Gunston Athletes Honored

November 10, 2018 by Leave a Comment
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On Thursday, November 1st, Gunston student-athletes from field hockey, sailing, soccer and rowing gathered to honor the accomplishments from the fall season. All three field sports made the playoffs and the girls’ varsity soccer team made the Northern Maryland Soccer League finals. Our waterfront teams earned accolades from the MDISA (sailing) and the King’s Head Regatta. These results capped a successful fall season for the Herons. Headmaster Lewis delivered high praise for the programs success and continued growth while Director of Athletics Jon Mellinger provided exciting news about new programs on the horizon as well as challenging the student-athletes in attendance to elevate their peers by taking leadership roles. The fall season ended on a high note which has set the bar for the winter and spring seasons.

Pictured ESIAC/NMSL Award recipients. L-R: Sam Umidi, Cole Evans, Will Urquhart, Luke Stehle, Megan Prochaska, Sydney Nittle, Lydia Davis, Becky DeFino, Claire Johnson, Annabelle Gillespie, Reagan Gessford, Cedar Foster. Missing Olivia Hershey and Natalie Cockey.

ESIAC All-Conference
Will Urquhart – Boys Soccer, Luke Stehle – Boys Soccer, Cole Evans – Boys Soccer, Megan Prochaska -Girls Soccer, Sydney Nittle – Girls Soccer, Annabelle Gillespie – Field Hockey, Becky DeFino – Field Hockey, Claire Johnson – Field Hockey, Lydia Davis – Field Hockey

ESIAC Honorable Mention
Sam Umidi – Boys Soccer, Natalie Cockey – Girls Soccer, Reagan Gessford – Field Hockey

NMSL All-Conference (Soccer)
Megan Prochaska – Girls Soccer, Sydney Nittle – Girls Soccer, Natalie Cockey – Girls Soccer, Cedar Foster – Honorable Mention, Olivia Hershey – Honorable Mention

TEAM AWARDS
Girls Soccer
MVP – Megan Prochaska, MIP – Ashley Escobar, Coach – Cedar Foster

Boys Soccer
MVP – Jude Smith, MIP – Henry Sheets, Coach – Max Brady

Boys JV Soccer
MVP – Leo Santoboni, MIP – Kenneth Bonuccelli, Coach – Ben Cunningham

Field Hockey
MVP – Annabelle Gillespie, Becky DeFino, MIP – Sheila Groz, Coach – Erin McDonald, Ellie Wilson

Crew
MIP – Lydia Periconi, Jack Pigman, Coach – Katie Easter, Max Scott, Josh Campbell, Isabella Santoboni

Sailing
MVP – Severin Schut, MIP – Phebe Wood, Coach – Marion Riddle

Filed Under: Gunston School, Homepage Notes, Portal Notes

Chef John Nocita at the Eastern Shore Food Lab Nov. 20

November 10, 2018 by Leave a Comment
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John Nocita, master chef and president of the Italian Culinary Institute, will visit Chestertown on Nov. 20 to lead two presentations at the new Eastern Shore Food Lab about how to make the most of every bit of your food by not wasting any of it.

Nocita, who is among Europe’s leading consultants for menu development and is a certification specialist for the European Community’s Product Authenticity Program, will demonstrate advanced and conventional cooking techniques to transform refuse into luxury. While necessity ignited the creativity in peasant communities, and what they created from all parts of their meals became the basis for most traditional cuisine, fully 40% of food in the United States goes to waste. Nocita’s presentation, “The Day After: How to Make the Most of Your Food Waste,” will teach a zero-waste approach as you plan the big meal.

These are free events but registration is required. One event has already sold out, but some space remains on Nov. 20 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Reserve your spot here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-day-after-how-to-make-the-most-of-your-food-waste-tickets-51975915362

Nocita is an award-winning chef, a member of the Italian Olive Oil Masters, and a sommelier. He founded the Italian Institute for Advanced Culinary and Pastry Arts to constantly update cooking techniques and menu development for chefs and pâtissier in the world’s increasingly competitive environment.In 2001, he was awarded for Outstanding Contributions to Promote Fine Dining from the Distinguished Restaurants of North America, whom Wine Spectator describes as “the authority on fine dining.”

The Eastern Shore Food Lab is a one-of-a-kind teaching, learning, and production space, led by Bill Schindler, associate professor of anthropology and a world expert on primitive technologies and ancient foodways. Drawing international chefs and food innovators to rethink our food systems by using ancestral food knowledge and technologies, the ESFL aims to create food for today’s palate that is more nutritious, meaningful, and sustainable. Schindler calls this “learning to eat like humans again.”

While working for global food system change, the ESFL will be grounded in the local, propelled by the notion that environmental and cultural sustainability should be at the forefront in our approach to food. By researching the resources unique to the region based on weather, climate, soil chemistry, and microbial biology, and fusing ancient and historic foodways with modern technologies and methods, faculty, students, community members, and collaborative researchers will re-envision our food system, from how we define food to how we grow it and prepare it.

About Washington College

Founded in 1782, Washington College is the tenth oldest college in the nation and the first chartered under the new Republic. It enrolls approximately 1,450 undergraduates from more than 35 states and a dozen nations. With an emphasis on hands-on, experiential learning in the arts and sciences, and more than 40 multidisciplinary areas of study, the College is home to nationally recognized academic centers in the environment, history, and writing. Learn more at washcoll.edu.

Filed Under: Homepage Notes, Portal Notes, Washington College

Thirty Gunston School Students Honored at National Honor Society Induction

November 9, 2018 by Leave a Comment
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On Friday, November 2, thirty students were inducted into the National Honor Society at The Gunston School. The National Honor Society (NHS) is a prestigious organization for students in upper grades, which requires them to hold a them to meet rigorous national and school standards in the areas of scholarship, leadership, service, and character.

The inductees, their parents, and current NHS members gathered in the Susie Konkel Atrium for breakfast, pictures and celebration before the induction ceremony that was held in the Field House. Welcoming remarks were made by Headmaster John Lewis, who spoke about the importance of pursuing the four key National Honor Society values: leadership, character, service, and scholarship.

Following Mr. Lewis’ remarks, the keynote address was delivered by alumnae Ms. Laura Woods ‘11. Ms. Wood graduated from Rhodes College in 2015 with a major in Environmental Studies and a minor in Economics. After college, Ms. Wood came back to the Eastern Shore in the hope of applying her degree where she grew up. She worked first on a 45 ft wooden yawl sailboat, XAPA, then in January of 2016 she started at the Sassafras River Association (SRA) as an administrative assistant. In January of 2017, Ms. Wood  started working at the Chester River Association as an Office Manager, while continuing with SRA as well. In January of this year the two organization merged, along with the Midshore Riverkeeper Conservancy, to form ShoreRivers. Ms. Wood now serves as a Watershed Coordinator and manages the Marylanders Grow Oysters program for the Chester and Corsica, organize shoreline cleanups with local groups, monitor agricultural restoration projects, and support our Riverkeeper programs.

Photo: Front row L to R: Frankie Fisher, Cedar Foster, Joey Zhuo, Cynthia Yang, Grace Holmes, Lynsey Hildebrand, Nina De Angelo, Katie Schiwy, Eily Ashley, Natalie Cockey. 2nd row L to R: Laura Wood, Katie Moreau, Anna Wolf, Paige Murphy, Areopl Bai, MacCallum Borghardt, Cotter Buckley, Erica Reece, Isabella Santoboni, Mason Rudolfs, 3rd row L to R: Will Gibson, Wyatt Howell, Will Newberg, Allen Wang, Lily Judd, Nick Kellogg, back row L to R: Max Gaspers Scott, Peter Sharpless, Owen White, Sam Umidi, missing Andrew Amygdalos

Ms Wood spoke fondly of her years at Gunston where she had ample opportunities to direct her own learning and explore a myriad of interesting and relevant topics with caring teachers committed to the success and growth of all students. Ms. Wood encouraged the NHS members and all of the students to embrace the learning opportunities available to them here. Ms. Wood also shared her deep appreciation for our local watershed and how much she valued Gunston’s past, current, and future commitment to environmental education and sustainability.  She stated her hope for the future of the Chesapeake Watershed “… to see healthy waterways that can support the ecosystems and industries that rely on them—and to see collaboration between policy, environmental organizations, agriculture, watermen, and landowners to get us there.” She closed with heartfelt congratulations to the newly inducted members of NHS.

To highlight the core values of NHS, four candles were lit by current members, as senior and NHS president Megan Prochaska spoke about the meaning of each value. NHS Secretary Marisa Pisapia read each inductees’ accomplishments as they were called up one-by-one, to receive a certificate, pin, and rose, and to sign their names into the NHS registry. To make them official members of the society, current members pinned the inductees with a pin bearing the NHS logo and the pledge was recited, led by Megan Prochaska. Mr. Michael Kaylor, the NHS advisor, concluded the ceremony with high praises to the students for their accomplishments.

We congratulate this year’s NHS Chapter Officers and Inductees.

Officers

President: Megan Prochaska, Vice President: Davy Song, Secretary: Marisa Pisapia, Treasurer: Anneliese Clair

Members

Nick Basham, Karen Chen, Shiloh Clark, Becky DeFino, Cora Duncan, Katie Easter, Cole Evans, Menel Harris, Leah Hellwege, Phin Howell, Claire Johnson, Camy Kelly, Nick Lee, Ellie Merton, Paige Murphy, James Pratt, Caroline Roser, Drew Seaman, Elena Sherman, Nellie Stup, Cynthia Yang, Vickey Zhou

Inductees

Andrew Amygdalos, Eli Ashley, Areopl Bai, Mac Borghardt, Cotter Buckley, Natalie Cockey, Nina De Angelo, Frankie Fisher, Cedar Foster, Will Gibson, Lynsey Hildebrand, Grace Holmes, Wyatt Howell, Lily Judd, Nick Kellogg, Katie Moreau, Paige Murphy, Will Newberg, Erica Reece, Mason Rudolfs, Isabella Santoboni, Katie Schiwy, Peter Sharpless, Max Gaspers Scott, Sam umidi, Allen Wang, Owen White, Anna Wolf, Cynthia Yang, Joey Zhuo

Filed Under: Gunston School, Homepage Notes, Portal Notes

Bryan Brothers Scholarship Boosts Workforce Training at Chesapeake College

November 8, 2018 by Leave a Comment
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Four Mid-Shore students are pursuing skilled trades training this year thanks to the William O. “Billy” Bryan Workforce Training  Scholarship at Chesapeake College.

“This gift helped us with our new initiative to expand scholarship opportunities for students in our noncredit workforce training programs,”said President Cliff Coppersmith. “The majority of our current scholarships are for students in credit programs that lead to associate’s degrees or transfer to a four-year college. There are few scholarship opportunities for students in workforce training such as our trades programs, since these programs do not qualify for federal financial aid.”

The Bryan Brothers Foundation, dedicated to “building dreams for youth” on the Eastern Shore, established the scholarship to help students meet their career goals.

“We wanted to help students who will go on to help the community,” Jason Bryan said. “My father was a student at Chesapeake. He passed in 2010 and we wanted to keep his legacy going with something that was important to him. Chesapeake was near and dear to his heart. Bryan and Sons need people who weld and have other trades skills. They don’t get financial aid, so this is a way to help these students and train workers who will help local businesses.”

Pictured L-R are: Director of Skilled Trades Tom Ellis, President Cliff Coppersmith, Nicholas Pritchett, Kim Mull, Kasey Mull, Jason Bryan, and Andrew Stenger.

Two of the 18-19 scholarship recipients are Nicholas Pritchett of Linkwood and Andrew Stenger of Rock Hall, both are in the welding program.

The student recipients say the scholarships are allowing them to improve their skills and pursue fulfilling careers.

“I’ve always been interested in welding, but I need the certification. These classes are helping me take a passion and turn it into a career,” said Stenger, who works full time at Long Cove Marina. Once certified in welding, Stenger hopes to continue his training in deep sea underwater welding.

Pritchett is also working in the field and says the scholarship is helping him meet career goals

“Thanks to this scholarship I’m able to learn something that I’ve wanted to do and get certification. I want to be a structural welder. I dropped out of high school and came here to get a GED. The staff encouraged me to go further,” he said. “Coming to Chesapeake is best thing I’ve ever done. I’ve gone from not wanting to be in school to loving school. I look forward to coming to class in the evenings.”

Chesapeake currently offers trades training in commercial truck driving, CAD, electrician, HVAC, and welding. More programs are in development.  For more information about Skilled Trades programs, please contact Tom Ellis at tellis@chesapeake.edu.

About Chesapeake College

Founded in 1965 as Maryland’s first regional community college, Chesapeake serves five Eastern Shore counties – Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot. With more than 130,000 alumnae, Chesapeake has 2,300 students and almost 10,000 people enrolled in continuing education programs.

Filed Under: Chesapeake College, Homepage Notes, Portal Notes

Jessica Asch to Speak at Washington College Nov. 16

November 7, 2018 by Leave a Comment
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Jessica Asch, a creative arts therapist and drama therapist, will visit Washington College on Nov. 16 to talk about “Healing Collective Trauma Through Creative Arts Therapy.”

The talk at Norman James Theatre starts at 4:30 and is free and open to the public. It is co-sponsored by the departments of Art &Art History, Education, Music, Sociology, and Theatre & Dance, the Gibson-Wagner Psychology Department Fund, and the offices of Intercultural Affairs and Prevention, Education, and Advocacy.

Asch focuses on the use of art and theater in her therapeutic work because she finds that trauma often “disconnects you from your body and your emotions and your heart.” Drama therapy is one approach that helps people reconnect with themselves and others in their communities.

Asch’s practice is based in New York City where she works with a variety of individuals and groups including Holocaust survivors, youth in the juvenile justice system, and veterans struggling with PTSD. Some of her recent work involves contributions to Camp Shine, a therapeutic summer camp for high school students who survived the 2018 school violence at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. More information about her work can be found at http://jessicaasch.com/about/

About Washington College

Founded in 1782, Washington College is the tenth oldest college in the nation and the first chartered under the new Republic. It enrolls approximately 1,450 undergraduates from more than 35 states and a dozen nations. With an emphasis on hands-on, experiential learning in the arts and sciences, and more than 40 multidisciplinary areas of study, the College is home to nationally recognized academic centers in the environment, history, and writing. Learn more at washcoll.edu.

Filed Under: Homepage Notes, Portal Notes, Washington College

Kent School Inspires Deeper Learning with Cross-Curricular Instruction

November 7, 2018 by Leave a Comment
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Fifth Grade Students stenciling animal images near local storm drains.

Teachers at Kent School have fully embraced the enhanced teaching and learning opportunities that come from cross-curricular instruction. Inspired by the professional learning done with Mind, Brain and Education Science in conjunction with the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning, Kent School teachers understand the power of introducing, teaching and assessing students across different subject areas. Two recent projects illustrate the depth of student understanding when students can study one topic in different classes.

Middle School History and Literature curricula have been linked for many years. Literature is selected based on the period of history covered in each grade. Eighth grade students explore Twentieth Century American History and in literature they read Twentieth Century American writers. Eighth Grade students recently completed John Steinbeck’s The Pearl. In addition to classroom discussion and assignments based on their reading the students were challenged to show deeper understanding of the novel through Art and Science.

Middle School Science teacher Hannah Richardson was able to interweave prior knowledge of oyster anatomy and life cycle to give the students a broader understanding of the story. In Art, teacher Pat Parkhurst incorporated The Pearl into two lessons. First, students honed their oil pastel drawing skills by drawing a detailed oyster shell. Secondly, Parkhurst asked her students to choose and recreate a meaningful scene from the novel in silhouette form. Eighth Grade Language Arts Teacher Liz Filler remarked, “The students really impressed me with their silhouettes. They were able to incorporate so much of the story’s symbolism into their artwork. It was truly gratifying to see this deeper understanding of the subject through these different classes.”

More recently, Fifth Grade students combined Science, Art and community service. In Science class, the Fifth Grade is currently studying fresh water movement within a Chesapeake Bay Studies lens. Connecting the lesson in Art class, the students created stencils of several different species that live in local waterways. With stencils in hand the students went downtown to paint the images around local storm drains. The students used Rainworks paint so the images will only appear when it rains. Pedestrians throughout Chestertown will have a visual understanding that everything going through our storm drains ends up in our waterways and effects the species living there. Hannah Richardson said, “This is a great stepping stone towards becoming a Chester Tester and understanding of how human activity affects water paths and water quality.”

Art Teacher Parkhurst said, “I want students to understand that they can create art that makes a difference or raises awareness. Making the species stencils and then painting the images on the ground gave the students a visual and physical understanding of the power art can have. This project, in conjunction with science and our commitment to Chesapeake Bay Studies at Kent School, was a perfect way to demonstrate that.”

Michelle Duke, Assistant Head of School for Academics said, “Teachers truly are brain-changers. I am inspired by our teachers’ creative use of cross curricular instruction for the benefit of our students. We are deconstructing silos and as a result our students are learning holistically. I believe our commitment to Mind, Brain and Education science is helping us educate children to be problem solvers who understand that the best solutions involve creativity and can be applied to real-world situations.”

Kent School is located at 6788 Wilkins Lane in historic Chestertown. Kent School serves children from Preschool through Grade Eight on its scenic campus on the bank of the Chester River. Kent School’s mission is to guide our students in realizing their potential for academic, artistic, athletic, and moral excellence. Our school’s family-oriented, supportive, student-centered environment fosters the growth of honorable, responsible citizens for our country and our diverse world. For more information call 410-778-4100 ext. 110 or visit www.kentschool.org.

Filed Under: Homepage Notes, Kent School, Portal Notes

Former Starr Center Fellow Wil Haygood at WC Nov. 15

November 2, 2018 by Leave a Comment
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Critically acclaimed writer and journalist Wil Haygood, whose new book Tigerland is both an inspiring sports story and an illuminating social history, will return to Washington College on November 15 for a reading, book signing, and discussion of his work.

The free, public event begins at 5:30 p.m. in Hynson Lounge, Hodson Hall, and is cosponsored by the Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, Rose O’Neill Literary House, Sophie Kerr Committee, Black Student Union, Cleopatra’s Sisters, Washington College Athletics, American Studies and Black Studies Programs, and the Departments of English and History.

Haygood is the 2017 recipient of Washington College’s Patrick Henry Writing Fellowship, and Tigerland, 1968-1969: A City Divided, a Nation Torn Apart, and a Magical Season of Healing, was written largely during his sojourn at the College’s Starr Center.

The book traces the difficult contours of America in the late 1960s, when race relations across the country were especially fraught. The assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy sparked public outcry. City neighborhoods burned. Black Olympic athletes protested from the medal stand. Citizens marched for civil and human rights. And, in racially segregated Columbus, Ohio, two athletic teams from a poor, black, high school set out to win baseball and basketball championships, against all odds. This is the powerful and inspirational story recounted in Tigerland.

While in Kent County, Haygood will also meet with Kent County High School students and instructors to hand out copies of Tigerland for the One School/One Book Program. As part of this initiative, the community has raised close to $10,000 to ensure that that every student in grades 8 through 12 receive a personal copy.

“The embrace of Tigerland by the campus, community, and public school system is a testament to this book’s beauty and relevance,” says Patrick Nugent, Deputy Director of the Starr Center. “Here is a civil rights narrative set in one community and one school, the story of how one locker room carried out the ideals of self-determination and self-definition in the face of de facto segregation.”

Since its debut in September, Kirkus Reviews has hailed it as “an engrossing tale of one shining moment in dark times.” Publishers Weekly praises the author: “Haygood is a passionate storyteller as he expertly captures this period of civil unrest in an American city.”The book has been recently named to the 2019 Longlist for the ALA’s Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence.

About the Patrick Henry Fellowship

Launched by the Starr Center in 2008, the Patrick Henry Fellowship aims to encourage reflection on the links between American history and contemporary culture, and to foster the literary art of historical writing. It is co-sponsored by the Rose O’Neill Literary House, Washington College’s center for literature and the literary arts. The Patrick Henry Writing Fellowship’s funding is permanently endowed by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, with further support provided by the Starr Foundation, the Hodson Trust, and other donors.

About the Starr Center

Washington College’s Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience explores the American experience in all its diversity and complexity, seeks creative approaches to illuminating the past, and inspires thoughtful conversation informed by history. Through educational programs, scholarship and public outreach, and a special focus on written history, the Starr Center seeks to bridge the divide between the academic world and the public at large.

About Washington College

Founded in 1782, Washington College is the tenth oldest college in the nation and the first chartered under the new Republic. It enrolls approximately 1,450 undergraduates from more than 35 states and a dozen nations. With an emphasis on hands-on, experiential learning in the arts and sciences, and more than 40 multidisciplinary areas of study, the College is home to nationally recognized academic centers in the environment, history, and writing. Learn more at washcoll.edu.

Filed Under: Homepage Notes, Portal Notes, Washington College

Poet Erika L. Sánchez at the Rose O’Neill Literary House Nov. 12

November 1, 2018 by Leave a Comment
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The Rose O’Neill Literary House is proud to host a reading by Erika L. Sánchez on Monday, November 12, as part of the fall Literary House Series. The reading will be held at 5:00 p.m. at the Lit House, and will be followed by a book sale and signing. It is free and open to the public.

Erika L. Sánchez is the daughter of Mexican immigrants, and is a poet, novelist, and essayist living in Chicago. She is the author of a collection of poems, Lessons on Expulsion (Graywolf, 2017), as well as the young adult novel, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2017), which was a New York Times Bestseller and a National Book Awards finalist.

Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in many prestigious literary journals, including Pleiades, Copper Nickel, Vinyl Poetry, Guernica, Boston Review, the Paris Review, Gulf Coast, and POETRY Magazine. Her poetry has also been featured on “Latino USA” on NPR and published in Please Excuse This Poem: 100 New Poems for the Next Generation (Viking, 2015).

Sánchez graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude from the University of Illinois at Chicago, then traveled to Madrid, Spain, on a Fulbright Scholarship. She received an MFA in creative writing from the University of New Mexico. Since graduate school, Sánchez has received a CantoMundo Fellowship, a Bread Loaf Scholarship, the 2013 “Discovery”/Boston Review Prize, and a 2015 Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship from The Poetry Foundation. She was recently named a 2017-2019 Princeton Arts Fellow.

For more information on these events or the Literary House, visit the website at www.washcoll.edu/centers/lithouse, or view the annual Literary Events Calendar brochure here: www.washcoll.edu/live/files/7406-2017-2018.

Filed Under: Homepage Notes, Portal Notes, Washington College

Veteran’s Day Open House at Wye River Upper School

October 31, 2018 by Leave a Comment
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Wye River Upper School (WRUS) will open their doors to the community in honor of Veteran’s Day, Monday November 12.  In celebration of their fifth year in residence in the historically renovated Maryland National Guard Armory at 316 S. Commerce St, Centreville, MD, the school welcomes veterans, families and friends to tour the building and see both preserved and new features of this 22,000 square foot original structure. Guests are welcome to stop in anytime between 1 and 4 p.m. Learn more about the original mission of the Armory and a history of training men who landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day.  See first hand the mission it now serves educating bright high school students with learning differences who are bound for college and career. Light refreshments provided. For more info call the school at 410-758-2922 or email kristenmajchrzak@wyeriverupperschool.org.

Filed Under: Homepage Notes, Portal Notes
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