STUDENTS ATTEND DIVERSITY CONFERENCE
Four Upper School students participated in a Student Diversity Leadership Conference in December. The weeklong online conference was an enlightening experience for W+H students, pictured clockwise from top left, Gbemi Olarewaju '24, Annie Gu '23, Phyllis Liu '23 and Krishna Patel '22.
The SDLC was part of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) People of Color Conference (POCC), which was attended by Ana De León, Associate Director of Admission (see story below).
POCC is the flagship of NAIS's commitment to equity and justice in teaching, learning, and organizational development. The mission of the conference was to provide a safe space for leadership and professional development for people of color, and networking for people of color and allies of all backgrounds in independent schools.
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ANA DE LEON ATTENDS POC CONFERENCE
The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) presented its 35th annual People of Color Conference (POCC), which was held virtually in December. Over 1,500 independent school educators from around the globe participated in workshops, affinity groups, networking opportunities and master classes led by experts in the field of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). This year's POCC guiding theme was Reckoning with Impacts, Rolling with Just Intents, which was centered on "acknowledging responsibility and taking principled action to redress wrongs as a call to character and courage."
Wardlaw+Hartridge's Associate Director of Admission, Ana De León, attended this year's POCC and described the week as "phenomenal, powerful, engaging, empowering and emotional." In addition to several seminars each day, Ms. De León participated in three Master Classes before and after POCC – equity and emotional intelligence, strategic planning for DEIB work and the importance of "street data" – gathering stories to inform why and how DEIB work is so important in schools.
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MATT PICCOLI '23 EARNS
EAGLE SCOUT RANKING
It took longer than expected, but Matt Piccoli '23 is proud to be following in his father's footsteps as an Eagle Scout.
The Wardlaw+Hartridge junior was on track to achieve this milestone about two years ago, but then the pandemic put everything on hold. He had planned for his project to take place in the spring of 2020 but it was pushed back more than a year due to COVID-19. Finally, late in the summer of 2021, Matt was able to complete his project and reach his goal.
"It means a lot," Matt said. "Not many people make it there, but if you do, it is a great accomplishment. My father (Martin) was an Eagle Scout and it was good to keep the tradition going. I know that my hard work has paid off. When I first became a Cub Scout and later a Boy Scout in 2016, I never knew that I would make it to this very high summit."
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MIDDLE SCHOOL MUSICAL SETS CAST
The W+H Performing Arts Department has announced the cast list for the upcoming musical Shrek Junior. Auditions and callbacks were held Dec. 5 and a busy rehearsal schedule began with virtual sessions on Jan. 2 and 3. The Middle School musical is scheduled to be held Saturday, Feb. 12 with performances at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. in the Berry Performing Arts Center.
Aryan Nair '26 will portray Shrek, with Sabela Malki '26 as Fiona and Anousheh Nazir '27 as Donkey. Other leading players include Aarna Vachhrajani '27, Carly Jones '27, Jayda Richter '27, Braelyn Brandl '26, Mohisha Jha '26 and Debra Adetola '26.
Good luck to the cast and crew!
LUKE TAN '24 NAMED TO CJMEA BANDS
On Saturday, December 12, Luke Tan '24 auditioned for the CJMEA Region High School Bands and Orchestra at J.P. Stevens High School in Edison. Out of 30 percussion students in grades 9-12, Luke achieved the second highest audition score on battery percussion and the highest score for timpani, earning him the solo timpani chair in both the Wind Ensemble and Orchestra.
The CJMEA Region High School Orchestra performed at Monroe Township High School last Sunday, January 9 and the CJMEA Region High School Wind Ensemble will perform in the Nicholas Music Center at Rutgers University on Sunday, January 16 at 3 p.m.
MS STUDENTS ENJOY BEING TEACHERS
Middle School students enjoyed the opportunity to share their passion and expertise as a teachers for the day on the final day of classes before Winter Break. The day began with a special Middle School breakfast and was followed by three rotations of offerings, giving the students opportunities to attend multiple sessions.
Topics included Tote Bag Painting, Bracelet Making, Calligraphy, Theatre & Improvisation, Holiday Ornaments, Paper Snowflakes, Soccer Scrimmage & Skills, Psychology & Brain Games, Marvel-Inspired Improv Games, Intro to Python Programming, Hip Hop Dance, Irish Dance, Video Game Strategy, DIY Fairy Jars, Chinese Origami & Trivia, Intro to Public Forum Debate, and Logic & Math Puzzles.
MS TEACHER FOR A DAY PHOTO GALLERY