Dear St. Andrew's Families,

I found Pep Ruckpanich '13 and Riley McDonough '13 on the far tennis courts on Wednesday morning around 7:45. Riley was hitting with faculty member Jory Kahan and Pep was practicing his serve in preparation for their championship matches later that day. The boys, along with Z Roach at 1st singles, had worked four years for the opportunity they had that day and they weren't leaving anything up to chance.

Riley went on to beat his opponent at 2nd singles — the #1 seed he had lost to twice this year — 6-0, 6-3. Pep won his 4th doubles championship in a row teaming with Reed McLaurin '14 at 1st doubles. Doug McLaurin '14 and Ryan Chiu '14 came back from being down 4-1 in the third set to win 6-1, 5-7, 7-5 and clinch the State Championship over Tower Hill and Jasper Haritz '14 beat the #1 seed at 3rd singles for good measure. Four finals, four wins, one team championship.

It was an unbelievably exciting and inspiring day. If you know these boys then you know they recommitted to this goal 365 days ago after finishing second in the State for the third year in a row. We've watched them practice, mature, push each other, return from surgeries, and never quit. The outcome was obviously sweet, but the work they put in is what will serve them well into the future.

This week's tennis matches are a microcosm for the entire St. Andrew's experience that will come to a crescendo for 76 graduates this weekend. Whether or not you are a parent, grandparent, or guardian of a graduate, we should all feel tremendous pride in the work and commitment of these young men and women as they carry the values of St. Andrew's into the future. We thank you all for your support in this remarkable journey.

All the best,
Will Robinson '97
Communications

P.S. — You know I also love the lighter moments. Thanks to Bernadette Devine '99 for capturing Will Brown '14's first night of duty on Hillier earlier this week. Will brought out a mini hoop and hosted a 2-on-2 basketball tournament. Mac von Oehsen '16 hit the game-winning dunk with only seconds left before the guys had to brush their teeth and get into bed. It's the first time I've ever seen a player carried off the field on his friends' shoulders. Watch here.

Commencement Weekend Schedule

Saturday, May 24

6:00 p.m. — Reception at Headmaster's Home
7:00 p.m. — Dinner in School Dining Hall (limit 6 guests), Awards Ceremony follows

Sunday, May 25

10:00 a.m. — Chapel (limit 4 guests)
11:00 a.m. — Commencement Exercises, Luncheon follows

We will broadcast the Awards Ceremony and Commencement on our livestream channel for those unable to attend.

Click to watch

VI Form Alumni Dinner, Alumni Chapel Service

Students were treated to the wisdom of Richard DeSalvo '04 and Matthew Roach '04 this week. Richard delivered a beautiful talk welcoming the Class of 2013 into the alumni body during the annual VI Form Alumni Dinner on Sunday evening. Several dozen alumni joined Richard for the celebration that includes the 50th Reunion class donating commencement ties to the boys and St. Andrew's charms for the girls. Watch here.

Matthew Roach '04 delivered an uproarious and powerful Wednesday Night Chapel Talk during the Mein Chapel this week. Peter D'Agostino '13 said it was easily one of the best of the year. Please excuse the recording. We had to use a backup. Listen here.

Arbor Day

The Class of 2013 gathered yesterday morning to plant trees throughout campus. In addition to reforesting outlying fields, adding to the apple orchards, and tilling the organic garden, students planted trees to honor Mike Schuller and Carol Simendinger.

Spring Athletic Awards

The community gathered yesterday afternoon to celebrate athletics in Engelhard Hall. Coaches had an opportunity to share thoughts on the season before presenting awards for outstanding service and commitment to the team.

Highlights included #1 boys tennis, girls tennis going from 4th in the conference to 4th in the State, baseball and boys lacrosse finishing their seasons on high notes, girls lacrosse gutting out two end-of-the-season wins to advance to the State Tournament, and boys and girls crew continuing to build speed heading into Scholastic Nationals this weekend.

In the Classroom — Art Major Critiques

Studio Art Majors presented their independent project series to the community yesterday afternoon. The students were required to describe their process and discuss the thematic connections between the five pieces in the series. Betsy Neill '13 (below) shares her photography captured using a white box built by Joshua Meier and students in the historic gym tower.

Applied Math & Science

Director of Sustainability Diana Burk led math and science classes through an environmental audit of the Trapnell House this week. The house, most recently used as offices, is being converted back into faculty housing. Students used a blower door to depressurize the house to help determine how much air was escaping and through which door and window frames. Students found that the house, built in 1933, was leaking 6.6 sq. ft. of air. The leaks will be addressed to cut down on future heating and cooling costs.

Director of Scholar Selection at UNC's Morehead-Cain Scholars Program Spends Day on Campus, Leads Workshop with V Form

We welcomed Matt Proto from UNC's Morehead-Cain Scholars Program to campus this week. Matt met with students and faculty throughout the day before working with the V Form class on essay writing and interview tips. He's worked in admissions at the secondary school level and at Yale University, and his biggest piece of advice was simple: "Just be yourself. That is how you stand out as an applicant. It’s not about writing the most well crafted essay. It’s about getting yourself out there. At the end of the day, if you are confident that you put yourself out there completely and a school decides that you’re not right for them, what have you really lost?”

Community Service

Student mentors welcomed their mentees to lunch in the Dining Hall after giving them a tour of campus yesterday. It's always a highlight of the year to see the kids running around campus laughing and enjoying one final day together before summer break.

Art & Aesthetics

Students in Joshua Meier's senior tutorial on Art & Aesthetics filled the Irene duPont Library with paper hibiscus flowers hung from the third-story skylight. The project is part of the students' inquiry into aesthetics and design and has brightened up the study space just in time for next week's final exams.