W+H Media Mashup

The Wardlaw+Hartridge School is pleased to present One Stoplight Town as its virtual fall play this year. This full-length play was written by playwright Tracy Wells and the W+H thespians will be the first to produce this new title and premiere the show on Friday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m.

One Stoplight Town is a story about people from a town so small that you might drive through without taking a second look. There are many interesting and entertaining stories and characters in this show.

Leading players include Jason Kisare ’21, John Papetti ’21, Sydney Racine ’23, Brian Machado ’21, Tarun Ravilla ’21 and Neil Shah ’21. 

For more information and to register for free tickets, visithttps://www.onthestage.com/show/the-wardlaw-hartridge-school/%E2%80%A8one-stoplight-town-28511/tickets

The Middle School offered abbreviated two-day after school STEM workshops focused on aerodynamics in the first two weeks of November. Under the guidance of Mrs. Andrea Barnett, Middle School science teacher and Science Department Co-Chair, pondered the question of how the program could offer a hands-on STEM program that would be safe during the pandemic and accessible to both remote and present learners. The answer came from the sky! 

“Aerodynamics allows us the opportunity to solve problems with simple accessible materials and to be socially distant outside,” Mrs. Barnett said. 

The students worked on two different problems in two-day shifts. On day one they created simple parachutes by learning how to fold paper and create geometric shapes. Using the engineering process, they questioned what variables made the "best" parachutes and were inspired by the work of scientists studying the flight of dandelion seeds. Students at home zoomed in to create with us and then tried their parachutes asynchronously.  

On day two, students learned about the Bernoulli principle to understand what causes lift and folded paper into a diverse array of paper airplanes. The resulting models were a tremendous hit as students flew them to discover which went the farthest. 

“The best parts of each day were the heights we were allowed to go to give our creations greater lift!” Mrs. Barnett said.

The W+H girls' soccer team lost its first game of the season to Oak Knoll in the opening round of the state playoffs on Wednesday afternoon. The Rams (7-1) swept through an abbreviated regular season with an undefeated record and unofficial title in the GMC Blue Division. They had outscored their seven victims by a 33-2 margin but dropped a tough 2-1 decision to Oak Knoll in the states.

Oak Knoll scored twice in the first nine minutes of play but the W+H girls carried the play for the rest of the game, scoring with 5:15 remaining in regulation to make the closing moments more dramatic. Student supporters lined the home sideline to support the Rams, who fell just short on a blustery, cold afternoon.

It was the final game for six fantastic W+H seniors: captain Arian Di Landro ’21, Olivia De Sousa ’21, Mikayla Cole ’21, Nyela Liverpool ’21, Samantha Gordon ’21 and 100-goal scorer Bella Wysocki ’21.

New to the Global Scholars Program this year is the Documentary and Discussion Series.  About once a month, GSP candidates will watch a selected documentary on their own time, and then meet with other GSP candidates and Mrs. Nicole Nolan, Director of Global Scholars and Community Outreach, on a weeknight evening to discuss the topics and issues covered in the documentary.  The goal is to have GSP candidates explore issues in meaningful ways during this time of COVID-19, when field trips and guest speakers are not possible.  Each GSP candidate must participate in at least one session. 

In October, students viewed the first episode of Immigration Nation, a six-part series on Netflix about Immigration at the US/Mexican border, current government policies, and the lives of a few select refugees highlighted in the series.  Students discussed their reactions to what they viewed and learned a lot about the immigration experience, as well as the role of border patrol and ICE.  

In November, students viewed The Social Dilemma, a documentary that explores the world of social media and how it has been both beneficial and detrimental to our society. Student discussions focused on the harsh reality of how social media controls our lives, and that the information we receive is designed to create an addiction.  Participants explored the effects on mental health, the exploitation of the general population for financial benefits, and how the information we digest is highly manipulated.

The next GSP Documentary and Discussion will dive into the Netflix documentary 13th, named for the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which abolished slavery.  The documentary is a deep dive into racial inequality in America and how the US prison population is disproportionately African-American.  This will also enhance our Upper School Symposium work and the school’s DEI initiatives that are already ongoing.

Bella Wysocki ’21 made it official by signing her National Letter of Intent to attend Wagner College and continue her outstanding soccer career.

The Wardlaw+Hartridge senior is by far the school's all-time leading scorer with 104 goals. She has also distributed 47 assists in 68 career games for the Rams. Bella broke the previous W+H scoring record in her sophomore year and reached the century mark in the first game of this season back in September. While her senior year has been a modified season due to COVID-19 restrictions, Bella has continued her solid, dominant play and led the Rams to a 7-0 start.

Bella celebrated her signing with an outdoor ceremony and press conference under a tent on a rainy afternoon in the W+H front courtyard on Nov. 11. She was accompanied by her parents, Jim and Raquel, along with sister and teammate Gabby Wysocki '23, W+H head coach Mike Romeo, athletic director Karl Miran and Head of School Andrew Webster. 

"I’m excited to continue in my soccer career and hopefully keep it going and make it to a professional league," Bella said. “I’m excited to keep playing at the highest level. I’m just going to work as hard as I can.”

A natural striker with a powerful left foot, Bella made an immediate splash for the Rams and she’s determined to continue elevating her game to propel the Wagner Seahawks at the next level.

“Bella was prepared when she came here as a freshman,” Coach Romeo said. “Her first game was a hat trick at home against South Plainfield. From that game on, everyone knew who she was. Her development in the game has been tremendous. She’s coming out of here ready to make an impact.”