May 27, 2021 | Vol. 20-21, No. 33 A MESSAGE FROM OUR DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Rudy Brandl '83, Director of Communications, shares many examples of how Creativity Takes Center Stage at this time of the school year in his May blog post. Below is an excerpt:
The end of any school year is filled with many events such as graduations, awards ceremonies and final presentations, yet some of my annual favorites at this time of year are not at all related to receiving a diploma, trophy or grade. This is the time when creativity takes center stage. You'll see creativity everywhere in the W+H classrooms, hallways, stage and athletic fields. Students, artists and athletes, along with their teachers, directors and coaches, are showcasing a virtue that's among the most important within the field of education.
SCHOOL CALENDAR Thursday - May 27, 2021
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM Amphitheater and Courtyard SCHOOL NEWS BUSY JUNE CALENDAR WRAPS UP YEAR With just a few weeks remaining before this year's Commencement Ceremony on June 18, the school calendar is packed with end-of-year events. Concerts, art shows, speeches, awards nights and graduations are among the many events that will fill the next three weeks. Here's a look at some upcoming June events: June 3 – All School Art Show (Virtual) – 7 p.m. June 4 – Cum Laude Society Induction – 11:30 a.m. June 4 – Second Annual Ram Run – various times June 10 – Middle School Sports Awards – 2:15 p.m. June 11 – Rams Recognition Night – 5:30 p.m. JOIN US FOR COOKIN' CABARET TONIGHT Be sure to join us for a very special Cookin' Cabaret! The 12th annual edition of this event is being held outdoors in the amphitheatre for the first time since 2010, its inaugural year. This also marks the first live performance at W+H since the winter concerts in 2019. The event is open to a limited audience of students, who will enjoy barbecue dinner at 6 p.m. and performances beginning at 7 p.m. The event is being streamed live at https://WHschool.org/livestream
To view the program for the 12th annual Cookin' Cabaret, click here GIRLS REPEAT AS STATE PREP CHAMPS The W+H girls' golf team continued its perfect season and repeated as State Prep champs with an exciting victory at last Friday's NJISAA Prep Championships at Peddie Golf Club in Hightstown. The Rams emerged victorious by five strokes over the host school in their most competitive tournament or match of the season. Four Rams placed in the top seven on the par-36 layout. Claire Lu '24 shot 39 to finish third, Grace Lu '22 shot 40 to place fourth, Sarah Shao '24 carded 41 to finish fifth and Jenelle Valera '22 tied for seventh with a round of 42. Annie Gu '23 also competed for the Rams. "I am so proud of my teammates for taking the state championship home," Jenelle said. "Everyone on the team has been working hard by playing in junior tournaments, practicing and taking lessons, and that work has paid off. I'm so proud of how my teammates performed and I'm already looking forward to next season!"
STUDENTS SHINE AT SPRING CONCERT Middle and Upper School students combined to deliver a special night of music at last week's Virtual Spring Concert. The performance was streamed on Facebook Live and Vimeo and attracted more than 800 views and 150 comments between the two platforms. Vocalists and musicians from grades 6-12 participated in 11 ensembles to create 16 pieces of music. Highlights included the opening Let There Be Song by the Sixth Grade Choir, Court Festival by the Seventh and Eighth Grade Band, Take On Me by Upper School MadJazz, A New World Adventure by the Sixth Grade Wind Ensemble, Caprice by the Upper School Concert Band, Jive Samba by the Upper School Jazz Band and the finale, Lovely Day, by the Upper School Concert Choir.
Click here to view a PDF of the program.
Click here to watch the Virtual Spring Concert.
SENIORS ANNOUNCE COLLEGE PLANS Congratulations to the seniors in the Class of 2021 who recently made their matriculation plans official after accepting admission offers from colleges and universities at the May 1 deadline. For the next several weeks, the WHEN will include spotlights on seniors who have made their choices. We begin with Mikayla Cole '21 (pictured), who will be attending Tufts University, where she plans to major in Clinical Psychology. Mikayla found the best of many worlds at Tufts – a strong program in her field of interest, a wonderful college location loaded with opportunities, and a diverse population. "After being accepted into Tufts, I was beyond excited and it immediately became one of my top choices. After I visited, I knew I could see myself spending the next four years there," Mikayla said. "The campus is beautiful, the student and alumni networks are strong and accessible, the internship opportunities are abundant, and the student body is both ethnically and socioeconomically diverse." Mikayla, who has attended W+H since first grade, credits the school with allowing her to be a multidimensional learner and person. She added that the interdisciplinary environment that both W+H and Tufts University provide allow students to explore both their interests and talents freely. Click here to read more about Mikayla and view more college acceptance profiles ALL-SCHOOL ART SHOW ON TAP FOR JUNE 3 Don't miss our first-ever W+H All-School Art Show! Artists from PreK to Grade 12 will proudly display their work in a virtual showcase to be presented on Thursday, June 3. Art teachers Sara McDermott (Lower School), Tanda Tucker (Middle School) and Andrew Sullivan (Upper School) are excited to share their students' work. Click here for a closer look at the event flyer, which includes work from students at all grade levels. Visit the link below and share it with family and friends to enjoy an amazing year of W+H art! The link will go live on June 3 at 7 p.m.
GET SET FOR RAM RUN - JUNE 4 The Wardlaw+Hartridge Board of Trustees is proud to announce the 2nd W+H Ram Run on Friday, June 4. All students are invited and encouraged to participate in this Fun Run/Walk. It is a chance to come together by division and have fun and raise money. The funds raised by this event will help to provide scholarships and grants, purchase new equipment and technology for academics, support athletics, and service learning opportunities and community outreach for our students. This event is open to all students and participation is free. This year's event sponsors are: Columbia Bank, Encon Mechanical Corporation, CQI Water Treatment II LLC, Ray Catena - Mercedes-Benz of Edison, Academy for Education Enhancement, Mr. and Mrs. William K. Jenkins, Dr. Adrian Looney and Dr. Ayesha Sitlani, Dr. Angelica Diaz-Martinez and Mr. Jorge A. Martinez, Mr. and Mrs. Anand Nair, The W+H Desi Moms, Bob Oliwa and Co., Punarjanm Funeral Services, and Needleworker's Delight.
UPPER SCHOOL ATHLETES OF THE WEEK Karl Miran, Athletic Director, announced the Upper School Athletes of the Week. Congratulations to tennis players Scott Greaney '21 and Aarush Dharayan '22. Scott has not lost a set in the division in his dominance at first singles. He reached the quarterfinals at the GMC tournament. As tennis team captain, his leadership in that capacity has fostered a "Can Do" attitude among his teammates. Aarush is undefeated in division matches in his three years on the varsity tennis team. This season, his first year playing in the third singles position, Aarush has not lost a set in the division and reached the quarterfinals in the GMC tournament. His skills as a cross country harrier have transferred well to his prowess as a tennis player. MIDDLE SCHOOL ATHLETES OF THE WEEK Karl Miran, Athletic Director, announced the Middle School Athletes of the Week. Congratulations to baseball player Sebastian Tutela '25 and track and field athletes Charlotte Szczubelek '26 and Abigail Ibironke '25. Sebastian has come up huge for the team this year in picking up a new trade behind the plate at catcher. Despite having never played the position, Sebastian jumped right in when asked, has worked hard at his craft, and has become a dependable and reliable defensive cog on the team. In addition, he also made a critical running, over-the-shoulder catch in left field vs. Pingry last week to save a couple of runs. He has also continued to develop his hitting stroke as the season progresses. Charlotte has been a runner for most of her life. She started with the Girls On The Run program and has been a top performer with the Middle School cross country team and the distance squad on the spring track team. Last Friday, Charlotte added another stellar accomplishment to her resume in the 800-meter run at a meet at Crossroads. Charlotte won the race by a large margin and in doing so broke the 4-year-old Middle School record in the event with a time of 2:51.87. Abigail had a big day at Silver Spike Invitational Meet, recording three personal bests and winning three bronze medals: 100-meter dash (14.04 seconds), 400-meter relay (leadoff leg 1:01.5) and shot put (24 feet, 1 inch). CHECK OUT W+H SUMMER PROGRAMS Wardlaw+Hartridge is offering a robust array of summer programs in 2021! The year's programs include Camp Funshine, Adventure Camp, Brain Boosters Junior Academics, Summer Scholars, Teen Leadership Camp and Summer Sparks Enrichment. Other special camps including Drama, Egypt, Technology and Entrepreneurship, Dungeons & Dragons, and Marine Biology will also be held. To learn more, visit WHschool.org/summer
From the W+H Parents' Association WHPA Sets Final Meeting - June 8 at 7 p.m.
Our final meeting of the year, in which we will conduct a vote on our slate of incoming Executive Board members and subsequently install them into office, will take place virtually on Tuesday, June 8 at 7:00 p.m. Those of us whose terms are expiring are very grateful to the talented, hardworking group that has stepped up to so ably fill our shoes:
Roshanna Bracy, LS VP Ashley Brazoban, LS VP Carly Hamlette, MS VP Youlin Tsai, US VP Vandana Puri, VP of Events Kevin Kornecki, VP of Communications Kerry O'Neill, Secretary Mona Sampathkumar, Treasurer Tracy Donahue, Anita Nair, Shakti Jha and Tiffany Bratts-Maiga, Volunteer Coordinators
We hope you can join us for this important event:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3198110157?pwd=bmUxYXdlMUtUYVFPek53cDN0UVR2UT09
Outgoing and incoming Board members will gather, safely and in person, the following day to begin making plans for the upcoming year. Your input and ideas will be gathered during our virtual meeting to give us a foundation to build upon. In the meantime, we continue to work with the Division Heads on plans to support and honor our students at their various year-end celebrations. 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 May 26, 2021.
Seeking Items to Commemorate Mrs. Susan Howard's Career
Longtime W+H Lower School art teacher Susan Howard retired last summer. Due to the pandemic, the school was not able to celebrate her long, dedicated career at W+H. We are assembling a memory book in Mrs. Howard's honor.
Help Wanted in Lower School Garden
Anyone who's willing to adopt a gardening box or help with the Lower School garden in any way, please contact Katherine Heiss at kheiss@WHschool.org. Ms. Heiss would like to work with a group of dedicated volunteers to be sure the garden survives the summer.
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