Dear St. Andrew's Family, With hundreds of activities during the week there are bound to be mix-ups and I walked into one recently. Every other week,

NoxontownNews 20140425

Dear St. Andrew's Family,

With hundreds of activities during the week there are bound to be mix-ups and I walked into one recently. Every other week, a group from St. Andrew’s brings dinner from the School kitchen to the women of Epiphany House, a transitional home for previously homeless women in Wilmington.

I had agreed to pick up the food and deliver it to Epiphany House one day last week when I ran into a problem: the food wasn’t ready. Gary Grose, the lead cook on duty that afternoon, met me with a look of surprise before quietly kicking himself as he walked over to the kitchen's master calendar to figure out how he had made the mistake. But he hadn’t made the mistake. There was no mention of Epiphany House on the calendar. There would be no food.

I began to weigh my options when Gary sprung into action. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. He moved deliberately around the kitchen, thinking on his feet, grabbing containers and filling them with food. Great leaders need a first follower and Gary had John “Murph” Murphy jump in without hesitation to help.

Within minutes they had conjured up a full meal for 15 people. “I don’t like to let people down,” was all Gary said as he and Murph loaded six large containers into the back of my car. The whole event took less than ten minutes, but as I drove away I couldn’t help but think how selfless and thoughtful they had been.

Gary could have apologized and said he wished he could help and no one would have questioned him. He had no notice and was, after all, in the thick of preparing dinner for 350 people. He didn’t have to do it, but he did it anyway. He certainly didn’t do it for praise or recognition. He simply wanted to make sure that a group of women he didn’t know and who didn’t know him could sit down and eat a meal after a long day of whatever work they were doing to get back on their feet.

To me, it was a shining example of the St. Andrew’s spirit.

Thank you, Gary, and Go Saints,
Will Robinson ‘97
Communications

Gary-1

Photo Credit: Joshua Meier

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Two Students Honored with National Awards

Congratulations to Tiger Luo '17 and Moriah Richardson '14 for earning national recognition this week. Tiger was one of 24 students in the country to receive an invitation to the 2014 U.S. Computing Olympiad Training Camp at Clemson University next month. Read more >>

Moriah was one of 12 students nationwide to receive a 2014 Academic Achievement Award from A Better Chance. The award honored Moriah for her academic excellence, leadership, and steadfast determination to succeed.

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Eye of the Tiger!

 
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Future Northwestern University Wildcat!

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Boston Strong

We are so proud of three St. Andreans who joined 36,000 runners in the Boston Marathon on Monday. Math teacher and father of two Jon Tower raised close to $2,000 for Boston Children's Hospital in running the course in 3 hours and 14 minutes. Francesca Duffy '01 and Morgan Scoville '00 weren't far behind, finishing in 3:32 and 3:30, respectively. Go Saints!

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Jon waving to his son in the crowd.

 
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Francesca cruised to a 8:06/mile pace

 
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Morgan and his fans.

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Christoph Stutts '95 Featured in My Teacher Series

We love this piece from WUNC featuring Carrboro, North Carolina social studies teacher and assistant football coach Christoph Stutts '95. Christoph's student, Chris Joseph, interviewed him for WUNC's My Teacher series exploring what it takes to make a connection in the classroom.

You can listen to the piece on the WUNC website. Our favorite part comes near the end when Christoph lets his interviewer know exactly how proud he is of him.

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In the (Outdoor) Classroom

III Form Biology students scour the hill behind Amos Hall as an introduction to their spring wildflower projects.

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Acting I students gather on the O'Brien Arts Center patio for a read-through of Horton Foote's screenplay adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird.

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Morgan Hallow '15 uses colored wax (warmed on a griddle) to paint as part of John McGiff's mixed-media art class.

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School Meeting Snapshot

Clockwise from top left: (1) Director of Sustainability Diana Burk updates the community on the School's progress developing a comprehensive sustainability plan. We've reduced our carbon footprint by 10% this year with plans in place to hit 30% by the summer's end. (2) Uche Amakiri '16, Jamie O'Leary '14, Josue Chavez '14, and Eunice Song '14 announce open applications for next year's Student Diversity Leadership Conference in Indianapolis. The three-day event empowers students to embrace the wide array of people and backgrounds they meet on campus and throughout life. (3) Cole Henderson '16 celebrates victory in a Crush-chugging contest over, among others, a stunned Tad Roach, who was gracious in defeat.

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Students Celebrate Earth Day

Although our commitment to sustainability extends throughout the year, the community came together to celebrate Earth Day on Friday with our annual outdoor chapel and picnic. Afterwards, students sorted trash, recycling, compost and terracycling to illustrate how much more we can do to reduce waste.

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Photo Credits (above and below): Joshua Meier

 
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¡Fiesta!

We owe a special thanks to Claire McLaurin P'14,'14 and Alison Wetter P'14 for treating the VI Form to a fiesta to kick off long weekend this past Saturday. It was a great day for students to relax, enjoy each other, and take some swings at an authentic pinata.

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Click to play!

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A St. Andrew's Moment

The day after scoring 2 goals and adding 3 assists in a lacrosse game against Tower Hill, Spencer Peet '15 gets extra help on sequences and series from calculus teacher Jen McGowan during breakfast.

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Upcoming Event Calendar

April 25-26 — Prom Weekend
May 9 — Form Picnics! Parents, please contact Bernadette Devine if you can co-chair a Form Picnic.
May 9-10 — Arts Weekend (RSVP)
May 18 — VI Form Alumni Dinner
May 24-25 — Commencement Weekend

The 2014-2015 Calendar is available by clicking here.

Full School CalendarAthletics Calendar

Bonus Photo!

Long Weekend campers in Carol Ann Pala and Peter McLean's backyard.

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Bonus Photo II!

V Formers enjoy an afternoon apple in the Dining Hall on Wednesday.

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Bonus Photo III!

IT'S PROM WEEKEND!!

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Bonus Poem!

Peace of Wild Things
When despair in the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life an my children's lived may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
by Wendell Berry
(read by Peter McLean at 2014 Earth Day Chapel)

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