Every year, like clockwork, a host of publications tap into a particular vein of national anxiety: getting your child into college. From September through November, flurries of articles appear decrying the increasing selectivity of college admissions. Hardworking, gifted, and accomplished high school seniors are, it would seem, unable to garner offers of acceptance, which tends to send parent anxiety skyward. In my experience, the tone of these articles is the same every fall, and yet, students somehow manage to navigate the process and find themselves with choices to consider come spring.
After almost 30 years in college admissions, I know some degree of stress and anxiety is inevitable. That said, I can offer ten suggestions to give families a bit more confidence regarding the college selection process:
Congratulations to boys soccer coach Brandon Salway for netting his 300th win in a match against Sacopee Valley High School today! Waynflete Athletic Director Ross Burdick had this to say:
Waynflete and the boys soccer program are extremely fortunate to have had Brandon Salway as our head coach for the past 31 years. I am so happy for Brandon to have reached 300 wins. To reach this milestone, coaches need to have a long tenure and be a contender every year. Brandon’s teams are always contenders, while playing in the highly competitive Western Maine Conference. Brandon would say the success comes from having great players who buy in. But it is coach Salway who creates the environment and tradition of success. Decades of alumni look back on their time playing Waynflete soccer fondly. I hope that Brandon will stay on the sidelines long enough to see 400 wins.
By Bob Mills, Debbie Rowe, Gretchen Schaefer (EC faculty)
The Reggio Emilia philosophy, which inspires our Early Childhood program, contends that essential skills are best learned when students are genuinely engaged in what they’re learning. Sounds simple enough. But what if your school encouraged three- and four-year-olds to literally decide what they will study?
Below are some of the ways a Reggio Emilia program will change your thinking about the traditional classroom, the art of teaching, and the role your child can play in their own learning.
Students in Middle School Seminar recently gained a better understanding of the form and functions of the brain stem (in Seminar, this is called the “cave brain” or “lizard brain”)—the parts of the brain that do the basic work of keeping us alive. These include automatic functions like breathing, moving , and blinking, as well as scanning for safety, subconscious behaviors, and automatic sorting/categorizing activities.
These automatic functions lead to a discussion of biases, which we all possess. Biases were useful during the early days of Homo Sapiens—the ability to quickly categorize everything allowed us to survive. In contemporary society, however, the automatic brain functions that result in biases can blossom into prejudice and discrimination. After learning how and why the brain sorts, students were introduced to tools they can use to interrupt or redirect the assumptions and impulses that can lead to discrimination against others based on race, sex, gender, class, religion, culture, and sexuality. Teacher Kate Ziminsky guided students through an activity where they categorized a variety of items (including keys, dice, game pieces, blocks, and toys), then explained why they made those decisions.
Next week’s class will focus on the attributes or preferences we all have that are invisible to others. Students will use their “thinking brains”—the cortex/prefrontal cortex—to get curious, then interview their classmates and ask the kinds of questions that help override stereotypes and assumptions.
The halls of middle schools are filled with students experiencing a period of intellectual, physical, and social-emotional change that is rivaled only during infancy. For years, schools have treated “middle school drama” as something to be contained and overcome in order for any learning to take place. But many schools have come to recognize that unless they explore ways to help students navigate the social and emotional aspects of this period, learning will inevitably take a back seat to emotions.
By Anne Hopkins (Lower School director) and Heather Tanguay (2-3 learning specialist)
Like all children, gifted students deserve a curriculum that meets their special needs.
Gifted students thrive in an educational environment that supports them at their intellectual level, regardless of their age. They benefit from faculty who are comfortable teaching in their most advanced subjects and who are not surprised if there are other areas where they may need support. They thrive in schools with a flexible curriculum that expands to follow the gifted child’s interests into deeper study of increasingly complex material. They also benefit from a school environment that provides emotional support and strategies for asynchronous academic and social/emotional development in all grades, from preschool to high school. Most of all, gifted students benefit from being celebrated for their whole selves, for their giftedness and ordinariness alike. At Waynflete, we think all children can benefit from and deserve a “gifted” education.
Students in 2-3 were recently introduced to the art of Alma Woodsey Thomas. Following an introduction to watercolor painting, students explored the abstract style of the artist. Ms. Thomas was born in 1891 and was an art teacher in Washington DC for 38 years. She began painting full-time when she was in her 60’s!
As a result of all that is happening in the US and around the world through the Black Lives Matter movement, escalating consequences of climate change, COVID-19, and the elections, a group of Waynflete Upper School students came together to start a new initiative on campus: The Perspective Project. The primary goal of the Project is to bring new perspectives to our campus, enabling community members to think in new ways and better understand their own beliefs and those of others. Intrigued, inspired, and concerned by current events in the United States, we felt it necessary to create this group in order to hold conversations with leaders of our community and of the country. We will be hosting these guest speakers through a series of evening “dinner conversations” over Zoom.
Middle school is the most important time in a child’s life for emotional and academic development—a pivotal few years when children gain a sense of identity and independence, develop their voices in the community of the classroom, and become ethical citizens who think deeply about diverse subjects. As chair of Waynflete’s English Department and a longtime middle school teacher, I have witnessed the growth of students during this critical time in their lives. Walk with me through the halls of Waynflete and learn how to recognize the signs of essential learning that should take place in a middle school English classroom:
Technology has provided educators with tools that redefine the ways in which students learn and interact with their world. Fourth- and fifth-graders, for example, explore maps, historical documents, and first-hand accounts of workers from the Industrial Revolution. They can also digitally create their own manufacturing towns and share them with classes around the world.
We’re looking forward to seeing both new and familiar faces back on campus! Be sure to check out this brief video that provides an overview of the new Swivl technology that will be in our hybrid classrooms this fall. The video features four faculty members and was recorded during our Summer Term classes.
These resilient and determined young people accomplished something very special together this semester. Be sure to check out the combined ensembles—all 30 players!—playing “Draganovo”, a difficult Bulgarin folk song.
June 12 was a special day for the Class of 2020. In the midst of a global pandemic with all the associated and necessary restrictions, we held a beautiful, inspiring, thought-provoking live graduation for our seniors. They were able to sit side-by-side for the first time in three months. It was a day that our seniors and their families will never ever forget. The speeches were powerful, relevant, and moving statements for the current moment. Over a three-hour period, the community was stitched back together after being remote for so long.
The parade that followed was the perfect culmination to the day. Our faculty, trustees, and friends who were not able to attend commencement due to social distancing restrictions, lined the streets around Waynflete’s campus. A parade of seniors in their cars were greeted with cheers and expressions of love.
Note that photos can be downloaded from SmugMug in their original high-resolution format at no cost. You can also share images directly to social media from SmugMug or purchase photo keepsakes, including prints, wall art, magnets, mugs, etc.
Videos
Commencement ceremony (entire event—1h 40m) View video
Note that the Commencement video can be downloaded from Vimeo if you would like to have your own digital copy. Simply click the “download” button below the video.
Video excerpts
Part I
Invocation (Lydia Maier ’90, Assistant Head) Video
Welcome and introduction (Geoffrey Wagg, Head of School) Video
Waynflete’s Class of 2020 is a group of accomplished young adults with an impressive list of colleges and universities that they will be attending!
Below is the list of where our 61 graduates will/may matriculate this fall. Obviously some students may choose to adjust their plans in response to COVID-19 and as they learn what the colleges decide for next year.
Bard College
Barnard College (2)
Bates College (2)
Bowdoin College (2)
Brandeis University
Brown University (2)
Carleton College
Carnegie Mellon University
Case Western Reserve University
Clark University (2)
Colby College (2)
Eckerd College
Franklin and Marshall College
Macalester College
University of Maine, Orono (2)
University of Massachusetts–Amherst
Middlebury College
University of New Hampshire–Main Campus
University of New Orleans
Occidental College
Pomona College
Princeton University
Reed College
Rhode Island School of Design
Skidmore College (3)
Smith College (2)
Southern Maine Community College (2)
University of Southern Maine (2)
The University of Tampa
The New School
Tufts University (2)
Tulane University
Union College
United States Coast Guard Academy
University of St. Andrews
University of Vermont (4)
Wellesley College
Wentworth Institute of Technology
Wesleyan University (2)
Wheaton College
The Class of 2020 is chock full of talent! Twenty-four of our graduating seniors found a kind of second home in the Franklin Theater. They are actors, dancers, choreographers, composers, costume crew members, instrumental musicians, singers, stage managers, and stage crew members. Each one of these students has made a significant impact on the Performing Arts programs at Waynflete. We feel a great loss as we missed our opportunity to see these seniors in action from rehearsal to the stage and backstage during March, April, and May. Along with their families and friends, we would have loved more opportunities to acknowledge these artists with thunderous applause at numerous culminating performances from March to May.
We hope you will take a moment to visit each Senior Spotlight to help us say “bravo and brava!” to our senior performing artists. Class of 2020, we congratulate you, we celebrate you and your accomplishments, and we thank you for giving so generously to Waynflete Performing Arts.
Each June, the sixth grade culminates the year by celebrating students’ learning through the preparation for and presentation of the Night at the Museum. This year, as with all of our school activities, our culminating event went online—a celebration of sixth-grade community, learning, student voice, and above all, resiliency in the face of Covid-19!
As we headed towards the final days of school, students were hard at work preparing presentations in numerous classes. Each student selected two particular presentations that they wanted to share with family, friends, teachers, and the broader community. Students presented twice throughout the morning and will also served as an audience member for other students’ presentations.
One of the rituals of spring in the Upper School that has been canceled by the virus is the annual awards assembly. Waynflete values all of our students equally and prizes each student’s growth and accomplishments. Another ritual of spring that is happening virtually in a couple of weeks is the senior dinner, in which the journey of each senior is recognized through a reading of a “Senior Minute.”
Waynflete’s online platform made it easy for L.A. television and audio book actor Kathe Mazur to take time out from recording in her home studio to speak with Waynflete theater students. Kathe talked about her own journey from a high school theater program to the present. She shared insights about constantly reinventing herself as an actor, staying true to herself, and keeping things fun.
Despite our season’s end, a curious group of about ten Waynflete students stayed after school hours. They asked great questions about auditioning, preparing, and how to stay on a TV show for nine years!
