Dear St. Andrew's Families, In my brief talk with our students yesterday at School meeting, I emphasized that education at its best provides opportun

NoxontownNews 20140117

Dear St. Andrew's Families,

In my brief talk with our students yesterday at School meeting, I emphasized that education at its best provides opportunities for displays of what Ken Bain calls “incredible feats” of student learning. These moments emerge both in artistic exhibition and performance and in athletic competition, but they also emerge powerfully within an academic program that teaches for understanding rather than memorization.

What we do at St. Andrew’s is teach in ways that will enable and inspire our students to work, think, write, argue, and problem-solve independently. Therefore, when we create assessments, as we've done this week, we often ask students to do new work: to confront new textual material, new problems, new questions. Our exam responses, therefore, become expressions of understanding and learning.

We see exams as important reflections of our approaches to teaching. As a result of the exams we read and consider, we will make changes in the way we teach, assess, and design curriculum. We have an entire semester ahead for these crucial adjustments.

The best way to evaluate the philosophy and quality of a school or college is to look at student work – our goal at St. Andrew’s is to inspire your sons and daughters to perform at heights and levels they never dreamed they could achieve.

Sincerely,
Tad Roach
Merrill M. Stenbeck Headmaster's Chair

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Inaugural St. Andrew's Silver US Squash Junior Tournament a Smashing Success

The Durkin Fleischer Squash Center hosted its first ever US Squash junior tournament, the St. Andrew’s Silver, this past weekend. Twenty-four St. Andrew’s students joined draws that included thirty players from Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, North Carolina, New York, and Washington DC. Winners were crowned in seven divisions: Boys’ Under 11, 15, 17, and 19, and Girls’ Under 13, 17, and 19, including our own Carson Long ’15 (below right), who won his first US Squash championship in the Boys’ Under 17 division. More >>

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Students will work with twelve families, including the one headed by Mme Prévilus Baptiste (right), to provide reliable electricity to their homes.

Support St. Andrew's Students in Haiti

A group of St. Andrew's teachers and students will travel back to LaFond, Haiti over spring break to provide solar electricity for 12 households. The innovative project led by the World Leadership Foundation is designed to serve as a model for other communities in the area to follow.

The students are hoping to raise money for the purchase and supervised installation of the solar panels. If you find yourself in a position to support such a project please contact Diahann Johnson at djohnson@standrews-de.org.

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In the Classroom

English teacher Neemu Reddy asked her III Form students to act out scenes from Macbeth on the Engelehard Hall stage on Monday morning. Some students begged to write a paper instead, but all eventually made it to the stage to perform beautifully.

Afterwards, Neemu facilitated a discussion about what they found most difficult about performing and how acting out the scenes helped them achieve a better understanding and new appreciation of the play.

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Above and Below: Witches, Danes, and conflicted Kings prepare for their stage debut.

In the Classroom II

While Neemu's classes graced the stage, Terence Gilheany facilitated a lively conversation on libertarianism across campus in his VI Form ethics class. Students voted on John Hospers's claim that, "No human being should be a nonvoluntary mortgage on the life of another." Many voted in favor of the view, but many seemed to shift as the minority argued effectively against the loss of collective benefit.

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Go Saints!

Congratulations to Sam Gowen '14 for being selected to the Delaware Blue/Gold All*Star Football game. The four-year varsity lineman will join the state's best football players in the unique game that combines athletic excellence with service on June 21.

The boys basketball team continues to sharpen their skills agains the region's best teams. Their conference game against Wilmington Friends will be livestreamed tomorrow with coverage provided by the SAS Sports Network.

Gatorade named Louisa Belk '16 its Delaware Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year this week. It was yet another honor for Louisa who Coach Wilson Everhart '95 believes had "one of the best performances of any athlete in any year in the history of the School." You can read a profile of Louisa written by Alex McIlvaine '14 on the SAS Sports Network.

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Visiting Artist Series

Ceramicist Ben Feiss is on his way to campus right now from Minnesota for tonight's third installment of the 2013-2014 Visiting Artist Series. His work has traveled across the country and around the world from New York City to London, Paris to Victoria, Australia. It's unlike any before seen in the Warner Gallery and we invite you to see for yourself from now through February 15.

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Sustainable Saints

Delilah Harvey '16, Louisa Belk '16, Brookie McIlvaine '16 and Mason Sheridan '16 hiked the sandy beaches of Cape Henlopen State Park on Sunday with Peter McLean (and dogs Bella and Bear).

The intrepid group soaked in the quiet and long views out over the surf while picking up several bags worth of trash (plastic bags and old balloons, mostly) from along our shore before heading inland for some hot chocolate.

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Breakreading

Vacation Book Club

Students are immersed in exams, but still thinking about curling up over Long Weekend to enjoy a good story. Vacation Book Club leader Megan Hasse '14 announced the selection of Neil Gaiman's short novel, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, to read over the break.

Preston Firestone '15 publicly declared the story "legitimately amazing" and had direct advice for anyone on the fence about picking it up: "Just read it."

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A St. Andrew's Moment

Jen McGowan provides extra help to math students over breakfast on Monday.

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Upcoming Event Calendar

January 17-22 — First Semester Exams
January 17 — Visiting Artist Series, Ben Fleiss
January 18 — Vestry Movie Night
January 22 — Long Weekend Begins, 12:00 p.m.
January 26 — Long Weekend Ends, 6:00 p.m.
January 31 — William H. Crump Physics Lecture, Dr. Stephon Alexander
February 1 — DISC Swimming Championships (Home)
February 7 — Orchestra Concert
February 8 — DISC Wrestling Championships (Home)
February 12 — IV Form trip to National Holocaust Museum

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

Full School CalendarAthletics Calendar

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