parent, adding more roles as the Caldwell children grew, such as serving on the Spartan Club Board. “I always tell my kids to make a difference in everything they do,” Mr. Caldwell said. “We feel like Steward allows parents to set that example for our kids, too. We have the ability to make a difference here and be seen and recognized for hard work.” Mrs. Caldwell believes a large part of her children’s success came from their exposure to new activities at Steward. “They’ve taken cooking and knitting classes, pursued wilderness leadership education opportunities, excelled in different sports, and put themselves out there,” she said. “Steward encourages that type of experimenting, and I think that’s why our kids are confident to take risks and follow their passions wherever they lead.” It’s no wonder, then, that each of the four Caldwell children have found success in their own unique ways. After playing Division III soccer at Washington and Lee University and graduating from University of Virginia with a degree in cognitive science, Andrew Caldwell ’13 is currently pursuing his
master of science in business management from the Wake Forest University School of Business, where he serves as a Bern Beatty Scholar—an award that comes with a full-tuition scholarship. Luke Caldwell ’15 is in his senior year at James Madison University, majoring in philosophy, minoring in political science, and considering a graduate program in business management for nonbusiness majors when he graduates. Jack Caldwell ’18 continued honing his soccer skills after Steward with a gap year playing at the TOVO Academy in Barcelona, a move that proved to pay off; he’s now playing Division I soccer at Loyola University Maryland. Lilly Caldwell ’24, following in Jack’s footsteps, spent this January in Spain at the TOVO Academy working on soccer and Spanish-language immersion, though she’s also an accomplished tennis player. As alumni like Andrew, Luke, Jack—and one day Lilly—gain wisdom from their life adventures, they join our growing network of talented alumni who have something to offer current Steward students and one another. Steward for Life is about creating exciting opportunities for alumni to impact future generations of Spartans by sharing their college, work, and life experiences in ways that can inspire our students to pursue their dreams. We also hope that our alumni will help one another to continue learning and growing beyond their time at Steward, and we are working to create meaningful experiences for alumni to connect. As Steward approaches its 50th anniversary, our alumni will help lead us in how to better inspire and care for the students and alumni we serve.
REFERENCES 1. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/24/health/oregon-mental-health-days.html 2. http://healthinschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/CHHCS_2014-Annotated-Bibliography-FINAL1.pdf 3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHStHPQUzkE 4. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-24/abdel-fattah-multicultural-christmas/4439612 5. https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/263750/2017%20VAESE%20General%20Session%20Webinar%20vf. pdf?t=1502144648897
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IN O UR COM M U N I T Y: ALU MNI
“What I See Is Progress” Lt. Col. Matthew Smith '88 recalls old memories on a new campus
"I shouldn't be alive," says Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Smith '88. He's not exaggerating. A military leader serving almost three decades with the Tennessee Army National Guard, Smith can regale you with harrowing encounters he experienced while defending our nation overseas. One comes from his time in Iraq during the country's first free election in 35 years. He was escorting an election official home the evening before votes were cast when his truck hit a roadside bomb, detonating it. Come sunrise, he resumed his support duties as if nothing had happened. "People didn't want the election to happen, but I believe in voting and freedom," LTC Smith said. LTC Smith—who dropped by the Steward campus over the summer while touring colleges with his oldest son, William—recently returned from his military post as Commander of the Combat Training Center (CTC) Branch of the Joint Multinational Training Center in Yavoriv, Ukraine. There, he assisted the State Department in training the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in NATO standards. Born and raised in Richmond's Ginter Park, LTC Smith spent ten years at another local
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independent school before joining Steward in his sophomore year. This Spartan made an impression from the start, excelling in theatre, tennis, soccer, basketball, swimming, and dance. He eventually won both the 110 Percent Award and the James Wilson Trainor Award as a senior. Today, LTC Smith can still roll off a litany of Steward faculty, past and present, who shaped him during his formative teenage years. "My three years at Steward changed me forever. Paul Cramer was unbelievably helpful, and Carolyn Brandt did a lot for me as well. Catesby Jones...he'll probably tell you some horror stories about me, but I think I turned out okay," he said, grinning. "Neil Turnage—we still call him 'Coach,' even my sister who never played under him." LTC Smith now lives with his wife and three sons in Tennessee. Coming home to Richmond, where his parents still live in the same Ginter Park home in which he was raised, is something of a treat. "What I see is progress," he said, looking out over the campus that is nearly unrecognizable compared to the one he remembers from the 1980s. "I'm glad Steward is honoring Mrs. [Helen] Dixon's vision of a small school while still moving forward. It's really stayed true to its core." He describes that core as a close-knit "family" atmosphere among students and staff.
LTC Smith's page in the 1988 edition of The Corinthian—his senior yearbook—captures a young man in search of good times shared with friends, family, and community. His inscription is packed with inside jokes, personal asides to classmates, and fond glimpses of daily life at Steward from over thirty years ago. "Yes, Kate, I'm laughing at you," reads one. "Cary and Bill's battles in pre-cal," reads another. His tongue-in-cheek senior quote pays homage to Garfield the Cat: "I'm easy to get along with as long as everything goes my way." That sentiment stands in sharp contrast to the man who built his career by rolling with the punches. LTC Smith says he's "in the business of risk-taking." For him, correctly predicting how a decision will play out is the exception, not the rule. Yet it is this very same embrace of the unknown that has fueled his ability to find success in strange, often dangerous environments. "We live in a country where you can fail at something big and then, 10 minutes later, everyone has forgotten. That's one of the few benefits of the 15-minute news cycle," he said. "Give yourself the opportunity to bounce back from defeat, and who knows what you will achieve."
IN O U R CO M M UNI T Y: ALUMNI LETTER FROM THE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE
STEWARD CONNECTS
Dear Spartan Alumni, As The Steward School’s 50th anniversary approaches, our strategic plan, Compass 2022, is guiding our work in the Development Office. One of the five key focus areas of the strategic plan is building an alumni movement, which is why we are focusing our efforts on connecting alumni to current Steward families and reuniting Steward alumni with one another. At the beginning of the school year, Steward’s alumni engagement team—consisting of Director of Development Shawn Morrison, Alumni Engagement Coordinator Robin (Oliff) Doane, and me—
5 THINGS YOU CAN ACCESS ON THE ALUMNI WEBPAGE STEWARDSCHOOL.ORG/ALUMNI
established specific goals that would help us more deeply engage our alumni community. • First, we would like to partner with our alumni community to further our mission of preparing students for college and for life. Now that Steward has graduated more than 1,000 Spartans, our alumni community is uniquely positioned to play a major role in advancing Steward’s mission. Alumni have the opportunity to serve as role models for our current students and to illustrate the many directions a student’s path could take after Steward. • Second, our team seeks to gather accurate contact information for all of our alumni. Ensuring that we have current contact information will not only increase efficiency as we strive to make significant connections among alumni, but will also help determine the best ways for our alumni to be involved with the Steward community. • Third, we hope to use the contact information that we gather to create a thriving network of Steward alumni who help each other strive for success beyond their time at Steward. We want our alumni to forever benefit from being a Spartan, which includes helping our alumni community support each other to reach their personal and professional goals.
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.
ALUMNI EVENTS Check out our comprehensive list of all of the upcoming alumni events in 2020. 2
3 ATHLETIC CALENDAR Stay updated about dates when you can come see your Spartans playing hard on the fields, courts, or in the pool.
Steward’s Alumni Association board has also been working hard this year to help us meet these goals. The board recently updated its bylaws to emphasize effective communication with the alumni community and guarantee the presence of class representatives on the board. This year, the board also plans to review and make improvements to Steward’s reunion program. With building an alumni movement as a key focus of Steward’s strategic plan, our community has much to look forward to. The future is bright for our alumni and our current students who will one day join our alumni network. If you would like to learn more about getting involved with our alumni movement, or would like to update us with your current information, please reach out to me at Jenn.Downey@stewardschool.org.
Jenn Downey | Development Associate
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. 4
5 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.
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IN O UR COM M U N I T Y: ALU MNI
Former Student and Teacher Team Up at Financial Conference Since founding Mehta Financial Group, LLC, InvestmentNews has recognized Mr. Mehta as a “Top 40 Under 40” Financial Advisor and awarded him a Rising Star Award. In addition, he has been featured on the cover of Proactive Advisor Magazine and featured by several local and national publications such as CNBC, USA Today, CBS MarketWatch, Yahoo Finance, and The Richmond Times-Dispatch. Mr. Mehta is also the recipient of the Financial Planning Association’s Diversity Scholar Award for serving diverse communities and has been honored with the Young Alumni Achievement Award from Florida State University.
I AM A
STEWARD: DIVAM MEHTA ’01 Divam Mehta ’01’s interest in a finance career began in Steward’s Upper School with teacher Steve Kautz. He’s had a prolific career since graduation, and last summer he and Kautz teamed up to share their joint knowledge at the Maine Jump$tart Coalition’s Fostering Financial Education in Maine Schools Conference. Beginning his career as a research analyst and serving as a portfolio manager for a wealth management and investment advisory firm, Mr. Mehta launched Mehta Financial Group, LLC in 2010 in order to guide individuals and families along their financial journey by designing dynamic, actionable, and organic financial plans.
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What was it like presenting at the Fostering Financial Education in Maine Schools Conference?
I had a fantastic experience. I was a guest speaker for two sessions: "Socially Responsible Investing" and "The Basics of the Stock Market." Mr. Steve Kautz, my former economics teacher from Steward 18 years ago, invited me to be a part of this great event. Mr. Kautz, along with being a consultant for Jumpstart and former Educator of the Year in Maine, is responsible for recruiting speakers across the country to be a part of the event. Being the tenth anniversary for the conference, he suggested that it would be a great experience for all attendees that a former student would be a guest speaker. It was an empowering and inspirational moment for the educators who were in attendance as they could visualize that they are absolutely having a positive impact in their students’ lives.
How did you get into the area of personal finance, and what draws you to the field?
I believe that everyone deserves an opportunity to control their own financial destiny instead of relying on happenstance. Often, however, they
lack the specific skillset to create a disciplined plan to achieve their financial goals with confidence. Being a first-generation immigrant from India, I have seen the hardships that the lack of financial guidance can cause. My family and I moved to the United States when I was very young. Upon arriving to an unknown land, my family and I faced countless obstacles: cultural assimilation, language, and financial illiteracy. Without proper financial guidance, many immigrant families’ aspirations often descend into chaos since they have close to zero assets and aren’t familiar with the United States’ financial structure. Experiencing this within my own community, I chose to become a financial planner in an attempt to help my community members understand and benefit from the U.S. tax structure, investment landscape, and available financial solutions.
What was the inspiration behind the session “The Stock Market for Teachers and Their Students”?
Mr. Kautz suggested it. We both thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to do a joint session—a former teacher and student together! The session sought to provide a blueprint for educators of why teaching the basics of the stock market is important to students, as well as how to do it. I had my first exposure to the market in my economics class taught by Mr. Kautz. Along with learning about fundamental macro and micro economic analysis, Mr. Kautz also incorporated the Stock Market Game in order to provide students a glimpse into the investment landscape. During the session, we discussed why learning about the market is important, some basic investing strategies, and the long-term outlook on how it provides students the confidence to make informed financial decisions in the future.
IN O U R CO M MUNI T Y: ALUMNI Gracie Goodpasture ’19 collected accolades left and right while she attended Steward, and her first year since graduating is no different. Earlier this fall, Gracie received news that she was one of just ten Girl Scouts across the United States awarded the National Gold Award, the organization’s highest honor.
According to the Girl Scouts website, “the National Gold Award is given to Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors whose Gold Award projects demonstrated extraordinary leadership, had a measurable and sustainable impact, and addressed a local challenge related to a national and/or global issue.” Gracie Goodpasture '19—who is in her freshman year at Roanoke College, where she’s planning to study biology with a minor in Spanish and is also enrolled in the Honors Program—was selected for the National Gold Award in large part for her work with sustainable eating, specifically her longtime interest in chickens. Her passion for poultry began in third grade while working on her expert project
Gracie Goodpasture ’19 Wins Girl Scouts’ Highest Honor at Steward, during which she was in contact with Perdue Farms and its chairman, CEO Jim Perdue. By eighth grade, she had invented her own breed of chicken, later focusing her Girl Scout Gold Award project on designing a sustainable food curriculum with Steward’s Lower School teachers and building a mobile chicken coop for four chickens that were incubated at Steward under Gracie’s care. “It’s been a few years now, and the kids love watching the chickens they’ve named grow up,” Gracie wrote in an article for the Girl Scouts. “They really understand the importance of being respectful of the animals and feel good about raising them in a healthy and humane way.” Winning the National Gold Award means Gracie will spend the next year as one of the Girls Scouts’ public faces, representing them in commercials, public service announcements, and traveling across the country speaking at various conferences and events. In October, Gracie traveled to New York City to speak at the United Nations’ “Girls Speak
Up” conference, and even appeared on The Today Show in celebration of the International Day of the Girl. “My family is so full of gratitude for everything that Steward has done for Gracie,” Gracie’s mom, Melanie Goodpasture, said. “We’re incredibly proud that we chose a school with core initiatives that worked in tandem with and fed her passions, and grateful that the Steward community is committed to living its stated mission.” Molly T. Fuller, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia, praised Gracie on her award “for her leadership in addressing a community challenge in such an innovative way.”
Scan here to read more about the National Gold Awards and Gracie’s work on the Girl Scouts website.
2019 Alumni Achievement Award Winner Shares His Secret for How to Do Anything
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STEWARD: TED BENSON ’01 Dr. Ted Benson ’01 was honored with Steward’s Alumni Achievement Award at Convocation on August 29, 2019.
Dr. Benson is currently the Head of Machine Intelligence at Instabase, a fast-growing enterprise data automation company in San Francisco. He earned his Doctorate and a Master of Science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where his research sat at the intersection of machine learning and humancomputer interaction. Dr. Benson’s research at MIT turned into a company, Cloudstitch, which was acquired by Instabase after launching out of Y Combinator and running for three years. Though Dr. Benson could not attend Convocation in person, he did speak to attendees via an inspiring pre-recorded video message. In it, he boldly
claimed that he could teach attendees how to do anything in 10 minutes. The secret, Dr. Benson said, is simple: "No matter what you're doing, always just put in a little more effort every single time." "Giving a little more effort in everything you do is a habit; it's not a goal. It’s something you can build into who you are. And that’s why it works every time," he said.
Scan here to watch Dr. Benson’s full Convocation address.
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Elise Taylor ’15 Enrolls in London-Based Veterinary College Taylor to practice as a licensed doctor in the United States. She said a previous study abroad opportunity at the University of Glasgow in Scotland influenced her decision to return to the U.K. When Elise Taylor ’15 completed her third-grade expert project on becoming a veterinarian, she wasn’t thinking about a future career. Over the years she considered becoming a biology teacher, a lawyer, or even a historian. But eventually she found her way back to caring for animals, and is now pursuing her passion full-time.
“When I discovered that there were vet schools in the U.K. that were accredited by the American Veterinary Association, it seemed like the perfect opportunity not only to travel, but to gain insight into different perspectives on veterinary medicine that could help me become the best veterinarian I can be,” she said.
After graduating from Christopher Newport University this past spring, Ms. Taylor enrolled in the Royal Veterinary College’s (RVC) five-year Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine program in London. The program was recently ranked the top veterinary program in the QS Rankings and will prepare Ms.
Ms. Taylor said that what excites her most about the RVC program is that it offers a broader view of animal health than other schools she considered. Outside of the expected clinical rotations, RVC requires students to complete 12 weeks of handson animal husbandry during their first two years
Ally Dods ’16 Stars in “Twelfth Night”
focusing on general animal health and welfare, interacting with animals outside of a clinical setting, and more. “We spend two weeks at a dairy farm, two weeks at a pig placement, two weeks lambing—where we get to help farmers with the birthing process during Easter—and two weeks at an equine placement. The final four weeks we can spend with exotic animals or in a placement of our choice!” Ms. Taylor said. Ms. Taylor says the biggest challenge thus far has been the level of independence expected of her as a student. “There isn’t any hand-holding or monthly assignment to assess your progress,” she said. “But everyone here is truly driven and always has their sights set on the future. While it is all a bit overwhelming, it makes for an extraordinary environment to learn in.”
Although it was her last show at James Madison University (JMU), Ally Dods ’16 had a blast playing the role of Olivia in “Twelfth Night: A Musical Adaptation” in October. JMU’s School of Theatre and Dance, under the direction of Broadway veteran Jacob Brent, updated Shakespeare’s classic story with original jazz-funk songs and a new setting. “Olivia, in this production, is really dramatic and intense but in a silly way,” Ally said. “I don't often get to play characters who are big and bold, so I had a lot of fun exploring that!” JMU’s musical adaption sets the play in 1920s New Orleans during a 12-night Mardi Gras celebration. According to Ally, the cast, featuring 22 musical theatre and theatre students, rehearsed five to six days a week from August until mid-October to perfect their performances. “It was really cool to get to perform for large, sold-out crowds,” she said. “The audiences got invested in the fun of the show, and it was really gratifying to hear them laugh and applaud.” Ally appeared in her first stage performance at 8 in Christian Youth Theatre’s production of “Annie.” Since then she has appeared in numerous fan favorites including “The Little Mermaid,” “Shrek The Musical,” “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” and “Fiddler on the Roof.” Ally also acted in four productions while at Steward, landing the Leading Player role in “Pippin” during her senior year. “I was so lucky in my time at Steward to have been able to play some really wonderful roles, so I definitely came into college prepared to handle the responsibilities of being in a large musical,” she said. “Craig Smith and Susan Sanford were incredible teachers and mentors, and both played a large role in my becoming a confident musical theatre student in college.”
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Class Notes
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1 Sandra Antonides ’93 visited
campus from the Netherlands with her family on October 25, 2019. Ryan S. Childress ’05 graduated with a master's degree in history from George Mason University and teaches at Chantilly High School in Fairfax. 2 Class of ’09 held a wellattended tenth reunion at The Steele Group Sotheby's International Realty on Saturday, November 2. Helen Kim ’09 traveled all the way from Korea for the event!
Class of ’14 held their fifth reunion at Väsen Brewing Company on December 21, 2019. Patrick Coker ’10 started a new job as a dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in May 2019.
Allen Edwards ’10 lives in China where he teaches ESL at U&I International Kindergarten and Evergreen School. 3 Lydia Heitman Haley ’15
married Jared Haley on October 14, 2019. Lydia graduated from Shenandoah University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in music therapy. The couple resides in Winchester, VA. 4 Liza Jones ’13 graduated from
Maastricht University with a Master of Arts degree in Arts and Heritage: Policy, Management, and Education. Zach Marino ’10 married Becca Fitz on January 20, 2018 and welcomed their daughter, Miller Laine, on September 10, 2019. Allison Mitchell ’15 got engaged to Mark Tharp ’13 during the 2019 Thanksgiving holiday. Mark is stationed in San Diego, CA with the Navy.
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Meg Montgomery ’05 joined Shaheen, Ruth, Martin & Fonville Real Estate as an agent.
Blair Sutton ’05 married Brock Van Selow on August 31, 2019. Blair and Brock live in Washington, D.C.
5 Blair Oliff Scallion ’10 married Nick Scallion on October 26, 2019. Alumni Kate Farmer ’11 and Beth Farmer-Smith ’09 were attendants. The couple reside in Washington, D.C.
7 JT Wauford ’09 married Liz Salinsky on October 19, 2019. Alumni Drew Coker ’09, Gary LeClair ’10, Joe Rogers ’11, Brock Shiflett ’09, Alexander Tharp ’08, and Jonathan Wauford ’07 were all in the wedding party.
Jackson Pieters ’15 graduated in May from The University of St. Andrew’s in Scotland and moved to London for postgraduate study in international relations and eastern European studies at The University College of London. 6 Glenn Rhodes ’11 and his wife Mackenzie welcomed their first child, Ella Margaret Rhodes, on July 21, 2019.
Carter Shamburger ’05 married Jessica Austin on May 25, 2019.
8 Lexi Wiles ’08 married Jonathan McMann on June 1, 2019. Lexi and Jonathan live in Washington, D.C. 9 Tim Wiles ’08 married Kathleen Giese in October 2018. They currently reside in Richmond, VA.
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
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Trucks & Shucks
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MS/US Grandparents Day
Visiting Innovator Leland Melvin
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Ray Tate Spartan Golf Classic
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Thanksgiving Assembly
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STEWARD FOR LEARNING STEWARD FOR LIFE
Every gift creates a possibility STEWARD FOR COMMUNITY
STEWARD FOR THE INDIVIDUAL
STEWARD FOR ALL
Your Gift Will Help Bring the Vision of Compass 2022 to Life Compass 2022, a strategic plan developed by and for our community, will lead our school proudly toward our 50th anniversary in 2022. This strategic plan will enhance programmatic excellence in five key areas and help create infinite possibilities for our students.
www.stewardschool.org/steward50
The Steward50 campaign supports Compass 2022 through endowment funds. Endowment is one of three fundraising goals within the campaign. • Endowment, which enhances excellence in academics, arts, and athletics, provides support for Variable Tuition and scholarships, and strengthens faculty and staff recruitment and retention. • Campus improvements, including HVAC replacements, colonnade extension, and emergency road access to the athletic fields. • Annual Fund, which supports budgeted school needs for today’s Steward experience
For more information or to make a gift, please contact Director of Development Shawn Morrison at (804) 565-2306 or Shawn.Morrison@stewardschool.org. The Colonnade |
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Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Richmond, VA Permit No. 320
11600 Gayton Road Richmond, Virginia 23238 www.stewardschool.org
A campaign for our community Campaign co-chairs and current parents Larry French and Faisal Qureshi ’92 share why they’re supporting Steward50
“This is a campaign for our children and our families, our present and our future. An investment in Steward50 supports the people and programs that will make a difference in Steward students’ lives, today and in the years to come. As we look forward, I see that our children – and this school – have limitless possibilities. Giving to Steward50 will open the doors to the future for our children.”
“As a current parent and a Steward alum, I have seen through the years that Steward is about more than academics. For my family, Steward means having other families in our lives whom we can count on to be our community. It’s important to me that this is true for my children and also my grandchildren. This is a campaign for all of our families, and all of us have a role to play in supporting it.”
Please consider joining our campaign co-chairs in supporting Steward50. To learn more about Steward50 or make a gift, please contact Director of Development Shawn Morrison at (804) 565-2306 or Shawn.Morrison@stewardschool.org.
www.stewardschool.org/steward50