NewsHound October 2004

The
NewsHound
THE NEWSLETTER OF THE ST. ALBANS PARENTS’ CLUB
OCT-NOV 2004
Camping on the Cathedral Close?
By George Gill
Once upon a time, some faculty members did that—living in rooms above the
classrooms—and many others “camped”
nearby. Thirty years ago nearly three-quarters of our sons’ teachers lived in the area
included in St. Albans ZIP Code (20016)
or in those that are contiguous with it
(20007, 20008, 20015 in DC and 20816 in
MD). Today, that number has been cut to
less than a third and it is shrinking steadily
as new faculty members arrive. This, of
course, is because of the rapid escalation
of housing costs in the area, which (also of
course) has not been matched by the rise in
teachers’ compensation. But help is on the
way!
On October 5, Headmaster Vance Wil-
son announced at the annual Headmaster’s
Associates reception that STA had received a commitment for a $750,000 gift
from the Parents’ Club Endowment in support of an expanded mortgage assistance
program for our faculty and staff. Of these
funds, $500,000 was given outright and
$250,000 is designated as a challenge
grant to inspire others to add matching
funds to bring the total for the program to
$1 million.
Many Parents’ Club activities, especially the Annual Christmas House Tours,
have been directed at faculty support. Fortunately, unspent funds in the endowment
have grown substantially over the years,
finally exceeding $1 million in 2003. Last
spring a committee of parents headed by
Stephen Mautner, then Parents’ Club VP
for the Upper School, examined a variety
of possible uses for a substantial portion of
the Parents’ Club savings. “Headmaster
Wilson and Beth Brummel of the STA Development Office made helpful suggestions about how the Parents’ Club could
most help the school’s faculty and staff
with a leadership gift,” Mautner said. “It
didn’t take us long to settle on the housing
assistance idea. The program answers a
genuine need in our community. Considering how many faculty members advise and
coach our boys as well as teach them, do-
President’s
Letter
experience. I imagine that an important
part of their education here is learning how
to navigate a coherent and meaningful
course through the multitude of intellectual, social, and athletic enticements that the
school offers. No single student can do
everything. Each one follows his own path,
deciding which doors to open and which to
leave closed. The good news is that they
are not left to explore alone. The school’s
outstanding faculty and staff are helpful
and attentive guides.
As president of the Parents’ Club this
year, I have the good fortune to serve ex
officio on the St. Albans Governing Board.
At a recent meeting, I asked Headmaster
Wilson whether serious thought might be
given in the future to increasing the enrollment of the school. Capital projects on the
drawing board, including the construction
of a new “Common’s Addition” to the Upper School, might in theory make such an
increase possible. His answer was an unequivocal “No.” Increasing the number of
boys would make it harder for the faculty
to know the boys, and knowing the boys is
a key to the type of education offered here.
The Parents’ Club is committed to supporting STA faculty and staff through a
variety of fundraising programs. Its premier event for the last twenty-two years
has been the annual Christmas House Tour.
The 2004 edition is, happily for us, being
co-chaired by the excellent team of Ginger
Hubbard and Susan Hamberger overseeing
operations, Lynne Mehmert responsible
for houses, and Jon Sade in charge of finances. The Partridge Lane venue for the
tour—a true walking tour this year—promises to be very charming. After two straight
years of challenging weather, let’s keep
our fingers crossed for the perfect Washington winter weekend. The school will
By Stephen Mautner
Dear Parents,
Once a St. Albans school year pulls out
of the station in early September, it gains
speed quickly and, by October, appears to
be hurtling full speed down the tracks.
These are such busy months. Of course
most of us wouldn’t want it any other way.
Summer is the season for recreation and
quiet reflection. Come September, it’s time
to learn and to do. By the look of it, our
boys are learning and doing a lot.
St. Albans provides our sons such a rich
Continued on page 2
Continued on page 2
PAGE 2
OCT-NOV 2004
President’s Letter
Continued from page 1
once again be beautifully decorated for the
season and the place will be crazy with
activity on Friday and Saturday, December
3 and 4 (please save those dates!).
We can also look forward to another
splendid Dance on the Friday night of
House Tour. Last year’s inspired organizers, Bambi Mauro and Patti Scott, are back
for a return appearance. Jimmy Bishop and
the Turning Points, a band that got the
place cooking last year, will again provide
live music. Lise Murphy and Christine
Rales are organizing the silent auction to
lead off the evening. If ever there’s a night
to come out for St. Albans, this is it. Have
a lot of fun and support the school’s extraordinary faculty and staff at the same
time.
I’m fortunate and delighted this year to
be in the position of announcing a new and
unprecedented example of Parents’ Club
support of the STA faculty and staff. The
proceeds of twenty-two Christmas House
Tours, in addition to helping fund annual
bonuses and grants over the years, had
grown to a sum of $1.1 million in a Parents’ Club endowment account. A committee of last year’s Parents’ Club convened
to explore how we might put some of that
money to work for faculty and staff. In
consultation with the Headmaster and the
St. Albans Development Office, the Parents’ Club proposed to contribute
$500,000 outright and an additional
$250,000 in a challenge grant to create the
Parents’ Club Endowed Fund for Faculty
and Staff Mortgage Assistance. The program offers mortgage assistance in our
high real estate market, allowing teachers
to live closer to school—important when
they also advise and coach—and helping
the school recruit and retain the most talented younger faculty. A committee will
this year be charged with working out the
details of the program: what an award
should look like and how it should be administered. Suffice it to say, however, that
the efforts of twenty-two years of House
Tour chairs and all the supportive parents
who rallied to their cause made this impressive gift possible. I urge you to support the House Tour again this year to the
best of your abilities and help make it a
complete success.
I close by drawing your attention to
three excellent upcoming events supported
partially or entirely by the Parents’ Club:
October 13: Deborah Roffman speaks
to STA and NCS parents (Hearst Hall,
7:00 pm) about communication, effective
parenting, and the values we wish to share
with our children.
October 21: A forum, “The Biotech
Century: Frontiers of Research in Combating Disease,” (Trapier Theater, 7:00 pm)
will be moderated by Tom Carroll and will
feature as speakers and discussants Dr.
Anthony Fauci, Dr. Carl Dove, and author
Ann Parson. STA biology students will be
in attendance, making for a lively and informative evening.
November 10: A morning program (Trophy Room, 8:00 am) on the advisory and
The
NewsHound
THE NEWSLETTER OF THE ST. ALBANS PARENTS’ CLUB
Susan Drake Swift, Editor (Upper School, [email protected])
Janet Hulstrand, Deputy Editor (Lower School, [email protected])
Robert K. Yin, Editor at Large
Editorial Committee: Mary Crawford, George Gill, Ginger Hubbard, Janet
Hulstrand, Susan Drake Swift, and Robert K. Yin.
Form Reporters: Julie Empson (VI), Rick Mann (V), Andrew Stephen
(IV), Tricia Bardenwerper (III), Malcolm Byrne (II), Louise Kistler (I), Janet
Hulstrand (A), Anni Ince-McKillop (B), and Kristie Hassett (C).
Faculty Advisor: Adrian Verkouteren
Layout: Pamela S. Cubberly
counseling services available to our boys
at St. Albans. We’ll hear from chaplain,
nurse, counselor, psychiatrist, coach, and
academic advisor on how they respectively
interact with our sons.
Thanks to all you parents who support
the school in so many ways. I look forward
to working with you this year!
Camping on the
Close?
Continued from page 1
ing something that makes it possible for
younger faculty and staff to live closer to
school will benefit both them and our
sons.” In May 2004, the group recommended and the Club Board approved the
gift to establish the St. Albans Parents’
Club Endowed Fund for Mortgage Assistance—a long name for an important longterm program.
In speaking about the need for such assistance, Wilson emphasized that it will be
an essential tool in the process of recruiting new faculty members and retaining
younger members as they start their own
families. He explained, “It is this group, in
their thirties and early forties, especially
with children, who are often forced to go
far away to find housing. We are competing with good schools that are well away
from the city and, clearly, with schools in
other metropolitan areas that have much
better situations regarding affordable housing.”
The Headmaster also pointed out that
current, well-established faculty members
have been very supportive of the Program
even though it is directed at newer teachers. “It has been very gratifying to me and
the Board to be encouraged by senior faculty who will not, themselves, directly benefit,” he said, “but who recognize that this
will be a great help in hiring and keeping
strong and effective colleagues.”
Board member Dick Schoenfeld will
lead a small committee of experts in home
financing and mortgage management who
will develop recommendations regarding
the operation of the program. Schoenfeld
expressed confidence that parents, alumni,
and friends of the School would meet the
challenge and provide the additional contributions needed to reach the $1 million
goal by December of 2005.
OCT-NOV 2004
PAGE 3
Truth and Consequences:
The New Policy On Drugs and Alcohol
NewsHound thanks Headmaster Vance
Wilson for taking time in September to answer these questions.
Q. What is the gist of the School’s new
policy?
A. School policy is very clear. The rules
prohibit:
• The use or possession of alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs anywhere on the
Cathedral Close.
• Being under the influence of alcohol or
illegal drugs on the Cathedral Close.
• The use or possession of alcohol or illegal drugs before or during functions
sponsored by St. Albans—or by other
schools—regardless of where the functions are held. This includes visits made
by St. Albans students to colleges as
well as situations in which the student is
representing the School.
• Providing, selling, giving, or dispensing
alcohol or illegal drugs to another student regardless of location.
• Students hosting social events at which
alcohol or illegal drugs are consumed.
The new St. Albans School policy on
the use of drugs and alcohol reflects the
laws of the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. Possession or use of
alcoholic beverages by anyone under age
21 is prohibited in all three jurisdictions.
At St. Albans School we have always
had strict rules governing the use of drugs
and alcohol by our boys. What we have
done is articulate those rules to make sure
everyone understands them, and we have
extended the prohibition to include offcampus use of drugs and alcohol and to
focus on the act of making alcohol or
drugs available to other students.
We hold ourselves and our students to
the highest expectations. We believe, however, that our approach to underage drinking should not only include expectations
and discipline but education throughout
the School and counseling with our own
experts and with the finest professionals in
the area. Our first consideration, as in all
our endeavors, goes to the growth and well
being of each student.
Q. What is the goal of the new policy?
A. Simply put, the goal is to prevent the
use of alcohol and illegal drugs by our
boys. There is ample evidence that the older children are when they take their first
drink, the less likely they are to develop a
dependency on alcohol. The longer we can
discourage that first drink the better.
Alcohol is everywhere in our society.
The pressure on our youth to drink in order to be accepted or to be “cool” is enormous. We must provide good arguments in
favor of safety, good health, and a way of
living that finds meaning in other ways
than drinking. Our efforts are to educate,
support, provide counseling when necessary, and as a last resort, to discipline.
Q. How did it come about? What factors contributed to it?
A. Educators everywhere are all too
aware of the problem of alcohol and drug
use in schools. And, schools have had educational and guidance programs in place
for years to try to address this concern,
with varying degrees of success. At St. Albans we recognized the need to do more.
Last year, the President of the Parents’
Club, Jean Duff, and I chartered a group of
20 school administrators, faculty, and past
and current parents of St. Albans students.
We charged the Working Group to revisit
the use of alcohol and illegal drugs by St.
Albans students and to propose policies,
programs, and practices to address the
problems that surfaced. I chartered this
group because I felt the School would
greatly profit by this work and that ultimately it would make our boys’ lives safer
and healthier. The new policy came out of
the results of the work of this group.
Q. What can you tell us about the research of the Working Group?
A. The Working Group took on three
principal research initiatives. They studied
where and how often St. Albans students
drink. Notice I speak of drinking and not
illegal drug use. While in no way do we
minimize the danger of using illegal drugs,
early in the study we concluded that the
current drug of choice is alcohol. The second research initiative inventoried St. Albans’ policies and educational programs.
Third, they did original, best practices research on 47 highly regarded boarding and
day schools around the country.
Q. And what were their findings?
A. The research showed that student
drinking below the sixth grade level is almost exclusively a family matter, occurring occasionally with parents within the
home. Some student drinking, perhaps involving up to 20 percent of the class, sets
in by seventh and eighth grades.
Ninth grade is largely a stable year, with
students busy with classes and sports that
crowd out much other activity. Tenth grade
begins and eleventh and twelfth grades
accomplish the introduction of alcohol into
a majority of students’ social lives.
The overwhelming majority of student
drinking takes place in student homes—
sometimes with the express or tacit approval of parents, often in homes unsupervised or under-supervised by parents. By
eleventh and twelfth grade, drinking is
known to spike on key weekend evenings
identifiable in advance as occasions for
celebration.
The assessment of educational practice
at St. Albans showed that the current drug
and alcohol education program is a combination of dedicated coursework, using both
nationally available and internally developed curricula, and lessons taught in the
context of advisory groups or selected subjects. The focus of the dedicated curriculum is on fourth through seventh grades. In
eighth grade, these issues are handled in
the context of a students’ advisory group.
Freedom from Chemical Dependency, a
consulting organization that uses recovering alcoholics as speakers, works with
ninth graders for one week each year. The
ninth grade biology curriculum also addresses the effects of drugs and alcohol.
There currently is no formal or structured drug and alcohol education for
grades 10 to 12 at St. Albans.
Looking around the country, the Working Group found that student drinking is a
major concern at private schools coast to
coast. The majority of schools focus on
alcohol and drug use on campus or at
school events. Some, however, are considering policies that addresses some types of
off-campus activity.
A number of schools distinguish beContinued on page 7
PAGE 4
OCT-NOV 2004
Ted Haley,
Lower School Counselor
by Janet Hulstrand
He has a taste for meeting new challenges, and it’s a good thing, since in his
first month as lower school counselor at
STA, Ted Haley was faced with the prospect of counseling 9- to 14-year-old boys
in the wake of the September 11 attacks.
His second year on the job proved no less
challenging, with the stressful situation of
a sniper on the loose. “Those two years
were really unusual, in that there was no
‘honeymoon’ period at the beginning of
the year,” Haley says, with a rueful smile.
“The boys actually handled it all pretty
well, but it’s hard for anyone, of any age,
to know how to deal with challenges like
that.”
Born and raised in Buffalo, Haley graduated from Canisius, a Jesuit high school,
and first came to this area as a student at
Georgetown University, where he studied
theology and government. After graduating
from Georgetown, in 1991, he spent a year
teaching in a poor rural school in apartheid
South Africa. “I wanted to explore, to go
somewhere interesting. I also wanted to
give myself some time to figure out what
kind of career I wanted,” he says.
Through his experiences in Africa, he
realized that while he enjoys teaching, he
prefers interacting with students outside of
the classroom. He enrolled at SUNY Buffalo, where he earned his master’s degree
in School Counseling. His first counseling
job, at Longfellow Middle School in Fairfax County, Virginia, brought him back to
the area and eventually to St. Albans,
where his first role was as coach for the
newly formed rowing team, put together in
1994 by a group of interested parents.
In addition to his role as counselor, Haley currently coaches rowing and ice hock-
ey in the upper school. He loves working
at STA: “The families are amazing, and the
faculty and staff are very professional,
with the kids’ best interests at the heart of
everything we do here. Kids come here
with all the tools they need to be successful, and in general parents are good at
stepping back and letting their kids take
the steps they need to take toward independence.”
As lower school counselor, Haley is a
valuable resource for teachers, parents,
and of course, our boys. (He is quick to
say that although his primary responsibility
is to the lower school boys, he remains
available to them as they move into the
upper school, and is pleased when they
keep in touch with him as they make the
transition.) Haley works together with
classroom teachers, chaplains, the school
nurse, and STA’s consulting psychiatrist,
Dr. Nover, as another member of the team,
helping to ensure that no boy at STA falls
between the cracks. “There is an acceptance of individual differences, and there
should be room here for everyone to find
their own special way to thrive, whether
it’s through the arts, academics, or sports,”
Haley says.
Much of Haley’s time is spent helping
both staff and students learn how to prevent or deal with the problems and issues
that can occur at any school—from child
abuse and bullying to drug and alcohol
abuse, as well as the more mundane, but
equally important, issues of general mental
and emotional health and well-being.
“Boys at St. Albans like to be challenged,”
he says, “but they don’t want to be overwhelmed. Sometimes it’s a tricky balancing act, to make sure they’re not pushed
too hard, to the point where they’re drowning.”
When asked how parents can be aware
when their son’s “breaking point” is approaching, and how they can help, Haley
advises sensitive monitoring of the situation, and intervention when needed, on a
step-by-step basis. “It’s best to first help
them find a way to deal with the pressures
themselves. Talk with them and help them
see a way to break down an overwhelming
amount of work into manageable pieces.”
If that doesn’t work, parents should encourage the boys to talk to their teachers—
or give the teachers a heads-up themselves—so that it doesn’t get out of control. “Sometimes there are things in a
home—a death in the family, divorce, or
other family problems—that are adding to
the stress. It’s good for parents to let us
know about things like that, so we can be
sensitive to the situation.”
Although most of his individual counseling is with boys in Forms I and II, Haley spends quite a bit of time with boys in
the lower forms as well, meeting with
small groups from each of the classes at
least once each quarter, in his office. “I
like to give them a chance to get to know
me, know where my office is, and develop
a comfortable relationship with them, so
that if they need help later on, they’ll know
where to come for it, and not feel intimidated.” When one-on-one counseling does
occur, the boys know that while their conversations with Haley are private and confidential to a degree, certain problems that
may be discussed would have to be referred to the parents, school administrators, or both. “If we’re talking about a situation that is dangerous, or illegal, they
know that their parents will be consulted.”
Haley also lets parents know if an ongoing
counseling situation—more than two visits—is planned. “Most parents are grateful
for that extra level of support, but of
course they want to know about it,” he
says. Counseling may be initiated by a
classroom teacher who expresses a concern about an individual student, by a student, or by the parents, who are also welcome to come in and discuss any concerns
they may have.
Although it’s great to have the level of
Continued on page 10
OCT-NOV 2004
PAGE 5
Stephen McGregor, the New STA Board Chair:
In Good Hands and on Sound Footing
by Robert K. Yin
Nobody claims to be overseeing STA
like a business. But it doesn’t hurt when
the Chairman of the Board approaches
STA’s affairs in a businesslike fashion.
And Stephen McGregor, the new Chair
who started this year, brings just such a
demeanor to the post.
In an interview just before school started this fall, he said that the experience had
to that point been “embryonic,” but he’s
hit the ground running. However, if he’s to
benefit from a honeymoon period, it has to
be short, because the Chair formally serves
a one-year term of office. The Board and
Chair may mutually decide on a second
one-year term (or more—Geoffrey Baker,
the exiting Chair, served for three years),
but that’s beyond the horizon at this point.
So, working collegially, creating a plan,
and pursuing collective action are the order of the day if you are the new Chair.
This year’s challenge is to set priorities
among four capital projects—the athletic
facilities, a new performing arts center, a
commons building, and renovation of the
upper school’s facilities (see NewsHound,
Feb.-Mar. 2004)—and to come out with a
concrete plan and assure its funding.
This is no modest agenda, especially
given the inevitable complications. For
instance, the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation plans to break ground on a
new parking garage in May. That means
you may have to take your favorite pictures of the Close now—it may be in a
transitioning state for years to come.
McGregor considers parents and alumni
to be important constituents of the Board,
and is committed to “keeping tuition increases as modest as possible.” Prior to
becoming Chair, McGregor had served as
head of the Board’s finance committee.
During his tenure, the committee helped
put STA’s endowment on a sound footing,
seeing it increase from roughly $20 to $30
million, and reducing draw downs from a
high of 7 percent to a more acceptable level of 5.5 percent. McGregor notes that the
combination means that STA can draw
down more dollars than it used to, but with
less erosion of the kitty. This year, he enthusiastically anticipates Board member
Mary Choksi’s service in this role, given
her strong financial credentials.
The PECF’s oversight role involves a
huge commitment of the Chair’s time.
Both the STA Board Chair and headmaster
sit on the foundation board (a monthly
meeting), and both are members of the
foundation’s executive committee (another
monthly meeting). McGregor also has volunteered to serve on the foundation’s
shared services committee (yet another
monthly meeting).
McGregor says that the previous Board
Chair, Geoffrey Baker, was “really amazing,” and that “the school and Board are
heavily indebted to Baker for what he has
done.” Greg Parker, STA’s Director of Finance and Business Operations, and a key
staffer for the Board over the past several
years, similarly has only complementary
words for Baker, whom he says served
“admirably and tirelessly.”
Stephen McGregor considers his Board
role to be part of serving in a “very collegial organization,” and especially acknowledges the importance of “interfacing
with STA’s administration.” He anticipates
working closely with the headmaster in
developing the Board’s agenda. To do so,
he expects to meet weekly with Vance Wilson, for whom he expresses “great regard.”
McGregor has had a 31-year relationship with the STA-Beauvoir community.
His four sons all began at Beauvoir, and
and two have graduated from STA”
(Stephen ’96 and Andrew ’03) and two are
currently attending (Michael, ’06 and Willis, ’07). McGregor’s wife, Katie, was active in numerous activities at both schools
for many years. Unfortunately, she passed
away three years ago after a long fight
with cancer. McGregor says that serving as
Board Chair gives him the opportunity to
pay back in a very small way all the “overwhelming kindness, thoughtfulness, and
generosity my family has received from
the school community.” McGregor also
served on the Beauvoir committee that
oversaw the school building project completed several years ago.
In addition to all of his other Board
functions, McGregor will personally sit on
the Board’s community relations subcommittee, created last year as part of its development committee. The subcommittee
leads STA’s collaboration with our residential neighbors in carrying out the four
capital projects. If you haven’t guessed by
now, McGregor clearly recognizes that, for
the coming year, he will have to cut back
on his “day job.”
The day job is not inconsequential.
McGregor has been a successful investment banker, “putting companies together.” His STA bio notes that “he arranges
and participates in investments primarily
in the energy sector.” McGregor modestly
(again) acknowledges some success in
these endeavors. He grew up in a military
family and graduated from Boston University and the College of William and Mary
Law School. He served successively as
counsel to the U.S. Senate Commerce
Committee, as deputy assistant secretary
for the Energy Department under the Carter administration, as partner at Skadden,
Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom, and eventually as president of a merchant bank enContinued on page 12
PAGE 6
OCT-NOV 2004
New Graduation Requirements
Add to Life at STA
By Robert K. Yin
It is said that good things come in small
packages. STA’s new graduation requirements fit that description. No one is overhauling the curriculum—yet.
This fall marks three changes in STA’s
graduation requirements. First is a new
English course, American Literary Traditions, 1850-1929, required of all STA and
NCS juniors. Second is an increase in the
fine (performing and visual) arts requirement from 1/2 to 1 credit, starting with the
class of 2007. Third is a relieving of the
foreign language requirement from 3 and
1/2 to 3 credits in a single language.
Though occurring in the same year, the
new requirements have different origins,
all in the works for several years. The
changes not only add to STA’s scholarship
but also to student life (if you missed the
point, the new English requirement represents the first required co-ed experience
for all upper school students).
what to leave out.” The course is one of
eight required courses in English.
Fine Arts: Paving the Way for Excellence
The new increase to one credit in fine
arts starts in a different place. “We are in a
dynamic and energized state over the performing and visual arts,” says Ben Hutto,
Director of the Performing Arts for both
STA and NCS. Attesting to that would be
anyone who saw the production of Les Mis
last spring, including the CAPPIES judges
who deemed it outstanding.
Many credit Hutto for his strong leadership in STA’s arts education. He modestly
says that he has been “privileged to be part
of it.” The added arts requirement also is
modest. Hutto nevertheless believes that it
helps to validate the arts as an integral part
of an STA education. Equally important,
the new requirement could reach boys who
may be “undereducated” in the arts.
Even before the new requirement, enrollments in arts courses had been rising.
Previously, 8-12 of STA’s 75-80 seniors
might have taken a performing arts course.
Now, 20-27 already have, with higher proportions among STA’s younger classes. All
this represents an increased opportunity
for excellence, bringing STA’s arts requirement in line with that of other independent
schools (the 1/2 credit requirement had
been among the lowest). For Hutto, we are
on the way to producing the opportunity to
“make STA’s cultural/spiritual heritage
second to none.”
Foreign Languages: Less Is More
Remarkably, the relieving of 1/2 credit
in foreign languages is not seen as a dimiContinued on page 12
Co-Ed English Course: A New Challenge
Paul Barrett, a 29-year veteran at STA
and its Dean of Faculty and chair of the
English Department, expects no less than a
“great course” from the newly-designated
English (130) offering. Rev. David Ware,
upper school dean, is equally enthused. He
“looks forward to the results of the experiment,” caringly noting that the changes
“may stretch us beyond our comfort zone.”
The course is for one-semester, taught
in five sections each semester (three at
STA and two at NCS in the fall, reversed
in the spring). Barrett expects, based on
previous experience with mixed (“coordinate”) classes, that it will be “a wonderful
experience for boys and girls.” He says
that students “will have a great learning
experience...in the classroom” (for an NCS
view, see box).
Michael Piazza is teaching several of
STA’s sections. Barrett expects that teachers will include The Scarlett Letter, Huckleberry Finn, and The Great Gatsby as
part of the syllabus. Given the prolific period in American Literature, Barrett says
that “the challenge is not what to teach but
A View of the New Co-Ed Course,
from the Other Side (of the Close)
Jessica Neely, head of NCS’s English
Department, says the STA and NCS English departments “worked diligently
together to design the new course.” She
herself is “really excited” about its prospects.
On the co-ed experience, she notes
that the coordinate writing courses offered on both campuses have always
been “eagerly attended and very popular.” Most students take one or two coordinate electives and “can’t wait to fulfill
these later requirements.”
However, the writing courses typically
give more spots to the home school, resulting in gender ratios like 11-4 or 4-11.
In contrast, the new course will differ,
because the two departments will endeavor to make each section “fully coordinate,” or “50-50.”
Neely, an accomplished fiction writer
and starting her 13th year at NCS, says
having “intellectual discussions with the
other gender” can be refreshing—especially if a student has only taken single
gender courses to that point (the only
other required STA-NCS co-ed course is
in the 8th grade). When asked whether
this also meant that teachers would have
to make adjustments, Neely said the
pedagogy is already in place. The lead
NCS teacher, Teresa Conlin, has successfully taught many co-ed writing and
literature classes.
Students should be pleased with the
pedagogical aplomb. In fact, they may
even want more. NCS’s student government voted to have more coordinate
classes, across the board. Attractive as
this may be, Neely thoughtfully reminds
us that an important goal also is “to
maintain each school’s identity and individuality.”
OCT-NOV 2004
Drugs and Alcohol
Continued from page 3
tween the individual student who drinks
and students who organize the purchase,
transportation, and distribution of alcohol
to other students. Some school’s policies
forbid students to organize or host parties
with alcohol in their homes. In some cases,
parents are held responsible for student
drinking in their homes.
As with policies, there is movement in
sanctions and discipline. The resulting actions include revocation of student privileges and mandatory two-strike expulsion
policies. Some schools have established
separate (nondisciplinary) tracks to encourage student confession and counseling. Most schools are dissatisfied with intermittent, largely ineffective education
programs.
That’s a long answer to your question.
Q. Is the new policy based entirely on
the findings of the working group?
A. It is based on the 16 recommendations of the group. We have moved quickly
to implement several of them already this
school year. We have hired as a consultant
Dr. David Kolodner, who works with students at Georgetown University on alcohol
abuse on the college campus. He will partner with Dr. Robert Nover, our school psychiatrist, to present a series of programs
this year to Form VI. Those programs will
focus on current drinking issues seniors
face and the challenges they will face next
year on college campuses. Both doctors
will consult with the seniors privately, as
requested. We also hope to have a session
in the spring for senior parents.
The Working Group recommended that
we institute a grade 4-12, sequenced curriculum on drug and alcohol use. Last year
we studied such curricula in use around the
country and discovered most of them do
not focus on such a wide range of grades,
but instead on the middle school years.
We will continue to use the approach to
drug and alcohol education that we have
used in the past and in the fall place in
front of our curriculum committees the
best other curricula we can find. My
charge to the curriculum committees will
be to compare that new curriculum with
what we do and to fill in gaps, deepen an
approach, or add when necessary. In the
Upper School, the study of the use of illegal drugs and alcohol will be distributed
PAGE 7
over a number of courses and include a
strong effort at using assemblies and chapels and informal occasions to supplement
academic work.
Q. You mentioned counseling. What
new steps are you taking to help boys?
A. Over the past five years St. Albans
has expanded and deepened our counseling program. I believe that, along with the
staff and faculty who have expertise in
health, we have the correct number of personnel necessary to provide in-house counseling to boys and to make contacts with
doctors and counselors expert in drug and
alcohol abuse. I do think all of us, as
teacher and parents, can afford to learn
more about the signs of abuse and the
ways we can most effectively talk to our
children about these problems. We will
make a point of having some of our faculty
professional days devoted to our further
education in this subject.
Counseling at St. Albans begins with the
chaplains of the School. This centrality of
chaplains is simply who we are. We believe that spiritual questions are core questions—whether we believe in God, what
our worthy place in the world is, how we
must act, and what happens to us when we
die. These questions, when examined
deeply, help us in our lifelong effort to
know ourselves, and this quest for selfknowledge, in my opinion, helps to keep
us from using illegal drugs or drinking in
excess, for approval, or for pure escape.
Our chaplains listen to our students, question them, advise them, and if appropriate
guide them to specialists, especially if
boys need clinical care and monitoring.
Chaplains work closely with the division
heads, the associate head, and Dr. Nover.
We have also recently added a Lower
School counselor, Mr. Ted Haley, who is
an integral part of this team.
In addition to these six professionals
focused on supporting the boys, the School
relies heavily on faculty and staff in health
classes. Our nurse Jeri Stone works closely
with all our boys, but especially with those
who live at School, and addresses many
health issues related to these subjects.
Both trainers—Jay Driscoll and Adam
Bjornson—advise the boys, and in addition to Dr. Nover, we employ a school
physician, Dr. Frank Stroud.
Should a student voluntarily approach
any teacher or administrator seeking help
with an alcohol or drug problem, the
School will seek to help the student, not
punish him. Counseling will be a part of
every response to the use of drugs and alcohol, whether to those students or parents
who approach us voluntarily or those students who face disciplinary action.
Q. Discipline is the third component
you mentioned—tell us about that.
A. St. Albans relies on a deliberative
process for violations of our drug and alcohol policy, as we do for other disciplinary violations and infringements of our
honor code. While we do not spell out explicit punishment for specific behavior, we
do discuss with our students the possible
sanctions we consider—warnings, required
counseling, the suspension of leadership
positions in all areas of school life, probation, suspensions, and expulsion. The
deans of each division determine whether
or not the infraction warrants the convening of the Discipline Council, which after a
hearing with the student makes recommendations to the Headmaster of the division
where the infraction occurred. If a student
is put on probation or suspended, the faculty of the appropriate division reviews the
student’s situation at year end and makes a
recommendation to the Headmaster about
the student’s status for the next year.
It is our policy to have all disciplinary
actions, especially the most serious, reviewed by the Headmaster on a case-bycase basis.
While we believe in the importance of
using discipline as we try to teach, we
want to encourage students and parents to
seek help. We urge people to take advantage of our counseling services. As long as
we understand the effort to come forth as a
genuine desire for help, we will not impose
discipline on those students who seek advice and help about drug and alcohol use.
In response to first-time offenders of the
school policy, we want to emphasize our
predisposition toward a “different” form of
discipline, counseling, health evaluations
and health monitoring, and the inclusion of
parents throughout this entire process. Let
me be clear, however, about this “different” discipline. I don’t see the “different”
form as more lenient, for we are quite serious about requiring all the counseling and
health monitoring I have mentioned. If a
first-time offender drinks here on the Close
and in the process causes danger to himself or to other people, we will impose disContinued on page 10
PAGE 8
OCT-NOV 2004
Upper School News
Form VI
Seniors. Impossible. The emerging leaders we always knew they would be, leading
in their own way. We their parents are
learning alternately to step in and to step
aside with our usual grace and impeccable
timing. It is all very emotional, looking
back over the years filled with nostalgia
and learning, while savoring every experience of senior year and still anticipating all
of the changes that the “C” word will bring
into our lives. Never has there been a busier September. Our class reps—JoAnn
MacBeth, Nancy McCall, Gigi Rasmussen,
and Anne Vinson—have worked so hard to
make this a memorable year. We are indebted to them for taking on this responsibility, organizing just the right mix of
events, and communicating them so effectively. Thank you, Shelly Fidler and Curtis
Gans, for the Back-to-School Barbeque.
Margaretta Rothenberg is owed a special
tribute for organizing the mothers’ Day of
Reflection. It was great to see so many
wonderful women with funny, touching,
and wise insights.
Looking ahead, senior portraits are
scheduled for October 14. Send in $10 and
anyone who could help this day, please
call Susan Staines. Amy Knight and Mary
Sullivan encourage each family to contribute to the Annual Fund. With 92% participating last year, our goal is 100%. Please
give. In the same full-participation vein,
class dues of $75 are owed to Martha Robles. On the subject of 100%, we missed
all—count 106—yearbook deadlines last
year. We see opportunities for improvement in this department.
Soon we will no longer have to work
back from “C” to figure out which Form
our boys are in. Occasion by occasion, we
will deliberately notch off another “last”—
last parent tea, last first chapel, last homecoming, last STA tuition payment, and so
forth. But with regard to the living-in-themoment part, would that the presidential
hopefuls have such a clear mandate as the
short-sock agenda of our seniors. How
great is that? Leaders in their own way.
They will graduate. They will have
white pants. We will be proud and, as Dr.
Piazza promised, all will be well.
Form V
Form V parents got off to a quick start
when they gathered at the Refectory for an
organizational meeting on September 13.
Class Co-Chair Nancy O’Connell welcomed three new students and their families who have joined St. Albans this year:
Will Friend, Freddie Humbert, and Connor
McNulty. Following these introductions,
Dr. Piazza, Reverend Ware, and Mr. Andreoli addressed the assembled parents
and gave them a preview of what was in
store for the boys over the coming year. Of
particular interest were the remarks of Mr.
Andreoli, who focused on the testing processes and the changes to the SAT that are
scheduled to go into effect this coming
spring.
In addition to the discussion of academic and social events and issues, parents
heard reports from a number of volunteers
about upcoming events, including the
Christmas House Tour, the Annual Giving
drive, and the prom, along with associated
volunteer opportunities. Volunteer sign-up
forms were again distributed, and the class
co-chairs noted that a number of positions
remain unfilled. Parents who have questions or who still wish to volunteer are
urged to contact Nancy O’Connell
([email protected]) or Rick Mann
([email protected]).
with his family in Shanghai.
Until December, two St. Albans students
will be in Switzerland. Two boys from the Knox
School in Australia are meanwhile spending
part of the semester as temporary Fourth Formers. A new Emergency Phone Tree for
Form IV is now up and running, thanks to
indefatigable work by Emily Williams.
Volunteers are needed for
the Christmas House Tour: the main position that urgently needs a parent volunteer
is that of soliciting donations for the silent
auction. Says Ginny Wolfe, one of the
House Tour co-ordinators: “I know that
many people are reluctant to ask for money, but it’s a lot easier to ask people to give
a weekend at their summer cottage or donate a day of beauty from their own salon
to solicit cash donations.” Volunteers
should contact Ginny. So
we are now back in a whirl of events like
the Parent Tea, Brown Bag Lunches (the
first was held on Sept. 30), and the Class
Meeting (scheduled for Oct. 7) when the
Reverend Ware, Head of the Upper
School, was due to speak. There were no
fewer than 11 events for Form IV parents
listed in Class events for September alone,
and countless more in October and November. The only people more busy than
parents were their sons: onward and upward, Fourth Formers!
Form IV
“Just think,” said a parent at the Form
IV Parent Tea on Sept. 28. “We’ve only
got two more of these and then our sons
will have left St. Albans for good!” It
seemed only yesterday when forty C Formers gathered nervously in the Lower
School to begin their schooling at St. Albans, but now the Class has almost doubled in size and many minds have already
switched to SAT’s and college applications.
Form IV students are out and about, too.
One is spending the school year
Form III
It has been great for the boys of Form
III (and for their families) to get to know
the twenty-five new boys who now together make up the Class of 2008. The class is
seventy-nine strong, a talented and exuberant group! We wish to send an especially
Continued on page 11
OCT-NOV 2004
PAGE 9
Lower School News
Form C
St. Albans’ newest scholars have now
settled down into the academic routine of
C Form, and their short tenure at St. Albans has already been filled with numerous
fun activities. For many C-formers, their
first year at STA got off to a fantastic start
in July, thanks to Adrienne Kammler, who
organized a picnic on the school grounds.
Although not all families could attend,
those who did enjoyed great food and conversation, and the boys got an excellent
workout playing spirited games organized
by Mr. Davison. On registration day, all
forty-one C-formers enjoyed a fun-filled
afternoon of swimming courtesy of the
Sidak family. Many thanks to our C-Form
co-chairs Adrienne Kammler and Melinda
Sidak for providing the boys with two excellent opportunities to forge new friendships even before the first day of school!
The opening chapel was an extraordinary way to begin the school year, especially the procession of our C-formers with
the incredibly tall young men of Form VI.
Among other special C-form activities in
September, the boys and the fourth-grade
girls from NCS were fortunate to attend a
presentation by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
about her new book, The Flag Maker. The
boys and girls greatly enjoyed this event,
which was punctuated by insightful comments and questions for Ms. Bartoletti.
Thank you, Mrs. Ching, for arranging this
wonderful and educational event.
Our C-formers are also looking forward
to many more enjoyable activities in October, including the blessing of family pets at
a chapel service commemorating St. Francis of Assisi; an afternoon of bingo; the
Lower School blue/white swim meet on
October 22; and a Halloween get-together
at the Henderson’s farm on October 31
(thank you, Henderson family!). This will
truly be a fall for the boys and parents to
remember!
Form B
“Parting is such sweet sorrow,” particularly when it’s your 10-year old boy bidding summer days farewell! Luckily for
our boys, summer’s end was softened by a
warm welcome from the fabulous B-Form
teachers and a whirlwind of enjoyable activities.
The year began with a “welcome back”
pool party at the Franzen home. The boys
spent a very happy afternoon swimming,
playing air hockey and ping pong, and devouring tons of pizza. Many thanks to the
Franzens for hosting this event and to all
the parents—spearheaded by Caroline
Wohlgemuth and Katherine Leiken—who
helped to carpool and chaperone.
Despite the threat of torrential rains, the
afternoon of our family potluck on September 19 proved bright and sunny. The
boys had free roam of the Little Field, allowing parents to relax on the sidelines,
catch up on a summer’s worth of news,
and meet some of our new families. We are
so happy to welcome the Beresfords,
Davisons, and Wangs to B Form this year.
Many thanks to Fran Rock for her exceptional organizing (including storm contingencies), to the Spencers and Wohlgemuths for setting up, and to all the parents
who contributed to the delicious and plentiful dinner.
Katy Sadeghian added a welcoming
touch to our first “brown bag lunch” of the
year on Thursday, September 23, by hosting it in her home and providing delicious
drinks and desserts. These informal gatherings (everyone brings their own lunch) offer parents the opportunity to get acquainted, catch up, and discuss a variety of topics. Future lunches are planned for
Wednesday, October 13, and Tuesday, November 16, 12:30–1:30, in the STA Trophy
Room. For more information, contact Martha Bozman.
Our first community service event—a
lower school bake sale—was a sweet success, netting an amazing $300 that will go
to the Spanish Education and Development Center. Julie Miller and Kate Balaban proved once again to be masters at
organizing and supervising, and the boys
participated with joyful exuberance!
Thank you to all families who contributed goodies. Happy Fall everyone!
Form A
First of all, a warm welcome to the new
members of our form and to their families.
We’re so glad you’re here with us!
Many thanks to Dwight and Tony Bush
for their generosity (not to mention courage!), in opening their home to all fortyeight boys for a back-to-school pool party.
It turned out to be a great day despite
threatening skies early in the day. Thanks
also to Vicki Smick and Lisa Shelly for
taking on the role of Form Chairs this year,
and for getting the year off to a sweet start
with a good, old-fashioned Ice Cream Social. Vicki and Lisa, in turn, want to thank
everyone who attended, and for the incredible team effort that went into making it a
success, “from the hardworking handcrankers to the skillful scoopers, eager eaters, and courteous clean-up crew.” This
year’s Brown Bag hosts, Molly Strother
and Gayle Nelson, are trying a new gettogether time, which they hope will be
more convenient for more parents: the first
A-Form Coffee Hour was held in the Trophy Room from 8:00-9:30, on September
29. Stay tuned for an announcement of the
next one, through our e-mail communications.
We hope to see all parents at the October 20 Form meeting with Mr. Herman in
the Trophy Room. This parents-only meeting is a great opportunity to get a look at
the year ahead, and the various activities
for the boys and their families, both in and
out of school. Refreshments will be served
starting at 6:30, and the meeting will begin
promptly at 7:00 pm (Please bring your
checkbooks with you as class dues will be
collected that night). Here’s to a great year
for everyone—with lots of opportunities
ahead to enjoy watching our boys learn
and grow.
Form I
The 1st-form year has started with much
success! Let’s see . . . I think we grew a
Continued on page 11
PAGE 10
OCT-NOV 2004
A Christmas
House Tour
Full of
Surprises
By Ginger Hubbard
All I can tell you is that one moment I
was chatting, casually I thought, with Jean
Duff, and the next I was a Co-Chair of the
2004 Christmas House Tour. Now I am in
House Tour Land. I think of it as a board
game, like Candy Land, except that it takes
six months to play. You cannot move forward until you draw the storeroom key
card. If you land on “basketball”, there is a
tournament scheduled in the gym the day
of the Dance and Silent Auction. If you
land on “snow” you lose $50,000.
In House Tour Land, you do the unthinkable. You ask people you’ve never
met to give you $10,000. You roam the
countryside looking for an old sleigh to
place on Senior Circle. You ask Vance
Wilson to wear a Santa suit in the sleigh
(no). You watch the Weather Channel!
To win the game, you must surpass last
year’s fundraising effort, and our predecessors have set the bar high. Anne and Ted
Bracken, Roxanne Fleming, and Kyle Raffaniello brought in an unprecedented
$250,000. This dynamic and thinking-outside-the-box team created the hit combination Dance and Silent Auction. There was
nothing quiet about the band, though, and
dancing was the highlight of the evening.
The Auction brought in more than
$30,000, contributing substantially to the
fun and success of last year’s Tour. Bidders and dancers who like to party were
rewarded with an impromptu after-party.
As tellers tallied bids, the outrageously
talented Randy Miller entertained at the
piano, prompting some rather amusing
sing-alongs.
Does your lacrosse-playing son want a
private shooting lesson, dinner and talk
with St. Albans’ own Jesse Hubbard?
Would you like to host a dinner party in
the Pilgrim’s Gallery with its fabulous
views of the city? These and other unique
items are available only at the Auction.
Remember that all the proceeds of the
Christmas House Tour go directly to the
faculty and staff. Did you see the Smart
Boards in the classrooms on back to
school night? The thirty laptops that are
used in the classroom to teach Excel and
take tests? They were so awesome. I wanted to jump onto a desktop and shout “The
Parents Club bought all that and more, for
classrooms and teachers, with funds raised
from the House Tour!”
Thanks to the ingenuity of Lynne Mehmert, Co-Chair for Houses, we have a
spectacular group of houses this year, all
located on a single street quaintly named
Partridge Lane. There will be carolers and
hot apple cider. The Dance and Auction
will be back. Could there be a more enticing way to show the faculty and staff of St.
Albans that we are grateful for their dedication to the education of our sons?
Haley
Continued from page 4
support and caring that boys get at STA, of
course, there is no substitute for concerned, involved, attentive parenting.
When asked the one most important piece
of advice he might give to parents from his
perspective as a school counselor, Haley
says, “Be careful with the amount of stuff
you put on a kid’s plate—or the amount
you allow them to take on. It’s easy to
overload them.” His second-most important piece of advice is indirectly linked to
the first: “Try to put aside some time to do
things together with your kids that have
nothing to do with school. Just one-on-one
time together, doing something he enjoys.”
For the parents of lower-school boys,
this seems especially pertinent advice: after all, very soon it won’t be only our busy
schedules that are dictating the amount of
time we can spend with our sons. It makes
good sense to spend “quality time” with
them while we still can!
Drugs and Alcohol
Continued from page 7
ciplinary sanctions in addition to our counseling requirements.
Our predisposition to help means we
will give serious consideration to letters of
warning, for first-time offenders, as a possible substitute for probation and even suspension. The reason boys should not assume those letters of warning are more
lenient is not only that we will monitor the
other requirement strictly, but we will keep
those letters as part of a student’s permanent file. If there are no subsequent offenses, the letter of warning will be destroyed
upon commencement. With this emphasis
on counseling and letters of warning instead of probation, the School will be particularly concerned with those students
who are repeat offenders of our policies.
Q. How would a letter of warning affect a college application, for example?
A. Oftentimes colleges will ask students
on their applications if they have ever been
put on probation or suspension (a letter of
warning is not probationary status). We
expect our students to respond to college
applications truthfully, which usually
means checking the appropriate box and
including a letter explaining the episode in
question. All students who receive a letter
of warning and then, for another offense,
are put on probation or suspended must
mention both offenses in the letter they
write to the college, explaining that the
School had given them a letter of warning
in the first instance.
Q. From your perspective as a parent
and headmaster, how do you suggest we
best promote honesty and help our kids
overcome temptation/peer pressure?
A. Young people must have a subculture
in order to discover who they are away
from their parents. No matter how deeply
we dig as adults, young people burrow
deeper in order to identify themselves as
different from us.
However fiercely our children balk at
discussing with us the use of illegal drugs
and alcohol, we must persevere. We must
also educate, counsel, and discipline our
children, and pray for them as they grow
up in a culture where drinking and drug
use feel pervasive and indeed celebrated.
But first of all, as parents and teachers we
ourselves must model good health.
OCT-NOV 2004
Upper School News
Continued from page 8
hearty welcome out to those seven boys
who will be boarding and calling Saint Albans home!
In speaking to a mother of one of the
new students, it was good to hear that her
son especially likes his classes, the friendliness of the students and the FOOD. The
only thing he would change if he could
would be to become a boarder! Although
the transition to the Upper School may not
always be this seamless, it does seem that
the boys of Form III are generally settling
in and becoming quite comfortable.
Speaking of comfort, there is actual furniture around Sam’s Bar! On the all-important food front, Mr. Kim Adams and his
industrious kitchen staff are providing different lunch menus for the Lower School
and the Upper School this year. With appetites pretty well-established by 1:30, these
lunches are being well-received by the Upper School boys, to put it mildly.
Our rains have put quite a crimp in the
style of the J.V. Football team. Hopefully
by the time this goes to press the team will
have had some games. With the weather
ever-doubtful as it has been in September,
an important resource is Pat Griffin’s
Saint Albans Game Information Line at
(202) 537-5655. Griffin provides a recording each morning at or shortly after 10:00
am listing all of the day’s scheduled athletic contests. If there is uncertainty regarding the weather for that day, Griffin will
suggest a call back to the hotline after 1:00
pm at which time he will give the final decision for that day’s games. This is invaluable information which can save uncounted hours of driving to fields which may,
unbeknownst to you, have only recently
been deemed unplayable.
The rain also caused the postponement
of the Sept. 7 Pool Party at the home of
Ben and Deb Johns. The
Johns have graciously offered to host a
joint STA/NCS Pool Party in the spring.
We did gather together on the Little Field
during a break in the rain to enjoy our Potluck Picnic on Sept. 26. Roughly half the
boys and their families were in attendance
and the conversation (supplemented by
food and football) was a great way to kick
off the year.
Upcoming events being planned by our
PAGE 11
ever-capable Activities Co-Chairs, Sheila
Bates and Diana Taylor, are the Parent Social with NCS on Oct. 22 and the fabled
trip to Markoff’s Haunted Forest (with
NCS) on Oct. 29. So, as the days get shorter, they get busier! Happy autumn!
ers that are mailed home, and be sure to
sign up as soon as they come to help the
coordinators out. The year is off to a great
start. Have a great fall, 1st- formers!
Lower School News
Welcome back to all! And a special welcome to the new Form II students and their families.
We’re lucky to have these boys join the
class for its final year in the cozy confines
of the Lower School. With plenty of special activities like the Wetlands Trip,
MORP, and of course graduation ahead,
it’s sure to be a memorable time.
Hurricanes have been a big part of our
story so far. Frances rudely interrupted
plans for the Boltansky’s registration day
pool party, much anticipated and prepared
for by numerous volunteers, while Ted Haley faced down Ivan’s last jabs to keep the
Calleva outing on track and ensure that the
boys and girls had a blast. Suzy Menard
and her fellow NCS volunteers, joined by
Kathy Townshend, Martha Bennett and
other STA parents, were generous enough
to plan an ice cream social for the kids’
return, then wise enough to switch to hot
chocolate and donuts to warm everyone
up.
Thanks are due to several people already. In addition to the folks above, we’re
grateful to everyone else who’s volunteered their time and talents, especially the
committee chairs for taking on those responsibilities. Virtually all our volunteer
slots have long been filled—a real reflection of the spirit of this class—but we have
one more activity to cover: the Lower
School dinner on Feb. 1, which needs a
chairperson to represent the form. Please
check with Debbie Lindsey or Malcolm
Byrne for details.
Keep the dates open for these upcoming
events. The Form II Parent Meeting with
Mr. Herman and others is on Oct. 19. The
STA/NCS cocktail party at the Adams’s
home, coordinated by Sheila Bates and
Leila Afzal, is on Oct. 22. The Macbeth
outing, organized by Gillian Moorhead, is
on Oct. 24. For details and more dates, see
the Form II web page, courtesy of Mr.
Verkouteren, or watch for the weekly Bulldog News, our online newsletter.
A final word—please remember class
dues. Class Treasurer Margarita Dilley will
be happy to accept your checks at the parent meeting on October 19. Thank you!
Continued from page 9
total of 14 feet and 7 inches over the summer, and that does NOT include hair! The
good news is, I have not heard from a single boy who had a bad summer. Most importantly, a huge welcome to out new Bulldogs . . . boy, are you in for a treat, to be at
STA, and we are glad to have you!
The year kicked off with a swim party
hosted by the Pence family. Many thanks
to them and to Maria Otoo for all your
work coordinating this fun afternoon. Following that was the annual back to school
picnic. This too was a huge success.
Thanks Tina, for all you did for the picnic.
So on to Fall . . . football, soccer, and tennis are in full swing. Be sure you look on
the website for the games on and off-campus: get out in the fresh air and root your
1st-former on! Speaking of sports . . . JV
and Varsity love having our support too.
Our first dance will be coming up soon,
so listen for the plans on that. Now is the
time to start thinking about your Halloween costume for the annual Halloween
contest! Caroline Wohlgemuth will be coordinating a day trip to the Marriott Ranch
for horseback riding. More on this great
day to come. Save the date . . . November
5. The homecoming football game and
Skip Grant Run are planned for Saturday,
November 6th. Plan on a fun-filled day at
STA. Many other events will be coming
up, so check the school web site or the fly-
Form II
PAGE 12
OCT-NOV 2004
Graduation
Requirements
Continued from page 6
Get Ready for . . .
Homecoming, Nov. 6!
McGregor
Continued from page 5
gaged in Asian emerging market investments.
Parker credits McGregor, as chair of
the finance committee, with having “provided exemplary leadership,” in the “STA
and foundation arena.” We expect much
more of the same in his role as Board
Chair.
nution but as the ending of what had been
an “odd” requirement, according to Sherry
Rusher, chair of STA’s foreign language
department.
For several years, the department had
wanted STA to reconsider the existing requirement. Its genesis appeared to coincide with helping students to prepare for a
foreign language exam as part of their
SATs. Over the years, however, fewer students have been choosing to take this
exam, shifting, for instance, to a science
(and, notes Rusher, avoiding competition
with an increasing proportion of nativelanguage speakers taking the foreign languages exam). Without the motive of preparing for the SAT, the 1/2 credit became a
fifth wheel of sorts.
Because many students start their foreign language in the lower school, by the
end of their sophomore year they can complete the three-year, single-language re-
The NewsHound
The Newsletter of the St. Albans Parents’ Club
St. Albans School
Mount St. Alban
Washington DC 20016-5095
quirement. The change can therefore help
an ambitious student to pursue a second
foreign language, even if starting as late as
the junior year. Overall, Rusher observes
that the change “gives more options to students,” and that she’s quite “happy with
the change.”
Of course, nothing stops a student from
taking more than 3 years in a single language, and Rusher, Barrett, and Ware all
hope that boys indeed will continue the
pursuit. So far, that seems to be the case.
Barrett reports that last spring’s registration showed no decline in students signing
up for 4th year language courses.
All told, the three changes are small.
However, most people cannot quickly recall the year that a change in graduation
requirements last occurred. The consensus
is that it affected the class of 2000 and a
change in required history courses. As Barrett says, “we tend to move more deliberately than not, in these matters.” Time will
tell whether any one of these little packages also might represent a historic moment
in the life of STA.