Each season The Forecaster highlights athletes at each local high school that had an exemplary season. Check out the Waynflete athletes that made the cut in the article here!
Grace Stone Addresses Student Activism for Maine Public
Grace Stone ’19 wrote a great piece for Maine Public this week, check out her words on student activism and its positive contributions to student life.
Baccalaureate and Commencement 2017
Now that the dust has settled, we can look back on an amazing final week of school. Underclassmen finished in a flurry last Wednesday, capped off with a wonderful closing assembly and end of year slideshow by Shuhao Liu ’18. Seniors still had some business to attend to…Thursday featured a moving Baccalaureate Ceremony and luncheon, and Friday afternoon was of course the big event, Commencement. It was an incredible ceremony, and the entire school sends a huge CONGRATS! to the Class of 2017. Happy Summer!
All photos of the events can be viewed and purchased here. And don’t forget to check out the Senior Slideshow, featuring baby pictures and much more…!
End of Year Slideshow!
A huge thanks to Shuhao Liu ’18 for an amazing end of year slideshow. Check it out below!
Leah Israel ’17 Senior Project Recital
Senior Leah Israel gave an amazing performance at Woodford’s Church for part of her Senior Project. Check out the video below, and then read about Leah’s 9th Grade OE Trip, “Opera Comes to the North Woods of Maine.” She has been singing since day one!
Senior Slideshow
Check out the slideshow from the Senior Dinner below! Guess who…each senior has a baby, toddler, and current photo (though some are missing the toddler shot!).
Senior v. Faculty Softball Game — The Wild Recap
Portland, ME – On a day that any self-respecting Chamber of Commerce member would have spent would have been out snapping pictures to advertise the beauty that is the Fore River Fields in spring, Haffenreffer Field played home yesterday to a quasi-annual Waynflete tradition called the “Seniors vs. Faculty Softball Game.” Furthering another tradition, the score will be formally recorded as the Faculty winning by “a lot to a little.” For aficionados of the game, there were a number of confusing aspects to this most recent tilt, not least of which is that the core of the faculty team has aged to the extent that referring to the collective group as something other than “Seniors” borders on fake news. Although some of you missed the fun and the beauty, below is a report of the events to remind those of us of what (might have) happened, and the rest of you may well be left wishing you had been there as well. There is always next year.
Faculty team tri-captains Mimi Olins, David Vaughan, and Wendy Curtis added to the confusion of the day when they chose to deploy their team in unusual positions. Math Teacher and confirmed char-broiler, Tom Campbell, and star first baseman/power-hitter, Bobby Reinhard were assigned to burn the meat . . . I mean tend the grill . . . while star chef and professional baker Barak Olins was assigned “Assistant Chef” duties. Julia May, who received rave reviews for her athletic and energetic warm-ups performance at Shortstop was moved to the outfield, joining star centerfielder Geoff Wagg. David Neilan, formerly a collegiate baseball infielder, became a pitcher, and star second-base person Curtis relegated herself to puppy baby-sitter after the first inning. At least her new puppy, “Milo,” seemed happy with this turn of events. Meanwhile, the class of 2017 contributed to the unusual feel of the game by deploying a defense that included no left fielder, one left-center fielder and seven right-fielders, at least one of whom eschewed the use of a glove, because she had a char-broiled hotdog in her hand. About eight more Seniors were arrayed in foul territory, on the hill behind the Visitors dugout, apparently confused by the difference between “observation” and “participation. “
Despite all this confusion, a game-of-sorts did ensue. In the top of the first inning, pitcher nee infielder Neilan tossed only three pitches, getting out of the inning due to a brilliant force-then-tag double play turned at second base by former first base person Lowell Libby. With the play, the Faculty team quickly instituted the expectation that “all ties (and relatively close calls) go to the old folks.” Sadly, despite student appeals, the replay machine was not in working order, with Ross Burdick out of state and Page Lennig having already completed a month’s worth of technological trouble shooting on Friday during Senior Project presentations. In the bottom of the first, the Faculty further established that while the Seniors have probably learned readin’ and writin’, less education about things such as catching batted balls has occurred in their time at the ‘Flete. Having jumped to a 2-0 lead, the Faculty began the process of making “just enough” defensive plays to hold the lead. Young Shortstop Steve Withers (NB: Steve doesn’t deserve to be lumped into all these “old” jokes) missed a “sinking” line drive–which he claimed didn’t sink–but redeemed himself completely with several running and/or leaping grabs. Even he had to tip his cap, however, to the spectacular play turned in by short-fielder Peter Hamblin, who moved at least three whole steps to his left in an attempt to field a very high pop-up, before it bounced of the top of his glove. He then tumbled to the ground, and yet still managed to keep his body under the ball, completing the catch and putout. Fox Sports is reporting that Hamblin has filed a letter of concern with the field maintenance team, claiming that they had allowed a small oil slick to develop near the spot of the catch. “I didn’t realize how slippery that area of the field was until I fell there again the next inning, ” Doc noted. Just prior to the second play to which Hamblin was alluding, he had legged out a sure triple into a close play at first. Theater technician Chris Fitze helped shine a spotlight on the next play by dribbling a slow roller to shortstop. ’17’s third-base person, PD Silk, cut off the ball, and recognizing that the play had developed very slowly, fired to first to snuff out Fitze. Several Seniors thereupon realized that Hamblin was still attempting to cover the lengthy 60 feet towards second, and they called for the ball to be thrown there. It was at this very millisecond that Hamblin’s tender wheels hit the alleged oil slick and he began a ponderous tumble, not unlike a large tree felled in the Maine woods, towards second base. Landing on his knees, he quickly realized that he was still six feet from a safe arrival. After two scrambling crawls towards the bag, he came fully to rest in the same exact spot on the field he had previously creased with his catch, arm out-stretched, and still three feet from his goal. The tag was applied, and one of the first ever 5-3-6 double plays was recorded.
Covering all the rest of the important news: the ambulance that Heather Isherwood and Anne Hagstrom had insisted be hidden behind the field house was never called. Left field line coverer Tom Campbell, who never touched the ball on defense, went to the hospital immediately after the game, although only to visit his college roommate, who had survived open-heart surgery on Thursday. Neilan, who was sporting an Orthopedics Associates t-shirt, saying “hey, if they have to cut it off my broken body, they might be kinder if I have clearly been advertising for them,” was on his way home mumbling something about an Epsom salts bath. Catcher/outfielder Lydia Maier was headed out for a “float,” which she insisted would cure whatever ailed her, and Julia May limped into the sunset. Asked to sum up the experience, Libby opined, “I think it all went remarkably well.”
Senior Projects Recap
It has been a very busy month for the seniors, all culminating on Friday, June 2 with their Senior Project Presentations. The schedule is embedded below: click on someone’s name to link over to whatever content they featured in their presentation. And check out the gallery of photos too! (More links will be added as Seniors provide content!)
Spring Sports Recap – Tennis Champions Twice Over!
Tennis Update #2:
A huge congratulations to BOTH the Boy’s and Girl’s Varsity Tennis teams on capturing the Class C State Championship this past Saturday. Both teams defeated George Stevens Academy 5-0. This is the Boy’s 10th straight championship (matching Falmouth Girl’s for a state record), and a special win for the Seniors on the Girl’s team—they were also champions as freshmen! It’s their 5th title in the past 7 years. Congrats on amazing seasons!
Tennis Update! (older updates below)
Congrats to BOTH the Boy’s and Girl’s Tennis teams for winning the Class C South Championship at Bates on Thursday! Both teams will head to Colby on Saturday for the Class C State Championships. The Girl’s beat defending champs St. Dominic Academy 4-1, and the Boy’s beat Boothbay 5-0.
This is the 10th straight regional championship for the Boy’s team, and they are hoping to add a 10th straight State Championship to their long list of accomplishments! This year, the Boy’s team was also awarded the 2017 MPA Sportsmanship Award for Class C South.
Good luck to both teams on Saturday! They will each face George Stevens Academy at 1pm on Saturday 6/10 at 1:00pm. Go Flyers!
Playoff Updates!
Boy’s and Girl’s Tennis head to Class C South finals Thursday, June 8 at Bates. If they win, both teams will head to Colby on Saturday, June 10 for the Class C Finals.
The girls are led by tri-captains Lexi Epstein ’17, Kiera Macwhinnie ’17, and Randall Seder ’17. All three of these seniors have had stellar seasons, especially Epstein dominating in the #1 singles slot, and Macwhinnie bouncing back from an injury to play singles for the first time, sliding comfortably into the #2 slot.
The boys are led by captain Brandon Ameglio ’17 and senior John van Dyke. Ameglio has been a force as the #1 singles player, even making the semifinals of the State Singles Tournament (the first time an unranked player has done this since 2013). Boy’s Tennis is gunning for their 10th straight championship!
Girl’s Varsity Lacrosse lost a hard-fought game against Cape Elizabeth on Wednesday, June 7th. It was an amazing season for them, as veteran coach Cathie Connors took the young team to the playoffs, a feat she has accomplished almost every single season since she began coaching! Check out the full story of the game here.
Original Post:
It’s been an incredibly exciting season for Girl’s Varsity Lacrosse! Check out the latest story on their success, a stunning win over Falmouth: “Waynflete Girls Upset Falmouth on Senior Day, Punch Playoff Ticket.” Stay tuned for more updates as they head into an exciting postseason!
Waynflete senior Isabel Canning shoots through the Falmouth defense on senior goalie Mary Budri during the teams’ contest Tuesday afternoon. The Flyers raced to a 6-1 halftime lead before holding on for dear life for a critical 8-7 victory to lock up a playoff berth.
Joe Carpine / 365digitalphotography.com photos.
Elisbeth Lualdi Explores Authenticity
During a special assembly last Thursday, Elisabeth Lualdi shared her senior project with the Upper School. Her project explores authenticity and honesty. Elisabeth gave a wonderful, open, and honest talk about her own sense and definition of authenticity, her experiences with mental health, and her personal growth through discovering the benefits of sharing with others. You can view the video below.
Advising Day!
Lydia Maier’s homeroom enjoyed its annual tradition of picking a fabric and sewing a personalized pillow to keep at school then take with them after graduating.
Mihaela Cebotari Presents Her Home Country—Moldova
Mihaela Cebotari ’18 gave a wonderfully engaging talk about her home country of Moldova this week in assembly. She is the third ASSIST student Waynflete has learned to love; ASSIST’s mission is “to create life-changing opportunities for outstanding international scholars to learn from and contribute to the finest American independent secondary schools.” She has loved her time at Waynflete and feels lucky to have landed in such a “friendly and amazing” school. She says she will especially remember Spirit Week, homeroom lunches, and the chance to be on three sports teams. The Fratoni’s warmly welcomed her into their home for the year and she has become one of the family. Her presentation to the student body ended with a pop song by her favorite childhood Moldovan band that made the “world’s most annoyingly catchy songs” top ten chart.
AllState Music Festival
Morgan Peppe and Sara Wasdahl at the dress rehearsal for the AllState Music Festival Orchestra performance on Saturday, May 20th at University of Maine, Orono.
Also performing at AllState: Eva Abbott (Treble Chorus), Justin Gross (Mixed Chorus), and Genevieve Welch (Mixed Chorus).
Another Big Year for Waynflete at Maine Model UN!
Led by history teacher Model UN coach Ben Mini, Waynflete sent another outstanding team to the Maine Model United Nations Conference (MeMUNC). Following is an account of the conference from the perspective of Althea Sellers ’17. This year Althea competed at the college level with the USM team. As part of her senior project, she worked with her USM teammates, serving as a MeMUNC organizer and committee chair. At the bottom of her report on MeMUNC ’17 you will find an impressive list of Waynflete award recipients.
After going to MeMUNC as a delegate for three years and then competing with USM this fall, it felt like it was time for a new vantage point on MeMUNC XIX this spring. Thus, I took a class at USM called Conference Planners and spent about three hours a week learning parliamentary procedure from a chair standpoint and writing background guides for my senior project though Waynflete.
Chairing is a very different experience from being a delegate and I feel so lucky I got a chance to try it. It’s so interesting to watch a room full of high schoolers work out the kinks of Parliamentary Procedure and form connections diplomatically. As a chair, we watch for the delegate who sponsors a paper alone and see them as someone who lacks the compromise Model UN requires, and we watch for the delegate who doesn’t talk much but draws people around them during un-mods and quietly brings together the room.
We also were so touched by kids who wanted to get to know us, asking us questions about Model UN and college, and were friendly and helpful when the projector wasn’t working or when we had trouble reading their handwriting. I felt genuinely proud of the kids in our committee – even though I was the same age as some of them – because watching them come together and work through the challenges put before them was so touching. It was hard to give awards – which is not something I’d realized before, because we could see who wanted them the most and who Model UN came easily to as opposed to the ones working very, very hard. I found myself reflecting on my own award last spring and trying to figure out what earned me that because the answer isn’t as clear now that I’ve been on the other side.
In addition, it was so great to see how well Waynflete was doing. In order to avoid a conflict of interest, I chaired a committee that had no delegates from Waynflete. However, even with no direct interaction, I heard words of praise nearly constantly about the Waynflete delegation. My USM friends were asking me if I knew certain Waynflete students, followed up with “because they’re so good,” and members of leadership let me know before the ceremony that Waynflete had won awards in nearly every committee.
Waynflete’s delegation was polite and enthusiastic, and I heard words of praise from everyone. I worked with the team leading up to the conference and felt so excited every time I had an email exchange with someone about the minutia of parliamentary procedure, or went over in person how to garner support for a resolution. As usual, the Waynflete team was a force with which to be reckoned.
I love MeMUNC so much and it’s been a formative part of my high school years, one that I intend to take into the future. I’ve already started to organize chairing again next spring, and I really cannot stress enough my desire that anyone wanting to try Model UN go to MeMUNC next year, because they will not regret it for a second.
Thank you Waynflete for helping me realize how fantastic Model UN really is! I’ll miss our team a ton.
An article Althea wrote earlier on her year long USM Model UN experience is linked here.
2017 Waynflete MMUNC Award Recipients
Best Delegation (Venezuela): Grace Bramley-Simmons, Luna Soley, Lily Fanburg
Diplomacy: Isabel Canning
Distinguished Delegate: Owen Hoffsten, Grace Bramley-Simmons, Henry Wasserman, Adelaide Lyall
Honorable Mention: Ingrid Ansel-Mullen, Lily Fanburg, Alex Saade, Bob Wilson, Luna Soley, and Anja Schwieterman
Ethical Leadership Plants a Tree!
Waynflete parent Heather McCargo (Lilu McNiff ’20 and Liam McNiff ’16)) helped Ethical Leadership plant this American Elm tree, a native species to our area. The tree will support over 200 species of moths and butterflies, attract birds, and of course, help keep the Earth cool!
Public Art at Waynflete: A Gift to Giver & Receiver
Click through the gallery above!
As a ten-year-old whippersnapper in 70’s London, I was given three gifts by my then master 5th-grade teacher, Mr. Henri LeConte. The first was a gift that inspired my life-long love of art and art history; the second was an appreciation of the often-unanticipated benefits of committing time, when possible, to focused, purposeful craftsmanship; the third was to honor the value of my own ideals and aspirations. I still can see in my mind’s eye all 4’6’’ of me balancing on a chair as I reached up to finish off the detailing on the headdress of the 12th century Persian manuscript artist’s version of Eve standing beside Adam in an exquisite Garden of Eden scene. I loved the delicate flowers, the two jewel-like birds nestled in the gossamer branches, and the light and joy that pervaded the scene. I wanted that light to brighten our 40-desk-filled grey room, and so I traced the image, taken from the folio the Manafi’ al-Hayawan (On the Usefulness of Animals) of Ibn Bakhtishu, onto a length of heavy newsprint – as tall as I was – and affixed it to the wall of our classroom. Having taught us to reach into the vast world of art, far beyond the requisite grammar, literature, maths, geography, science, French, and history, Mr. LeConte wanted us to give visual expression to what we had learned beyond the requisites courses of the British curriculum.
Fast forward to mid March, 2016, a bleak endless-winter day, another, it seemed, in what had been a long, heavy, and deeply sad year. Waynflete Upper School advisors were using the special afternoon for course selections, service, or just as a time for community respite. As I conferred with John Thurston, my co-advisor, as to what we should do with our group, I found myself remembering the day back in London when I had aspired to be a Persian wall artist. I proposed passing on to our thirteen advisees the gifts that Mr LeConte had given me and, a real plus, beautify a public space in the Upper School. We would create seven pieces of wall art, each roughly 3’6” x 2”6”, in the Emery Student Center. The students enthusiastically signed on to the task, though were dubious as to whether or not we could finish such a project in just two hours….
I prepped the walls of the Student Center the evening before our proposed Mural Day and readied samples of famous artworks that could be projected and copied on the prepared ‘canvasses,’ then completed to a high standard in limited time. We ended the day with renditions of works of art ranging from Matisse’s “Icarus,” Picasso’s “Don Quijote,” Japanese Cherry Blossom manuscript prints, to more Matisse, and an original creation by then-sophomore, Cole Gagnon. The students quickly found themselves deeply engaged in the task, chatting to one another as they worked away. I saw ready smiles, and heard a spontaneous expression of unadulterated joy: “I am sooo happy right now,” said then-sophomore, Ava Thomas. We all agreed in that moment that we would continue our beautification and spirit-kindling art project on our next Community Service Day.
March 7, 2017. Homeroom: thirteen advisees – four new members having replaced last year’s graduated seniors. Our Project: To transpose to the Student Center walls nine additional works of art, selected by the students. Again, I prepared the “canvasses” the day before – this time on the three columns that run through the middle of the room so that the artists could do their work. Time Limit: three hours. Mission…definitely accomplished. The Student Center now is beginning to resemble a little MoMA: Matisse, Picasso, Spanish modernists, a Japanese Koi wall-hanging, Koi being a Japanese symbol of Joy, plus a remarkable hand-drawn rendition of a Guatemalan artist captured by freshman, Jocelyn Rodriguez, and a meticulously-copied version of a John Lennon portrait rendered by senior, Jesse Brooks. Cole Gagnon once again rendered with exquisite care another of his imaginative and original works of art.
As a final parting gift to his viewers, Jesse Brooks added the following Lennon quote to the striking black-and-white portrait of the iconic musician: “Reality Leaves A Lot To The Imagination.” Mr. LeConte would approve and, I believe, would be gratified that his lessons are still so powerfully relevant to a new generation of thinkers and doers. We have already begun discussing themes for next year’s project: a 18-foot, Greco-Roman-inspired frieze….
If you cannot venture down to the Emery “gallery,” please enjoy the images from this year’s ‘acquisitions’ below, or click through the gallery at the top of the page!
End of School Details for Grades 9-11
The year is winding down, but there are lots of exciting days ahead! Click here to read a letter from Lowell detailing the final days of school. Happy Spring!
And if you missed it, you can find the exam schedule here.
Senior Project Presentations/Senior Week Schedule
The Senior Project Presentation schedule is linked here. Come out and support the seniors, and learn about all they have been doing over the past month!
Once projects wrap up, the Seniors have an exciting week leading up to Commencement on Friday, June 9. Click here to read a letter from Lowell detailing the final days.
