N E W S

S U M M E R 2013VOLUME 20 / ISSUE 1

A Publication for The Woods Academy Community

Where curiosity and confidence thrive.

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IN THIS ISSUE

Artful Learning in MontessoriAsk a Luncher what his or her favorite afternoon special is and you are sure to hear a three

letter word — art! It’s colorful, hands on, social, creative, and messy! Just the sort of subject to delight the imagination in all of us!

Art is a collaborative effort at The Woods. Mrs. Taverner and the Montessori teachers work together to integrate their curricula so that the elements of art — color, line, shape — are blended with geography, history, literature,

science, and math to create meaningful experiences for children. Art provides opportunities to “see” and “do” in a myriad of ways.

It’s a little math: parallel lines for Mondrian sculptures and geometric shapes, patterns, and primary colors for painting like Mondrian and Rothko.

It’s a little fine motor development: creating wire and bead sculptures like Calder’s stabiles and “drawing with scissors” to make cutouts like Matisse.

It’s a little observation: using mirrors and body measures to draw self-portraits.

It’s a little science: learning about positive and negative space to make snowmen and their shadows; using craypas to resist watercolor washes on Japanese Bridge paintings.

continued on page 3

Congratulations Class of 2013!page 4

Donor Profilepage 6

Exchange Program with Kenya Schoolpage 8

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S U M M E R 2013The Woods Academy N E W S

Dear Woods Community,

Every school year brings with it a new excitement, new energy, and new ideas. Our strategic plan continues to be a great road map for The Woods as we grow. Growth is not just measured in numbers, although we had our second highest student enrollment to date this past year. We grow as a faculty when we stretch ourselves to learn new ways to approach our craft. We grow as a student when we add new tools, like iPads, to our “backpack.” We grow as a community when we commit ourselves to the values and principles of The Woods Academy.

This past year, with the assistance of our faculty, board, and alums, The Woods Academy created The Profile of a Graduate of The Woods Academy. This was a goal of our strategic plan. We wanted to create a document that was truly “us” and where we want our graduates to be. After all, we are preparing our boys and girls to lead lives of significance. This does not end when you graduate from The Woods. Whether you are a new graduate, or one of our first, graduates of The Woods Academy are always O-W-L-S. Graduates of The Woods Academy are:Open to GrowthWilling to live their faithLeaders in their communityStriving for a just and joyous life

The profile is simple, powerful, and fully complements our mission. We fill our kids with these values and opportunities while they are with us at The Woods and watch the fruits carried forward by our amazing alumni.

Another exciting component for the upcoming year is our work to market The Woods. We have a marketing plan and efforts being led by Jodie Shoemaker, our Director of Marketing, Communications and Alumni Relations. Yes, it is a long title but Jodie has energetically taken on this role. We will be launching our new marketing material in this edition of The Woods Academy News, along with our website, and out in the media.

The Woods Academy, Where Curiosity and Confidence Thrive. Our kids are encouraged to be curious and learn from great teachers who encourage this inquiry. They develop the confidence to thrive as students and lead the lives of significance that we pursue through our mission statement. “The Woods Word of the Day” campaign will bring alive our well-rounded pro-gram and highlight the ways our kids are able to define themselves at The Woods. Have you ever heard of a Theatrogoalie? This is a student who can bring an audience to its feet one minute and block a game winning shot the next. At The Woods our kids are actors, athletes, artists, musicians, linguists and more. This campaign is so exciting because it brilliantly articulates The Woods experience and creatively brings it alive. No one word can describe a student at The Woods, and we like it that way.

Sincerely,

Joseph E. PowersHead of School

The Class of 2014, then 7th Grade, worked collaboratively to paint this “pop art” portrait of Head of School Joe Powers. The portrait was presented to Mr. Powers on his birthday in April.

It’s a little movement: using Jackson Pollock’s ideas of dripping paint to ex-plore color and line.

It’s a little art ap-preciation: learning about the Impres-sionists and their ideas about color and light “plein air” on the new art room patio.

It’s about color: learning how shades of blue and red show emotion to paint like Picasso’s blue and rose periods.

It’s about classification: differentiating portraits, landscapes, seascapes, still life, abstract postcard paintings and comparing artistic styles.

It’s about the delight of vis-iting The National Gallery of Art to see the “real thing.” The Lunchers became investi-gators to find out how artists used color, line, and shape to create their masterpieces. They saw how Miró used the color red to say, “Look here” in The Farm. They loved seeing the Calder mobile from the balco-ny and learned a new word — “biomorphic” to describe the kind of shapes he used. They discovered all kinds of lines — par-allel, curved, diagonal — and geometric shapes in Picasso’s Harlequin Musician. They were captivated searching for circles in Bicycle Race by Feininger. There was so much to see!

It’s about becoming artists themselves — and falling in love with art!

“ Beauty both promotes concentration of thought and offers refreshment to the tired spirit.” – Maria Montessori

Montessori, from page 1

2012–2013 Basketball Season AwardsThe following students received Most Improved Player Awards:Lindsay Joseph (8)Anthony Mahshigian (8)Reilly Will (8)Alexandra Pitts (7)Erika Carmody (5)Patrick Gaul (5)Daniel Iannarone (5)Megan Lynch (5)

The following students received Most Valuable Player Awards:Amara Clemens (8)Kathryn Maloney (8)Marshall DeCain (7)Molly Grant (7)Ugo Eze (6)Briana Lantuh (6)Alex Bender (5)Elise Terman (5)

The following students received Hustle Awards:Carlota Andres (8)Luke Diess (8)Sidra Swift (6)Ray Briscuso (5) 2012–2013 Basketball Season HighlightsThe JV Girls Team, coached by AD Christy McCauley, finished 3rd in the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) regular season.

The JV Boys Team, coached by Shantel Washington, was undefeat-ed, winning 1st place in the regular season and 1st place in the CAC Tournament.

The Varsity Boys Team, coached by Ken Tyrell and Alumni Parent Jerry O’Leary, finished 1st place in the regular season and 3rd place in the CAC tournament.

The Varsity Girls, coached by 1st Grade Teacher Erin Ricca, a 14 year coaching veteran at The Woods, finished 1st place in the regular season and 1st place in the CAC

Tournament. This was a first for our Varsity Girls Basketball Team.

2013 Spring Season AwardsThe following students received Most Improved Player Awards:Reilly Will (8) – V LacrosseZack Crilley (7) – V BaseballSarah Criswell (7) – V SoftballChristina Dropulic (7) – V LacrosseCorina Capuano (6) – JV SoftballCaleigh Gazdag (5) – JV LacrosseSebastian Musalem (5) – JV LacrosseAntos Wellisz (5) – JV Baseball

The following students received Most Valuable Player Awards:Charlie Lynch (8) – V LacrosseKathryn Maloney (8) – V LacrosseJack Thal-Larsen (8) – V BaseballMcKenna Gazdag (7) – V LacrosseNicole Briscuso (6) – JV SoftballHenry Campbell (6) – JV BaseballIfy Eze (6) – JV LacrosseBriana Lantuh (6) – JV Lacrosse

The following students received Hustle Awards:Ned Flanagan (8) – V BaseballGrace Heming (8) – V SoftballIsabel Jabara (8) – V LacrosseMarshall DeCain (7) – V LacrosseInes Andres (6) – JV SoftballAlex Bender (5) – JV BaseballMaeve Dolan (5) – JV LacrosseJohn Mikita (5) – JV Lacrosse

2013 Spring Season HighlightsThe JV Softball team, coached by 1st Grade Teacher Lauren Foti, had an undefeated season. They earned 1st place in the regular season and 1st place in the CAC Tournament.

Although the CAC does not organize conference lacrosse games, all four of our teams played a very competitive schedule. They earned wins against well-established programs like Landon, Norwood, National Presbyterian School, and St. Patrick’s.

Year-end Athletics Wrap-Up

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GRADUATION GRADUATIONThe Woods Academy N E W S S U M M E R 2013

The Woods Academy Class of 2013 has been accepted to the following high schools:

Academy of the Holy Cross

Connelly School of the Holy Child

DeMatha Catholic High School

Georgetown Preparatory School

Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School

Gonzaga College High School

Holton-Arms School

Landon School

The Madeira School

Maret School

MCPS Magnet Schools: Poolesville Global Ecology; Poolesville

Science, Mathematics, and Computer Sci-ence; Richard Montgomery International

Baccalaureate

Our Lady of Good Counsel High School

The Potomac School

St. Andrew’s Episcopal School

Saint Anselm’s Abbey School

St. John’s College High School

Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart

The Woods Academy Congratulates the Members of the Class of 2013

Carlota Andres

Jonah Barron

Sarah Bash

Isabelle Cassidy

Elizabeth Chiaramonte

Stephen Catrett

Nicholas Chow

Amara Clemens

Darren Danaie

Luke Deiss

Ned Flanagan

Caitlin Grant

Winston Grenier

Ana Harmsen

Grace Heming

Mary Iannarone

Isabel Jabara

Martin-Jan Jimenez-Guzel

Lindsay Joseph

Emma Kosters

Connor Lamble

Charlie Lynch

Anthony Mahshigian

Kathryn Maloney

Noah Montemarano

Brady Murphy

Maria Nolan

Madison Sotos

Chrissy Storero

Jack Thal-Larsen

Jack Wenger

Reilly Will

Class of 2013 AwardsDuring the commencement ceremony on May 31st, the following Graduation

Awards were given to the Class of 2013.

The Owl Athlete Award was given to Ned Flanagan, Kathryn Maloney, and Luke Diess for their outstanding contributions to The Woods Athletic Program.

The Athletic Director’s Award which recognizes model Woods Academy athletes for outstanding academic achievement, sportsmanship, teamwork, dedication, and sacrifice for the program was given to Carlota Andres and Charlie Lynch.

The Woods Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts, given to eighth grade students who have ex-celled in the fine arts, was awarded to Ana Harmsen and Grace Heming.

The Serviam Award, for the eighth grade student who has given outstanding service to The Woods community, was received by Carlota Andres.

The Celestine Award was given to Caitlin Grant and Ned Flanagan as the eighth grade students who demonstrated the effort and hard work that characterizes the ideal Woods Academy student.

The Award for Academic Achievement, given to the eighth grade student who demonstrated excellence in academics, was awarded to Maria Nolan.

Noah Montemarano and Madison Sotos were the recipients of The General Excellence Award, given to the eighth grade students who have demonstrated the ideals of The Woods Academy Mission Statement, including academic, athletic, spiritual, social excellence and emotional well being, a respect for others, a spirit of equality and a commitment to community service.

The Twelve Season Award which recognizes students who have played a major team sport each season from fifth until eighth grade was given to Carlota Andres, Isabelle Cassidy, Luke Diess, Ned Flanagan, Grace Heming, Mary Iannarone, Lindsay Joseph, Anthony Mahshigian, Kathryn Maloney, Maria Nolan, Madison Sotos, and Reilly Will.

The Woods Award for Academic Honors was awarded to Jonah Barron, Nicholas Chow, Darren Danaie, Ned Flanagan, Winston Grenier, Ana Harmsen, Grace Heming, Mary Iannarone, Isabel Jabara, Lindsay Joseph, Anthony Mahshigian, Kathryn Maloney, Noah Montemarano, Maria Nolan, Madison Sotos, and Jack Wenger. This award is given to students who have earned either Honors or Honors with Distinction for at least half the trimesters from 7th grade through second trimester of 8th grade.

Ned Flanagan and Caitlin Grant, recipients of The Celestine Award

Noah Montemarano and Madison Sotos, recipients of The General Excellence Award

BStay Connected

The Woods Academy @TheWoodsAcademy @theWoodsAcademy Follow The Woods

Academy Company Page as well as join the alumni-only group. To search for the alumni group type in The Woods Academy Alumni.

The Woods Academy N E W S

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S U M M E R 2013

Woods Academy in 1999. Thank you for your amazing dedication and countless hours of support. We are a better school because of you and your presence will be greatly missed.” Peggy’s energy and spirit of giving is immeasurable. She is also currently volunteering as a Court Appointed Special Advocate working with youth in the Montgomery County Juvenile Court System.

In light of her tenure and long history of involvement at The Woods, Peggy’s reply to what advice she would give Woods parents was “to trust your child’s teacher, be open-minded, and get involved to get to know The Woods students and parents.” In doing so, she and George added, “Volunteering at Woods is a great community-builder and a way to promote positive change and growth.”

The world would be much better if populated with families like the Sotos. Personally and professionally, they are givers. Dr. George Sotos is a renowned physician who is Chief of Hematology and Oncology at Suburban Hospital. Peggy, too, was in the helping medical profession in her earlier career as a nurse at The University of Texas Southwest-ern Medical Center’s Parkland Memorial Hospital — where she and George met. Their endowed gift for The Woods came from the heart and from their recognition for the need to endow professional devel-opment for our teachers. They best express their motivation:

“We consider Woods a gift left to us by visionary families and teachers who gave generously of their time, talent, and treasure. Now it is our turn to ‘pay it forward’, to sustain and strengthen what our family has received, for those who will follow. Woods’ hallmark is the outstanding teachers who provided guidance and inspiration, and challenged our daugh-ters, Katie (‘07) and Madison (‘13), daily. To honor these dedicated, talented professionals by starting a teachers’ professional development endowment fund was simply an act of recognition, support and especially gratitude for the positive impact these edu-cators have had on our children. We hope others will contribute to the SOTOS Fund, ‘Support Our Teachers, Our School’, whether it be a one-time gift to honor a past or present teacher or an annual gift. A gift to the SOTOS Fund will ensure Woods’ teachers’ commit-ment to excellence continues in perpetuity, ultimately benefitting every Woods student.”

We are eternally grateful to the Sotos family for setting up this endow-ment, the SOTOS Fund. We will all greatly miss the Sotos as current parents, but look forward to having them as ongoing key members of The Woods community. The Sotos and their legacy will continue to make a difference in the professional development of teachers with Support Our Teachers, Our School — ultimately benefiting your chil-dren and those yet to enroll. We invite all to give to the SOTOS Fund, to follow the example set by Peggy and George, as did many Woods families who made contributions totaling an additional $52,000 at The Woods Annual Night Owl Auction in March.

The teachers are the quality control of any school. It is our outstanding faculty that drive the entrepreneurial education program and who enlarge and create significant programs with improved and new pedagogy — robotics in science, art and drama equal to museum and Broadway productions, writing and math programs that uncover and promote our future authors, and possible Einsteins, technology that incorporates and transcends blogs, tweets, Facebook, icloud, and apps to find yet undiscovered ways of even better educating, communicat-ing and sharing information. Indeed! Through faculty development we can enable our teachers to be transformational in student learning. We can put our teachers at the forefront of education by helping them be prepared to teach the comprehensive curriculum designed to meet the educational requirements of an ever-changing 21st century.

The Sotos came to The Woods 14 years ago in 1999 when they enrolled their older daughter, Katie, in first grade. They came to The Woods because the school offered, to quote them, “traditional values, top-notch cutting-edge academics, and low student-teacher ratio.” They remained at the school, they said because of, “great teachers, academic success, and community.” Their younger daughter, Madison,

joined Woods in 2002, as a Montessori three-year-old.

The Sotos family is the family every school would like to have in their community. They are the epitome of parents whose generosity and service to the school and its students are remarkable. Peggy has been a participant in all aspects of the school. Her numerous volunteer activities include: WAPTO President, Auction Chair for two years, and she and George were co-chairs of the Ever Forward Capital Campaign. For many years, Peggy also served as Book Fair Chair, Sally Foster Chair, and Arts Celebration Chair. Over the years, we have seen her tirelessly serving hot lunches and overseeing the Faculty-Staff Appreciation Luncheon, as well as volunteering as Room Mother and Athletic Booster Mom, and helping with Poinsettia Sales, Family Festivals, Gardening Committee, Sunshine Club, Montessori Play Dates and Grandparents Day. In summary, if there was a job to do, Peggy did it — not once, but often times, twice — and always the job was done well. In fact, one teacher described her as doing the extraordinary in a most superlative way. The outstanding student production of Annie in May was dedicated to Peggy, noting: “She has been a champion, cheerleader, and supporter of the Arts since her family arrived at The

The SOTOS Faculty Development Endowment Fund, Support Our Teachers, Our School, was instituted five years ago with a generous contribution from Peggy and George Sotos. It is a most meaningful and

appreciated gift to The Woods Academy for it addresses the core of what makes a school great — its teachers!

SOTOS: Support Our Teachers, Our SchoolThe SOTOS Faculty Development Endowment Fund

The Sotos Family with Katie (‘07) and Madison (‘13)

SAVE THE DATE!The 9th Annual Golf Outing will be held on Friday, October 4 at Bretton Woods Golf Club. Contact Chris Stewart, Director of Development, cstewart@woodsacademy.org, for more information.

29th Annual Grandparents & Special Friends Day will be Friday, October 11. Please contact Grandparents Coordinator, Betty Brown, bbrown@woodsacademy.org, for more information.

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DONOR PROFILE DONOR PROFILE

Be an Owlvocate! owlvocate n: A person who gives their significant time, talent,

and treasure to transform the lives of Woods Academy students.

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S U M M E R 2013The Woods Academy N E W S

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After meeting with the teachers at Hotcourses, we finalized the two projects that each grade will complete over the next school year. It was challenging but fun to overcome language and cultural barriers to coordinate appropriate and meaningful projects that teachers in both countries can lead and that everyone is excited to do. The teachers and students at Hotcourses showed how enthusiastic they are about the upcoming projects and their excitement over sharing details about their culture and country with American students was contagious.

Megan and I left the Village with renewed energy to start up activities back at The Woods in Maryland. Our school’s program begins this September in the third, fourth, and fifth grades. It will include a video of music and poetry performances, postcards written about the Northeastern United States and interviews with grandparents. These projects will be hand delivered to Hotcourses Primary School by Lloydie Zaiser in January 2014. And thus the exchange will begin! Lloydie will return to the United States in February with matching projects completed by the Hotcourses students.

Overall, we had an exciting visit interact-ing with students and forming relation-ships with our “co-workers” in Kenya. As part of our visit, we presented the staff of Hotcourses Primary with gifts; The Woods Academy staff had generous-ly contributed money to allow us to purchase two digital cameras that we gave to Paul Muthami, the Hotcourses director and his staff. The cameras will be a huge asset to our exchange pro-gram because it will allow teachers at Hotcourses to complete projects that

need documentation. In addition, The Woods commu-nity donated pencils, markers, paper and pens.

All in all we came back to the United States with enthusiasm we know will catch on with students here. Stay tuned for updates on this amazing cultural exchange of ideas and activities.

Exchange Program Shows How Much Alike We AreBy Nancy Talbot, fourth grade teacher

The assistant director waved a worn green shirt at the crowd: “Is anybody missing a uniform top?” she

called to the primary school students at their afternoon assembly. Megan Mullally, fourth grade teacher, and I looked at each other and laughed. Despite the fact we were thousands of miles away from the school in Maryland where we work, we recognized that children are chil-dren whether they live in Maryland or Kenya. Losing shirts occurs in elemen-tary school on a regular basis! That kind of awareness is part of what makes the sister school program between The Woods Academy and Hotcourses Primary School at Nyumbani so rewarding; despite the differences in

culture and geography, the program shows us the many similarities that educators and students have, which creates a level of comfort. Then we can go on to share

the differences so we better understand each other.

We were reminded of those similarities during our multi-day visit with the teachers and students at Hotcourses Primary School at Nyumbani Village in June. Megan and I spent several days at Hotcourses Primary

School meeting with the grade three, four, and five teachers to decide on the exchange projects that will be completed for our Cross-Cultural Education Program. The program is sponsored by Kenya Educational Service Trips (KEST), led by Lloydie Zaiser.

Below: Nacy Talbot at Hptcourses Primary School in Nyumbani Village in June.

“It was challenging but fun to overcome language and cultural barriers to coordinate appropriate and meaningful projects that teachers in both countries can lead and that everyone is excited to do.” – Nancy Talbot, fourth grade teacher

SERVICE LEARNING SERVICE LEARNING

The Woods Academy N E W S

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S U M M E R 2013

Jamie Bash graduated from Gonzaga College High School and will attend University of San Diego.

After successfully completing high school at Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Will Becker is off to Elon University.

Gabriella Catrett graduated from Woodgrove High School in Purcellville, VA where she was instrumental in planning, organizing, and conducting an assembly for Students Against Drunk Driving. She will attend Marymount University and plans to major in Criminal Justice.

Sebastien Crepin successfully completed high school at the French International School and will attend “Classes preparatoires MathSup” at College Lazaristes in Lyon, France.

Harry Criswell graduated from Winston Churchill High School where he played football and lacrosse and will attend St. Joseph’s University.

Tyler Dunne graduated from Georgetown Prep and is off to Wake Forest University.

After successfully completing high school at Walt Whitman, Ellie Dwyer is off to Towson University.

Sarah Hatoum who was president of the senior class at The Academy of the Holy Cross will attend University of Miami.

William Lawler graduated from Gonzaga College High School where he served as Editor-in-chief and Web Editor of The Aquilian, the school’s newspaper. William will attend University of Michigan Honors Program this fall.

Katie Needler graduated from the Global Ecology Magnet program at Poolesville High School and will attend University of Maryland. She was one of a select few first year students admitted to the Smith School of Business.

Danny O’Leary graduated from Georgetown Prep and will attend University of Miami.

Ian Richards, a graduate of Bethesda Chevy Chase High School, will attend Yale University.

Now a graduate of The Academy of the Holy Cross, Meghan Rixey is headed to University of Pittsburgh.

Kevin Rogers graduated from Gonzaga College High School and plans to attend Northeastern University.

Silvia Samayoa graduated from Our Lady of Good Counsel where she was a member of the State Champion Speech Team and will attend Georgia State University.

Now that she has graduated from The Academy of the Holy Cross, Brittany Scala is off to University of South Carolina this fall.

Casey Sheehan graduated from Georgetown Prep and will attend Texas Christian University.

At his graduation from Georgetown Prep, Tommy Shott received both the Math and Physics Department Awards. He will attend Vanderbilt University School of Engineering.

Jonathan Slapnick graduated from DeMatha Catholic High School and will attend Xavier University.

Nick Swift member of the Xavarian Chapter of the National Honor Society at Our lady of Good Counsel High School will attend Notre Dame University this fall.

Eric Tan graduated from Gonzaga College High School and will attend Penn State.

Morgan Taverner graduated from The Academy of the Holy Cross and will attend University of Maryland. She was one of a select few first year students admitted to the Smith School of Business.

After graduating from St. John’s College High School, Nico Tawa will attend Post College at Long Island University.

Sarah Wyckoff graduated from Georgetown Visitation with many honors and distinctions and will attend University of Virginia as a Jefferson Scholar. “The fundamental mission of the Jefferson Scholars Foundation is to identify, attract, and nurture individuals of extraordinary intellectual range and depth who possess the highest qualities of leadership, scholarship, and citizenship.” Sarah is one of the only 33 members of the Class of 2017 to receive this scholarship to UVA.

Class of 2009: Where are they now? Class NotesFour years ago we highlighted the Class of 2009 as they were heading to high school. Now we take a look at what they have

accomplished since that time and where they plan to attend college this fall.

SHARE YOUR NEWSPlease send in your Alumni Notes for the next WoodsNews to keep your classmates and other Woods’ friends up to date. Photos are always welcome!Email your updates to Jodie Shoemaker, Director of Marketing, Communications, and Alumni Relations, at alumni@woodsacademy.org

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Nathaniel Russ (2007) will be a junior at Mc-Daniel College and is a Summer Scholar with The International Cancer Alliance for Research and Education (ICARE). ICARE is a non-profit

organization that supports cutting-edge cancer research and provides high-quality, focused, user- friendly cancer information

to each patient as well as their physician on an ongoing,

personalized basis. Nathaniel is charged with spreading the word about the organization and increasing support for its research.

Drew Shott (2007) will be a junior at Washington & Lee and is spending this fall semester studying in Rome. He is a Business/ Accounting major and spent his summer as an intern with Lockheed Martin.

Katie Sotos (2007) played the role of Polly Peachum in Colgate University’s production of The Threepenny Opera this past April. Katie, Biology major and French minor, will be a junior at Colgate this fall. She is studying

pre-veterinary medicine and is interning full-time at Second Chance Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation in Gaithersburg this summer. She is also interning part-time with a team of equine vets in Mt. Airy.

Nick Murray (2008) will play baseball at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania. Nick graduated from Landon where he earned much recognition on and off the field. This

past spring, Nick led his team to the Interstate Athletic Conference (IAC) Final against Georgetown Prep. He was also named to the All-IAC Baseball Team by The Washington Post.

Gabriela Catrett (2009) continues to volun-teer at Circle of Hope, a therapeutic riding facility in Darnestown, where she is able to combine her love of horses with her passion to help children and adults with special needs. In addition, she has spent the past three sum-mers working at Valley Mill Camp where, as a certified trainer, she is teaching young girls to ride and enjoying every minute of it.

Sebastien Crepin (2009) received an Inter-national Baccalaureate in Science from the French International School with mention Tres Bien (Excellence).

Sarah Hatoum (2009) & Morgan Taverner (2009) received the Madeleva Scholar Certifi-cate from The Academy of the Holy Cross and proudly wore the Madeleva Stole at all Com-mencement Activities this past spring. Mad-eleva Scholars Program “provides a structure

enabling students to achieve most fully those qualities articulated in the Mission Statement of The Academy of the Holy Cross: courage, compassion, and scholarship.” Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA and complete at least one Honors-Level course each year, submit a fully documented Research Paper, complete 150 hours of service, assume leadership positions in clubs, activities, and/ or athletics, and participate in enrichment activities to be awarded the certificate.

Tommy Shott (2009) was responsible for driving in the winning run against Landon School to give Georgetown Prep the IAC Baseball Championship in May.

Nicholas Swift (2009), at the completion of his junior year at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School last spring, was awarded the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Medal. The

Rensselaer Medal is given to a student who is ranked within the top 10% of their class and demonstrates potential for success in a challenging academic setting, excels in advanced math and science courses, and exhibits significant involvement in extracurricular activities.

Sarah Wyckoff (2009) received All Indepen-dent School League (ISL) recognition in Track and Field this past spring. In addition, she was honored with Excellence in Science, Excellence in Mathematics, Medal of General Excellence, and Athletic Association Hall of Fame Awards during commencement exercises at Georgetown Visitation.

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Clockwise from upper left: Nathaniel Russ (2007) visits with Mr. Powers this summer; Nick Murray (2008) pitching in the IAC Semi-Final Game against Bullis this past spring; Tommy Shott, Danny O’Leary, Tyler Dunne, and Casey Sheehan, Class of 2009, photographed at their Georgetown Prep graduation in May; Morgan Taverner (2009) and Sarah Hatoum (2009) recognized as Madelava Scholars at Holy Cross; Katie Sotos (2007) on stage at Colgate University.

ALUMNI NOTES ALUMNI NOTES

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S U M M E R 2013The Woods Academy N E W S

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Thank you for your support of our 23rd Annual Night Owl Auction

held on Saturday, March 2nd here at The Woods! Your significant philan-thropy serves to inspire our Woods Academy community to consider how private gifts can transform the lives of our students.

The theme was “Celebrate The Woods, 80s Style” and we certain-ly did as we honored everyone and everything wonderful at our

school! Co-Chairs Huda Montemarano and Nikki Diess led an amazing team with an impeccable grace and a positive spirit that ensured significant success.

We raised nearly $125,000 (net) to support our Woods Academy family including an astounding $52,000 for the Sotos Endowment Fund for Faculty Professional Development. This was the largest amount ever raised at our Auction for an appeal of this nature. And we accom-plished all of this while bringing the entire community together for an unforgettable evening that has already been touted as “the best Woods Auction ever.” Mark your calendars for next year on March 1st, 2014 when we will do it again!

Thank you so much for your support of our Woods Academy family!

The OwlathonThe Owlathon ended the school year with a bang…or an even better description is a splash! Mr.

Powers and several faculty splashed around in the dunk tank while the students enjoyed cooling off with shaved ice and diving through the giant slip and slide. There was something for everyone — from a challenging fitness course, carnival style class booths, pie eating contests to the “Pie in Your Face” game. School spirit was at its best! Most importantly, half of the funds earned from this “fun” fundraiser went to help The Greentree Shelter and Operation Smile. What a great way to end the school year!

Night Owl Auction

New Faculty ProfilesSandy BlaseyExtended Care Assistant

A native of Kens-ington, Maryland where she still lives. Previously worked as a freelance writer, admissions essays editor, and copywriter. Ran a 50-mile

race to celebrate her 50th birthday. Still recovering!

Liz FeeleyMontessori Assistant

Originally from northern New Jersey and first came to the DC area to attend college at Georgetown University. Most recently she worked as a Mon-tessori teacher’s

assistant at the Montessori School of Chevy Chase. Many years ago she worked the graveyard shift as an on-air announcer at a local radio station located at the tip of Long Island; there, she excelled at deliver-ing the weather, fishing reports and high tides bulletins.

Paul Paoletti6th Grade Math & Science

Originally from Overland Park, Kansas. Previ-ously worked as a math teacher, Athletic Director, and coach in a Catholic high school in NYC. Has an adven-

turous spirit including two solo skydiving missions and multiple, amateur stand-up comedy performances on NYC stages.

AROUND THE WOODS AROUND THE WOODS

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1st Place, Gold Medal — at or above 95th percentileMaria Nolan – 98%Kathryn Maloney – 97%Grace Hemming – 96%Mary Iannarone – 96 %

2nd Place, Silver Medal — 85th through 94th percentilesLindsay Joseph – 91%

Noah Montemarano – 90%Isabelle Cassidy – 89%Ned Flanagan – 89%Jack Wenger – 88%Caitlin Grant – 86%

3rd Place, Bronze Medal — 75th through 84th percentilesJonah Baron – 76%

4th Place, Award of Excellence — from 50th through 74th percentiles Nicholas ChowLuke DiessWinston GrenierConnor LambleCharlie LynchBrady Murphy

On March 14th and 15th, our 8th grade Spanish students took the National Spanish Examination (NSE). The NSE’s are sponsored by the American Association of Teach-

ers of Spanish and Portuguese and are taken by more than 156,000 students throughout the United States. The exam measures proficiency and achievement of students who are studying Spanish as a second language. The performance of our students who took this exam was outstanding and each should feel very proud of his or her accomplishments. “Attaining a medal or honorable mention for any student on the National Spanish Exam-inations is very prestigious,” said Kevin Cessna-Buscemi, National Director of the Exams, “because the exams are the largest of their kind in the United States.”

The National Spanish Exam

National French Test ResultsThe fourth and eighth grade French students recently participated in the National

French Test sponsored yearly by the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF). Thousands of students took the test in Maryland and throughout the United States. The Woods is proud to congratulate the following students for their performance on the 2013 National French Test.

The following 4th grade students placed in the top 10 in Maryland and nationally, receiving a score of 90% or higher, and will receive a silver or bronze medal and certificate of honor.Dylan Danaie – 1st in Maryland and nationallyNatalie Pierce – 1st in Maryland and nationallySara Manzano – 2nd in Maryland and nationallyEleanor Powell – 2nd in Maryland and nationallyDaniel Atingi – 3rd in Maryland and nationallyShane Davis – 4th in Maryland and nationallyBrandon Curry – 5th in Maryland and nationallyAva Amirkhalili – 6th in Maryland and nationally

Alejandro Tovar – 6th in Maryland and nationallyAva Humler – 7th in Maryland and nationallyThe following 8th grade students placed in the top 10 in Maryland and nationally, receiving a score of 90% or higher, and will receive a silver or bronze medal and certifi-cate of honor. They are: Sarah Bash – 3rd in Mary-land and nationallyAna Harmsen – 3rd in Maryland and nationallyDarren Danaie – 4th in Maryland and nationallyMadison Sotos – 4th in Maryland and nationallyIsabel Jabara – 5th in Maryland and nationallyCarlota Andres – 6th in Maryland and nationally

Stephen Catrett – 6th in Maryland and nationallyMatin-Jan Jimenez-Guzel – 7th in Maryland and nationally

The following 8th grade students scored 85% or higher and earned the following ranks. They will receive a certificate of honor.Emma Kosters – 11th in Maryland and nationallyReilly Will – 11th in Maryland and nationallyAnthony Mahshigian – 13th in Maryland and nationally

Congratulations to all of our French scholars! Keep up the good work!

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S P R I N G 2013The Woods Academy N E W S

Tess Iannarone (2010) travelled with some of her classmates from Holton-Arms School Global Education Program to Rwanda in June. While there Tess and the other girls were able to meet and work with embassy officials as well as members of the Rwandan government. In addition, they helped to complete the building of an all-girls elementary school.

Pauline Ting (2011) won a National Spanish Exam Global Citizenship Award which enabled her to attend a two-week Spanish immersion program in Min-nesota this summer. She was one of just 16 students in the country selected for the award. Pauline will be a junior at Georgetown Visitation this fall.

Ally Cordom (2012) in her first year at Madeira participated in the riding program and will be the Team Manager next school year. In addition, Ally was the winner of the Ann Swift Cronin Most Dedicated Rider award. This trophy is awarded to a rider based on contribution to the program both in the tack and around the barn.

Annie O’Connor (2012) finished her first year at Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart with Highest Honors and was the MVP of the JV basketball team.

Class Notes, from page 10

Ready to move on to full days of classes and uniforms in the Lower School, the Montessori Lunchers graduated on May 31st in a ceremony full

of songs and poetry in English, French, and Spanish. There is no doubt the Lunchers will miss their Montessori teachers and friends, but we are sure they are going to enjoy First Grade!

First Communion On May 22nd, The Woods celebrated the 23 second

graders who made their First Holy Communion earlier in the month. The whole school attended mass prepared by the First Communicants, their classmates, and teachers. The students also performed a special Communion hymn, “Jesus, You are Bread for Us”. The mass was celebrated by Fr. Ray Kemp from Georgetown University.

Montessori Graduation

The Woods Academy Arts CelebrationOn May 16th and 17th, The Woods Academy presented

its Ninth Annual Arts Celebration. This annual event is a culmination of the year’s work by all students throughout the entire school.

In addition to having our multi-purpose room transformed into an art gallery — showcasing hundreds of paintings, watercolors, pastels, ink drawings, prints, sculptures, and weavings — the exhibition spilled into the hallways of the school.

This year’s drama production was Annie, a musical based on the popular comic strip “Little Orphan Annie”. The audience was entertained by our 7th and 8th grade actors on stage.

When you celebrate children’s art, you celebrate them.

Attention Alumni!Have you moved or changed your mailing/ email address?

Please contact Jodie Shoemaker (alumni@woodsacademy.org) to update all contact information to ensure you receive invitations for your class gatherings and other pertinent alumni information. Please include the following:

• FirstandLastName• MaidenName(ifapplicable)• ClassYear• Address,City,State,Zip• HomeandMobile#• EmailAddress

AROUND THE WOODS AROUND THE WOODS

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Upcoming Events at The Woods Wednesday, September 4 Opening Mass

Friday, October 4 9th Annual Golf Outing

Friday, October 11 29th Annual Grandparents and Special Friends Day

Saturday, March 1 Annual Night Owl Auction

Woods Word of the DayT

From Montessori through grade 8, our students get involved in so many activities, we had to create a unique vocabulary just to describe them. Take a look at how some of our alumni have defined themselves.

Hey, Alumni and Students! What unique word describes you? How did you define yourself at The Woods? Send your word and definition along with a current photo to jshoemaker@woodsacademy.org. You could be added to our Woods Wall of Fame.

entreboundern: A first round NBA draft pick

who has focused his career on “Building Communities & Changing Lives” as the founder of the JYD Project.

teachoarn: A high school and college rower

with passion for educating Catholic school students.