Dear St. Andrew's Families,

I was readying myself for a game-deciding penalty shootout when a St. Elizabeth’s player came out of nowhere, ran onto a bouncing ball, and scored with only moments left in the second overtime of Wednesday’s state soccer semifinal. Hundreds of St. Andrew’s fans who spent hours in the freezing night stood silently in shock and disbelief. Confusion reigned as we watched the St. Elizabeth’s team celebrate against the backdrop of our boys, crushed, some lying on the turf, others with their hands over their faces.

And then it happened.

Charlotte Bristow ’14, standing near the front of the stands, turned and began leading a cheer. Her classmates quickly joined in and soon the entire fan base began cheering. It wasn’t ceremony. We were compelled to thank the boys for their effort against the #1 seed in a game they had every right to win. We celebrated and gave thanks.

The next day, my partner in communications, Amy Kendig, received the following email:

“I am not sure if you attended the St. Andrew's vs. St. Elizabeth's soccer semifinal game last night. It was a great game. St. Elizabeth's ended up winning in the last 15 seconds of double overtime. St. Andrew's played the game without 2 of its top players who were injured 10 minutes into the game. I was in the stands on the St. Elizabeth's side. After the game all of the St. Andrew's fans left the stands by walking directly in front of me and many of the St. Elizabeth's fans. I wanted you know that after a loss like that you might expect fans of the losing team to walk out angry, but all of your fans walked out with their heads up and many of them stopped to say good game. I thought you might wanted to know, I was very impressed."

I don’t want to make too much of something we expect from each other, but it still makes me proud to be a part of a place where the expectation is so well met. I’m also happy to say that the same happens when we win. (See boys and girls cross-country who each finished third in the state last weekend before proceeding to hug their closest competition at the finish line.)

Sincerely,
Will Robinson ‘97
Communications

V Form College Day — Please RSVP

The College Counseling office is looking forward to welcoming V Form families to campus next Saturday, November 23 for the V Form College Day held in the O'Brien Arts Center.

Please RSVP to Ms. Barb Samson (bsamson@standrews-de.org) as soon as possible if you are planning to come. It is helpful for us to know who is coming in order to form our break out groups.

Alumni Arts Festival

The Alumni Arts Festival was every bit as good as advertised. Students declared it their favorite weekend yet (ever) after having a chance to hear from alumni in the arts and take workshops on Saturday morning.

You can relive talks from journalist Cora Currier '05 and Eva Sayre '97 on our livestream channel, view photos on flickr, and experience at least one creation from a workshop by listening to a piece students recorded with Peter Brownlee '09 on our podcast channel.

11th Annual Levinson History Lecture — TONIGHT!

We are so excited to welcome Yale University history professor Dr. Beverly Gage to campus tonight. Dr. Gage will discuss her current research and writings on J. Edgar Hoover and the origins of American conservatism.

Her first book, The Day Wall Street Exploded, examined the history of terrorism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, focusing on the 1920 Wall Street bombing.

We will livestream her lecture starting at 8:00p.m.

In the Clasroom

Chinese teacher ChiaChyi Chiu and Tommy Lu, the principal of the CACC Chinese School, recently won a grant from the Overseas Community Affairs Council, Republic of China Taiwan to support local high school students studying Chinese.

The two collaborated on a public speaking forum with twenty-nine students in Chinese 2-5 making presentations from the Engelhard Hall stage on Tuesday. A panel of Chinese teachers provided feedback with outstanding presenters in each category receiving awards.

Congratulations!

Louisa Belk '16 went undefeated in the state en route to winning the State Championship last Saturday in a blistering time of 18:08, the 4th fastest time ever at Killens Pond State Park. Louisa is only the second St. Andrew's runner to win States after Morgan Scoville '00 and is considered to be one of the six or seven fastest runners in state history.

Coach Wilson Everhart credits captain Charlotte Bristow '14 with building a culture of teamwork and hard work for a team that fielded just 14 runners her freshman year (it now has 42). Every varsity runner finished under 21 minutes at States to place third and earn the title as the fastest team in School history.

More Congratulations!

Abu Kamara '16 proved his status as the School's unofficial grandmaster chess champion on Saturday taking home first place in the Susquehanna Scholastic Chess Tournament held in Perryville, Md.

Abu plays a brand of positional chess that requires him to make a series of calculations with every move. "I try to play both offense and defense," he explained to a person who clearly knew little about chess. He's having trouble finding someone willing to play him here, but he'll compete in the National Championships this spring.

And Yet More Congratulations!

Religious Studies Chair Terence Gilheany published an article this week in Religious Education. The article, "Israeli and Palestinian Teachers’ Self-Reported Motivations for Teaching Religion: An Exploratory Case Study," is based on Terence's Fulbright research in the region.

Terence spent a year observing religion classes and interviewing students and teachers in Israel and the West Bank. His work was aimed at determining the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches and how they help students develop an understanding of their own and others’ faith traditions that would lead to respectful coexistence.

St. Andrew's Got Talent and Survivor Updates

We are all set for Saturday's second round of St. Andrew's Got Talent. There were many laughs and cheers during Round 1, which featured a lively audience and faculty judges commenting on student acts.

St. Andrew's Survivor: Season 2 is nearing its dramatic conclusion with teams squaring off in the final this weekend.

You can catch up with both by clicking through below.

Winter Athletics Begin

Today marked the first day of winter sports with students hitting the courts and pool for what promises to be another exciting season.

Special thanks to Barbara Hallow P'15 for sharing the girls basketball team's excitement with a preseason video. Head Coach Seraphine Hamilton considers the first day of practice her "Christmas" and Barbara perfectly illustrates why.

A St. Andrew's Moment

III Formers pitch in to help cover lettuce beds for the winter in the organic garden.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles!

Please send along travel plans for both Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks to Dave Miller at damiller@standrews-de.org.

▪ November 15 — Levinson Lecture, Dr. Beverly Gage, 8:00 p.m.
▪ November 23 — V Form College Day (details)
▪ November 23 — Leave for Thanksgiving Break, 12:00 p.m.
▪ December 2 — Return from Thanksgiving Break, 6:00 p.m.

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

Full School Calendar — Athletics Calendar

Fall Athletics Awards

Coaches celebrated his or her teams on Thursday during the Fall Athletics Awards. Individuals were recognized for outstanding achievement and All-State or All-Conference recognition.