September 2009 1791 Letter - Berwick Academy
September 2009 1791 Letter - Berwick Academy
September 2009 1791 Letter - Berwick Academy
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<strong>September</strong> <strong>2009</strong><br />
Tenth Day Assembly<br />
<strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>September</strong> <strong>2009</strong><br />
1
I have discovered new empathy<br />
for parents on the first day of school.<br />
As educators, first days of school have<br />
always signified energy, life, enthusiasm,<br />
and meaning. We have chosen a life of<br />
working with students because we love<br />
the exquisite wackiness of kids of all<br />
ages. Our students keep us challenged;<br />
they keep us inspired. They keep us<br />
young. This is the first year when my<br />
own child, Kenna, headed off to her<br />
fi rst school experience. It is a program<br />
for two-year-olds for three half days,<br />
but it is the fi rst time in our family<br />
that she has been away from home in<br />
a regular, structured way. Thus far she<br />
has been raised in the Hayes House,<br />
enveloped by the enriching umbrella<br />
of <strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>, but her world has<br />
suddenly grown exponentially. In the<br />
few weeks heading up to her fi rst day,<br />
I found myself wondering about all of<br />
the things I have experienced with her<br />
in the past two years: What will she do<br />
in school? Will she be scared? Lonely?<br />
Will she act out when we are not there?<br />
Have I been doing enough as a parent<br />
to prepare her?<br />
It has felt ironic acknowledging<br />
these feelings, since for years as a<br />
Director of Admission and Head of<br />
School, I have encouraged people not<br />
to worry, that their kids are resilient,<br />
and that everything will be just fine. Of<br />
course, I know intellectually that all of<br />
that is true, but now I appreciate the<br />
layer of emotion that is inextricably<br />
woven between the professional<br />
educator and the well meaning but, in<br />
my case, slightly anxious parent. I get it<br />
now. In the end, here is what ultimately<br />
gave me the most confidence in my<br />
own child’s situation on her fi rst day of<br />
school: her teachers are exceptional.<br />
They are professionals, and they have<br />
dealt with thousands of children the<br />
age of my daughter. I have come to<br />
embrace the fact that they defi nitely<br />
know more about children Kenna’s age<br />
than I do. This is a good thing. While<br />
I may know a bit more about running<br />
a school, coaching a football team,<br />
or playing the saxophone, I am fairly<br />
safe in admitting that I may not be a<br />
great toddler teacher at this moment.<br />
Their expertise gives me a great sense<br />
of confidence, anticipation, and joy<br />
for my child’s experience at her new<br />
school.<br />
As our fi rst week of school<br />
rolls on at <strong>Berwick</strong>, I share this little<br />
confession with you to remind you<br />
that <strong>Berwick</strong> teachers are extraordinary<br />
people. Not only do they love your<br />
children in their own ways, but they<br />
have wisdom about children that<br />
represents an incredible resource in<br />
raising your own boy or girl into the<br />
wonderful man or woman that they<br />
will ultimately become. As parents,<br />
we can’t do it alone, and I am grateful<br />
to have a new resource to add to our<br />
family as we work to raise the happiest<br />
children we possibly can. Know that as<br />
a <strong>Berwick</strong> parent, you draw upon the<br />
strength of an entire community of<br />
these exceptional educators who can<br />
help you along a thirteen year journey<br />
of preparing your child for a happy and<br />
rewarding life.<br />
While my sense of empathy<br />
has clearly grown, my zeal for first days<br />
of school remains unchanged. Bring on<br />
the giggling, the creativity, and the<br />
joy: the kids are back.<br />
I have mercifully spared you a<br />
longer entry this month, as I wanted to<br />
include a message from the family of a<br />
great mentor and wise friend. As many<br />
of you know, Hap Ridgway suffered<br />
a signifi cant fall from a horse at his<br />
ranch this summer, which led to some<br />
substantial injuries. I have learned a<br />
great deal from my predecessor during<br />
my fi rst two years at <strong>Berwick</strong>, but no<br />
lessons have been more influential<br />
than his model of integrity and his<br />
various examples of courage. Hap<br />
and Susan graciously wanted to offer<br />
the following words of thanks to the<br />
<strong>Berwick</strong> Community for all of the<br />
collective support during the past few<br />
months:<br />
The caring of the <strong>Berwick</strong> community<br />
had always been a thing of pride and wonder for<br />
the Ridgway family. Time after time after time,<br />
we saw the community rise to the occasion of a<br />
person or family’s loss or challenge. As we retired<br />
to Wyoming, we worried we were also leaving<br />
behind that strong sense of community with its<br />
tradition of support. The summer of <strong>2009</strong> has<br />
taught us a remarkable lesson about the reach<br />
and power of the <strong>Berwick</strong> Community.<br />
Late in June, Hap was working with<br />
a young horse when it reared up and went over<br />
on him. Fractured pelvis and fractured jaw,<br />
emergency room and life fl ight, surgery and<br />
ICU were the reality of the next few days.<br />
Family and friends “circled the wagons,” but our<br />
numbers were small and the circumstances were<br />
daunting.Then a remarkable thing happened. It<br />
started at fi rst with a few cards and grew into<br />
a deluge of cards and letters and gifts and calls<br />
from members of the <strong>Berwick</strong> community. What<br />
we had known objectively about the caring of<br />
<strong>Berwick</strong> we now learned personally. All of the<br />
expressions of concern and support, and even the<br />
quips about the idea of “staying on the horse,”<br />
were and continue to be a powerful balm.<br />
The horse clearly won this round, but<br />
Hap is recovering gradually. He has stashed<br />
2 <strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>September</strong> <strong>2009</strong>
the crutches and is starting to get back into the<br />
fi elds to work. His jaw, despite the good doctor’s<br />
handiwork, is more problematic, but his family<br />
still appreciates the enforced silence of his wired<br />
jaw. He has had many good lessons in humility<br />
such as fi guring out the crutches while Susan<br />
kept a death grip on his belt and learning how to<br />
drink without too much dribbling or slurping.<br />
When this story is fi nally written, the<br />
<strong>Berwick</strong> tradition of caring and its reach across<br />
the country and back in time will have the place<br />
of honor. The Ridgway family is incredibly<br />
grateful for the support and all that it meant<br />
during the travails of Hap’s recovery. In ways<br />
hard to express, being <strong>Berwick</strong>ians has never<br />
meant more.<br />
BAPA Projects Add New Life to Campus<br />
I am so thrilled to thank our<br />
Parents organization for the incredible<br />
power of their gifts to the school last<br />
year. In addition to funding a budget<br />
fi lled with enriching activities for our<br />
students, funding from the Auction<br />
helped us fully repair the Commons<br />
roof, which will certainly make me<br />
sleep more easily this winter. In<br />
addition, Auction beneficiary funds<br />
have funded incredible new furniture<br />
in the Upper School, literacy and<br />
playground materials in the Lower<br />
School, and wonderful new landscaping<br />
for Clement Middle School. We are<br />
so lucky to have such an incredibly<br />
supportive group of parents partnering<br />
with us at <strong>Berwick</strong>.<br />
New Communication System<br />
I am pleased to announce that<br />
we were able to install a campus-wide<br />
communication system this summer,<br />
which represents a monumental step<br />
in increasing our campus safety in the<br />
event of an emergency. All classrooms<br />
and common spaces are now equipped<br />
with a speaker system that will allow<br />
for emergency communication as<br />
needed. This allows us to continue<br />
the exceptional work of our Safety<br />
Committee from the past two years, as<br />
we work towards refining our Fire Drills<br />
(evacuation), Safe in Place (lockdown),<br />
and Reverse Evacuation (getting<br />
students into the buildings quickly)<br />
procedures. Given the complexity of<br />
our campus, this tool truly helps make<br />
our campus a safer place for children.<br />
Blue and White Meets Alumni Weekend<br />
We have combined our Alumni<br />
Weekend gathering with Blue and<br />
White weekend this fall. The festivities<br />
will start with our annual Bulldog<br />
Golf Tournament at The Ledges on<br />
<strong>September</strong> 24, and events will fill up<br />
the entire weekend. By moving these<br />
alumni events to the fall, we hope to<br />
drive better attendance (and hopefully<br />
better weather). I hope that the entire<br />
community will come out on the<br />
weekend of <strong>September</strong> 26, fi lling the<br />
weekend with many generations of<br />
Bulldog passion and spirit.<br />
H1N1 Update<br />
As fl u season will be upon us<br />
shortly, please know that the CDC is<br />
recommending that all school-aged<br />
children receive seasonal flu vaccines.<br />
The fi rst generation of H1N1 vaccine<br />
should be available in mid October,<br />
but may require multiple visits. Please<br />
check our new webpage regarding<br />
H1N1 preventative measures at<br />
<strong>Berwick</strong> at www.berwickacademy.<br />
org, under Community. Information<br />
regarding local vaccination locations<br />
has also been included on this site.<br />
Driving on Campus<br />
With a sudden surge of cars<br />
on campus, I wanted to remind the<br />
community to please use extra caution<br />
when driving on campus. Having so<br />
many small children on this campus,<br />
and being situated in a residential<br />
neighborhood, makes this such a<br />
critical issue for our parent and student<br />
drivers.<br />
<strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>September</strong> <strong>2009</strong><br />
BERWICK ACADEMY<br />
CAMPUS STORE<br />
SHOP<br />
ONLINE!<br />
Offering a selection of products<br />
from the school store including<br />
sweatshirts, hats, mugs, and more.<br />
Log on to www.berwickacademy.<br />
org and click on Community to fi nd<br />
the <strong>Berwick</strong> Store<br />
3
Peter Saliba<br />
Dear Parents;<br />
Getting off on the right foot<br />
at the beginning of the school year<br />
is one of the toughest tasks I face as<br />
the Upper School Director. Since<br />
we are an academic institution, I<br />
could probably get away with our<br />
Mission (promoting virtue and useful<br />
knowledge); our Core Values (balance,<br />
integrity, engagement, excellence);<br />
or even our Latin motto (Humility is<br />
the Beginning of Wisdom); however,<br />
knowing teenagers, I am convinced<br />
that should I take any of these options,<br />
their eyes would glaze over in a matter<br />
of seconds. Instead, I settled on a more<br />
practical approach. This year, we will<br />
work hard, play hard and have fun.<br />
<strong>Berwick</strong> is not an easy place,<br />
especially if you are new to our school.<br />
These challenges can be academic,<br />
social, athletic, and artistic. They<br />
may come in the form of learning the<br />
periodic table for chemistry, mastering<br />
derivatives in calculus, or understanding<br />
the nuances of the Constitutional<br />
Convention. No matter the challenge,<br />
we expect everyone to work hard and<br />
to meet challenges head-on. This<br />
is easier said than done, and it is the<br />
efforts of our students that enable them<br />
to ultimately succeed in their work<br />
and life. In a high school, everybody<br />
experiences frustrations and obstacles,<br />
and overcoming these challenges<br />
defi nes our success. Examples abound<br />
in our culture of people overcoming<br />
signifi cant roadblocks, including<br />
the Beatles who could not get a gig<br />
in Liverpool. They had to travel<br />
to Hamburg, Germany, to get the<br />
opportunity to play. They eventually<br />
worked through their challenge in<br />
Germany by playing 106 consecutive<br />
nights, for more than six hours a<br />
night.<br />
Playing hard is just as important<br />
as working hard. Some may interpret<br />
this as fostering a competitive, driven<br />
spirit on the athletic field or stage. I<br />
interpret this as knowing how to<br />
play. We should know when to be<br />
competitive, and when to relax and<br />
enjoy the moment. When I get on the<br />
rink with my team at practice, I go into<br />
the corners pretty hard, and move the<br />
puck with a snap of the stick. But I also<br />
know how to enjoy the game and the<br />
camaraderie of being on a team. Most<br />
successful people have mastered the<br />
art of playing not only because it is<br />
enjoyable, but because it keeps them<br />
balanced.<br />
Finally, having fun is about<br />
experiencing unfiltered joy. Sometimes<br />
it comes with success, or humor, but<br />
often it is simply recognizing the<br />
beauty of the events unfolding around<br />
us. This can be a quiet moment in a<br />
practice room or art studio, a reaction<br />
to a friend’s comment, or a discovery<br />
that Latin can actually be entertaining<br />
(seriously, it is!) No matter the cause,<br />
we should let that fun out and share it.<br />
Working with high school<br />
students requires a lot of work, but we<br />
also play and have fun. It’s my hope<br />
that all of us can experience these<br />
things together as we navigate through<br />
the year.<br />
Warmly,<br />
FAN OR FOLLOW!<br />
<strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> is on Facebook!<br />
Become a fan to see daily updates,<br />
photos, videos, and more.<br />
www.facebook.com/<br />
berwickacademy<br />
<strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> is using<br />
Twitter! Create a profi le and<br />
choose to “follow” <strong>Berwick</strong><br />
<strong>Academy</strong>. Opt to receive updates<br />
via phone and you will receive a<br />
text message every time we post<br />
something new!<br />
www.twitter.com/<br />
berwickacademy<br />
4 <strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>September</strong> <strong>2009</strong>
This academic year closes<br />
the fi rst decade of the twenty-first<br />
century, and everywhere I look in<br />
professional groups and their postings,<br />
there is discussion of the skills our<br />
students need in order to create<br />
meaningful lives and work in the next<br />
nine decades. We may take time to<br />
refl ect upon our experiences, but quite<br />
honestly, just a few of the skills that<br />
were critical in our lives as students are<br />
needed in the future. The corpus of<br />
knowledge alone demands more skill<br />
than memorization; more judgment<br />
than ownership of ideas. Yes, the three<br />
R’s of our twentieth century education<br />
will be essential, but to them we must<br />
add new R’s such as resourcefulness,<br />
research, and resilience.<br />
I come from a generation of<br />
folks who were told, “Children should<br />
be seen and not heard.” That adage<br />
worked at a time when extended families<br />
came together for Sunday dinners, for<br />
holidays, and for those rare occasions<br />
when a family member who “moved<br />
away” was returning for a rare visit. We<br />
had a “kids’ table” in each home’s dining<br />
room. We minded our table manners<br />
and asked permission to be excused<br />
from the table. Misbehaviors were<br />
quelled by a look from one of the adults,<br />
and each of us longed for the day when<br />
we could sit at the grown-ups’ table,<br />
even though we cousins shared much<br />
hilarity amongst ourselves. Today, we<br />
bring our children into the world of<br />
adult conversation and comportment<br />
from the earliest years, and we expect<br />
our children to engage in weighty<br />
topics of current events, social reforms,<br />
and politics. Better still, we educate<br />
our children to bring information<br />
they have acquired at school to the<br />
discussions. Today’s adolescents think<br />
in grown-up ways that I only imagined<br />
when I was an early teen.<br />
Another limit placed upon<br />
many of my generation was, “When I<br />
want you to have an opinion, I’ll give<br />
it to you.” As a child, as an adolescent,<br />
and later as a young adult, I chafed<br />
against this imposition of authority<br />
more than any other restriction. I<br />
held forth with passionate arguments<br />
in front of the bathroom mirror, or<br />
in the privacy of my room after I had<br />
read every bit of news I could locate in<br />
our public library. While my parents<br />
were from the “Greatest Generation,”<br />
my generation was unwilling to swear<br />
blind faith to policies and canons. Our<br />
children need to be better informed<br />
than we former campus radicals ever<br />
were. Here is where our jobs as<br />
educators will find the finest hours - in<br />
the guiding of minds that will critically<br />
evaluate the challenges facing our<br />
changing planet.<br />
Perhaps the single most<br />
important skill our children will<br />
develop is that of critical thinking.<br />
They will fi nd ample opportunities this<br />
year to investigate, to weigh ideas, and<br />
to suspend judgment until they have<br />
fi nished their investigations. With<br />
access that far exceeds the physical<br />
walls of a library, today’s students<br />
may learn about global crises and the<br />
histories that connect them. They<br />
will bring a wealth of home values<br />
to their discussions, and will build<br />
informed opinions that may wend<br />
their way to the dinner table. We walk<br />
a delicate path with the students as<br />
we examine the differences between<br />
ideas and ideologies. As educators,<br />
we are committed to creating a neutral<br />
environment in the classroom, fully<br />
<strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>September</strong> <strong>2009</strong><br />
aware that the world beyond our<br />
doors is marked by increasing polarity<br />
and propaganda. Immediate access<br />
to sources of information helps our<br />
students to distill ideas with increasing<br />
awareness of the spin the media use to<br />
distribute the news.<br />
Our best efforts, then, are<br />
aimed to open the doors to the<br />
investigation of ideas. We will hold<br />
our students to high standards of logic,<br />
of informed decision making, and of<br />
documentation to support their theses.<br />
We will probe, suggest alternatives,<br />
and praise. All this will be done with a<br />
dedication to provide them with access<br />
to trustworthy data. These future<br />
thinkers, policy makers, and innovators<br />
will face the next several decades<br />
armed with experiences that will guide<br />
them in making choices and decisions<br />
about their global neighborhood. By<br />
then, I hope that each of us, educator<br />
and parent alike, will be proud of the<br />
ways in which our hands and minds<br />
and hearts created opportunities for<br />
critical thinking to rise to an apex in<br />
the halls of educational institutions like<br />
ours at <strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>.<br />
5
Rather than sleeping in on<br />
my fi rst Saturday morning of the new<br />
school year, I awoke early and drove to<br />
Spring Hill to watch the Pumpkinman<br />
Sprint Triathlon. With cool weather<br />
and rain holding off for the moment,<br />
the conditions supported the swim,<br />
bike and run stages of this annual<br />
South <strong>Berwick</strong> event. While not<br />
considered the optimal spectator sport<br />
for logistical reasons, I enjoy watching<br />
the challenge inherent in this sport<br />
(and I stress watching, as I have not yet<br />
reached my goal of participating in a<br />
triathlon.)<br />
While the triathlon’s challenges<br />
are still unknown to me, I have run<br />
a number of marathons and half<br />
marathons and therefore appreciate<br />
the support one can receive from fans<br />
along the course as they greet the<br />
competition. And so it was that during<br />
the race, I lined up at strategic points<br />
to support my wife, friends, colleagues<br />
and many unknown participants as they<br />
pushed through the triathlon’s stages.<br />
Early in the race, such as the<br />
transition from the swim to the bike, I<br />
found myself giving basic cheers, such<br />
as “come on, you can do it.” (Okay,<br />
you knew it was coming; please bear<br />
with me as I attempt to connect my<br />
spectator experience at the triathlon to<br />
the beginning of the school year.) In a<br />
sense, it reminded me of the month of<br />
<strong>September</strong> with our students—a time<br />
when I am just beginning to get to<br />
know or reconnect with them through<br />
introductory forms of encouragement.<br />
As the school year moves into full form,<br />
I pick up the pace with the students—<br />
understanding them (and cheering<br />
them on) at a deeper level. As a faculty,<br />
we appreciate our students’ strengths<br />
and weaknesses; what they do well<br />
and what they are working to improve<br />
upon. I essentially experienced that<br />
same connection during the successive<br />
stages of the triathlon, as I cheered on<br />
the participants at a more intimate and<br />
personal level as the race progressed<br />
and as their training and willpower<br />
sustained them through their final<br />
strides.<br />
I occasionally joke that a<br />
school year feels like a marathon race<br />
or even a marathon in which we run at<br />
a sprinters’ pace. Regardless of distance<br />
or timing, I take on many roles as Lower<br />
School Director. One that I find both<br />
rewarding and intriguing is the support<br />
I give to our students—supporting<br />
them throughout their Lower School<br />
experience.<br />
As we are currently in the<br />
opening stage of the new school year,<br />
the faculty and I are working actively to<br />
get to know our students. Whether it<br />
be the student-focus meetings we hold<br />
prior to the opening of school, the<br />
reading fluency monitor measures that<br />
we administer in the first few weeks of<br />
school or our new student introductions<br />
at our fi rst morning assembly, we take<br />
this phase of the school year seriously.<br />
At the time of publication for this<br />
<strong>September</strong> <strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong>, our fi rst, second,<br />
and third graders will have completed<br />
their first fi eld trip—one that brought<br />
them to Strawbery Banke to build fairy<br />
houses for the Portsmouth Fairy House<br />
Tour. In planning this trip with Lower<br />
School faculty and the Strawbery Banke<br />
staff, I felt it important to capture the<br />
moment inherent in participating in this<br />
creative event. The field trip involved<br />
students collecting natural materials<br />
and then using their imaginations<br />
while working collaboratively to create<br />
houses made of materials such as wood,<br />
grass and leaves. Besides an enjoyable<br />
learning experience, we also saw this<br />
as an opportunity to be of service<br />
and support to this family-oriented<br />
venture.<br />
While the first through third<br />
graders were hard at work at Strawbery<br />
Banke, we felt it important to leave<br />
our kindergarten students at school to<br />
continue their fine work in establishing<br />
their own learning community with<br />
Ms. Williams and Mrs. Lynch. What<br />
a great start to the school year our<br />
kindergarten class has enjoyed!<br />
Finally, on the day that many<br />
of our Lower School students were off<br />
campus, the fourth graders remained at<br />
school to participate in their Leadership<br />
Day. They worked with the Sweetser<br />
staff and with our own faculty on<br />
various initiatives which would support<br />
their role as informal Lower School<br />
leaders throughout the year and more<br />
specifi cally as formal Lower School<br />
leaders in the Ambassadors Program<br />
(helping out at recess and other<br />
organized activities).<br />
I trust that the events of the<br />
fi rst few weeks of school—including<br />
those on <strong>September</strong> 17, have helped<br />
our students successfully begin the<br />
new year. I look forward to supporting<br />
them through this period and other<br />
phases in the months ahead!<br />
6 <strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>September</strong> <strong>2009</strong>
Rob Quinn<br />
SOCCER JAMBOREE<br />
The weather was not on<br />
our side on Saturday, <strong>September</strong> 12<br />
during our annual Soccer Jamboree<br />
as it rained most of the day. Both the<br />
boys’ and girls’ varsity teams competed<br />
against Lexington Christian <strong>Academy</strong>,<br />
Proctor <strong>Academy</strong>, and Hyde School in<br />
the preseason scrimmage. The event<br />
was well attended by parents, families<br />
and friends. Following the games, we<br />
were treated to an impressive barbeque<br />
sponsored by the <strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong><br />
Athletic Boosters. A special thank you<br />
Kim and Tom Mills, Steve Grenier, Jim<br />
and Diane Wheeler, Paula and Sam<br />
Reid, Andy Lathrop, Marilena Canuto,<br />
and Holly Bennett (I apologize if I<br />
have failed to mention others). Your<br />
work and dedication made the event<br />
a success. I also want to thank SAGE<br />
Dining Services for providing the food<br />
and Facilities for the set-up and breakdown.<br />
A special thank you to Paul<br />
Calo of Buildings and Grounds for his<br />
assistance on Saturday.<br />
SPORTS MEDICINE<br />
CONCUSSION PROGRAM<br />
We are continuing our Impact Testing<br />
Program which we have successfully<br />
used with our contact sport athletes.<br />
This computer program is designed<br />
to address the seriousness and dangers<br />
of returning to play too quickly after<br />
a concussion. This year we will test<br />
all freshmen, new students and other<br />
students not previously tested. At<br />
the start of the season, athletes will<br />
complete a computerized baseline test<br />
of the brain. If an athlete receives a brain<br />
injury, he or she is retested to see how<br />
their brain function compares to the<br />
stored baseline test. Test results allow<br />
a medical practitioner to determine if<br />
the brain is recovering from an injury<br />
and dictate if the student is ready to<br />
return to play. If you have questions<br />
please contact Holly Bennett, LATC or<br />
Rob Quinn.<br />
EEE VIRUS<br />
Each year this mosquito born<br />
virus is a concern in the Seacoast area.<br />
The woods surrounding the fields have<br />
been professionally sprayed using a safe<br />
“green” solution in order to minimize<br />
the mosquitoes. Teams will be supplied<br />
with a mosquito repellent and athletes<br />
are encouraged to use a repellent for<br />
practices and games.<br />
AED AUTOMATIC EXTERNAL<br />
DEFIBRILLATORS<br />
AED’s are located in the<br />
basement of Fogg, near the mailboxes<br />
in Burleigh Davidson, and in the back<br />
hallway of the athletic center. Holly<br />
Bennet, LATC also carries a unit at all<br />
games. All faculty coaches are currently<br />
certifi ed in CPR and AED.<br />
ATHLETIC TRAINING INTERNS<br />
BA continues its relationship with<br />
UNH and UNE as a clinical athletic<br />
training site for undergraduate students.<br />
You will see Jennifer and Becky<br />
alongside Certified Athletic Trainer<br />
Holly Bennett at games and practices<br />
this semester. Jennifer and Becky<br />
will assist in providing first-aid care<br />
and will oversee injury rehabilitation<br />
programs. Both have experience in<br />
covering collegiate and high school<br />
sports and are welcome additions to<br />
the department.<br />
OFF THE HILLTOP<br />
We received some exciting<br />
athletic achievement news from the<br />
summer we wanted to share with<br />
everyone. Our very own Chris Atwood,<br />
grade 12, a standout three-sport athlete<br />
for BA, where he plays golf, ice hockey<br />
and lacrosse for the Bulldogs. During<br />
the summers, Chris works at the<br />
Rochester Country Club helping with<br />
the daily operations of the golf course.<br />
He is a junior member at the club and<br />
plays often between shifts at work.<br />
Chris was also very active this summer<br />
playing in various golf tournaments<br />
working on his game. He thought he<br />
would try his luck in the Rochester<br />
Club Championship. The Tournament<br />
kicked off in late July with a 2-day<br />
stroke play qualifier. For the next three<br />
weeks Chris managed to knock off one<br />
veteran member after another until<br />
he was facing the #2 seed in the fi nal<br />
championship match. His opponent<br />
had multiple club championships to<br />
his name and the cards were stacked<br />
against our guy. Chris went on to win<br />
the Club Championship on the 36th<br />
hole of the match; he had a stellar<br />
performance that included an eagle<br />
down the stretch. Chris became the<br />
youngest winner in Rochester Club<br />
Championship history. He was back<br />
at the club the next day cleaning golf<br />
carts and savoring the victory among<br />
the club members.<br />
We had more impressive news<br />
coming from senior Melissa Beckett,<br />
who has started a very successful show<br />
continued on pg. 14...<br />
<strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>September</strong> <strong>2009</strong><br />
7
you gotta have Arts<br />
ARTS BOOSTERS<br />
Arts Boosters Variety Show<br />
Please mark your calendars<br />
for Friday, October 16, for the eighth<br />
annual Arts Boosters Variety Show.<br />
The proceeds from this event will<br />
benefi t the visual and performing arts<br />
at <strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>. Faculty and<br />
staff members representing all three<br />
divisions will present their performance<br />
piece in the theater beginning at 7<br />
p.m. Please come and enjoy a night<br />
fi lled with song, laughter, comedy<br />
and maybe a little magic in the fall air.<br />
Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for<br />
students or $25 for families. There are<br />
no reservations, and admission is on a<br />
fi rst-come-fi rst-served basis. We hope<br />
to see you there.<br />
DANCE<br />
Let the Dance Begin<br />
The <strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> dance<br />
program is starting the year off with<br />
a bang! Classes have started and the<br />
dancers are feeling the challenge and<br />
excitement of a new year. Steady growth<br />
in enrollment has allowed us to add<br />
a third level of ballet to the program,<br />
so we can better suit our increasingly<br />
more advanced dancers. We are pleased<br />
to welcome back returning members of<br />
the faculty: Christine Bessette, Tina<br />
Cassidy, Gina Hesse, Joy Turner and<br />
Sasha Randall. All faculty members<br />
are working professionals in their<br />
disciplines and we are honored to have<br />
such an esteemed group leading our<br />
young movers. Classes began <strong>September</strong><br />
14, and the dancers have a fantastic,<br />
enthusiastic energy. If you have not yet<br />
registered for classes and are interested<br />
in observing or experiencing a class on<br />
a trial basis, please feel free to come by<br />
and see all of the wonderful classes that<br />
are offered.<br />
The summer was an eventful<br />
one in the world of dance for BA<br />
Dance Director, Sasha Randall. In<br />
continuing her efforts to bring dance<br />
to New England communities in a<br />
manner that is both accessible and<br />
innovative, she found herself working<br />
with a number of powerhouses in<br />
government and the fi eld of dance.<br />
After completing two very enjoyable<br />
weeks of camp here on the Hilltop,<br />
Ms. Randall found herself immediately<br />
immersed in consultation and technical<br />
direction of Live and Dance Strong, a<br />
benefi t concert in honor of, Richard<br />
Randall, past President of University of<br />
Maine, Augusta who died last year of<br />
esophageal cancer. The benefit raised<br />
an astounding $10,000 for the Harold<br />
Alfond Cancer Care Center in Augusta<br />
and the performance was a deeply<br />
moving success.<br />
Ms. Randall’s efforts to expand<br />
the dance initiative throughout New<br />
England continued with discussions<br />
and planning conferences with the<br />
Maine Department of Education,<br />
the Maine Arts Commission and the<br />
Maine Alliance for Arts Education.<br />
Goals for integrating dance residencies<br />
into 300 public schools were discussed<br />
and timelines for implementation<br />
were confirmed, with 2010 as the<br />
start-up year for this ground-breaking<br />
program. Conversations continued<br />
throughout the summer, culminating<br />
with a luncheon meeting at Bearnstow<br />
on Parker Pond in Mt. Vernon, Maine.<br />
Bearnstow is a 65-acre dance artist<br />
retreat directed by internationally<br />
acclaimed choreographer Bebe Miller.<br />
Ms. Randall had the opportunity<br />
during this time to work closely with<br />
many forces of nature in the dance<br />
fi eld, including Bebe Miller, Laura Faure<br />
(Bates Dance Festival Founder and<br />
director) and Pilobolus Founder Alison<br />
Chase. If you are interested in learning<br />
more about the initiative to expand<br />
the dance map in New England, please<br />
contact Sasha Randall.<br />
For more information on the dance<br />
program contact Sasha Randall at<br />
srandall@berwickacademy.org<br />
MUSIC<br />
After School Opportunity<br />
Band Director Stephanie<br />
Sanders is offering Musicianship as<br />
one way to fulfill the Upper School<br />
seasonal after-school requirement.<br />
This activity is open to all Upper<br />
School students in grades 9 - 12 and<br />
meets three afternoons each week by<br />
the athletic season schedule.<br />
Please remember that a music<br />
student must be a member of one<br />
of <strong>Berwick</strong>’s performing groups to<br />
audition for District I or All State music<br />
festivals. If they cannot fit a traditional<br />
music course into their course schedule<br />
during the school day, Musicianship<br />
would satisfy this festival requirement.<br />
This opportunity in the performing arts<br />
is not for academic credit, however,<br />
membership in this activity will appear<br />
on each student’s individual activity<br />
sheet.<br />
Stephanie Sanders will also<br />
continue to teach the Middle School<br />
Jazz Band after school on Tuesday<br />
afternoon. Anyone interested in<br />
participating in any of these ensembles<br />
continued on pg 14...<br />
8 <strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>September</strong> <strong>2009</strong>
PRESIDENT’S NOTES<br />
We want to welcome everyone<br />
back to the Hill and thank all the<br />
parents who were able to attend the<br />
parent coffee on the porch the first<br />
day of school. It was great to see so<br />
many new and familiar faces. I want to<br />
inform new parents that there are many<br />
ways to keep up with school and BAPA<br />
events and information. Remember to<br />
look in the division weeklies, the <strong>1791</strong><br />
letter, the <strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> portal, and<br />
your very important school calendar.<br />
All BAPA events are on the calendar<br />
and will be updated on the portal. Also<br />
we want all new parents to feel free to<br />
ask any questions they may have. This<br />
is a busy time of year and we know<br />
navigating the fi rst weeks of school can<br />
be tricky and we are here to help make<br />
this time easier.<br />
Volunteering<br />
The many terrific events at<br />
<strong>Berwick</strong> require parents to help make<br />
them happen. Volunteering can be<br />
such a rewarding experience. Parents<br />
not only get the benefit of meeting<br />
other parents they may otherwise<br />
not get a chance to meet, they<br />
also know they have helped their<br />
children’s school. Feel free to talk to<br />
your division coordinators to find out<br />
where there are volunteering needs.<br />
Class representatives are needed in all<br />
grades K-12, so please consider the<br />
position. A description of class rep<br />
duties is listed in the BAPA section on<br />
the portal. To fi nd them, log on to the<br />
website and click on “Parent Portal”<br />
in the left hand column. Scroll down<br />
until you see BAPA Downloads. Click<br />
on the + and in the resulting list you<br />
will see a document entitled: BAPA<br />
Class Representative Duties.” Click on<br />
that link and the document will open<br />
for you.<br />
<strong>September</strong> 28 at 8:15 a.m. BAPA<br />
will hold a General Meeting in the<br />
Commons Lounge with class rep<br />
meetings to follow<br />
Please join us Monday morning on<br />
<strong>September</strong> 28 for our first BAPA meeting<br />
of the year. We will start off with<br />
refreshments and then Jedd Whitlock,<br />
our new Director of Advancement, will<br />
be on-hand to introduce himself and let<br />
us know what is going on in the Alumni<br />
and Development Office. We will also<br />
have updates from Board members<br />
and sign-ups for various volunteer<br />
positions. Following the meeting we<br />
will break into divisions for class rep<br />
meetings. This is a great opportunity<br />
to sit in on a meeting to see if being<br />
a class rep may interest you. During<br />
the meeting, please feel free to ask any<br />
questions regarding the position. We<br />
look forward to seeing you there.<br />
Questions or Suggestions?<br />
We are always looking for<br />
new ideas and suggestions, so please<br />
feel free to contact us. Talk to a BAPA<br />
Board member or class rep while on<br />
campus or send us an email. We would<br />
love feedback from our members.<br />
Jean K. Jarvis<br />
BAPA President<br />
LOWER SCHOOL NEWS<br />
A warm welcome or welcome back to<br />
all <strong>Berwick</strong> families! Hopefully you had<br />
a wonderful, relaxing summer! Thank<br />
you to all of the families who hosted<br />
back-to-school socials; they were a<br />
<strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>September</strong> <strong>2009</strong><br />
huge hit and helped kids and parents<br />
reconnect and get ready to start the<br />
new school year.<br />
It has been a great fi rst week<br />
watching the Lower School students<br />
explore their new classrooms and<br />
eagerly meet up with teachers and<br />
friends. Looks like we are off to a great<br />
school year!<br />
Please check out the BAPA<br />
bulletin board to the left of the stairway<br />
as you enter the Lower School. We will<br />
be keeping this bulletin board updated<br />
with contact information, upcoming<br />
events, and volunteer opportunities.<br />
We will also be posting a copy of the<br />
information on the bulletin board to<br />
the portal.<br />
The fi rst BAPA meeting is on<br />
Monday <strong>September</strong> 28th at 8:15 AM<br />
in the Commons. If you are interested<br />
in volunteering in some way, becoming<br />
a class representative, or learning about<br />
BAPA, please attend this meeting! We<br />
would love to see you there and can<br />
always use more helping hands!<br />
<strong>September</strong> is a busy month! Here are<br />
some dates to keep in mind:<br />
Thursday, <strong>September</strong> 24, is the Lower<br />
School Back-to-School Night for<br />
grades 1-4. It starts at 7 p.m.<br />
<strong>September</strong> 21-26 is Blue & White week.<br />
This week celebrates school spirit. It<br />
begins on Monday with a dress-up day<br />
and Tenth Day Assembly; and ends on<br />
Saturday with the Lower School fi eld<br />
day.<br />
October and November are also very<br />
busy. Please keep these events in<br />
mind:<br />
continued...<br />
9
Tuesday, October 6 is the Lower<br />
School Curriculum Night, which<br />
will feature information about the LS<br />
Music Program, Health and Wellness<br />
Program, and the Math Program.<br />
Friday, October 16 at 5:30 p.m. is the<br />
BAPA sponsored Lower School Potluck<br />
Dinner and Variety Show.<br />
Thursday, October 29 at 2 p.m. is the<br />
Lower School concert for grades K-<br />
2 and the grade 3 and 4 Mini Blues<br />
concert.<br />
Friday, October 30 at 2 p.m. is the<br />
Halloween parade.<br />
Monday, November 2 through Friday<br />
November 6 is the BAPA sponsored<br />
Lower School Book Fair. We will be<br />
featuring books from Usborne, Borders<br />
and Scholastic. This event is a huge<br />
fundraiser for the Lower School, please<br />
come out and find some good reading<br />
materials!<br />
BAPA has many volunteer<br />
opportunities! Helping with the Lower<br />
School Potluck, the Lower School Book<br />
Fair, or becoming a class representative<br />
are just a few ways to help out. We<br />
are also looking for a coordinator for<br />
the Box Top for Education Program<br />
and for the Lower School Book Club.<br />
If you are interested, please contact the<br />
Lower School coordinators.<br />
Pamela Oberg<br />
pamela@hike-nh.com<br />
Beth Tykodi<br />
bptykodi@comcast.net<br />
Lower School Coordinators<br />
MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS<br />
The summer seemed to fly by<br />
after a very wet beginning; but now<br />
we would like to welcome everyone<br />
back to school. Before we began our<br />
fi rst day we had some back-to-school<br />
gatherings to kick off the beginning<br />
of the school year. We would like to<br />
thank the Barbour’s for the grade 5,<br />
Deborah Walden for the grade 7 and<br />
Linda Fishbaugh for the grade 8 socials.<br />
It was nice to see everyone and catch<br />
up after a three-month hiatus.<br />
Grade 8 BBQ to benefi t June Baccalaureate<br />
Where: <strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong><br />
When: Blue & White Weekend...<br />
Saturday, <strong>September</strong> 26, 11:30-2:00<br />
What: A fabulous BBQ! Your choice<br />
of hamburger, hotdog, veggie burger,<br />
salads, drinks and desserts!! We’ll also<br />
be selling coffee and donuts in the<br />
morning!<br />
Price: $6 per person, additional drinks<br />
are $1 and desserts are $1.<br />
Please support our eighth Graders in<br />
their fundraising efforts!!<br />
There are still several openings<br />
for class reps in the Middle School so if<br />
you would like to be involved and help<br />
with some volunteer opportunities<br />
please contact Andrea Bristol or Joanne<br />
Meyer at malted92@comcast.net or<br />
jomeyer777@aol.com.<br />
UPPER SCHOOL NEWS<br />
As I sit to write this piece, the<br />
sun is shining brightly yet there is a<br />
chill to the air, which for me always<br />
signifi es soccer season. It was great<br />
to see all the students walking across<br />
Fogg Field, fi lling the halls with chatter<br />
and laughter. The parents were not<br />
far behind in the noise category with<br />
a large turnout on the BD porch for<br />
the BAPA Coffee. As you read this, the<br />
Upper School will have already had play<br />
auditions, a Varsity Soccer Jamboree,<br />
school pictures, the sophomore class<br />
trip, Back-to-School Night, curriculum<br />
with the parents and a special trip out<br />
to the Shoals. The junior class will have<br />
started their magazine drive, their one<br />
fundraiser for their Prom in the spring.<br />
The end of <strong>September</strong> brings<br />
the golf tournament and Blue and<br />
White Week beginning Monday<br />
<strong>September</strong> 21, and coming to a close<br />
on Saturday <strong>September</strong> 27, with soccer<br />
games played at home and a barbeque<br />
sponsored by the eighth grade.<br />
<strong>Berwick</strong> parent GOLFERS WANTED<br />
for the Bulldog Golf Classic, Thursday,<br />
Sept 24 at The Ledges in York, Maine.<br />
This tournament is hosted by the BA<br />
Athletics Boosters and all proceeds<br />
benefi t the BA student athletes and<br />
facilities. This year the Boosters have<br />
pledged funds for the start-up costs<br />
for the Girls Field Hockey Program<br />
and they would like to add more<br />
scoreboards on the playing fi elds for<br />
Softball and Baseball teams.<br />
Golfer registration and Sponsor forms<br />
are on the school website, at<br />
www.berwickacademy.org/athletics<br />
The fi rst US Coffeehouse will<br />
be hosted on Friday, <strong>September</strong> 25<br />
from 7-10 p.m. This event is a fun time<br />
for our musically talented students<br />
and those who enjoy sitting around<br />
listening to good music and hanging<br />
out with friends. There are snacks<br />
and drinks provided by parents, each<br />
class sponsors one coffee house a year.<br />
The event is always chaperoned by<br />
US faculty, some of whom share their<br />
musical talents with the crowd.<br />
October brings Convocation,<br />
a variety show, a dance and the play.<br />
Please remember to look at the school<br />
calendar and read the US Weekly with<br />
BAPA link. Updates from BAPA and<br />
student activities are listed on this link<br />
and many parents fi nd it helpful.<br />
Enjoy!<br />
Suzanne McFarland,<br />
suzannerye@comcast.net<br />
Mary Pat Dolan<br />
Marypat.dolan@comcast.net<br />
Upper School Coordinators<br />
NEW FAMILY NEWS<br />
10 <strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>September</strong> <strong>2009</strong>
After a summer of emails, it<br />
was great to put faces to names during<br />
the new families coffee morning on<br />
the porch of the Burleigh Davidson<br />
building this first day of school. I know<br />
it’s still early days, but hopefully you<br />
are fi nding your BA groove and getting<br />
into a sustainable routine for the school<br />
year.<br />
If you haven’t already, please take a<br />
good long look at your BA calendar<br />
(hopefully you have the printed<br />
version at home, but the online version<br />
is on the portal). The next month is<br />
packed with events all over campus.<br />
Very little will miss your radar if you<br />
check the school calendar regularly.<br />
Please feel free to email me with any<br />
specifi c questions you have about any<br />
event or if you need another calendar<br />
sent to you.<br />
I’d like to draw your attention to the<br />
BAPA General Meeting on Monday,<br />
Sept 28, at 8.15 a.m., in the Commons<br />
lounge.<br />
<strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> Parents Association<br />
Benefi t Auction. Preliminary plans<br />
are underway for this event, which is<br />
scheduled for Saturday, April 24, 2010,<br />
and we have a host of exciting ideas<br />
this year. As always, we welcome your<br />
support in planning this wonderful<br />
evening. Join us for our fi rst meeting<br />
– a great way to connect with the BA<br />
community - scheduled for Thursday,<br />
<strong>September</strong> 17 at 8:30 a.m. in the<br />
Commons. At this meeting we will<br />
begin to share our vision for the<br />
evening, and look to fi nd parents who<br />
are excited to join us as we plan this<br />
event. We are looking for help in all<br />
aspects of preparing for the Auction<br />
– marketing, solicitation, advertising,<br />
logistics, decorations and set-up, to<br />
name just a few. We hope to see you<br />
at our fi rst meeting. Coffee and baked<br />
goods will be served! If you have any<br />
questions regarding how you can help,<br />
feel free to contact Jean, Mary or<br />
Lesli.<br />
Jean Jarvis<br />
jean.jarvis1@myfairpoint.net<br />
Lesli Friel<br />
m.friel@comcast.net<br />
Mary Towey<br />
marytowey@comcast.net<br />
Auction Co-Chairs<br />
BAPA COMMUNICATIONS<br />
Thank you to Eliza Peter and<br />
Holly Grimes for all their help with<br />
the August <strong>1791</strong> letter. And a special<br />
thank you to new parents Richard<br />
Fay and Margaret Borkowski for their<br />
willingness and efforts to help!<br />
The <strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> will now be<br />
mailed via email each month. If you<br />
would like to receive a paper copy,<br />
please contact Sondra Farrell sfarrell@<br />
berwickacademy.org.Please remember<br />
to keep checking the portal for the<br />
latest BAPA news and announcements!<br />
Sarah Hebert<br />
hebertsh@comcast.net<br />
BAPA Communications Coordinator<br />
If you are interested in becoming<br />
involved this year with the parent’s<br />
association and volunteering in school<br />
activities, then please try to make<br />
this meeting. Don’t be intimidated by<br />
the idea of BAPA. It’s just a group of<br />
friendly parents who desperately need<br />
your help and welcome your ideas.<br />
Sometimes there’s even coffee! And<br />
muffi ns! BAPA does so much, there is<br />
bound to be an opportunity that suits<br />
your interests and available time. Come<br />
check it out!<br />
Katie Clark<br />
BAPA New Family Coordinator<br />
(207) 384-0019<br />
Kclark_uk@hotmail.com<br />
AUCTION NEWS<br />
With the first week of school complete,<br />
we are looking ahead to many exciting<br />
events that occur on the <strong>Berwick</strong><br />
campus. One of these events is the<br />
<strong>2009</strong>-2010 BAPA BOARD DIRECTORY<br />
PRESIDENT<br />
Jean Jarvis (603) 332-0164 jean.jarvis1@myfairpoint.net<br />
VICE PRESIDENT<br />
Diane Walker (603) 942-5667 DianeWalker@metrocast.net<br />
SECRETARY<br />
Nickie Gaudette (207) 651-3083 fl ysolo@metrocast.net<br />
GENERALTREASURER<br />
Tracy Howe (603) 692-4631 s-t-howe@comcast.net<br />
SCHOOL’S TREASURER<br />
Nancy Noyes (207) 439-8761 nnoyes@comcast.net<br />
LOWER SCHOOL COORDINATORS<br />
Pamela Oberg (603) 742-6630 pamela@hike-nh.com<br />
Beth Tykodi (603) 749-5050 bptykodi@comcast.net<br />
MIDDLE SCHOOL COORDINATORS<br />
Andrea Bristol (207) 439-0880 malted92@comcast.net<br />
Joanne Meyer (603) 964-1331 jomeyer777@aol.com<br />
UPPER SCHOOL COORDINATORS<br />
Suzanne McFarland (603) 436-2994 suzannerye@comcast.net<br />
Mary Pat Dolan (603) 964-1827 mpatdolan@comcast.net<br />
NEW FAMILY COORDINATOR<br />
Katie Clark (207) 384-0019 kclark_uk@hotmail.com<br />
COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR<br />
Sarah Hebert (207) 384-3366 hebertsh@comcast.net<br />
AUCTION COORDINATORS<br />
Jean Jarvis (603) 332-0164 Jean.Jarvis1@myfairpoint.net<br />
Lesli Friel (603) 379-2104 m.friel@comcast.net<br />
Mary Towey (603) 379-2658 marytowey@comcast.net<br />
<strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>September</strong> <strong>2009</strong><br />
11
STUDENT WELLNESS ADVISAORY TEAM<br />
S.W.A.T.<br />
I am excited to announce a new<br />
Upper School Leadership Program for<br />
the <strong>2009</strong>-10 school year. This new<br />
program was developed by Alysa<br />
Morse and Kolbie McCabe, Class of<br />
<strong>2009</strong>. Alysa and Kolbie approached<br />
me last spring and asked if I would be<br />
willing to supervise their senior project.<br />
These two young women worked<br />
around the clock over the next two<br />
weeks, contacting other independent<br />
school prgorams, researching student<br />
leadership, and designing program<br />
materials. They ended up creating an<br />
awesome new leadership program for<br />
<strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>. Ted Smith and I have<br />
the distinct honor of co-facilitating<br />
S.W.A.T.<br />
The Student Wellness<br />
Advisory Team (S.W.A.T.) is a group of<br />
ten students, consisting of six seniors<br />
and four juniors. It is gender balanced<br />
and was chosen by the freshman class<br />
advisors, Upper School administration,<br />
and a group of ten senior leaders from<br />
the Class of <strong>2009</strong>. S.W.A.T.’s primary<br />
goal is to assist the new freshmen in<br />
adjusting to the Upper School culture.<br />
Each S.W.A.T. mentor is assigned seven<br />
or eight freshmen. Simply stated, a<br />
S.W.A.T. mentor is to “be there” for<br />
the freshmen throughout their first<br />
year of Upper School. Their duties<br />
may include assisting a freshman by<br />
simply being kind and saying “hi”, to<br />
making sure they have someone to sit<br />
with at lunch, to helping them with the<br />
typical stress and anxiety during midterm<br />
exams. Nine of the ten S.W.A.T.<br />
mentors accompanied the freshmen<br />
class to Camp Winona the Wednesday<br />
before school started. This trip was an<br />
absolute blast! We couldn’t have asked<br />
for better weather and the S.W.A.T.<br />
mentors “stepped up” in ways that we<br />
never thought possible. They, along<br />
with Sam Winters, the Student Body<br />
President, made this trip very special<br />
not only for the freshmen, but also the<br />
faculty. They made the faculty’s job so<br />
much easier because they did almost<br />
all of the work! More importantly, they<br />
made the trip truly enjoyable for the<br />
freshmen because they got to interact<br />
with them (older peers) instead of<br />
us (the adults.) There were so many<br />
incredible moments on the trip, but<br />
one that I will always remember is<br />
when we realized that we were missing<br />
one of the S.W.A.T. groups during an<br />
evening activity in the Junior Wiggy. I<br />
was assigned to “search and rescue”, e.g<br />
fi nd them. Fortunately, I didn’t have<br />
to look hard or go far. I just traveled<br />
downstairs and found them “holding<br />
court” with their eight freshmen. The<br />
group was laughing histerically when I<br />
opened the door to let them know that<br />
they were a half hour late for the large<br />
group activity.<br />
One S.W.A.T. mentor kindly<br />
volunteered to stay behind to assist<br />
Ms. Onken with the fourteen new<br />
upperclassmen who came to <strong>Berwick</strong><br />
this fall.. He, along with other Upper<br />
School student leaders showed the<br />
new students around the campus before<br />
heading to York Beach for some fun in<br />
the sun!<br />
Needless to say, this<br />
new leadership group has<br />
been very busy welcoming<br />
the newest members of<br />
the <strong>Berwick</strong> community.<br />
But their job doesn’t<br />
stop here. S.W.A.T. has<br />
numerous responsibilities<br />
ahead of them this school<br />
year, including assisting<br />
with various Wellness<br />
activities. But, their<br />
primary responsiblility<br />
this year is simply to “be<br />
there” for the freshmen and new upper<br />
classmen.<br />
I am pleased to introduce the <strong>2009</strong>-<br />
10 Student Wellness Advisory Team<br />
(S.W.A.T.):<br />
Chris Atwood<br />
Molly Towey<br />
Eliza Jacobs<br />
Max Werman<br />
Derek Lavigne<br />
Maggie Southerland<br />
Connor Haley<br />
Dylan Martini<br />
Chelsea Vanderlinde<br />
Cristina Salvador<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Cindy Briggs<br />
12 <strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>September</strong> <strong>2009</strong>
Rachel Saliba<br />
In honor of the Lower School’s<br />
fi eld trip to build fairy houses for the<br />
Tour of Fairy Houses in Portsmouth<br />
last week, I have reprinted a story about<br />
fairies written by <strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong><br />
alumna, Elizabeth Lord Chase (Class<br />
of 1841). Her collection of poems,<br />
Gleanings: Girlhood and Womanhood, under<br />
her married name Elizabeth C. Hill, is<br />
considered to be the first published<br />
works by an alumna.<br />
The Adopted of the Fairies<br />
By Elizabeth Lord Chase<br />
<strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> Class of 1841<br />
One bright summer’s morn, a fair<br />
child about three years of age, strayed to the side<br />
of a bubbling fountain in one of the magnifi cent<br />
gardens of the East. And there she stood, her tiny<br />
foot half buried in a bed of blushing fl owers, her<br />
bright blue eye upraised, watching the gorgeous<br />
yet varying tints of the sunbeams which played<br />
over the surface of the clear waters; and eve and<br />
anon laughing merrily at her vain attempts to<br />
catch the feathery spray which fell around like<br />
showers of pearls.<br />
She threw her golden ringlets<br />
carelessly aside as they fl oated in the breeze,<br />
and her eyes sparkled with unwonted delight as<br />
a youthful fairy tripped lightly from the bosom<br />
of a rose, which she had chosen for her bower,<br />
and had there laid concealed to guard her little<br />
favorite from harm. She lifted the child from<br />
the earth and lightly throwing her gossamer<br />
wings around her, seated her in the corolla of a<br />
snowy lily, whose waxen leaves seemed meet to<br />
be the abode of childhood’s purity. After resting<br />
awhile, ‘did the blossoms and leaves, she again<br />
enfolded her youthful protégé and bore her far<br />
away into the regions of fairyland.<br />
The palace of the fairies, called<br />
“Beautiful,” was framed of the most delicate<br />
gems and shells which the depths of the sea<br />
could afford. The roofi ng, inlaid with purest<br />
gold and the fi nest spun glass inwoven with<br />
the colors of the rainbow, formed an exquisite<br />
drapery for these apartments. It was when she<br />
was admiring the palace that the child was<br />
reminded of some verses which she had heard an<br />
elder sister often recite, and she repeated them to<br />
the Queen. They run thus:<br />
“In bowers of odorous amber made,<br />
The sea sprites love to dwell;<br />
The fl oor with mother-of-pearl inlaid,<br />
And gleams of the bright pink shell:<br />
There the sea-fern waves above their heads,<br />
With many a gorgeous gem,<br />
And the glorious things ‘neath the ocean spread<br />
Are known to only them.<br />
“In the mountain cave where diamonds burn,<br />
The fairies’ home is made;<br />
They bathe themselves in the fl o’rets’ urn,<br />
In the still, lone forest shade;<br />
Wherever her spell hath Beauty wove,<br />
The fairy is sure to be;<br />
In the silent cave, in the palmy grove,<br />
In the deep, blue, boundless sea.”<br />
The Queen was so pleased with the child that<br />
<strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>September</strong> <strong>2009</strong><br />
she resolved to adopt her, and accordingly she<br />
gave her the appellation of “The Fairy of the<br />
Fountain,” because it was there she fi rst had<br />
seen her.<br />
It was “Rosalie,” the queen of fairies,<br />
who had thus captured the little maiden, and<br />
she cherished her with more than a mother’s<br />
love and care. From infancy she had secretly<br />
guarded her with the protection and bestowed<br />
those favors which a fairy only can command.<br />
Need I say she was supremely happy; for<br />
everyone is so who is loving and beloved. She<br />
was taught many and varied accomplishments<br />
and often she would while away the hours by<br />
playing the harp and lute to “Rosalie.”<br />
She would stitch violet leaves together,<br />
To make a fragrant gown;<br />
And wad her cloak to keep her warm,<br />
With fl ying thistle-down.<br />
But the fairies loved their little prize<br />
so swell that they gave her not back again<br />
to Earth; for they deemed her too fragile to<br />
contend with life’s vicissitudes and to dwell<br />
with the cold-hearted ones here below, with no<br />
spirit congenial with her own. So they lived<br />
many years in the palace “Beautiful,” until a<br />
tribe of powerful genii sought to despoil them of<br />
their gardens and drive them from their homes;<br />
then in alarm, spreading their wings for fl ight,<br />
they melted away in to the dim regions of the<br />
clouds.<br />
Reprinted from the student newspaper<br />
“The <strong>Berwick</strong> Scholar” October 1890,<br />
Volume IV.<br />
13
ARTS NEWS...cont. from pg 8<br />
or would like more information should<br />
contact Ms. Sanders directly.<br />
Fall <strong>2009</strong> Music Festival Auditions<br />
Many of <strong>Berwick</strong>’s music<br />
students participate in several<br />
auditions and/or festivals each year.<br />
Middle School students in chorus,<br />
band, or orchestra, selected through<br />
a nomination process, perform in the<br />
York County Music Festival. Dedicated<br />
Upper School music students may<br />
choose to audition for the Maine<br />
District I High School Honors Festival,<br />
Jazz All State or Maine All State.<br />
If selected by audition, they would<br />
perform at prestigious music festivals<br />
in large ensembles. Please check the<br />
<strong>Berwick</strong> online calendar or the <strong>Berwick</strong><br />
website for dates and information.<br />
VISUAL ARTS<br />
Arts Center Gallery<br />
Over the past few years we<br />
have exhibited recent alumni art<br />
works in the Arts Center to welcome<br />
our community back to school and to<br />
show what some of our student-artists<br />
are creating in college and beyond.<br />
We welcome any recent alumni who<br />
might have work from art classes, or<br />
work that they have done on their<br />
own to email Ms. Russell at Rrussell@<br />
berwickacademy.org.<br />
Work by Beth Gerreald ‘08, now a<br />
sophomore at RISD is currently on<br />
exhibit in the Arts Center Gallery.<br />
Also on exhibit in the display cases are<br />
pieces by Rachael Powell ‘06, Dianna<br />
Batt ‘08, and Monique Gagne ’09.<br />
Please stop by to view the works by<br />
these accomplished young artists.<br />
THEATER<br />
The Upper School Drama Department<br />
will kick-off the performing arts season<br />
this fall with The Perfect Alibi, a detective<br />
mystery in three acts, by A.A. Milne,<br />
which will be staged on Friday and<br />
Saturday, October 30-31, in Fogg<br />
Memorial. The cast features Henry<br />
Young, Jane Merrow, Nell Simon, James<br />
Davis, Jibran Malek, Breandán Haley,<br />
Cristina Salvador, Molly Mugford, Ian<br />
Wright, Tyler McFarland, and Nate<br />
Winters, with Hannah Sattler and<br />
George Henkel as understudies. The<br />
action of the play takes place in the<br />
drawing room of Arthur Ludgrove,<br />
Heron Place, Sussex, England.<br />
The Perfect Alibi was written in<br />
1928 and hails from the “golden era”<br />
of British murder mysteries. The play,<br />
also known in the U.K. as The Fourth<br />
Wall, was subsequently adapted from<br />
the stage into a movie of the same title.<br />
Howard Haycraft, the well-known<br />
mystery scholar, calls The Perfect Alibi an<br />
“ingenious affair in which the audience<br />
watched both the commission of the<br />
crime and the steps leading up to its<br />
detection,” making it somewhat unusual<br />
as mystery plays go.<br />
Many will recognize the author<br />
as the creator of the beloved children’s<br />
classic, “Winnie-the-Pooh.” Long<br />
before his acclaim as a children’s writer,<br />
Milne achieved literary and artistic<br />
success as a playwright and humorist.<br />
Milne wrote plays, several novels, and<br />
contributed numerous pieces to Punch,<br />
the British humor magazine. The Perfect<br />
Alibi will be staged in the third floor of<br />
Fogg. Curtain time is 7 p.m. for both<br />
performances, Friday and Saturday,<br />
October 30-31.<br />
The King and I, Rodgers and<br />
Hammerstein’s spectacular musical,<br />
based on the story, Anna and the King<br />
of Siam, by Margaret Landon, will be<br />
staged February 26-27 in the Patricia<br />
Baldwin Whipple Arts Center.<br />
Auditions will take place in mid-<br />
November. For further details about<br />
these upcoming shows, please be in<br />
touch with Liz-Anne Platt, Director,<br />
lplatt@berwickacademy.org.<br />
ATHLETICS NEWS...cont. from pg. 7<br />
season with her new horse, 6-year old<br />
American Saddlebred, Revelation’s<br />
Brave Heart. The three categories she<br />
is concentrating on this show season<br />
are Saddlebred Country Hunter,<br />
Junior Exhibiter Hack Horse and<br />
Youth Activity Pleasure Horse. At the<br />
AHAME Spring Classic Horse Show in<br />
May, she finished fi rst in the qualifying<br />
classes and the Championships. Her<br />
next successful endeavor was the Hi<br />
View Horse Show in Cumberland,<br />
Maine where she won the qualifiers<br />
for Youth Activity and Junior Exhibiter<br />
Hack along with the Championships<br />
and fi nishing second in the qualifier<br />
and Reserve Champion for Saddlebred<br />
Country Hunter. Her next show was<br />
the American Saddlebred Association<br />
of Maine show in July in Skowhegan,<br />
Maine. There she placed first in the<br />
qualifi ers for Country Hunter and<br />
Junior Exhibitor Hack with a second<br />
in Youth Activity and winning the<br />
Championships in the fi rst two qualifi ers<br />
and Reserve Championship in Youth<br />
Activity. She looks forward to two<br />
more Maine shows and fi nishing the<br />
season in October at The Exposition<br />
Center in Springfield, Massachusetts.<br />
Congratulations Melissa!<br />
SEACOAST UNITED JUNIOR ACADEMY<br />
<strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> and Seacoast<br />
United are pleased to announce our<br />
next step in the new partnership with<br />
the expansion of the Club’s highly<br />
regarded Junior <strong>Academy</strong> Program.<br />
The developmental program for boys<br />
and girls ages 7 and 8 and 9 and10 will<br />
begin in the first week of November in<br />
the <strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> Field House.<br />
TRYOUT DATES: Thursday, October<br />
8 and Wednesday, October 14, 5:30-<br />
7:15 p.m. (Registration begins at 5<br />
p.m.) the start date for the Junior<br />
<strong>Academy</strong> is Tuesday, November 3<br />
14 <strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>September</strong> <strong>2009</strong>
UPCOMING EVENTS<br />
19th Annual Bulldog Classic<br />
The Athletics Boosters is again<br />
sponsoring this major fundraising event<br />
scheduled for Thursday, <strong>September</strong> 24<br />
at The Ledges Golf Course with an<br />
8:30 a.m. start. This popular event is<br />
an opportunity to meet new people<br />
and reconnect with old friends. Please<br />
refer to the registration forms included<br />
in this mailing.<br />
Seacoast United Girls Soccer Tournament<br />
Seacoast United will host the<br />
all girls Columbus Day Invitational<br />
on our campus over the weekend of<br />
October 10-12. <strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong><br />
will provide concessions for the teams<br />
and their families. Traditionally, this is<br />
a quiet weekend on the Hilltop, but<br />
we will have 30 teams competing on<br />
Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. This<br />
is yet another step in our ongoing<br />
partnership with Seacoast United in<br />
addition to our summer camps and<br />
winter junior academy.<br />
Team Pictures<br />
N.E.A.T. is scheduled to<br />
photograph fall teams on October 13<br />
at <strong>Berwick</strong>. Team pictures are $8 and<br />
will be charged on the bookstore bill.<br />
Please have your son or daughter notify<br />
the photographer on picture day if you<br />
are not interested in purchasing a team<br />
photo. The photographs will be used<br />
for the yearbook, website, and keepsake<br />
for the players; if you do not want your<br />
son or daughter to be included in the<br />
picture please advise me.<br />
Upper School Field Trip<br />
There will be no Upper<br />
School practices or games scheduled<br />
for Tuesday, <strong>September</strong> 22 in the lieu<br />
of an exciting field trip planned for<br />
the Upper School as they travel to<br />
Smuttynose Island to explore the area<br />
of their summer reading “Cold Water<br />
Crossing.”<br />
19TH ANNUAL BULLDOG GOLF CLASSIC<br />
Thursday, <strong>September</strong> 24, <strong>2009</strong><br />
at the Ledges Golf Club in York, Maine<br />
You are cordially invited to participate in the<br />
19th Annual Bulldog Golf Classic!<br />
The proceeds from our annual golf tournament continue to fund many<br />
improvements to <strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>’s athletic facilities. In the past, proceeds<br />
have benefi ted the athletic fi elds with the addition of scoreboards<br />
and fi eld netting, fencing around the baseball field, dug outs, and the<br />
construction of the girls’ softball field. In addition, our athletic training<br />
staff received an all-terrain gator vehicle to transport injured players from<br />
the playing fi elds and a storage shed was built for equipment storage.<br />
With continued support from generous BA families and alumni, the Athletics<br />
Boosters will be assured funds to update and improve our athletic<br />
facilities.<br />
Date: Thursday, <strong>September</strong> 24, <strong>2009</strong><br />
Time: 8:30 a.m. Shotgun–Registration/Continental Breakfast<br />
opens at 7 a.m.<br />
Place: The Ledges - York, Maine<br />
Format: Scramble<br />
Fee: $125.00 per person (includes greens fee, cart, tournament gift,<br />
continental breakfast, and luncheon to follow)<br />
Four players per team—singles are welcome and will be placed on a team.<br />
For questions regarding the event, please email Rob Quinn at rquinn@<br />
berwickacademy.org or call 207-384-2164 ext.2800.<br />
We look forward to seeing you there!<br />
Highlights:<br />
Excellent day of golf<br />
Alumni class challenge<br />
Great raffl e prizes!<br />
<strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>September</strong> <strong>2009</strong><br />
15
Dear <strong>Berwick</strong> Community,<br />
The return of students and faculty bring a welcome buzz and energy to campus, reinforcing the importance of our work<br />
here in the Development Office. As a new member to the community, the start of the school year has been particularly<br />
exciting for me. My family and I have enjoyed attending athletic contests such as the soccer jamboree and witnessing<br />
the first fi eld hockey game here on the Hilltop in 57 years. I also continue to appreciate the opportunity to learn more<br />
about the community and history of BA through my interactions with parents, faculty, alumni and students. It has indeed<br />
been a great start to the school year.<br />
On the development front, we are busy preparing for the launch of the <strong>2009</strong> - 2010 Annual Fund drive. As you know, the<br />
Annual Fund is <strong>Berwick</strong>’s yearly fundraising effort that raises unrestricted money for our operating budget. The three major<br />
sources of income for the school are 1) tuition, 2) income from investments, and 3) the Annual Fund, which provides 5%<br />
of our operating income. Like all independent schools, <strong>Berwick</strong> relies on charitable donations (which are tax-deductible)<br />
to help support operating expenditures including but not limited to academic and athletic programs, new technology and<br />
laptops, energy costs, and financial aid that tuition alone cannot cover. The Annual Fund directly supports our most<br />
important resources – exceptional teachers, talented students, and a campus well-equipped for learning.<br />
The <strong>2009</strong>-2010 Annual Fund appeal letters will be sent out in mid-October. In lieu of the Annual Fund, parents of the<br />
class of 2010 will be asked to support an endowed fund in honor of the graduating Class of 2010. Please remember<br />
that participation is paramount to the success of the Annual Fund. Last year, in spite of difficult economic times, 60%<br />
of our parents contributed to the Annual Fund. When we include our senior giving program, over 70% of families made<br />
a charitable gift to <strong>Berwick</strong> last year! This commitment of support continues to enable the <strong>Academy</strong> to provide our<br />
students with the quality education for which it has earned its excellent reputation. Thank you again for your support<br />
and generosity.<br />
If you have any questions about the Annual Fund, please do not hesitate to contact me or stop by the <strong>1791</strong> House anytime<br />
you are on campus.<br />
Best,<br />
Jedd Whitlock<br />
Director of Advancement<br />
jwhitlock@berwickacademy.org<br />
16 <strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>September</strong> <strong>2009</strong>