Dear. St. Andrew's Families,

I recently finished Daniel James Brown's The Boys in the Boat. It's the remarkable story of the 1936 U.S. Olympic rowing team made up of blue-collar boys from the University of Washington. I'm not a rower, but I gather within rowing circles they're considered one of the world's all-time greatest boats.

There's a moment about two-thirds through the book that helps explain how this group, despite not being the strongest, tallest, or most technically sound, could compete against and beat the world's best. It hinges on #2 seat Joe Rantz, a gifted, but inconsistent member of the team who can't seem to find his rhythm. Legendary boat builder George Pocock pulls Joe aside before the spring season and insists that he has an opportunity to do things most would never have the chance to do, but to get there he has to trust the other boys in the boat.

"Joe, when you really start trusting those other boys, you will feel a power at work within you that is far beyond anything you've ever imagined."

I've rolled that idea over in my head the past two days. Trust. It's perhaps that simple — the greatest teams, organizations, dorms and classes thrive when and only when the members trust each other completely. We trust each other to do our part, but we also trust that we care when other members succeed, not just when we do.

I've seen this play out most recently with the III Form boys as they've come together with the help of dorm parents and advisors. During duty on Wednesday I watched how much fun they have together and, though they might not be ready to admit it, how much they care about each other. They did their jobs, played sardines, ate cookies and, as usual, found it difficult to go their separate ways at bedtime. It was a scene played out by generations of St. Andreans.

We'll see the same this weekend with the winter play and again next weekend when students come together for Mock Trial and the winter musical. Look out for it around you and the next time you're on campus. In it's greatest form, it can be, as Pocock correctly asserted, beyond anything we imagine.

Happy Valentine's Day,
Will Robinson '97
Communications

P.S. — There is a lot in this week's edition, but please don't miss "DESSERT" all the way at the bottom. It's a Hall of Fame email from a student to Tad.

In the Classroom

Emma Ferrandino '17 demonstrates a particularly intricate problem for her classmates during Eric Finch's Problem Solving in Algebra and Geometry class.

Elizabeth Roach's V Form English class buckles down for a test on Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights.

John Burk's Physics students play "Mallet Ball" as a way to observe Newton's law of motion.

Choral Scholars Sing at the National Cathedral

The Choral Scholars were once again invited to sing Evensong at the National Cathedral this year. The group, under the direction of Nathan Costa, joined six other schools for the opportunity to sing in a combined choir.

You can watch the service on the National Cathedral website.

GO SAINTS!

Avi Velchamy '17 earned the bronze in his first DISC Championships
last weekend in the Sipprelle Field House. All eight St. Andrew's wrestlers made it to the podium. The girls varsity squash team were all smiles after two days of competing in the 2014 U.S. High School Team Squash Championships.

From Irene, With Love

As the saying goes, you should never judge a book by its cover. The librarians in the Irene duPont library are encouraging students to take a blind date with a book this Valentine's Day. Stacks of books wrapped in paper lie in wait for adventurous students willing to take a chance on love.

Mahalakshmi Devasthanam

Kellyann Conners led her World Religions students to the Hindu Temple of Delaware on Monday night. Education program coordinator Tia Mukerji welcomed the group and shared several Hindu customs. Mrs. Mukerji then visited campus on Wednesday to provide our Wednesday Night Chapel talk this week where she reminded students about the importance of maintaining a positive attitude and to count their blessings.

Special thanks to Laura and Stokes Nolte P'14,'16 for hosting the group at their house with sundaes after their visit to the temple.

U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

IV Form students had the opportunity to meet Holocaust survivor Mrs. Nesse Godin during their visit to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday. We owe a special thanks to Mr. Jordan Tannenbaum and to John and Valerie Thomas P'16 for giving the students the special opportunity to hear personal testimony from Mrs. Godin. (Thank you also to Terence Gilheany for sharing this picture.)

Rooftop Solar Task Force

Luke Baumann '15, Yousef Khan '16, and Neel Puri '16 presented their research and analysis on the possibility of adding solar panels to the roof of the Sipprelle Field House over Trustee weekend. The boys emphasized the economic, educational, and environmental benefits of the installation and handled several tough questions with aplomb. One Board member said he'd "never seen a high school presentation that deals with IRRs."

A St. Andrew's Moment

Kieran Murphy '16 takes a deep breath before offering his classmates his vision for for the second semester during Class President speeches after Wednesday Night Chapel this week.

Sweetheart Session

Mary Kelly hosted some Sherwood heartthrobs last night for a Valentine-making session. Not sure where the creations will end up, but hopefully a few make it home to loving parents.

February 14 & 15 — Winter Play
February 21 & 22 — Winter Musical
February 21 & 22 — Mock Trial Competition, Wilmington, Del.
February 27 — Winter Athletic Assembly
February 28 — Student Art Show, Warner Gallery
March 1 — Spring Break Begins, 12:00 p.m.
March 6 — Faculty Seminar Series, Will Speers in Boston (RSVP)

The 2014-2015 Calendar is now available by clicking here.

Full School Calendar — Athletics Calendar

Bonus Photo

The Noxontones surprised their friends during School Meeting with a love song by the perpetually scorned Taylor Swift.

Bonus Photo II

These girls provided a textbook example of how to start a club in the official launch of the St. Andrew's Roller Skating Club.

DESSERT

Tad let the students know how tired he was of getting emails explaining why they needed a free day and promised a free day only if a student could explain why the student body didn’t need one. It was a sort of fairy tale declaration, but Louise Marks ’14 was up to the challenge.

"Good day, good sir.

I'm not going to list reasons why or why not we should have a free day. Honestly, I know people who could and would take one, but would not go so low as to grovel for such a trifle as that. I know what you are thinking- "That is so not true! My St. Andreans are Masters of the Grovel, Kings of the Puppy-Eyes, and Heroes of Slumped, Passive Aggressive Position." But wait! Such things are false! And I'd like you to know that the student body is going strong.

I mean, so what if Grace Egan almost fell asleep during Noxontones? So what if Bertie Miller never had time to take that study break to make cinnamon buns (correction-she had time, but I wasn't invited)? So what if I cleaned my room all day and neglected... Hmm... So what if the Choral Scholars went on an 8 hour trip to some fancy cathedral in DC and spent most of their day standing (or sitting) ickily stagnant? So what if many seniors still have (let's be honest here) 3 pages of their 8-10 page rough draft due tomorrow? Or if sophomores have yet to start their 5 page paper (proportionally equal in the time/stress required)? So what if my semi date (Colin) slept after dinner and through dessert? So what?! We are unphased, I tell you!

I'll show you how we have remained so stoic: despite having tons of work, Colin and Chris organized and reffed (sp?) today for SAISL. The choral scholars had great fun in that fancy cathedral today, and Jamie was excited to see her little brother's ex-girlfriend that she met there last year (see how we have learned to nurture our relationships)! Grace Egan stuck it out through rehearsal and I think our last run-through was the best. Of what, you might ask? (Well, ehem, you may just find out later this week! Shh...) Reed and Doug looked great after their weekend of squash- I know they survived starvation only through that healthy give-and-take present between the girls' and boys' teams--Sara Coyne apparently gave them really good steak of some sort that lifted their spirits... Go Sara! ...I cleaned my room today in "preparation" not "procrastination" for the week to come. Yes, that's it, so I'm really better off now. I mean, hit me with Housemasters tomorrow!! They won't know what got 'em!

See, we are ready for tomorrow. St. Andreans are tough, as Hick Rowland '58, reminded Elsa, Chris, and me of Friday night. He so fondly spoke of the time he (all 68 lbs of him) walked back from town through the knee-high cornstalks, carrying an illegal six-pack... of rootbeer!!! He remembers that trek as the most physically exhausting thing he as ever had to do... And of course, when he got back, there was a reward for his efforts! He drank his rootbeer in peace :)... Oh wait, no, that's not how it goes.. At the end, his sixth-form advisor confiscated the rootbeer and made him come into his room periodically to watch him guzzle it down. So... If you think a about it, this is just like that!! We are battered and bruised from this place, but in the end, we know there will be no reward! Tomorrow, we will wake, slowly, and as we unfortunately become more and more aware of the day, we will climb out of bed, though our burdens remain heavy, and we will plod through the weird ice snow and into the realities of our fears. Because we have no reason to expect a free day, like Hick had no reason to expect that he could keep the rootbeer. We have evolved instead to expect the spectacle of the guzzling- the guzzling of our dreams! ...And that's the way St. Andreans truly roll, Mr. Roach. We have been since 1955, when Hick Rowland was a mere second-former (pause for the "Aww"). Happy Sunday evening, and say hello to Mrs. Roach for me!

:)
Louise"