June 2009 1791 Letter - Berwick Academy
June 2009 1791 Letter - Berwick Academy
June 2009 1791 Letter - Berwick Academy
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<strong>June</strong> <strong>2009</strong><br />
CLASS OF <strong>2009</strong> GRADUATION<br />
<strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>June</strong> <strong>2009</strong><br />
1
Having now lost the obligatory<br />
blue blazer and pastel tie, I make my<br />
journey back and forth between BD<br />
and the Hayes House each morning,<br />
the echoes already beginning to sing.<br />
I can wear sunglasses now, and I have<br />
more time to glance up in directions<br />
that I am too busy to acknowledge<br />
during the regular year. Usually I<br />
watch my shoes. After the whirlwind<br />
climax of the end of year, one can’t<br />
help but pause in the newfound quiet<br />
and refl ect. Gazing across the empty<br />
quad of Fogg Field, the campus has<br />
never looked more impressive; it is the<br />
crowning achievement of our grounds<br />
crew to present this place so beautifully<br />
for graduation. Sometimes I wished our<br />
families truly knew how hard they must<br />
work to pull this off. There is an irony<br />
in it as well – the campus being at its<br />
most pristine at a time when it becomes<br />
suddenly dormant. It seems fi tting that<br />
this occurs in <strong>June</strong>, as if our School has<br />
been so enriched by a year of growth<br />
and contribution that it is literally<br />
bursting with aesthetic beauty.<br />
The echoes as I walk are<br />
the reverberations of learning and<br />
improvement from a year at <strong>Berwick</strong><br />
<strong>Academy</strong>. The whispers are an<br />
infi nite number of conversations and<br />
interactions between peers and adults,<br />
all geared toward becoming better<br />
people, becoming a better school.<br />
Sometimes I reflect on what a school<br />
like ours really is – a campus? an<br />
institution? a community? a religion?<br />
Where, for example, does it actually<br />
begin and end? One trusted colleague<br />
and friend here has challenged this in<br />
claiming that in fact institutions do not<br />
even exist; only people do. Insights like<br />
these appropriately shake the core of<br />
favorite Head of School mantras like,<br />
“We need to do what is best for the<br />
institution.” What I know for sure is that<br />
our school is alive, slightly dormant<br />
at this particular moment in <strong>June</strong>, but<br />
undeniably a living, breathing, cyclical<br />
organism. Perhaps that is the true thrill<br />
of trying to lead such a place: the<br />
humbling realization that it cannot,<br />
and should not, be fully controlled. It<br />
can be nurtured and guided, but never<br />
contained or limited. I would do well<br />
to continue embracing this exquisite<br />
spontaneity.<br />
The deeper one thinks about<br />
the connections and murky boundaries<br />
between individual student growth,<br />
faculty growth, and institutional<br />
growth, the more one begins to spiral.<br />
As I pass the Arts Center on this daily<br />
walk home, I hear the voices of the<br />
Baccalaureates, the concerts, and the<br />
assemblies. These are moments of<br />
risk taking, celebration, and growth.<br />
Walking towards Fogg, suddenly the<br />
sense of history cannot be ignored.<br />
This is an institution that has been<br />
long at work on a noble mission,<br />
and yet the nature of education has<br />
changed so dramatically in 200 years.<br />
The people are different, and yet the<br />
values feel unchanged. I have always<br />
believed that schools like <strong>Berwick</strong><br />
teach character not only through our<br />
programs, our ceremonies, and our<br />
speeches, but through the hundreds of<br />
unseen interactions between students<br />
and adults every day. In fact, as Head<br />
of School, an honest admission is that<br />
I rarely observe the moments when<br />
the school is at its best in this regard;<br />
I merely trust these moments are<br />
happening. The echoes assure me that<br />
this is so. I hear ephemeral vibrations<br />
of these moral conversations as I walk<br />
homeward, paradoxically grateful<br />
for the respite from school life but<br />
keenly aware that our organism is in<br />
hibernation. Soon it will stretch and<br />
grow once again.<br />
A lot has been made in recent<br />
years, including during my search<br />
process at <strong>Berwick</strong>, about how might<br />
we package, market, and ultimately<br />
sell this complex organism that we call<br />
home. We celebrate its facilities, its<br />
achievement, its history, its programs,<br />
its accomplishments. In the maturing,<br />
strangely quiet days of <strong>June</strong> on the<br />
precipice of summer, I am more keenly<br />
aware than ever that we are always<br />
about our people. We are a giant<br />
catalyst for human interactions, and<br />
my fundamental job is to fi nd the best<br />
people, the best spaces, and the best<br />
umbrella of values and boundaries<br />
within which those exquisite human<br />
interactions can fl ourish.<br />
As I turn the corner past Fogg,<br />
my house comes into view. I glance out<br />
into the expansive fi elds with which<br />
we are blessed. Some of my favorite<br />
<strong>Berwick</strong> moments have occurred when<br />
each fi eld is fi lled with competition on<br />
a beautiful fall or spring day. While the<br />
competition is part of the thrill, a larger<br />
part is the ability to walk between the<br />
games and bump into parents who<br />
have come together to celebrate their<br />
children. Without fail, people ask me<br />
about my life and my family. They<br />
care. It is hard for me to find forums<br />
in which I can truly say thank you.<br />
Perhaps this is one.<br />
Finally, on this beautiful <strong>June</strong><br />
afternoon, I make my way to “Ridgway<br />
Ridge,” fabled to have been put in<br />
place by my predecessor with ancient<br />
pool stones. They mark the path of<br />
2 <strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>June</strong> <strong>2009</strong>
connection between home and work<br />
that he so ably etched for nearly twenty<br />
years. I remember my walk through<br />
this same tunnel earlier this winter<br />
during the ice storm. With no power<br />
in my house, complete darkness at 4:00<br />
in the morning, I felt like an explorer<br />
on a quest to BD, with the grail being<br />
some functional technology that might<br />
enable me to cancel school. Limbs<br />
snapped like shotguns in the darkness,<br />
but the path, trodden so many times<br />
before, steered me well. Soon the<br />
campus became a refuge of sorts for<br />
our families, where kids could study or<br />
shower. Other seasons on the path this<br />
year involved navigating hauntingly<br />
muddy waters. In complete isolation<br />
on a raw morning in late March, you<br />
might have found me leaping from<br />
stone to stone amidst the mud in my<br />
dress shoes of the day, doing my best<br />
impersonation of a hyperactive frog.<br />
In <strong>June</strong>, however, the ridge<br />
is easy now, lined with greenery and<br />
birds that announce my arrival home.<br />
Opening the door to the mudroom – a<br />
full two years later from the first time<br />
I entered this space – I no longer have<br />
to announce my arrival. The dog barks,<br />
and my oldest daughter begins to<br />
squeal. As I step out into the kitchen,<br />
my youngest daughter snuggles against<br />
my wife’s chest. The squealing elder<br />
is now in full view, running down<br />
the hallway with open arms that will<br />
soon consummate in what she likes to<br />
announce as “the biggest hug in the<br />
world.” Maybe my friend was right in<br />
saying that in the end there are only<br />
people. And yet there is something<br />
reassuring about my family living<br />
attached to a larger being – a living,<br />
breathing, growing spirit – that is<br />
committed to doing such good work<br />
for its people.<br />
Thank you, <strong>Berwick</strong>, for<br />
making this a wonderful year.<br />
Congratulations Class of <strong>2009</strong><br />
We celebrated a glorious<br />
graduation weekend on the Hilltop<br />
this year, with an exceptional address<br />
from Dr. Dora Mills. I would like to<br />
congratulate our graduates one last<br />
time on all they have achieved. We<br />
hope that they will not be strangers to<br />
the Hilltop in the future.<br />
Health Form Reminder<br />
Please remember that all health<br />
forms are due by July 13 this year. We<br />
are working hard to become more<br />
timely and efficient in our medical<br />
protocols for next year. Thank you for<br />
making your best effort to meet this<br />
new deadline.<br />
Dogs on Campus<br />
If you come to campus this<br />
summer, you will notice new signage<br />
clarifying our policy that all dogs need<br />
to be on leashes while on campus.<br />
Our families are generally very good<br />
about this practice, but we need to<br />
enforce this more consistently next<br />
year as an important safety measure for<br />
everyone.<br />
<strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> is Going Paperless<br />
I am pleased to announce that<br />
as a cost saving measure and in an<br />
attempt to be more environmentally<br />
friendly, the <strong>1791</strong> will be available<br />
online (on the School Portal) next year<br />
and will also be sent via email each<br />
month. We estimate that by going<br />
fully online, this switch could save the<br />
<strong>Academy</strong> as much as $4,000 annually.<br />
The new version will be formatted for<br />
easy printing from your computer if you<br />
prefer to read in hard copy. However,<br />
we will happily mail a printed copy<br />
to any family who is still interested in<br />
receiving the <strong>1791</strong> by traditional mail<br />
for the <strong>2009</strong>-2010 academic year as we<br />
make this transition. If you would like<br />
to receive a hard copy, please contact<br />
Sondra Farrell in the front offi ce.<br />
<strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>June</strong> <strong>2009</strong><br />
Have fun<br />
I want to be sure and wish each<br />
and every family a restful and relaxing<br />
summer this year. I truly look forward to<br />
seeing you once again in September.<br />
ARE YOU LOGGED ON?<br />
<strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>’s online community is<br />
known as a ‘portal.’ The portal is your<br />
door....your point of entry to<br />
all things <strong>Berwick</strong>!<br />
You reach the portal from<br />
www.berwickacademy.org, click on<br />
Current Parents and log in with your<br />
username and password. Mark this<br />
page in your Favorites. Once logged in,<br />
you will be taken directly to the Parent<br />
Portal for all your <strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong><br />
information.<br />
YOU MUST LOGIN TO THE<br />
PORTAL FOR IT TO<br />
BE OF USE TO YOU.<br />
TO LOGIN the first time: Use your full<br />
name, no spaces, as your username. For<br />
your password, use your zip code. You<br />
will then be required to set your own<br />
password for future logins. If you happen<br />
to be an alumni of <strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>, use<br />
your full name + 4 digit graduation year.<br />
Use your zip code as your password.<br />
Once you login, browse through the blue<br />
bar buttons on the left. Go to your Profile<br />
and update your information, including<br />
your e-mail address. Click on the word<br />
Parents, and see your links and<br />
downloads.<br />
Trouble? E-mail Tracey Kelly at<br />
tkelly@berwickacademy.org<br />
3
Peter Saliba<br />
If I combine my own schooling<br />
with my career, I have endured<br />
approximately thirty commencement<br />
exercises. When I use the word<br />
endure, I’m referring to the ordeal of<br />
the commencement address. Usually,<br />
these things are pretty dry affairs, and<br />
I fi nd myself counting the caps of the<br />
graduates to make sure they are not<br />
lying down and napping. This year,<br />
Dr. Dora Mills set a new standard<br />
for our future speakers at <strong>Berwick</strong>.<br />
Her talk was relevant, connected,<br />
and meaningful. I’ve included some<br />
excerpts for those of you who did not<br />
get a chance to hear her speak. Enjoy!<br />
Today, I thought I would share with<br />
you three ingredients that I wish I had more of<br />
in1978. First, is the ingredient of gratitude. Each<br />
and every one of you stands on the shoulders of<br />
your parents and/or other adults who played<br />
a signifi cant role in your life. Today is a day<br />
that we also reach out and thank them – for<br />
giving you their patience, their promotion, and<br />
much of your potential. As you venture off to<br />
college or other such adventures, you’ll learn<br />
that it’s not always easy to be thankful for all<br />
these gifts. You’ll learn that some of what you<br />
grew up with are idiosyncrasies that seem not<br />
to be shared by many other families, sometimes<br />
hurtful and at the best sometimes embarrassing.<br />
The second ingredient is that of<br />
wearing a wide angle lens, that is, seeing the<br />
connectivity that exists in the world, and acting<br />
with that realization.<br />
<strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> has already given<br />
you a wide angle lens. Although I was not<br />
fortunate enough to attend school at this hilltop,<br />
I was fortunate to learn about connectivity from<br />
a year living and working in the mid-1980s in<br />
a small village named Shirati, in Tanzania,<br />
East Africa in a Mennonite hospital. Actually,<br />
it was the time I returned to visit Shirati years<br />
later while practicing medicine in Maine that<br />
taught me the most about connectivity. Upon<br />
returning there, I was shocked to see so many<br />
changes. 10 years after my time there the<br />
schools were nearly empty – because the HIV/<br />
AIDS epidemic had stolen their parents, and<br />
many children now needed to work in the fi elds.<br />
But, the hospital’s pediatric ward was also<br />
gladly nearly empty – and had been so ever<br />
since the local water tower had been completed,<br />
allowing for water to be pumped from nearby<br />
Lake Victoria and used for drinking water. As<br />
a result, the leading cause of hospitalization<br />
of young children, diarrhea, was almost<br />
eliminated.<br />
When I returned from my trip<br />
to practice medicine in my hometown in<br />
Maine, I then started seeing the community<br />
differently. I saw the connections between the<br />
built environment, the natural environment,<br />
the economy, education, and health. I started<br />
seeing that sidewalks, clean water, poverty, and<br />
educational opportunities all had a stronger<br />
effect on the health of my patients than most<br />
medicines I could dispense. Seeing these<br />
connections in East Africa and then in my<br />
own community in Maine is why I stepped into<br />
public health. I realized that public health gave<br />
me the opportunity to work on the interconnected<br />
factors affecting health – the environment, the<br />
effects of poverty and education.<br />
While walking down life’s path with<br />
gratitude and with a wide angle lens is important,<br />
the third ingredient of passion is the most critical.<br />
And, I will tell you how I stumbled across this<br />
one. After living out of state for a number of<br />
years, I was drawn to moving back to Maine.<br />
Before coming home, I took a few months off,<br />
hiking in the Himalayan Mountains of Nepal<br />
and India, then spending a month working in<br />
Calcutta with the Missionaries of Charity and<br />
Mother Teresa<br />
On my last day, as was the custom,<br />
I spoke to Mother Teresa, as was the custom<br />
when you were leaving, to thank her for the<br />
experience of working there. She asked how<br />
it had been. I shared with her my gratitude.<br />
And, I also shared with her my guilt. I told her<br />
that while other volunteers were staying on or<br />
talking about returning, my heart was in my<br />
home state of Maine. My dreams were about<br />
returning to my family and to my roots and to<br />
work in Maine after being absent for so long.<br />
Yet, I felt guilty, as clearly the abject need was<br />
much greater in Calcutta.<br />
She then grasped my hands and made<br />
the connection for me I had not seen. She said,<br />
“if where you are going you will work with<br />
love and love your work, then that is where you<br />
are called to be.” If you are going you will<br />
work with love and love your work, then that is<br />
where you are called to be. I am indeed grateful<br />
to love what I am doing. It took a trip half way<br />
around the world and a little old lady to teach<br />
me the importance of walking life’s path with<br />
passion.<br />
So, I wish for you to walk with these<br />
ingredients, these lessons that took me so many<br />
years to accumulate and to learn – to walk with<br />
gratitude in your heart, to walk wearing a wide<br />
angle lens of the world, and to walk with your<br />
passion. I know you will do so, as the hilltops<br />
and hallways of <strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> have, in the<br />
words of your 218 year old charter, promoted<br />
“true piety and virtue and useful knowledge<br />
among” you – the rising generation of today.<br />
It has been a great honor to share<br />
with you most wonderful day. Thank you.<br />
Go Bulldogs!<br />
4 <strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>June</strong> <strong>2009</strong>
As I write this month’s<br />
contribution to the <strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong>, I am<br />
torn between the opposite poles of<br />
thinking ahead and looking backwards.<br />
<strong>June</strong> is like that; a pivotal month for<br />
those of us who work year round, and<br />
build our lives upon the rhythms of an<br />
academic calendar. Having no luck<br />
at deciding, I will do what I do when<br />
faced with two equally appealing pairs<br />
of shoes: I’ll take them both.<br />
The hindsight that <strong>June</strong> offers<br />
me is clear. I believe that we have<br />
done our best work as a community<br />
to work together and to have fun<br />
together. While the students have<br />
shouldered the academic burdens of<br />
a new grade, they have also navigated<br />
the social waters of early adolescence.<br />
There have been days of cooperation<br />
and ones of tension. Through the<br />
intervention of committed adults,<br />
students may have found consequences<br />
for careless and unkind behaviors.<br />
Equally, they have been applauded for<br />
their academic, athletic, musical, and<br />
artistic productions. We adults have<br />
worked tirelessly to promote individual<br />
growth.<br />
As a faculty, we have worked<br />
together this month to examine the<br />
year and all of those moments that we<br />
wish to recreate for the future. We<br />
want to explore the integration of<br />
our core values into the fabric of the<br />
school year, and so we shall select<br />
one value each quarter to be the focus<br />
of our planning for assemblies and<br />
for discussions. We will continue to<br />
address the social development of<br />
our students through the deliberate<br />
teaching of character education and<br />
social skills. Some of these activities<br />
will take place during specific time set<br />
aside each week. Others will be woven<br />
into our subject area lessons.<br />
Among the changes we expect<br />
will be the shift to a homeroom model<br />
for all grades. The homeroom teacher<br />
or teachers will start each day with<br />
announcements, topics for quick<br />
discussion, a “morning meeting,”<br />
check-ins with students, and then<br />
will begin the first period with that<br />
same class. While we have much<br />
to do to prepare for this shift, it was<br />
the thinking among the teachers that<br />
a consistent five-day approach to<br />
advising would benefit our students in<br />
numerous ways, including providing<br />
them with more consistent time. Each<br />
week we plan to use one block of time<br />
for assemblies, and another for special<br />
projects including wellness programs,<br />
service activities, and Options For Fun<br />
(O.F.F.). The fl exibility we will have<br />
throughout the year will diminish<br />
some of the unequal approaches to<br />
advisory time that parents had noted<br />
this year at the February Parent Forum.<br />
More specific descriptions will come in<br />
the letter mailed in August along with<br />
schedules.<br />
The next big shift for the<br />
<strong>2009</strong>-2010 school year will be in<br />
eighth grade. We will build individual<br />
schedules for our eighth grade students<br />
that will allow for a change in student<br />
groups each period. The homeroom,<br />
then, will become an important part of<br />
each child’s day, as they will no longer<br />
be going to classes with the same group<br />
of students for an entire day. We hope<br />
that having this experience will better<br />
prepare students for the transition to<br />
high school.<br />
Fifth and sixth grade students<br />
will fi nd a class on their schedules that<br />
will be called “Fifth Grade Seminar,”<br />
or “Sixth Grade Seminar.” This course<br />
will be taught by our Academic Support<br />
Coordinator, Stacey Sevelowitz,<br />
<strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>June</strong> <strong>2009</strong><br />
who has mapped out topics such a<br />
organization and study skills, learning<br />
strategies, time management, social<br />
skills, and who will collaborate with<br />
our Counselor, Cindy Briggs on specifi c<br />
wellness topics. Both will be aided by<br />
Holly Bennett, our Health Educator.<br />
The students will receive an effort<br />
grade and a participation grade for<br />
their work in these seminars. Stacey<br />
Sevelowitz and Cindy Briggs will take<br />
up residence two days each week in<br />
our Clement Middle School Building.<br />
It is our shared hope that students will<br />
fi nd accessing these critical support<br />
people will be far easier through their<br />
scheduled presence.<br />
The school has begun to<br />
undertake a review of the entire yearly<br />
and daily schedules. Some of our Middle<br />
School plans will go far to support any<br />
future changes. We hope to test the<br />
waters with our homeroom program,<br />
and to build a stronger community by<br />
committing ourselves to purposeful<br />
integration of our core values each<br />
quarter. Finally, all educators on this<br />
campus will begin using new software<br />
to map curriculum starting this month.<br />
The training and the mapping work will<br />
be part of a campus-wide professional<br />
develop across all disciplines and<br />
grades. We hope that through this<br />
work we will find gaps in instruction<br />
that we may begin to fi ll and places<br />
where unnecessary redundancy can be<br />
eliminated. The maps will be rich in<br />
resources, will have links to national<br />
educational standards, and will provide<br />
us with reference materials to help us<br />
improve instruction.<br />
Recently, we have welcomed a<br />
group of seven new interns into our<br />
Teaching Institute. You may expect a<br />
letter from the mentor teacher in the<br />
continued on pg. 11...<br />
5
The Lower School held its<br />
Closing Recognition Assembly on <strong>June</strong><br />
3. We said good-bye to a remarkable<br />
group of people during the ceremony,<br />
while reflecting on an exciting year in<br />
our division. The event began with<br />
Mrs. Wituszynski skillfully leading the<br />
third grade violinists as they played to<br />
an appreciative audience and ended<br />
with a school-year slide show compiled<br />
by Ms. Martin. This final <strong>1791</strong> entry<br />
allows me to reflect on the events<br />
found between the violin performance<br />
and the slide show.<br />
After the musicians left the<br />
stage, I thanked the parents of the fourth<br />
graders for their attendance and for<br />
their tremendous support of the Lower<br />
School. Then, I expressed appreciation<br />
for Mr. Greg Schneider’s school-wide<br />
leadership and Lower School focus.<br />
From reading stories to the kindergarten<br />
students to eating lunch with the fourth<br />
grade ambassadors, we have enjoyed<br />
Mr. Schneider’s presence within our<br />
division. I welcomed Mr. Schneider to<br />
the podium, and we enjoyed his kind<br />
words for the Lower School students.<br />
We have also appreciated strong<br />
assistance from BAPA during the yearfrom<br />
the book fair to pizza bingo night<br />
to numerous enrichment experiences.<br />
I thanked Mrs. Nancy Noyes and Mrs.<br />
Julie Russell for their leadership as<br />
BAPA coordinators.<br />
The Teaching Institute—a<br />
collaborative Master’s degree teaching<br />
program between <strong>Berwick</strong> and UNE—<br />
also has enjoyed another successful<br />
year. In our division, we have been<br />
fortunate to work with Ms. Kate<br />
Brown, Ms. Amanda Clements, Ms.<br />
Alicia Eisnor, Ms. Gennie Olbres,<br />
Ms. Danielle Sipplak, and Ms. Andrea<br />
Smith. I enjoyed the opportunity to<br />
thank each of them for their creativity,<br />
for their love of learning and for their<br />
overfl owing enthusiasm.<br />
We have also been aided by<br />
two wonderful music teachers who will<br />
not be working with us in the Lower<br />
School next year. Mrs. Tina Murphy<br />
and Mrs. Stephanie Sanders are both<br />
talented musicians and instructors and<br />
more importantly, teachers who really<br />
care about their students. I wished<br />
them well next year—knowing that we<br />
will see them teaching private lessons<br />
and working with the other divisions,<br />
respectively. Thank you, Mrs. Murphy<br />
and Mrs. Sanders!<br />
I then thanked Mrs. Jenn<br />
Hedges for joining the third grade<br />
program in the spring—taking Mr.<br />
Norcross’s place during his medical<br />
leave. Mrs. Hedges has made many<br />
friends at the third grade level and has<br />
carried out a number of interesting<br />
teaching activities from The Cricket<br />
in Times Square to the artists/<br />
musicians project to some special<br />
writing assignments. Thank you, Mrs.<br />
Hedges!<br />
Finally, I acknowledged the<br />
wonderful work of Mrs. Suzanne<br />
Nixon and Mrs. Nancy Hathaway.<br />
Mrs. Nixon has been a special friend<br />
in our kindergarten program. She<br />
has taught the students to read, to be<br />
friends, and to love learning. She has<br />
supported our community in a number<br />
of different ways. She is often one<br />
of the first Lower School teachers to<br />
arrive in the morning—helping to set<br />
up the kindergarten classroom for a<br />
wonderful day of learning. She has<br />
helped our students enjoy a number of<br />
extra activities—often organizing our<br />
fi eld trips and doing extra work for the<br />
Lower School Production each year.<br />
We will miss you next year, Mrs. Nixon,<br />
and we wish you the best—thank you!<br />
Mrs. Hathaway has been a wonderful<br />
friend to students and faculty in our<br />
division and across the <strong>Berwick</strong> campus.<br />
She has worked both as an academic<br />
support coordinator and, of course,<br />
as a wonderful kindergarten teacher.<br />
Over the years, she has brought<br />
together a wonderful spirit of learning<br />
and discovery to the kindergarten<br />
classroom—developing creative<br />
learning activities for the students. I<br />
have appreciated the many ways in<br />
which Mrs. Hathaway has enriched our<br />
school—from creative teaching lessons<br />
to her friendly support of all of her<br />
teaching colleagues to enthusiastically<br />
discussing the learning process with<br />
Lower School parents. We will miss<br />
you next year, Mrs. Hathaway, and we<br />
wish you the best—thank you!<br />
Next, I turned the spotlight<br />
on our students. In September, we<br />
welcomed our new kindergarten<br />
friends. They learned about monarch<br />
butterfl ies, they learned how to play on<br />
our playground, they learned how to<br />
get their own lunch in the Commons,<br />
they went on some interesting field<br />
trips, and they read books with their<br />
friends in the Lower and Upper School<br />
divisions. They even organized a<br />
hat and mitten service project. They<br />
learned about so many things—<br />
from reading and writing to art and<br />
physical education to speaking French.<br />
Congratulations to our kindergarten<br />
students on a wonderful year!<br />
Our first grade students have<br />
also had a spectacular year. They read<br />
and read in their literacy groups and<br />
they wrote wonderful stories as well.<br />
Early in the year, they began learning<br />
continued on page 15...<br />
6 <strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>June</strong> <strong>2009</strong>
Rob Quinn<br />
SPRING SPORTS<br />
SUCCESS ON THE HILLTOP<br />
Varsity baseball and varsity<br />
boys lacrosse both qualifed for N.E.<br />
Tournaments and advanced to the<br />
semi-fi nal rounds. Girls’ Lacrosse made<br />
it to EIL Tournament, winning the first<br />
round in B bracket – varsity softball<br />
qualifi ed for the EIL Tournament and<br />
had two very close games.<br />
SUMMER AND PRESEASON SPORTS<br />
This summer, <strong>Berwick</strong> has<br />
joined forces with the Seacoast United<br />
Soccer Club to offer a Training <strong>Academy</strong><br />
for experienced travel and club players<br />
to be held at <strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>. This<br />
camp will run from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and<br />
will include lunch and dinner in the<br />
<strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> Commons dining<br />
hall. SUSC coaches, comprised of full<br />
time staff, international coaches, and<br />
current college players, will focus on<br />
individual skills and tactics building up<br />
to game play in the evenings. SUSC<br />
will mix top level skill development<br />
with fun and challenging games.<br />
There will be two sessions offered this<br />
summer; July 13-16 and July 20-23.<br />
If you are interested in<br />
attending either session, there is<br />
more information and a sign-up form<br />
available at www.berwickacademy.org<br />
under Summer Programs.<br />
Boys Soccer<br />
Coach Patrick Connolly<br />
pconnolly@berwickacademy.org<br />
Summer: They will begin Tuesday<br />
night sessions on July 28 from 6:15<br />
to 7:45. These sessions will continue<br />
through August 18.<br />
Preseason: Varsity candidates will be<br />
leaving for the Team Prep trip at noon<br />
time on Tuesday, August 25 and return<br />
on Saturday, August 29 at noon. Those<br />
who have not signed up must contact<br />
Coach Connolly as soon as possible.<br />
There is a cost to the trip. Preseason<br />
will run from Monday August 31 until<br />
Thursday September 3, 5:30 - 7:30.<br />
These sessions are for anyone looking<br />
to tryout for the varsity team. Tryouts<br />
will continue during the first week of<br />
school.<br />
Girls Soccer<br />
Head Coach Kyle Ridgway<br />
kridgway@berwickacademy.org<br />
Summer: The girls are invited to<br />
participate with the boys on Tuesday<br />
evenings. See details above.<br />
Preseason: Coach Ridgway will take a<br />
group of soccer athletes to camp. The<br />
group will attend the “All Out Team”<br />
Soccer Camp from August 24 -27.<br />
This preseason camp is optional and<br />
open to any interested soccer athlete.<br />
They will attend the camp as a team<br />
from <strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>. The camp<br />
includes skills sessions, practices,<br />
and scrimmages against other soccer<br />
programs. While returning members of<br />
the team and current <strong>Berwick</strong> students<br />
have already signed up, the hope is to<br />
bring an excited and energetic group of<br />
soccer athletes. This includes anyone<br />
who is motivated and interested in<br />
having a little extra preseason time!<br />
We are very hopeful that some of our<br />
incoming students will be able to join<br />
us. We think it could be a fun and<br />
possibly less intimidating transition<br />
<strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>June</strong> <strong>2009</strong><br />
into the school and into preseason!<br />
Field Hockey<br />
Co-Head Coaches Tracey Kelly<br />
tkelly@berwickacademy.org and<br />
Stacey Sevelowitz<br />
ssevelowitz@berwickacademy.org<br />
Summer: There will be an introductory<br />
clinic on August 26 from 4-7 p.m. at<br />
<strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>. The team will work<br />
on basic field hockey skills and drills<br />
and fi nish up with a scrimmage and<br />
pizza. Students who are interested in<br />
playing fi eld hockey next year should<br />
contact make an effort to attend this<br />
clinic, regardless of skill level.<br />
Also, a reminder that Seacoast<br />
United is holding a 4-day camp here<br />
on campus August 3-6 from 1-4 p.m.<br />
(Lacrosse is from 9-12 and field hockey<br />
from 1-4) The following link has more<br />
detailed info http://seacoastunited.<br />
org/Camps/FHCamps/index_E.html<br />
For more information please contact<br />
Britt Schneider at bschneider@<br />
seacoastunited.org or call 603-926-<br />
8444 x 216.<br />
The team will be looking for at<br />
least 2 goalies! If you decide to attend<br />
a camp and are interested in being a<br />
goalie, please contact Coach Kelly or<br />
Rob Quinn, they might be able to help<br />
you with equipment.<br />
Preseason: Will be here on campus<br />
from August 31 - September 4 from<br />
3 - 5:30 p.m. Although this is not<br />
mandatory, as this is a junior varsity<br />
team, it is highly encouraged that<br />
you attend some or all of this week.<br />
It will be your fi rst opportunity to get<br />
acquainted with your teammates, learn<br />
continued on pg. 14...<br />
7
you gotta have Arts<br />
ARTS BOOSTERS<br />
Looking for Volunteers<br />
The <strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> Arts<br />
Boosters is looking to increase volunteer<br />
involvement during the <strong>2009</strong>- 2010<br />
school year. This group was established<br />
a few years ago to sponsor fine arts<br />
events at <strong>Berwick</strong> along with creating<br />
events with the goal of generating<br />
funding to help support artists in<br />
residence and/or capital equipment<br />
items for the visual and performing<br />
arts. The two major events approved<br />
by the Development Committee are<br />
the Arts Boosters Variety Show in<br />
October and the Silent Art Auction in<br />
May. This year, these two events and<br />
proceeds from the Arts Boosters Snack<br />
Shack grossed over $2000.<br />
Arts Boosters Variety Show<br />
This annual event will take<br />
place Friday, October 16, at 7:00 p.m.<br />
Please mark your calendars and plan to<br />
join us on this one-of-a-kind evening.<br />
We would love to perform to a full<br />
house with standing room only. Watch<br />
for more information in the August and<br />
September <strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong>s and have a<br />
great summer.<br />
DANCE<br />
Shaping the Future<br />
The dancers’ spring<br />
performances of Shaping the Future and<br />
AMPED made for an exciting artistic<br />
weekend on the Hilltop in May. There<br />
are many amazing images posted on the<br />
<strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> online media gallery<br />
where you can view and download<br />
them to your own image library. If you<br />
are interested in purchasing a DVD<br />
of either performance you can do so<br />
through Video Creations’ online store<br />
at www.videocreations.tv. Previously ordered DVDs are complete and are in the<br />
process of being packaged and mailed. Please feel free to contact Sasha Randall<br />
at srandall@berwickacademy.org with any questions pertaining to the dance<br />
program.<br />
MUSIC<br />
Festival Information<br />
Upper School students who are interested in auditioning for the Maine<br />
Allstate Music Festival next year can go to this site to check the audition requirements<br />
for their instruments:<br />
http://allstateauditions.com/mmea/auditions/InstrumentRequirements.pdf<br />
We recommend that they start working on the music during the summer. Auditions<br />
will be November 13 and 14. The district and jazz festival audition information<br />
for the fall has not been published yet. Please remember that you must be enrolled<br />
in a music class in order to audition or participate in a music festival in the Upper<br />
School.<br />
Off the Hilltop<br />
Congratulations to Freddy Diengott for his participation in the Maine<br />
Allstate Chorus, and to Dan Kleinmann for his role as Hamlet in the NH Theater<br />
project and for his upcoming lead in “Grease” at Prescott Park. Please let us know<br />
about additional summer performance experiences so that we may recognize those<br />
performers in August or September.<br />
THE <strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> IS<br />
GOING PAPERLESS<br />
In an effort to save money while going green,<br />
<strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> is pleased to announce that<br />
the <strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> will be paperless beginning in<br />
September of this year. If you wish to continue<br />
to receive a hard copy, please contact Sondra<br />
Farrell in the main offi ce of BD.<br />
The electronic version will be sent via email<br />
to you each month, and will also be available on the School Portal of<br />
the BA website. It will be in pdf format and easily printable from your<br />
home or offi ce.<br />
Happy reading!<br />
8 <strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>June</strong> <strong>2009</strong>
PRESIDENT’S NOTES<br />
It is hard to believe the summer<br />
is already here! BAPA had another great<br />
year and I was so honored to work with<br />
such wonderful committed women. I<br />
want to thank the parents, faculty,<br />
staff, and administration for supporting<br />
BAPA efforts throughout the year. We<br />
could not do what we do without you!<br />
I look forward to another exciting year<br />
with a new Board and I hope everyone<br />
has a great summer. Any comments,<br />
suggestions, or ideas for next year are<br />
always welcome so please send us an<br />
email. See you in the fall.<br />
Thank you to Board Members<br />
I want to thank Marla Katz,<br />
Mona Smith, Amy Gaynor, Mary Beth<br />
Herbert, Eliza Peter, Piper Allison<br />
Bennett, Kim Mills, Julie Russell, Jane<br />
Hourihan, and Elsa Koallick. These<br />
women were amazing to work with<br />
and we will miss them next year. The<br />
amount of time and energy these<br />
women dedicated to <strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong><br />
is remarkable and we could not have<br />
had such a successful year without<br />
them.<br />
BAPA Gardens<br />
A huge thank you to Kristin<br />
Wiese-Adelman who did such a great<br />
job with our BAPA garden outside of<br />
BD. She is kind enough to stay on and<br />
tend them next year. Thank you so<br />
much for you energy and time.<br />
<strong>2009</strong>-2010 BAPA Board<br />
With over 200 votes of<br />
approval of the slate of nominees for<br />
next year’s Board, it is our pleasure to<br />
introduce the BAPA Board members for<br />
<strong>2009</strong>-2010!<br />
President<br />
Jean Jarvis<br />
Vice President<br />
Diane Walker<br />
General Treasurer Tracy Howe<br />
Schools Treasurer Nancy Noyes<br />
Secretary<br />
Nickie Gaudette<br />
US Coordinator Suzanne McFarland<br />
US Coordinator Mary Pat Dolan<br />
MS Coordinator Andrea Bristol<br />
MS Coordinator Joanne Meyer<br />
LS Coordinator<br />
Pamela Oberg<br />
LS Coordinator<br />
Beth Tykodi<br />
Communications Coord. Sarah Hebert<br />
New Family Coordinator Katie Clark<br />
Auction Co-Chair<br />
Jean Jarvis<br />
Auction Co-Chair<br />
Lesli Friel<br />
Auction Co-Chair Mary Towey<br />
Jean Jarvis, jean.jarvis1@verizon.net<br />
BAPA President<br />
TREASURER’S REPORT<br />
Monthly BAPA Support<br />
5/1/09-6/14/09<br />
Lower School<br />
Enrichment<br />
Grade 1 fi eld trip Children’s Museum $182.00<br />
Grade 3 trip to Central School $110.50<br />
Kindergarten pizza party $59.00<br />
Third Grade binders $56.55<br />
Classroom pizza party $56.00<br />
Literacy book and lesson plan $120.45<br />
Printing BA Bell $288.43<br />
Bus to Plimoth Plantation $200.00<br />
Total Enrichment $1, 072.93<br />
Fourth Grade Memory Book $1,134.12<br />
Family Fun Day $2,651.50<br />
Revels production CD’s $300.00<br />
Total Lower School $5,158.55<br />
Middle School<br />
Grade 8 Baccalaureate $1,000.00<br />
Grade 6 fi eld trip MFA $362.50<br />
U-haul for Ski trip $153.66<br />
Grade 6/7 Social<br />
Prizes $50.00<br />
DJ $350.00<br />
<strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>June</strong> <strong>2009</strong><br />
Pizza $65.99<br />
Total $465.99<br />
Grade 5/6/7 Spring Social<br />
Pizza $170.00<br />
Grade 5 Hilltop Fun Center $550.00<br />
Total $720.00<br />
Grade 7 Team Building<br />
Snacks $143.65<br />
Browne Center $1,300.00<br />
Total $1,443.63<br />
Grade 7/8 Dance<br />
Snacks & pizza $208.31<br />
Canobie Lake Park<br />
Admission $3,860.00<br />
Bus to Canobie $2,476.00<br />
Total $6,336.00<br />
Total Middle School $10,690.09<br />
Upper School<br />
Winter Social Invitations $66.54<br />
Senior Activities<br />
Boxes & Ribbons for Mugs $42.75<br />
Senior Banquet $47.54<br />
Senior Banquet $79.67<br />
Senior Dance $48.01<br />
Senior Dance $60.00<br />
Total $277.97<br />
Community Service<br />
Service Day Snacks $181.46<br />
Sundaes for Service Day $212.76<br />
Bus $1,289.25<br />
Total $1,683.47<br />
Enrichment<br />
Lassiter program $1,000.00<br />
Clubs<br />
Pizza Advisory Group $38.00<br />
Chemistry Periodic Table $194.04<br />
Exam Snacks $197.81<br />
Literary Magazine Printing $114.00<br />
Yearbook $21.29<br />
Blue & White Prizes $37.00<br />
Total $602.14<br />
continued...<br />
9
Socials<br />
Charity ball food $690.19<br />
DJ $225.00<br />
Food $69.00<br />
Total $984.19<br />
Post Prom $1,000.00<br />
Wilderness Trip $4,200.00<br />
Freshman Big &Little Buddy Treats $85.79<br />
Total Upper School $9,900.10<br />
Total BAPA Support $25,748.74<br />
Amy Gaynor, agaynor@roadrunner.net<br />
Schools Treasurer<br />
LOWER SCHOOL NEWS<br />
The Lower School concluded a<br />
year of learning with the annual Young<br />
Authors Day, which was celebrated on<br />
Thursday, May 28. According to Mr.<br />
Hawes it was the first “rainy” young<br />
authors day ever! Despite the clouds,<br />
rain, and cool weather, there was 100%<br />
attendance in the Lower School. It was<br />
a morning filled with wonderful stories<br />
and poetry. We learned many new and<br />
interesting facts about subjects ranging<br />
from animals that live in Africa to our<br />
solar system from the kindergartners. It<br />
was especially heartwarming to listen<br />
to the stories of the children who<br />
refl ected upon a memory or a time<br />
that helped to make their year at BA<br />
special.<br />
The beginning of <strong>June</strong> was<br />
celebrated with the annual Lower<br />
School Family Fun Day. It was an<br />
absolutely beautiful day. Everyone had<br />
a great time.<br />
The end of summer parties<br />
have already been planned by all grades!<br />
Please watch your mail boxes over the<br />
summer for a special invitation to one<br />
of these great parties. Thank you to all<br />
of the families who have so graciously<br />
offered to host these events.<br />
Enjoy the summer break with<br />
your family and friends!<br />
Nancy Noyes,<br />
nnoyes@comcast.net<br />
Julie Russell,<br />
juliep.russell@adelphia.net<br />
Lower School Coordinators<br />
MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS<br />
It’s hard to believe that the<br />
school year is already behind us...<br />
what a year it’s been! The kids have<br />
enjoyed so many activities in the last<br />
month of school: Grade 6 field trip to<br />
the Museum of Fine Arts, Grade 7 team<br />
building trip to the Browne Center,<br />
Grade 5 social at Hilltop Fun Center,<br />
Grade 6/7 social, the Middle School’s<br />
annual trip to Canobie Lake Park,<br />
Grade 8 Baccalaureate...what a fun and<br />
busy time!<br />
Congratulations to all of<br />
the Middle School students whose<br />
impressive scores on National and<br />
International Language Examinations<br />
earned recognition - what a talented<br />
group of students! Congratulations,<br />
also, to the seventh graders who raised<br />
over $2,700 for “Pennies for Peace,”<br />
an organization which builds schools<br />
in war-torn Pakistan and Afghanistan.<br />
In addition, we would like to wish the<br />
new ninth grade students much luck<br />
and success in the Upper School next<br />
year!<br />
Volunteer opportunities during<br />
the summer months are slim, but that’s<br />
not to say that there aren’t any! If you<br />
are interested in coordinating a “Back<br />
to School” event for your child’s class,<br />
please let Andrea know (malted92@<br />
comcast.net) so that she can get the<br />
date on the calendar! This is an easy<br />
event to coordinate and it’s a great way<br />
for the kids to get together again, meet<br />
their new classmates and get excited<br />
about the new school year! In years<br />
past, events have been held at beaches,<br />
parks, pools, houses...the sky’s the<br />
limit! These events are usually held in<br />
the last few weeks of summer before<br />
the start of the school year.<br />
Many thanks to the wonderful<br />
parent volunteers who have given time<br />
and talent to our efforts throughout<br />
the year! We are looking forward<br />
to another great year in the Middle<br />
School! In the meantime, have a safe,<br />
fun, and relaxing summer!<br />
Andrea Bristol, malted92@verizon.net<br />
Mary Beth Herbert,<br />
mbherbert@msn.com<br />
Middle School Coordinators<br />
UPPER SCHOOL NEWS<br />
It’s that time again to bid<br />
farewell to our graduates, friends, and<br />
colleagues on the Hilltop. I’m not sure<br />
if I should be happiest about my son<br />
moving up to senior status or my term<br />
as US Coordinator ending. Both bring<br />
a mixed bag of emotions my way.<br />
I have truly enjoyed the<br />
opportunity to serve as your US<br />
Coordinator for the past two years.<br />
Spending time on the campus during<br />
school hours, having the chance to<br />
say hello to so many students, faculty<br />
and staff, and ensuring that our student<br />
body had the resources to make all of<br />
their events successful has been the<br />
most rewarding experience for me.<br />
Even though at times, I must have<br />
seemed so crazily busy setting up<br />
activities for the students to enjoy with<br />
their friends and teachers, the students<br />
would always greet me with a smile and<br />
a helping hand. Countless volunteer<br />
hours and endless donations from all of<br />
the <strong>Berwick</strong> families have never gone<br />
unnoticed or unappreciated. Our US<br />
students have enjoyed every event on<br />
the Hilltop and beyond knowing that<br />
they have been supported by their<br />
families and BA teachers.<br />
There are so many countless<br />
people that I need to thank for<br />
supporting me but just a few stand out<br />
to me at this time. Those people are<br />
senior parents Kitty Cornwell, Lisa<br />
Kleinmann, Vickie Jenkinson, Lisa<br />
Harris, and Linda Fishbaugh. Terri<br />
Atwood, Diane Wheeler, Stephanie<br />
Lawrence, Anne Fetters, Marie<br />
Winters, Suzanne McFarland, Debra<br />
Lizama, Jodi Scharff, and Karin Wittet,<br />
our BA moms who never said no and<br />
were at the ready all the time. I would<br />
like to send out a huge and heartfelt<br />
10 <strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>June</strong> <strong>2009</strong>
thank you to Peter Saliba, Ted Smith,<br />
Jen Onken, Chris Mansfield, Lynne<br />
Gass, Gray Cornwell, John Skafidas,<br />
Rob Quinn and his incredible Athletics<br />
staff and Pat McManus and all of her<br />
facilities crew. All of you made my<br />
job easier and much more successful by<br />
your helping hands, brilliant minds and<br />
sound advice. You are all the reasons<br />
why <strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> continues to be<br />
the BEST!!<br />
And fi nally, thank you to the<br />
US students. I will miss my time with<br />
all of you, but don’t worry I’ll be on the<br />
sidelines and in the audience to cheer<br />
you on for another year of wonderful,<br />
fun fi lled BA times.<br />
In closing I would like to<br />
acknowledge the coordinators for next<br />
year Suzanne McFarland and Mary Pat<br />
Dolan. I wish you both great success.<br />
Have a great summer and<br />
enjoy the times you have with family<br />
and friends. GO BULLDOGS!<br />
Kim Mills, 603-742-1124,<br />
tkkmills@aol.com<br />
Suzanne McFarland,<br />
suzannerye@comcast.net<br />
Upper School Coordinators<br />
NEW FAMILIES<br />
The fi rst words out of my<br />
daughter’s mouth after coming home<br />
from the last day of school were “This<br />
is going to be the longest summer<br />
ever!” And, due to the way Memorial<br />
and Labor Days fell this year, she<br />
wasn’t just speaking a bunch of wishful<br />
hyperbole. Welcome to the longest<br />
summer! There is no need for an<br />
orientation to the easier pace, the soft,<br />
warm wind and the lazy, hot afternoons<br />
in the hammock by the pool. We all<br />
know what these days are for.<br />
Last year at this time, I invited<br />
all ‘08-‘09 ‘New <strong>Berwick</strong> Parents’<br />
to offi cially change their identities<br />
to ‘<strong>Berwick</strong> Parents.’ The school’s<br />
routines and traditions have mostly<br />
been revealed to you, and now you<br />
can enter your next year with a greater<br />
sense of knowing. I invite you to gift<br />
that confidence. Please tell any ’09-<br />
’10 New <strong>Berwick</strong> Parents about your<br />
experiences. I have always maintained<br />
that my job has been done by others,<br />
as I see parents lift and hold each other<br />
with helpful advice and kind guidance.<br />
This will be my fi nal column for the<br />
<strong>1791</strong>. My term ends in a few days and<br />
Lower School mom Katie Clark will be<br />
stepping in to help welcome our new<br />
families. I wish her the same happy<br />
and meaning-fi lled journey I have<br />
known during my two years as your<br />
‘welcomer-in-chief.’ Thank you all for<br />
your wonderful support…see you on<br />
the Hilltop in September.<br />
Piper Allison Bennett,<br />
piper924@comcast.net<br />
New Family Coordinator<br />
BAPA COMMUNICATIONS<br />
Thank you to Judith Trotsky,<br />
Kit McCormick, Diane Walker, Joanne<br />
Meyer, Nickie Gaudette, Suzanne<br />
Richardson, and Kim Levy who helped<br />
out with the May mailing of the <strong>1791</strong>.<br />
As usual, it was a breeze. I’d also like to<br />
thank all of the many loyal volunteers<br />
over the past two years. It has been<br />
wonderful getting to know you all and<br />
without you, my job wouldn’t have<br />
been as much fun or have been as<br />
easy!<br />
Finally, I’d like to welcome<br />
Sarah Hebert as the new BAPA<br />
Communications Coordinator and<br />
to wish everyone a happy and safe<br />
summer. Thanks.<br />
Eliza Peter, elizapeter@yahoo.com<br />
Communications Coordinator<br />
<strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>June</strong> <strong>2009</strong><br />
MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS...cont. from pg.5<br />
fall who will introduce his/her new<br />
intern for the first semester. Our interns<br />
have certainly given us a professional<br />
opportunity to reflect upon our<br />
classroom practices and to become<br />
stronger in our work as teachers. We<br />
welcome this annual opportunity to<br />
renew ourselves.<br />
As the summer stretches<br />
almost infinitely ahead, please know<br />
that I will be here at work and welcome<br />
your phone calls or emails. We may<br />
arrange for meetings, as well. If I<br />
can help your child enter the Middle<br />
School in September with confidence<br />
and a feeling of eagerness, please let<br />
me know. I would be happy to assist.<br />
On behalf of the entire Middle<br />
School faculty, please accept our best<br />
wishes for a safe and relaxing summer.<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 />
Search “<strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>”<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 />
11
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT<br />
OVER THE SUMMER<br />
I thought it would be fun to<br />
end the school year by hearing from<br />
someone other than me, so I invited the<br />
members of the “new” Support Services<br />
Department at <strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> to<br />
assist with the writing of my <strong>June</strong> <strong>1791</strong><br />
<strong>Letter</strong>. The department was created this<br />
year and is headed up by yours truly.<br />
Its members include Ben Hillyard,<br />
Lower School Academic Support<br />
Coordinator; Stacey Sevelowitz,<br />
Middle and Upper School Academic<br />
Support Coordinator; and Linda Gill,<br />
School Nurse. It is my hope that by<br />
bringing these professionals together<br />
and creating this new department,<br />
<strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> can provide more<br />
coordinated and comprehensive<br />
medical, academic, and psychological<br />
support for your child during the<br />
school year. We know through years<br />
of experience that a happy, healthy<br />
child thrives academically. So, for my<br />
fi nal <strong>1791</strong> of the academic year, I posed<br />
the following question to each of the<br />
members, “What is one thing that you<br />
want <strong>Berwick</strong> parents to remember<br />
while enjoying summer vacation with<br />
their children?” As you will see, our<br />
responses are specific to our particular<br />
area of expertise. I hope you find the<br />
advice helpful!<br />
Ben Hillyard - Lower School Academic<br />
Support Coordinator<br />
Something to Think About Over the<br />
Summer – SUMMER LEARNING IS<br />
ESSENTIAL AND CAN BE FUN!<br />
First, let me congratulate the<br />
Lower School students on a wonderful<br />
year. This school year was packed<br />
full of opportunities for learning,<br />
development and growth from the first<br />
days of Kindergarten to the excitement<br />
and fear of moving up to the Middle<br />
School.<br />
The Lower School strives<br />
to develop an education foundation.<br />
Elementary School could be<br />
considered the mortar that connects<br />
future academic building blocks. It is<br />
the task of both the home and school<br />
environments to develop a foundation<br />
which is strong, adaptive and rewarding.<br />
So where does summer vacation fit into<br />
this complex formula? Should summer<br />
learning opportunities mirror the rigors<br />
of a day of school or should summer be<br />
about rest and relaxation?<br />
Let’s look at the research for a<br />
defi nitive answer. After a brief survey<br />
I found that some research states that<br />
only math computation regresses over<br />
the summer months. Unfortunately,<br />
other research states that summer<br />
regression is rampant and one of the<br />
main reasons for our diminishing<br />
United States achievement scores<br />
as compared to other industrialized<br />
countries. Still other research states that<br />
summer school is crucial to long term<br />
retention, fluency, and comprehension.<br />
To complicate things still further,<br />
there are theoretical grounds (Dewey,<br />
1956) for supposing that children learn<br />
academic skills effectively outside<br />
school. If so, far from there being<br />
summer losses, there may even be<br />
summer gains (Wintre, 1986).<br />
It is unquestioned that children<br />
can grow emotionally, physically and<br />
academically in the summer.<br />
Well, this leads us back to<br />
the needs of the individual. I would<br />
argue that adapting the research to the<br />
individual needs is the art of teaching,<br />
but should be in collaboration with<br />
parents. Maintaining motivation is a<br />
fl uid dynamic and every technique<br />
does not help every child.<br />
I would conclude with these<br />
basic recommendations:<br />
• Ask your child’s teacher for<br />
recommendations. In the Lower School<br />
our homeroom teachers understand<br />
your child’s strengths, learning style,<br />
and specifi c challenges.<br />
• Break it down to its simplest form<br />
- require some but make it fun. The<br />
relaxed exploration of a beach or tide<br />
pool can lead to new discoveries and<br />
certainly learning. Learning happens in<br />
all aspect of their lives.<br />
Stacey Sevelowitz - Middle & Upper<br />
School Academic Support Services<br />
Something to Think About Over the<br />
Summer – AVOID BRAIN DRAIN!<br />
As the lazy days of summer<br />
approach, try to remember the old<br />
saying, “Use it or lose it!” Indulging<br />
in the temptation to do nothing over<br />
the summer to boost your brain power<br />
is a wasted opportunity! According to<br />
www.sharpbrains.com (a leading market<br />
research company focused on the brain<br />
fi tness and cognitive health market), a<br />
very repetitive and routine-driven life,<br />
lacking in novelty and stimulation,<br />
can lead to brain drain. Brain research<br />
shows that intelligence is not fixed as<br />
previously thought; rather, the brain<br />
continued on pg 16..<br />
12 <strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>June</strong> <strong>2009</strong>
Rachel Saliba<br />
SANDERS TO MAKE HISTORY<br />
Like music teacher Ms. Goyette<br />
who is credited for reinvigorating the<br />
<strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> Orchestra in 1923,<br />
Stephanie Sanders will be establishing<br />
the fi rst Upper School Symphonic<br />
Band in 40 years. Following is a brief<br />
summary of the history of the <strong>Berwick</strong><br />
<strong>Academy</strong> band up until the early<br />
1970’s:<br />
1833 – Music lessons, language,<br />
and calisthenics were “available at<br />
extra charge” for interested girls<br />
(only) who were enrolled at the South<br />
<strong>Berwick</strong> Female Seminary (the boys<br />
attended <strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> in the same<br />
building).<br />
1853 – The Mozart Sextet<br />
was started at <strong>Berwick</strong> and modern<br />
languages, music, drawing, painting<br />
and telegraphy were offered to girls<br />
and boys. It appears to be the first<br />
band at <strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>.<br />
1853 - 1921 – While it is<br />
diffi cult to determine the exact date<br />
the fi rst orchestra was formed, we<br />
know when it disbanded. According<br />
to the April 1923 edition of the student<br />
newspaper, The Hilltop Breeze, the first<br />
orchestra “dwindled down in members<br />
and spirit and disbanded in 1921.”<br />
1922 – The BA Orchestra<br />
reorganized under Ms. Goyette with 9<br />
students and 5 instruments – “cornet,”<br />
mandolin, violin, piano, drums. It played<br />
for assemblies, prize speaking contests,<br />
the senior play, commencement week,<br />
the Alumni Banquet and “all other<br />
public entertainments at the school.”<br />
1923 Band in the Fogg Memorial Library - Ms. Goyette<br />
is the 2nd from the left in the second row.<br />
1927 – The Mandolin Club was<br />
formed.<br />
1927 in front of Fogg<br />
1931 – The BA Orchestra started to<br />
play for events outside of BA including<br />
playing at the Odd Fellows Hall for<br />
the Women’s Club in South <strong>Berwick</strong>.<br />
The BA Marching Band became an<br />
important part of holiday parades in<br />
South <strong>Berwick</strong>.<br />
1956 – The Last <strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong><br />
Band disbanded.<br />
Photo from 1956 yearbook, The Quamphegan. Taken in<br />
the Fogg Memorial Library.<br />
<strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>June</strong> <strong>2009</strong><br />
1957-1960’s – A Pep Band was started<br />
and mainly used for football games and<br />
pep rallies around a bonfire on the eve<br />
of important football games.<br />
<strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> Pep Band at football bon fi re c1965<br />
1965 <strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> Pep Band<br />
13
ATHLETICS NEWS...cont. from pg 7<br />
basic and intermediate skills, work on<br />
conditioning, and show a commitment<br />
to the team and the new program.<br />
The purpose of pre-season is to start<br />
the team off with a competitive edge,<br />
as the 2010 season will likely have a<br />
varsity squad in addition to JV. Please<br />
let us know if you will be unable to<br />
attend pre-season.<br />
Boys and Girls Cross Country<br />
Coaches: Jon Davie jdavie@<br />
berwickacademy.org and Raegan<br />
Russell rrussell@berwickacademy.org<br />
Preseason: Practices begin on Monday,<br />
August 31 from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.<br />
and on Tuesday and Wednesday from<br />
9:00 to 10:30.<br />
Golf:<br />
Coach John Downey<br />
jdowney@berwickacademy.org<br />
Practices will begin the first day of<br />
classes. More information will be in the<br />
August <strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong>.<br />
Boys Basketball<br />
Coach Patrick Quinn<br />
pqbasketball@comcast.net<br />
Summer: Boys basketball team will<br />
hold an open gym for all Upper<br />
School members during <strong>June</strong> and July<br />
on Monday and Wednesday evenings<br />
from 6 - 8 p.m.<br />
Girls Basketball<br />
Coach Brian Sanborn at<br />
bsanborn@berwickacademy.org<br />
Summer: Girls Basketball will be<br />
holding open gym on the following<br />
dates: <strong>June</strong> 18, <strong>June</strong> 23, <strong>June</strong> 25, July<br />
31, Aug 4 - all from 6 - 8 p.m., and on<br />
Aug 7 from 2 - 4 p.m.<br />
Preseason: They will travel to two<br />
events this summer: <strong>June</strong> 26-28 at<br />
Colby College in Waterville, ME, and<br />
August 7-9 at Assumption College in<br />
Worcester, MA.<br />
Fall Sports<br />
Middle School and junior varsity sports begin on the first day of school.<br />
Varsity sports begin on Monday, August 31, for most teams. Athletes trying out<br />
for varsity teams should make every effort to attend these practices. This is an<br />
important conditioning and learning period. Those athletes who cannot attend<br />
should contact the coach. Regular season practice for all teams will begin on the<br />
fi rst day of classes.<br />
Important change in Emergency Permission form and Physicals<br />
All health forms must be completed and filed with the school nurse no<br />
later than July 13 of the upcoming school year in order for a student to begin<br />
school. A student will not be allowed to participate in preseason sports or to attend<br />
orientation programs if the necessary medical forms are not completed and on fi le.<br />
Forms are mailed at the end of the preceding school year, are posted on the portal,<br />
and may be picked up in the front office of the Burleigh Davidson Building.<br />
A complete physical examination, including vision and hearing testing, is<br />
required for all new students entering <strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>; and thereafter, updated<br />
every other year. A physical exam is an assessment of your child’s health status.<br />
<strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> recommends a more recent physical examination be submitted<br />
if there are changes in your child’s health. The Physical Examination Form must be<br />
completed and signed by the medical practitioner; and, the section on immunizations<br />
must be reviewed and completed in order to comply with Maine state law.<br />
The signed and completed Emergency Permission Form is used for students<br />
during school, sports and fi eld trips when immediate medical attention is needed..<br />
The school nurse needs to be updated on medical changes throughout the year.<br />
Medical information pertinent to the student may be confidentially shared with the<br />
applicable teacher(s), staff, and/or athletic coach. Parents are also encouraged to<br />
inform appropriate personnel about important medical information.<br />
Fall Schedule<br />
The fall sports schedule is now posted on the <strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> Portal. The<br />
schedule is subject to change.<br />
Bulldog Golf Classic<br />
The Athletics Boosters are hosting their Annual Bulldog Golf Classic at the<br />
Ledges Golf Club in York, Maine, Thursday, September 24, <strong>2009</strong>. Save the date,<br />
and plan to join in the fun with the many members of our <strong>Berwick</strong> community.<br />
Annual proceeds from this tournament have benefited <strong>Berwick</strong> athletes<br />
and the Athletic Department, including improvements to our athletic fields, new<br />
scoreboards, construction of the girls softball field, fencing around the baseball<br />
fi eld and dug outs, and netting on the soccer and lacrosse fields. We’ve even built a<br />
storage shed and purchased a portable defi brillator and an all-terrain Gator vehicle<br />
for the athletic trainers.<br />
For more information go to www.berwickacademy.org or contact Rob<br />
Quinn at 207-384-2164 ext. 2800 or email rquinn@berwickacademy.org<br />
SPRING SPORTS AWARDS<br />
SPORT MVP COACH’S<br />
Var. Baseball Alex Tobey Shaun Millerick<br />
JV Baseball Alex Hoyt Ben Siegel<br />
Var. Softball Allana Sanborn Emily Keech<br />
14 <strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>June</strong> <strong>2009</strong>
SPORT MVP COACH’S<br />
JV Softball Monique Gagne Amy Stedman<br />
Girls Var.Tennis Ann Harrington Clare Lloyd Owen<br />
Girls JV Tennis Sydney Katz Maddie Kinzly<br />
Boys Var. Tennis Bill Leach Zach Balomenos<br />
Boys JV Tennis Danny Bottino Chad Cole<br />
Boys Var. Lacrosse Peter Jenkinson Cam Cain<br />
Boys J.V. Lacrosse Ian Wright Joseph Reid<br />
Girls Var. Lacrosse Ashley Grenier Alysa Morse<br />
Girls JV Lacrosse Leah Tzizik Caroline Seekins<br />
Middle School Coach’s Awards<br />
MS Baseball Blue<br />
MS Baseball White<br />
MS Boys Lacrosse Blue<br />
MS Boys Lacrosse White<br />
MS Girls Lacrosse Blue<br />
MS Girls Lacrosse White<br />
MS Softball<br />
Blake Downey<br />
Guerric Matel<br />
Will Reis<br />
Austin Fishbaugh<br />
Eliza Hazen<br />
Catherine Connors<br />
Rachel Hawes<br />
Middle School Spirit Girls: Carly Gill<br />
Middle School Spirit Boys Award: Breandan Haley<br />
Bulldog Award: Monique Gagne, Aaron Harris, Maddie<br />
Kinzly, Phil Ramunno, Allana Sanborn<br />
Hilltop Award (US): Allana Sanborn – Aaron Harris<br />
Hilltop Award (MS): Anna Wright – Blake Downey<br />
All League<br />
Baseball: First Team - Alex Tobey, Kyle Lajeunesse, Kurtis<br />
McCabe, Honorable Mention Ethan Hawes<br />
Softball: First Team - Catie Wheeler, Honorable Mention<br />
- Allana Sanborn<br />
Boys Lacrosse: First Team - Peter Jenkinson, Tom Hay,<br />
Attack, Jordan Sanford, Midfi eld, Chris Atwood and Aaron<br />
Harris, Defense<br />
Boys Tennis: Bill Leach<br />
Girls Tennis: Annie Harrington, Sarah Koallick<br />
Boston Globe All Scholastic<br />
Aaron Harris – Boys Lacrosse<br />
All New England<br />
Aaron Harris, Peter Jenkinson, Tom Hay - Lacrosse<br />
LOWER SCHOOL NEWS...cont. from pg 6<br />
about the continents and have enjoyed a wonderful world<br />
tour ever since! They helped us celebrate the Chinese New<br />
Year and they contributed to the Heifer Project. They also<br />
learned about musical instruments and they performed some<br />
fascinating science experiments. And who can forget their<br />
wonderful singing and acting in the Lower School Production<br />
this year. Congratulations to our fi rst grade students on a<br />
super year.<br />
Our second graders ended the year with a thoughtful<br />
service project—a lemonade stand fund-raiser! In the fall,<br />
they visited the Charmingfare Farm. They also learned about<br />
predator-prey relationships and then taught us all that they<br />
had learned when we visited their classrooms. They performed<br />
computer activities and practiced beautiful French songs.<br />
They were always busy with clever math workshop activities<br />
on Friday mornings. In the middle of the school year, they<br />
made the Lower School come alive by creating a museum<br />
about their ancestry—including delicious ethnic foods that<br />
they served to their hungry visitors and guests. They were<br />
such wonderful friends to each other. Congratulations to the<br />
second grade students for completing a fantastic year.<br />
Our third grade students enjoyed checking out<br />
interesting library books, especially books about states that<br />
they had studied in social studies. Their interest in social<br />
studies, history, and the arts led them to some interesting<br />
library and classroom projects about the state of Maine and<br />
about artists and musicians. They also hiked through history<br />
with their new friends from the Central School in South<br />
<strong>Berwick</strong>. They helped with the morning sing-alongs and<br />
with a collaborative used-book drive for the Passamaquoddy<br />
Schools in Eastport and Perry, Maine. They even learned<br />
to play the violin and completed some interesting computer<br />
math projects. And their enthusiasm for learning grew and<br />
grew—which is a good thing because soon they will be…next<br />
year’s fourth grade class. Congratulations to the third grade<br />
students on an excellent year!<br />
From there, I turned the stage over to the Mr. Summers<br />
and Mrs. Witherbee so that they could appropriately<br />
recognize our departing fourth grade students. Each student<br />
received a fitting tribute from their homeroom teacher. I also<br />
had the opportunity to collectively congratulate the fourth<br />
grade students for being such a spirited and supportive class.<br />
With their friendships and their enthusiasm for learning, they<br />
have set a wonderful standard in the Lower School.<br />
We have been blessed with a dedicated and caring<br />
group of teachers and staff members in the Lower School—<br />
who care about the progress and success of each and every<br />
Lower School child. I enjoyed concluding the recognition<br />
assembly by asking the faculty to stand so that the audience<br />
could recognize their efforts throughout the school year.<br />
And, in turn, I wish to thank all of our readers for their support<br />
of the Lower School throughout the 2008-<strong>2009</strong> school year.<br />
Best wishes for a rewarding summer!<br />
<strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>June</strong> <strong>2009</strong><br />
15
WELLNESS NEWS...cont. from pg.12<br />
is like plastic and can be strengthened<br />
through mental exercise. Our brains<br />
are complex and have many areas and<br />
functions, and without daily practice,<br />
they can atrophy. With some summer<br />
cognitive training, you can improve<br />
specifi c cognitive processes, like<br />
concentration, processing speed and<br />
memory, and this can be generalized to<br />
a broader range of skills. These days,<br />
neuropsychologists don’t recommend<br />
paper-based activities (like Sudoku<br />
and crossword puzzles), but computerbased<br />
brain exercise software programs,<br />
since they can provide a variety of new<br />
activities all the time, always tailored<br />
with a proper increasing level of<br />
challenge. When seeking out a brain<br />
training program, use research-based<br />
criteria to evaluate them. The Sharp<br />
brains Checklist can help: http://www.<br />
sharpbrains.com/blog/2007/08/16/<br />
brain-training-games-and-games/<br />
In the meantime, here are three quick<br />
and easy mental exercises, taken from<br />
the sharpbrains website, that everyone<br />
should be doing every day (you can find<br />
lots of neat brainteasers and puzzles<br />
there too!):<br />
- For stress management: a 5-minute<br />
visualization, combining deep and<br />
regular breathings with seeing in our<br />
mind’s eye beautiful landscapes and/ or<br />
remembering times in our past when we<br />
have been successful at a tough task<br />
- For short-term memory: try a series<br />
subtracting 7 from 200 (200 193<br />
186 179...), or a series involving<br />
multiplication (2, 3 4, 6 6, 9 8, 12...)<br />
or exponential series (2 4 8 16 32 64...)<br />
the goal is not to be a math genius,<br />
simply to train and improve our shortterm<br />
memory. Another way is to try<br />
and remember our friends’ telephone<br />
numbers.<br />
- In general: try something different<br />
every day, no matter how little. Take<br />
a different route to work. Talk to a<br />
different colleague. Ask an unexpected<br />
question. Remember to approach<br />
every day as a living experiment and a<br />
learning opportunity.<br />
Linda Gill - School Nurse<br />
Something to Think About Over the<br />
Summer – GET YOUR MEDICAL<br />
FORMS IN ON TIME!<br />
All <strong>Berwick</strong> families should<br />
have received a mailing from the nurse’s<br />
offi ce in late May. Enclosed you should<br />
have found a cover letter indicating<br />
what forms I need from you for the<br />
<strong>2009</strong>-10 school year. We are doing<br />
things a little differently this year, so<br />
that is why I was excited to write this<br />
entry for the <strong>June</strong> <strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong>. ALL<br />
MEDICAL FORMS ARE DUE ON<br />
JULY 13, <strong>2009</strong>.<br />
Parents, please be aware of<br />
the following: Upper School parents,<br />
if your forms are not in, your child’s<br />
course schedule will not be mailed out<br />
to you in August. Middle and Lower<br />
School parents, if your forms are not<br />
in, your child may not attend the fi rst<br />
day of school.<br />
If you have misplaced the<br />
information, please call and I will either<br />
mail out copies or instruct you where<br />
to fi nd them on the school portal.<br />
We are asking all parents to<br />
fi ll out an Emergency Permission Form<br />
this year so we can appropriately update<br />
your child’s emergency contacts,<br />
as well as any medical or insurance<br />
changes. Also, if your child is taking<br />
medication during the school hours<br />
(including overnight field trips) or<br />
carries medication for allergies, I<br />
must have a Physician’s School Order<br />
for Medication signed by both the<br />
physician and the parent for the <strong>2009</strong>-<br />
10 school year.<br />
Parents, please remember it is<br />
important for your child’s safety and<br />
academic success that I have all of the<br />
necessary medical information prior to<br />
your child’s return to school next fall.<br />
Again, if you have any questions please<br />
contact my offi ce at extension 2204.<br />
Cindy Briggs – School Counselor<br />
Something to Think About Over the<br />
Summer – STRETCH AND TRY<br />
SOMETHING NEW!<br />
I think summertime is a perfect<br />
time to STRETCH and try something<br />
new. Just think about it, all year the<br />
<strong>Berwick</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> faculty have been<br />
challenging your children, be it in the<br />
Lower, Middle, or Upper Divisions.<br />
These challenging may have been<br />
learning to read and write for the first<br />
time in kindergarten all the way to<br />
mastering public speaking in the Upper<br />
School. In Alice Cooper’s famous<br />
anthem, “School’s Out for Summer,”<br />
he proclaims the joys of summer “no<br />
more pencils, no more books, no<br />
more teacher’s dirty looks….” For<br />
many kids, this truly is what summer<br />
is all about. I also believe that summer<br />
can be a great time to stretch and try<br />
new things. This stretching may mean<br />
having a successful overnight with a<br />
friend, surviving your fi rst summer job,<br />
surfi ng in the ocean or even sky diving.<br />
Whatever it is, it is an opportunity for<br />
your child to stretch and do something<br />
new. Remember, even though “School’s<br />
Out for Summer,” our kids don’t have<br />
to stop growing. In fact, I might go so<br />
far as to say that summer is one of the<br />
best times for our kids to step out their<br />
comfort zones and try something new!<br />
Enjoy your summer!<br />
Cindy Briggs<br />
16 <strong>1791</strong> <strong>Letter</strong> ~ <strong>June</strong> <strong>2009</strong>