Ed Notes

WC Hosts Book Talks with Roberto Lovato and Dr. Jennifer Rudolph in Celebration of Latinx Heritage Month

September 23, 2020 by Washington College News Service Leave a Comment

Washington College will be hosting two virtual book talks in honor of Latinx Heritage Month. Featured speakers include Roberto Lovato, whose new memoir Unforgetting is hailed as an urgent, no-holds-barred tale of gang life; and Dr. Jennifer Domino Rudolph, whose study Baseball as Mediated Latinidad: Race, Masculinity, Nationalism and Performance of Identity, examines the perception by media and fans of Latino baseball players and the consumption of these athletes as both social and political stand-ins for an entire culture.

Dr. Rudolph’s talk entitled #PonleAcento: Major League Baseball and Latinx Identity will be held on September 30 at 7:00 PM on Zoom. To register, use this link: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMqceCsrzstGNwG2WGclYQvBkQQKsfhQgvv

Her work considers the ambivalent and contradictory representations of Latino baseball players, seen both as a threat and as an example of the American Dream. Professor Rudolph sheds new light on the ambivalences of mainstream American media and fans towards Latinx culture.

Her book also analyzes the #PonleAcento (put an accent on it) campaign that was unveiled by Major League Baseball in response to LA Dodgers infielder Adrian Gonzalez’s push to properly display Latinx player’s names on their jerseys.

Dr. Rudolph will discuss her work and also participate in a Q&A.

Dr. Jennifer Domino Rudolph is an Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies at Connecticut College.

Goldstein Lecture Series: Roberto Lovato, Unforgetting

On Wednesday, October 7 at 7 PM, the Goldstein Program in Public Affairs is hosting a book talk with Roberto Lovato for his new book, Unforgetting: A Memoir of Family, Migration, Grans, and Revolution in the Americas.

In Unforgetting, Roberto interweaves his father’s complicated history and his own with first-hand reportage on gang life, state violence, and the heart of the immigration crisis in both El Salvador and the United States. In doing so he makes the political personal, revealing the cyclical ways violence operates in our homes and our societies, as well as the ways hope and tenderness can rise up out of the darkness if we are courageous enough to unforget.

According to Kirkus Reviews, “Journalist and activist Lovato delivers a memorable indictment of the civil war in Central America that drove a wave of migration to the U.S.—and spawned gang warfare in the new country…A provocative, revealing work of journalism that explains gang behavior but does not idealize it.” Learn more about Unforgetting here.

Lovato will both discuss the book and read passages from it, followed by a Q&A.

About Roberto Lovato

Lovato is an educator, journalist and writer based at The Writers Grotto. A recipient of a reporting grant from the Pulitzer Center, Lovato has reported on the drug war, violence, terrorism in Mexico, Venezuela, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Haiti, France and the United States.

Latinx Heritage Month runs from September 15 through October 15, and celebrates the multicultural and multiethnic nature of Latinx, Latino and Hispanic-identified communities.

Founded in 1782, Washington College is the tenth oldest college in the nation and the first chartered under the new Republic. 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.

Adkins Arboretum’s Mystery Monday: This Little One won’t Stay Little Forever

September 21, 2020 by Adkins Arboretum 5 Comments

Editor’s Note: Every Monday, Kathy Thornton, the land steward at the Adkins Arboretum, will be asking Spy readers to identify critters and plants from their 400-acre native garden and preserve. We ask readers to answer in our comment section and Kathy will provide everyone with the answer next Monday.

Today’s question: This little one won’t stay little forever. In fact, it can grow up to 5 feet long! What is it?

The Adkins Arboretum is centrally located on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, 25 miles east of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge at 12610 Eveland Road, near Ridgely, MD. For more information and their public programs please go here.

George Deserves A Hand!

September 19, 2020 by Spy Desk 4 Comments

George who? George Washington. We should applaud him here in Chestertown because he had the foresight to found our own Washington College – the first college chartered after American independence – in 1782. Little did he know how important it would become to our community and the future of education. It serves as a foundation of our colonial heritage and history. Its students, faculty and staff support local businesses and community projects. Let us not forget the educational opportunities that are afforded to all of us — in the classroom, via field trips and other venues. As an agricultural and river town, it enhances our understanding of our unique natural environments and enables us to appreciate and care for them.

Not only can we applaud George, but we can lend a helping hand to enable his legacy – Washington College – to continue to attain its goals as a small liberal arts educational institution. It is not only small businesses that have suffered under our current unique financial challenges, colleges suffer the same constraints. Did you know, however, that there is an organization that was established 50 years ago by the wife of a Washington College President, Helen Gibson, whose mission was to foster closer relationships between the community and the college as well as work to benefit the college? The members of the WOMEN’S LEAGUE OF WASHINGTON COLLEGE have continued to raise funds to enable enhancements to the college’s Miller Library, endow the Helen Gibson Practice Room in the Daniel Z. Gibson Center for the Arts as well as numerous other projects. Perhaps the program that continues to excite its members the most, however, was the creation of — and continued contributions to — an endowment for the annual Helen Gibson Scholarship granted to a student from the Eastern Shore. That assistance has been critical in enabling its recipients to participate in the excellent education that Washington College offers.

In these times of masks, lines on the floor to define “social distancing,” off-site learning and other disruptions to our normal lives, perhaps it is time to do something that we can all feel good about that has a long-term impact. As a member of our lovely community, join the Women’s League and help sustain the cherished Helen Gibson Scholarships. The happy recipient could be your neighbor!

For more information, follow the League on www.Facebook.com/WLofWC or visit our website www.womensleagueofwashingtoncollege.com. Contact the League at womensleagueofwashingtoncollege@gmail.com.

Golfing “fore” Gunston Fundraiser to be held October 9, 2020

September 11, 2020 by Gunston School Leave a Comment

The Gunston School is excited to announce the Golfing “fore” Gunston fundraiser will be held on Friday, October 9, 2020 at the Chester River Yacht & Country Club in Chestertown, MD with a 9 a.m. shotgun start. Individual and team prizes will be awarded for categories such as closest to the pin, straightest drive, and more. The day includes food, drinks, and fun give-aways.

This event is the first of many smaller-scale fundraising events planned for the upcoming year in lieu of Gunston’s signature event, the annual Bull & Oyster Roast which is typically held in October.

“We’ve been working all summer with a group of dedicated parent volunteers and board members to come up with fun and safe fundraising event alternatives that adhere to the new reality of the pandemic,” said Head of School John Lewis.

Head of School John Lewis practices his golf swing for the upcoming Golfing “Fore” Gunston Fundraiser.

“In a typical year, donations allow Gunston the ability to offer more than 60% of our students financial aid as well as a host of amazing opportunities such as traveling to student leadership conferences, robotics competitions, environmental trips, and more. It allows us to extend professional development opportunities to faculty and staff in order to bring the latest educational trends and best practices back to the classroom,” explains Director of Advancement Tricia Mooney. “However, this year in particular it is critical because during the growing economic uncertainty, the need for financial aid is going to greatly increase. We also need to maintain our supplies of PPE, create outdoor classroom spaces, continue faculty and staff upskilling, and make ongoing infrastructure upgrades.”

Golf registration is $150 per player or $600 per team. Sponsorships are also available and include the opportunities to have your logo or name on many of the give-away items such as a golf shoe bag, golf balls, towels, and even a mini hand sanitizer bottles (the “Anti-Pandemic Sponsor”).

Currently, Tournament Sponsors include Riggo Productions and the Hershey Family & InTown Companies. Additional sponsors include Dogwood Acres Pet Retreat (now with a new location in Kent Island!) Moorhouse Electrical Services, Callahan’s Gas & Appliance, The Country School, Attraction Magazine, Reliable Pest Control, and the Talbot Spy.

Visit https://www.gunston.org/giving/golfing-fore-gunston to register for the outing or a sponsorship (or both!), or call Tricia Mooney at 410-758-0620 ext. 1200 or email tmooney@gunston.org.

Founded in 1911, The Gunston School is an independent, nonprofit, nonsectarian, coeducational, college preparatory high school located in Centreville, Maryland. Visit gunston.org for more information.

WC-ALL Seeks Proposals for the Upcoming Spring Semester

September 7, 2020 by WC-ALL Leave a Comment

Planning for 2021 is already under discussion at WC-ALL. The WC-ALL Curriculum Committee, headed by Ed Minch, is now preparing the course lineup for the SPRING 2021 semester and seeking course proposals from the wider community as well as WC-ALL members. New ideas as well as old favorites are welcome!

WC-ALL instructors are volunteers who take pleasure in sharing their insights and knowledge with others. Some are retired teachers or professors, others have had interesting or unusual careers or life experiences outside the academic world. Lifelong hobbies and avocations also offer great backgrounds for developing a course that appeals to WC-ALL members committed to the joys of lifelong learning.

Spring semester 2021 will again run for two sessions, from January 31- March 12th, and from March 21- April 30^th. Classes generally meet once a week, for 60-75 minutes for four to six weeks. Courses are offered in both early and late blocks during the semester. Class structures range from lectures to moderated discussions to demonstrations, and even off-campus excursions. *NOTE: Although we hope Spring 2021 will progress with two full six-week sessions, please be aware that should circumstances change we stand ready to make adjustments to the course schedule as needed.

Please note that most in-person classes meet in William Smith Hall, Daly Hall and Goldstein Hall, with some off-campus locations for larger classes. All are accessible for the handicapped. Our virtual platform is Zoom, and instruction and training is available from the Curriculum Committee. WC-ALL has its own Zoom account, so you are not required to purchase any of that programming.

Course proposals should be submitted no later than Thursday, October 1, 2020. Turnaround time for catalog production is tight; we appreciate your prompt submissions. You may submit proposals in one of TWO ways: you can either scan and email your proposal to wc_all@washcoll.edu,OR you can print and mail hard copy proposals to Sue Calloway, PO Box 7885, Newark DE 19714 (due to campus closure). Do NOT use “WC-ALL” on the envelope please, just Sue’s name. We are not currently able to accept course proposal forms on our website. We hope to have this feature available again soon.

If you have any questions, please contact Ed by email at edminch3@gmail.com or at home at 410-778-0990. You can be in touch with Sue Calloway, Office Administrator, at wc_all@washcoll.edu, or during office hours (Monday/Tuesday/Thursday 9 -12) at 410-778-7221.

Alisha Knight Is Washington College’s 2020 Distinguished Teaching Award Winner

September 4, 2020 by Washington College News Service Leave a Comment

Alisha Knight, an associate professor of English and American Studies at Washington College who draws her inspiration from social historian Earl Lewis’s assertion, “Intellectual work is the foundation of social change,” was chosen to receive the Alumni Association’s 2020 Distinguished Teaching Award.

Provost and Dean of the College Patrice DiQuinzio made the announcement during the First-Year Convocation, held virtually on Aug. 21. Professor Knight will offer the keynote remarks during Washington’s Birthday Convocation on Feb. 25, 2021.

Knight, who specializes in African American literature and print culture at the turn of the twentieth century, says she aspires to empower students to become change agents. To that end, she developed a course, “Black Men & Women: Images of Race and Gender in American Literature and Culture,” to help students read racialized images much like literary texts. Her students learned to do this by identifying and analyzing contemporary versions of historical racial stereotypes in popular culture. Their work is represented in a digital exhibition available here.

Her own research focuses on the African American book publishing trade at the turn of the twentieth century. Specifically, she is researching the Colored Co-operative Publishing Company, a black-owned publisher based in Boston in the early 1900s. Her work examines the peculiar nature of disseminating literature to African Americans at a time when many publishers either took this reading audience for granted or simply assumed it did not exist. “Putting them on the Map” is a digital humanities component of her larger project.

Her service to Washington College includes serving as the founding program director for the Black Studies minor, chairing the Service & Scholarship Committee, advising Cleopatra’s Sisters, and serving on the Tenure & Promotion Committee, the Honor Board, Phi Beta Kappa’s Members in Course committee, as Faculty Secretary, and as Faculty Moderator.

Wye River Upper School Opens 2020-2021 School Year

September 3, 2020 by Wye River Upper School Leave a Comment

Students made their way back onto the Wye River campus for student orientation Monday, Aug. 31 ready to take on the school year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wye River Upper School Interim Head of School Dave Mullen greeted small cohorts of students with a temperature check and a hearty “welcome back” to all students entering the building.

WRUS Interim Head of School Dave Mullen greets new students with a temperature check and a warm welcome to school on Monday, August 31st.

During student orientation new and returning students had the opportunity to catch up after a six-month absence, though with masks and social distancing, it was a unique approach to the school year.

Breaking the ice to the new school year included socially distant kickball, answering trivia questions, playing WRUS Bingo, and talking to teachers about the upcoming school year. Students have the option of attending in-person with cohorts on a rotating basis or to be online full-time. All students will do some distance learning this year, so that the school is prepared if it becomes unsafe to attend in person.

“As we track the cases and positivity rates in the counties from which we draw, we’ll decide whether to expand to having in-person instruction up to three days a week or cut back to all remote,” said Mullen.

While class is in session, desks are spaced six feet apart and students and teachers are required to wear masks. HVAC filters have been upgraded, each classroom has a UV and HEPA air filter, and a deep cleaning is done each night.

Staff members and students will be sanitizing between classes, and hallways and stairways have been designated as one-way to minimize contact.

While soccer is on hiatus for the fall, running, yoga and fitness will still be options for the Wye River sports program, both in-person and online.

“Teachers have engaged in a great deal of professional development both over the summer and during our in-service days,” said Mullen. “We’ve upgraded our internet connectivity, and put together Makerspace and art kits for students when they are working remotely.”

WRUS senior Coale Lenox expressed excitement about the new school year.

“I know it will be easier in some ways because we are allowed to stay in the comfort of our home, and email teachers if we have any questions,” Lenox said. “I am really looking forward to seeing what it is going to be like to have my full year online; and those challenges ahead and how I am going to overcome them.”

WRUS students participate in trivia fun during new student orientation.

WRUS freshman Bridon Lucas is also looking forward to the hybrid school year, but is hoping to go back to school full-time. He hopes to make new friends and to participate in school activities to get the full WRUS experience.

“I am just waiting for things to play out,” Lucas said. “I am also making sure that I can do something to help people because this stuff is not just affecting the school, it is affecting all of us.”

Lucas added this hybrid model is “amazing, and how people are working through it is a step forward in Corona in my perspective. I’m looking forward to being able to see new people and hopefully be able to make new friends.”

Gunston Embarkation Welcomes Largest Incoming Class in School History

September 3, 2020 by Gunston School Leave a Comment

Every year, the Gunston School kicks off the fall semester with a special ceremony called Embarkation, where new students, faculty, and staff arrive by boat to be formally welcomed by the entire Gunston community and sign the school’s Honor Code. While this year’s celebration looked a little different than previous years—with a limited audience, cohorts, masks, and social distancing—it was nonetheless exciting to welcome the largest incoming class to Gunston since it first opened in 1911.

Sophia Kent, Abigail Houseknecht, Jaxon Booth, and Shawn Barry preparing to board a boat at the Centreville Wharf for Gunston’s Embarkation ceremony.

On Monday, August 31, a total of 70 new community members, which included 57 of the 60 incoming 9th graders, five 10th graders, one 11th grader, and seven staff members were divided into cohorts and arrived at the Centreville Wharf about a half hour apart. After a health screening, they boarded a flotilla of boats and, in four separate “waves,” cruised down the Corsica River to meet Head of School John Lewis with a “foot tap” greeting in lieu of a handshake. From there, they were invited to sign the “Responsibilities of the Community” by Assistant Head of School Christie Grabis before making the trek up the hill to Gunston’s campus. Lining a wooden fence in six foot intervals were a limited number of student leaders and faculty members who waved and welcomed them warmly.

Parents and family members were called down to the waterfront a few at a time to watch their student formally join the Gunston community. Typically, this event is held on the first day of school and is followed by convocation with the entire student body in attendance.

“A considerable amount of planning went into making sure this day could still happen,” said Lewis. “We are so fortunate many parents and friends of the school stepped up to offer more boats this year, and the weather was just fantastic.”

The week prior, on Wednesday, August 26, Gunston hosted an in-person orientation for 9th grade students, held outdoors. Students and faculty brought stadium chairs and sat six feet apart, participating in various activities and ice-breaker games. “This interaction and team building before the school year begins is so important. The class of 2024 hails from more than 22 different schools in five counties across two states,” explains David Henry, Director of Admission & Financial Aid.

Ava Runz, Joanna Riley, Macie Brock, and Spencer Bock (boat driver) arrive at the Gunston dock and are greeted by Mr. Lewis and Mr. Hoisington.

On Tuesday, September 1, the school year officially begins with a phased reopening in which all 9th grade students begin in-person instruction, while 10th, 11th, and 12th graders begin with distance learning, with the goal of having further class groups re-enter the campus in phases starting in late September.

“By starting with 25% of the student body on campus, as well as smaller numbers of faculty, the school has the opportunity to integrate a complex set of new health, screening, and safety policies with lower campus density,” explained Head of School, John Lewis. “New 9th grade students possess the greatest need for direct connection with their teachers and classmates, and they are easier to cohort, given their schedules.”

This approach also allows Gunston to maximize the use of indoor and outdoor teaching space, as well as the opportunity to resolve any glitches related to concurrent teaching (where classes have students both inside the classroom and students connected online), lowers the initial student density on school transportation, and minimizes a campus outbreak, should it occur.

“Most importantly, our Phased Reopening gives us opportunities to effectively adjust policies and procedures as they are implemented. Indeed, it is our belief that a cautious, phased reopening raises the chances of Gunston remaining open over the longer term,” said Lewis.

Additionally, Gunston is moving forward with an intramural sports program and is only offering Tier 1 sports including golf and cross county. “Together with a group of student leaders, we are designing an intramural sports program that will allow us the best opportunity to create a meaningful physical health and wellness experience this fall,” said Director of Athletics Jon Mellinger. “While we have not yet finalized the rotation, sport choices will likely include waterfront activities such as sailing and paddling, various court sports like pickleball and badminton, and some field sports such as kickball and other lawn games.”

New students and staff walked up the hill toward the Gunston Campus and were greeted by faculty and student leaders.

Melinger continued “We’re very excited to be offering two varsity sports, golf and cross country. Gunston had two individual champions in both of those sports last fall. While we graduated our cross country winner, we have some up and coming runners and our golf program looks to have another strong finish.”

The Gunston School is an independent, nonprofit, nonsectarian, coeducational, college preparatory high school located in Centreville, Maryland. Learn more about our upcoming in-person (October 11 & November 22) and virtual (October 28 & November 18) Open Houses at gunston.org.

Support Our Schools Partners with KCPS and others to Launch Learning Hubs

August 27, 2020 by Kent County Public Schools 1 Comment

Support Our Schools is partnering with Kent County Public Schools and community churches and other organizations to provide safe, local, physically distanced spaces for families that need support during online schooling. As our schools transition slowly back to in person learning students will begin their school year online. Recognizing the strain this might put on working families, or families that cannot be reached by any form of internet connection, Support Our Schools has reached out to community organizations to help provide safe spaces for children during the transition. The locations are being called “Learning Hubs.”

Online learning will take place daily Monday through Thursday and during that time, Learning Hubs will provide space and supervision for children that need it in their local communities. The hubs will each host no more than ten children to ensure proper social distancing. Host locations include churches, nonprofits, and businesses with a large enough space to accommodate them. All of the participating organizations cited an interest in supporting the families of Kent County to navigate this difficult new phase of returning to school.

Children will be provided with Chromebooks and all necessary supplies needed to fully participate in their school work. Teachers will be providing lessons and learning live via web-based applications in real time. KCPS will use their buses to deliver meals to the hubs to insure that all students, including those on free and reduced lunch will receive their meals.

In order to help the organizations with additional expenses due to technology, cleaning, and utility use, SOS will kick off our annual Random Acts of Kindness fund through Kent Forward to accept donations to offset those costs. Some of the organizations are looking for the support of additional volunteers as well. Donations are tax deductible. Donation instructions and volunteer and family sign up forms can be found at http://kcpssos.com/hubs/.

Kent County Public School families in need of this support are invited to request a placement with one of the Learning Hubs by contacting their school principal, or by filling out an interest form that will be forwarded to school administrators. Families will work directly with an organization in their community for the duration of online learning. Elementary and Middle School students are expected to transition back to school in small groups throughout the first marking period, which ends November 10th.

The Support Our Schools (SOS) Initiative is a grassroots advocacy effort devoted to increasing awareness of and support for the needs, challenges, and untapped potential of our public school system – both for the sake of the current student population and for its opportunity to serve as a catalyst for economic development.

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WC Announces Michael Harvey as Interim Provost and Dean of the College

August 25, 2020 by Washington College News Service 1 Comment

Michael Harvey

Michael Harvey, the John S Toll Associate Professor of Business Management, has been announced as the Interim Provost and Dean of Washington College. Harvey succeeds Patrice DiQuinzio and is expected to serve a three-year term in this important role.

As the Interim Provost and Dean of the College, he will be working in close partnership with incoming Interim President Wayne Powell in setting the overall academic priorities for Washington College.

“I am well acquainted with the high praise that Michael’s teaching earns from students, alumni, and colleagues,” said President Kurt Landgraf. “He has routinely demonstrated in key service positions — such as department chair and Faculty Council chair — that he is deeply committed to the support of faculty and students required for great teaching and learning in the liberal arts and the need for strategic growth in our academic programs. “

Harvey holds a bachelor’s degree in English from University of Maryland, master’s and doctoral degrees in government from Cornell University, and a master’s degree in international business from University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. He joined the Washington College faculty in the Department of Business Management in 1998. In recent years he has spearheaded the department’s Summer Seminar in International Business.

An accomplished scholar, Harvey’s work centers on leadership and organizational studies. In addition to authoring The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing, a must-read for his students, he is co-editor with Prof. Ronald Riggio of Claremont College of Leadership Studies: The Dialogue of Disciplines (Elgar, 2011), which the International Leadership Association recognized as one of the year’s best books in leadership studies.

In assuming this critical post, he will be building upon the excellent leadership and strong foundation that Patrice DiQuinzio has provided as Provost and Dean since 2017.

“I have worked with Michael Harvey for more than 12 years and I’ve always been impressed by his great ideas, his energy, and his thoughtfulness,” DiQuinzio says. “Michael will make an excellent provost, and I will do everything I can to help him in taking up this office and to smooth his transition as much as possible.”

Harvey is very active within the local community, having served as a member of the Kent County Public Schools Board of Education from 2009 to 2014 and most recently, advocating for the Black Lives Matter street murals that are to be installed in the heart of Chestertown.

On the lighter side, he has a self-professed love of chess and a fascination with the history of the game – so much so that he even published a chess primer. He enjoys sharing this passion with others by serving as a volunteer chess coach in the local schools, churches and the library.

Harvey and his wife, Sabine, have two children.

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