Dear Parents,
Religious Studies teacher Terence Gilheany shared a moment with me this week that perfectly captures much of what I love about St. Andrew's and the kids that bring it all to life.

Terence gave a talk at nearby St. Anne's School earlier this week and knew that he would most likely be late getting back to teach his VI Form Philosophy & Applied Ethics class. He sent a discussion prompt ahead and asked the students to get started and he would resume his role as teacher as soon as he could get back to campus. I'll let him explain what happened when he arrived:

"When I poked my head in, the students were listening attentively to a peer. I asked, 'May I come in?' Several students nodded, and added, 'You need to be quiet – you don’t have the speaking stick.' I noticed the student who had been speaking held three markers connected together. That must be the speaking stick.

I settled into a chair on the side of the room. The student resumed speaking, making a subtle point about the issue under discussion. Several hands went up, the speaking stick was passed, and the analysis continued. I did not speak the entire period.

There is undeniably a place for active teaching, for a teacher sharing his perspective, asking a series of follow-up questions, or splitting students into conversation pairs. With dedicated scholars, however, sometimes the best approach can be to provide them with resources and get out of their way."

We are thinking about all of you in New England right now. Please let us know how you're doing and if you need anything at all.

All the best,
Will Robinson '97
Communications

PS — A student asked if I was going to post audio from our Wednesday Night Chapel Talk given by Rev. Dr. Jon Walton from New York City's First Presbyterian Church because his parents "would love to hear it." You can click here to listen.

Call for Parent Volunteers for the Admission Office!

Would you like to be a Parent Caller for a newly admitted families? Each year we have current parents reach out and call on accepted families to offer congratulations and to answer multiple questions about both the distinguishing features of St. Andrew's and details about daily life on campus. The parent perspective can be a deciding factor for some! If you are interested in helping us with these calls this year (to be made between March 12 and March 20) please email admissions@standrews-de.org. Thank you!

U.S. Squash Championships, Model U.N. Cancelled

New England's massive winter storm forced the cancellation of both the U.S. High School Squash Championships in Connecticut and the MIT Model United Nations Conference in Boston. There is no word yet on whether either event will be rescheduled.

Semi?

Students put on their thinking caps this week to find creative ways to ask potential dates to semi-formal this week — even finding a captive audience during a pre-game basketball warmup (below). The annual "Sadie Hawkins" dance hosted by the IV Form takes place this Saturday night preceded by girls descending on faculty homes to cook dinner for their dates (the boys return the favor at prom).

Special thanks to the IV Form co-presidents Brandt Bates and Carbery Campbell for organizing the event (Brandt is also planning to be the DJ that night).

Students Sit for the MAA American Mathematics Competition

Almost 50 students sat for the optional Mathematics Association of America's American Mathematics Competition (AMC) test on Tuesday morning. The test is purely voluntary and is the first of a series of competitions in high school mathematics that determine the United States team for the International Mathematical Olympiad.

Students had 75 minutes to answer 25 multiple choice questions. Here are two sample problems found online from the 2012 AMC 12 exam:

Swimmers Find Speed at DISC Championships

The boys finished 1st and the girls 2nd for a dominating team performance at this week's Delaware Independent School Conference Championships held inside the Genereaux Aquatic Center. Most swimmers posted new PRs and the boys won all three relays despite having only nine boys on the team. Read More >>

You can find the first round of pictures from the meet on our flickr page.

A St. Andrew's Moment

Financial Aid Applications Due February 15

The Financial Aid Application Deadline for the 2013-2014 School Year is February 15.

Financial Aid materials and directions are all available on the School website.

Questions? Please contact the financial aid committee at Finaid@standrews-de.org.

Full School Calendar — Athletics Calendar

Bonus Photo!