February 4, 2021 | Vol. 20-21, No. 19 A MESSAGE FROM OUR DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Rudy Brandl '83, Director of Communications, discusses how Strong Communities Find a Way in his recent blog post. Below is an excerpt:
The word Community is often overused and has become somewhat trite and cliché, especially during these challenging times. Community is one of our school's Core Values and certainly represents a strength of our institution. I have survey data to support that claim – many Wardlaw+Hartridge students, parents, faculty and alumni say that our community is one of the things they love most about the school.
SCHOOL CALENDAR SCHOOL NEWS BLACK HISTORY MONTH EVENTS PLANNED The Wardlaw+Hartridge School will recognize and celebrate Black History Month with events and activities in all three divisions throughout February. In Lower School, literature will be the primary theme as the work of poets, playwrights, novelists and scholars of Black America will be shared. Several authors, including W+H parent April Terrell, mother of second-grader Addison '31, will be featured during Zoom readings. Middle School students will commemorate Black History through spoken word, moderated discussions and biography presentations. Works by Black writers will be shared through spoken word and Student Government and Publications will present posters of inspirational quotes. There will also be panel discussions on racial justice in America. In Upper School, students will share presentations during weekly meetings and daily advisory activities will focus on specific themes, including literature, science and technology, civil rights and the arts. In addition, history classes will integrate material into the curriculum and the Symposium Committee will continue its preparation for the April event. W+H COMMUNITY ENJOYS VIRTUAL IFFN The W+H community enjoyed all the usual ingredients of the traditional International Family Fun Night – great food, entertainment and a showcase of cultural traditions from around the world. Instead of packing into the AP Room on a Friday night, parents, students, faculty and friends participated in this year's event in the comfort of their own homes in a virtual presentation. IFFN 2021 included performances, a fashion show, a dumpling tutorial by our very own Chef Anibal, a calligraphy demonstration and an origami presentation by W+H students. The event also coincided with Week 2 of the six-week International Dinner series, with European delights served to 73 families. To order dinners for the remaining weeks, visit https://e.givesmart.com/events/iQK/i/
To view IFFN '21: The Video, click here
SENIORS GAIN EARLY ACCEPTANCES Congratulations to several seniors in the Class of 2021 who have made their college plans official after accepting Early Decision admission to their No. 1 choices. For the next several weeks, the WHEN will include spotlights on seniors who have earned Early Decision admission. Among the first to receive the good news was Rihan Sajid '21 (pictured), who will be attending Princeton University. Rihan fully understands the tremendous commitment it will take to succeed at one of the nation's finest universities. Rihan did not hesitate in the pursuit of his top choice and credits his college counselor, Ms. Sarah Honan, with keeping him on track during the application process. "I chose Princeton mostly because I love the campus and I know what I'm getting myself into," Rihan said. "Princeton has a beautiful campus and one of the best academic programs in the country, so it was an easy decision." Rihan plans to major in mechanical engineering after developing his passion for engineering during his W+H years.
Click here to read more about Rihan and view more Early Decision acceptance profiles STUDENTS EARN ART RECOGNITION Congratulations to Upper School students Esha Nalla '22, Camila Martinez '21 and Kynise Dixon '21 for earning recognition in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition. Esha received a gold key for the animation she created – Among Us w/Friends – in the Film & Animation category. Cami received a silver and honorable mention award for The Last Pair and Reduce, Reuse, Recycle or Wear, Fashion, respectively. Kynise earned honorable mention for her mixed media work – Natural Evolution Self-Portrait. Gold key recipients automatically qualify for the National Level of recognition. Esha will be in the running for a national award at the online ceremony in early March.
LUNAR NEW YEAR FESTIVITIES ON TAP W+H will hold an abbreviated, COVID-friendly and safe celebration in honor of Lunar New Year on Friday, Feb. 12. Members of the Chinese classes have been working with Ms. Hua Liu, Upper School Mandarin teacher, to prepare the annual cultural event, which will take on a different look this year. The program will include a Dragon Dance, songs, trivia contests and other dances and performances. It will run from 11:25 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. for a limited audience in the Berry Performing Arts Center. Others will be able to watch the celebration on Zoom and participate virtually. FIRST GRADERS LEARN METEOROLOGY First-grade students in the classes of Mrs. Jennifer Molloy and Mrs. Bethany Howell culminated their recent study unit on weather with a virtual field trip and Zoom session with meteorologists Stephen Shiveley and Trent Davis from the National Weather Service Tampa office. The professional meteorologists shared a presentation about extreme weather. They talked about hurricanes, blizzards and tornadoes and showed live videos of storms and how they form. They also discussed safety during these types of storms. To conclude the presentation, the meteorologists opened it up to questions from the first graders and their teachers. 8TH GRADE TWINS WIN GEOGRAPHY BEE The W+H Middle School held its own National Geography Bee challenge this week. Nineteen students, including seven working remotely, participated in the event, which was run by Dr. Corinna Crafton, Middle School Head. There were 31 questions covering physical and cultural geography from around the world. Eighth-graders Arya Chhabra '25 and Shourya Chhabra '25 (pictured) tied for first place, each answering 26-of-31 questions correctly. Ruhee Hegde '25 finished a close second with 25 correct answers. Honorable mention (20-24 correct answers) was awarded to Phoebe Kaplan '25, Anushka Patchigolla '27 and Mackias Ysaac '26. 7TH GRADERS OBSERVE PHASE CHANGES Using science to prove a watched pot does indeed boil, seventh-grade students observed phase changes in matter by measuring the temperature of water from ice to steam. Keeping COVID safety protocols in mind, the students worked in small groups and took on different jobs to observe and communicate the data to each other after predicting what will happen to the temperature after the water reaches boiling. Each student then plotted the data to create and analyze a phase change graph to understand the concept that the temperature of a substance only changes after the phase change is complete.
SENIOR SPEECHES STRESS HARD WORK Four students delivered their senior speeches remotely within the past week as classmates watched on Zoom and in the Berry Performing Arts Center on Jan. 28 and during a rescheduled afternoon meeting on Feb. 3. Many Fan '21 shared a story about her experience about leaving home as an international student and the anxiety associated with being away from family. She's grateful to her parents for their trust, understanding and tolerance and reminded her classmates to keep in touch with their parents when they go away to college. Alex Caiola '21 delivered a motivational speech that encouraged his peers to work hard, keep fighting for what they want, learn from the challenges they face and come back to fight another day. Alex has learned to appreciate the benefits of hard work and how it has made a positive impact on his life. Kevin Yan '21 talked about how grateful he is for the support of his parents, who sent him to the US to study and pursue his dreams. Alex has always loved basketball and also became serious about lacrosse at age 15, when he spent a summer in the US playing on a club team. He thanked his parents, friends and coaches for making him who he is today. Rohan Nihalani '21 shared a message about the benefits of a strong work ethic and avoiding the pitfalls of laziness, excuses and procrastination. He may not be the smartest but always strives to be the hardest working. He tries to improve himself every day and works very hard to maximize his own potential.
WHPA Meeting Tonight - Thursday, Feb. 4
The WHPA monthly meeting is tonight – Feb. 4 at 7:00 p.m. We have lots of exciting news to share about our Spring plans. Please join us! Here's the Zoom link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3198110157?pwd=bmUxYXdlMUtUYVFPek53cDN0UVR2UT09
IFFN Dinners and Other News
Dozens of hungry families are enjoying our International Family Dinners each Thursday. The upcoming week features the flavors of East Asia and will include lots of great info about celebrating the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Ox. Please place your orders for the upcoming week by Noon on Monday, Feb. 8, so Chef Anibal and his talented team have time to source, prep and pack the delicious meal for delivery to your car on Thursday, Feb. 11. Here is the link to order:
https://e.givesmart.com/events/iQK/i/
IFFN '21: The Video debuted last week; in case you missed getting to see our W+H students and their families sharing their talents and cultures here's where to find it:
Watch your snail mail in the coming days: the WHPA is kicking off its WINter 50/50 raffle! Bundles of tickets will be arriving in your actual mailbox with all the instructions you will need to purchase tickets for this fun fundraiser. Be a WINner and support the WHPA! IMPORTANT REMINDERS Giving Thanks for Our Wardlaw+Hartridge Fund Parent Donors
The Development Office would like to thank the W+H community for supporting The Wardlaw+Hartridge Fund. Click here to view a list of W+H parents who have contributed to The 2020-2021 W+H Fund between July 1, 2020 and Feb. 3, 2021.
Order Your 2021 Yearbooks Today!
As the world adjusts to change, one thing that remains constant is the yearbook tradition. This Wardlaw+Hartridge yearbook will document all of the adjustments made during the school year as we all adjust to life in 2020-2021. This yearbook will be one to look back on for generations to come. If you would like to order the 2021 W+H yearbook please follow the link below. The cost is $45 if you order before Friday, January 29.
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