On February 10^th, Ben Millspaugh was named one of five finalists at the Poetry Out Loud Southern Maine Regional Competition at City Theater in Biddeford.

Twenty-one school winners participated in two rounds, reciting poems from poets as diverse as Jimmy Santiago Baca to John Keats, from Toi Derricotte to Emily Dickinson.  At the end of the second round judges tabulated scores and announced the ten semi-finalists who completed the third round of recitations. After that third round the five finalists were announced.

Ben, who won Waynflete’s school competition on Janurary 5,  delivered masterful recitations of  “Gravelly Run” by A. R. Ammons, “Youth” by James Wright  and “Thoughtless Cruelty” by Charles Lamb.  Besides Ben representing Waynflete, the five finalists from Southern Maine are: Shiloh Munsen from Freeport High School, Rose Horowitz from Mt. Ararat High School, Sylvia Holland from Maine Coast Waldorf School, and Charlotte Benoit from Greely High School.

The Maine State Finals will be held on March 15, 2016 at the Waterville Opera House, 93 Main Street, Waterville. The snow date is March 16, 2016. Doors open to the public at 2:30 p.m. and the event begins at 3:00 p.m. No tickets are required. The event is free and all are welcome to attend.

Congratulations, Ben! Good luck in the finals!

After finishing 4th at the regional tournament, the Upper School Robotics Team learned that it had qualified for the Maine State VEX Championship, to be held at Hampden Academy on Saturday, February 13.  The team is now busy refining how the robot functions in advance of Saturday’s event.  

The team tests adjustments made to the robot between rounds.  “What I love about this competition is that something is always going wrong with the robot.  The team has to problem solve and fix things throughout the day.” (Neil Rice, Robotics Team Coach)

Waynflete and Maine Seeds of Peace are thrilled to announce the inaugural New England Youth Identity Summit, an event for students and educators from across New England designed to spark meaningful conversations about identity, diversity, and community.

The Summit kicks off on Friday evening with a poetry, music, and theater performance by NYC-based Dialogue Arts Project. DAP creates experiences that help individuals collaborate and communicate across lines of social identity.

Waynflete will host Saturday’s program which features speakers, musical performances, student-led workshops, and breakout sessions for both students and educators.

FRIDAY, MARCH 11
Dialogue Arts Project Performance
7:00 p.m.
Portland Public Library (Rines Auditorium)
5 Monument Way, Portland, ME 04101

SATURDAY, MARCH 12
New England Youth Identity Summit
7:45 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Waynflete
360 Spring Street, Portland, ME 04102

Check out the workshop descriptions

Register for workshops

Waynflete parent? Learn more

Waynflete Upper School Theater Department is pleased to announce auditions for the April 7-9 show The Little Prince.

Auditions will be held after Break on February 23 and 24 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. in Franklin Theater. We are looking for a cohort of actors that reflects the wide range of students at Waynflete. We have many veteran actors and we are always looking for fresh faces.

In preparation for auditions we will hold a pre-audition workshop this Thursday, February 11 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in Franklin Theater. Have you been considering auditioning for a show in Upper School, but weren’t certain how best to get involved? Come for an hour on Thursday! We will be hosting an information session and pre-audition workshop for any and all parties interested in trying their hand at performance in the The Little Prince.  The workshop is open to all members of the student body and will have a special focus on ensemble work, movement, and improvisation.

Audition packets are available here, at the workshop on Thursday and in the Library on Friday morning.

Some background on The Rimers of Eldritch, Upper School winter production

The cast and crew of THE RIMERS OF ELDRITCH have been hard at work since November creating a community, building relationships, and developing the characters that inhabit the fictional Midwestern town of Eldritch— population 70. This is an early play from Lanford Wilson (Pulitzer-prize winner for Talley’s Folly 1983). It is a re–imagining of the town he grew up in the Ozarks of Missouri. Wilson is famous for writing about people who are on the fringes; people who struggle, not unlike his fellow playwright, mentor, and Missourian, Tennessee Williams. Wilson is also known for writing spe­cifically for a company of actors that he adored. When asked why he wrote plays, he said, “I’m excited by the actors and I’m crazy for theater. Being involved in the company, I have to do something so they’ll let me in.”

Rimers does not follow a linear progression. It is a collage of voices and moments that keep adding up and moving quickly from scene to scene, much like a film. It is an experiment in form. Wilson’s beautiful language, his resonant sense of place, his complex story, and his deeply empathetic love for these imperfect people make this a very intriguing piece to work on.

Director’s Note from Tiki Fuhro

I’m excited by the actors too. I could not be more proud of this extraordinarily brave cast and crew. They have wholeheartedly embraced the difficult world of this play. They learned acting techniques that helped them serve the play and their characters more fully. They showed their commitment in a variety of ways: bringing in food and holding an impromptu one-hour-long improvised church supper (replete with Bingo game and performed in character!); creating life onstage because they never left it; by choosing to believe in “Eldritch” they created it; digging deep to find the truth in a scene; allowing themselves to be vulnerable; doing their own research; shooting a trailer; designing a poster and t–shirt; writing about the process; and building a town from scratch. They asked tough questions and defended choices. They convinced me not to back off the tough moments (and slippery language) because—unlike some of the characters in the play—these students were willing to look truth square in the eye. They have invested so much and have made this process a joy.

My sincere hope, and I believe I share this hope with the company, is that people will leave the theater asking questions and talking about the play.

Acadia Weinberg (Mary Windrod)

In all honesty, I’ve been dreading the performances of this show since I first read the script. I keep having flashbacks to coming up from a “bend and snap” during Legally Blonde and instantly locking eyes with a sixth grader. Celebrating sexuality and confidence through risqué song and dance in front of an audience takes some level of bravery, but being complicit in a community’s cover-up of sexual violence and mur­der requires a whole new level of courage.

The Rimers of Eldritch is definitely not a play about rape. On the surface, there are numerous incidents of violence and hatred that are sprinkled generously throughout the story. Yet just about every character is trying their best to get by, acting and reacting in the only ways they know how. Though their flaws can be terrifying to observe, they are familiar to us as actors and audience members. It would be so easy to shove this play under the rug, dismissing its characters and messages as far-fetched, exaggerated, or even foreign to our daily routines. But Rimers captures so much perspective and truth on community, fear, and ignorance that it is impossible to do so.

I am thrilled to perform this show as a member of such an incredibly mature and devoted cast, and under the guidance of such a courageous, supportive, and inspiring director. The Rimers of Eldritch is the last Waynflete play I will be performing in (come see The Little Prince in April!), and I am so proud of everything we have accomplished together. We have conquered daunting material and are all very excited (and a little nervous) to share it with you. Welcome to Eldritch.

 Robert Wilson (Walter)

I always tell people I meet that, no matter what, at some point in their life they should be involved in the production of a show. Whether it is standing underneath the spotlight as an actor or pounding away at nails and burning yourself on the lights working tech, the takeaway and experience is unmatched. It’s an amazing sense of community, ingenu­ity, and satisfaction to build from what the playwright has set out for you to accomplish.

Through my Waynflete acting career, I’ve been involved with the telling of stories ranging from Witches in Salem, to the life of a Young William Shakespeare, to Henry the Fifth’s conquering of France. This time, it’s something both simple and poetic: the story of the fictional ghost town of Eldritch and the hardships that everyone living there faces as they cope with the tragedies that unfold.

One of the things that interested me about Rimers upon first reading the script was the characters. Not a line of dialogue feels out of place or needs any changes—it all stays true to the characters and the period that the show is set in. The situations portrayed are real issues that people face and should be taken seriously. Whether it’s abuse, harass­ment, or sexuality—all these issues are approached head-on.

It was an amazing process to put this show together and build it from the ground up with the cast and crew. Hope you enjoy!

Margo Walsh grew up in Cumberland, Maine, and graduated from Waynflete in 1982.   After earning a BA in Psychology from Wheaton College, Margo moved to New York City and began a career in college and MBA recruiting.  Recruiting for the Investment Banking Division within Goldman Sachs, Margo worked to develop the Diversity Round Table in order to provide mentorship and assimilation support for people of diverse backgrounds. For ten years following, she recruited for the rapid expansion of the international human resources consulting firm, Hewitt.  She has over 20 years of experience in recruiting, staffing, and employee development.

Margo then founded MaineWorks.  According to its website:

“MaineWorks is a temporary labor staffing company specializing in the field of industrial construction. Our employees are reentering the workforce and face real barriers to employment. Most MaineWorks’ employees are in recovery from substance abuse. Many come from low socio-economic backgrounds and have previous non-violent felony convictions – a stopping point in most job applications. Whether they are a Mainer, a New American or a returning Veteran, they all face the same feeling of being ‘apart from’; it is our mission to make them feel ‘part of ‘ something.”

To find out more about Margo Davies and her work at MaineWorks, check out the Maineworks website.

All Upper School parents are invited to Speak About It, A Performance-Based Presentation About Consent, Boundaries, and Healthy Relationships on Tuesday, February 9 at 7:00–8:30 p.m. in Franklin Theater.

Students in Grades 11 and 12 saw the Speak About It performance last Thursday on Grade Advising Day, a day devoted each year to supporting our students’ development of a healthy sense of self. After watching the performance, students discussed the impact of the performance in small groups with trained Speak About It facilitators.

Although the student performance was for our older students, parents of students in any grade are encouraged to attend the event on Tuesday evening.  Parents have a critical and unique role in teaching their children about consent and healthy relationship habits, but many feel unsure about what to say or how to effectively approach the issue. Speak About It’s parent program is designed to bring parents up to speed on important information about teen relationships, dating violence, college sexual assault, consent, and healthy sexuality. Parents will leave the presentation with knowledge, language, and skills for initiating important conversations about these topics in a way that aligns with their family values, both throughout high school and in the years to come.

These issues are also addressed with younger students in an age appropriate way through the Seminar program.  Here is a link to a special invitation to Tuesday’s event for parents of ninth grade students.

We are hoping Tuesday’s parent event will jumpstart critical conversations at home. Because of the importance of the topic and the vital role that parents play in keeping students healthy, supported, and safe, we strongly encourage participation by at least one parent.

The event is co-sponsored by the Upper School and the Parents Association.

Over 3500 high school students from 36 different countries and 28 states, representing over 200 schools in all, attended the Harvard Model United Nations Conference for four days last week.  Eight of them were from Waynflete.

Hibo Abdi, Sarah Avery, Annabelle Carter, Isabel Floyd, and Acadia Weinberg, all Class of ’16, and Isabel Canning, Maddie Polkinghorn, and Althea Sellers, all Class of ’17, were chosen because of their outstanding achievement at Maine Model UN last May.  The team applied for a seat on the Economic and Social Council (EcoSoc) and was assigned to represent Albania. Committee assignments included the Commission for Social Development, the Atomic Energy Agency, a Special Summit on Peace Building, and the International Human Rights Council. At the Conference itself they presented and voted on resolutions and mingled with students from schools all over the world.  It was a whirlwind four days, with one welcome break on Saturday evening involving a trip to Chinatown for some exceptional dim sum with recent Waynflete alumnae/i!

Congratulations to all involved, especially Annabelle, Isabel C., Maddie, and Althea, each of whom was recognized as a Distinguished Delegate, the second highest award presented.  The three members of the Class of ’17 are already making plans for how they intend to “smoke” (their words) Maine Model UN in May!

Every year, the Upper School suspends classes for one day to focus on topics relevant to the grade. This year, Grade Advising Day for Upper School will focus on building community and strengthening student health and well-being. In the morning, freshman will be involved in group-building activities, sophomores will be doing service projects in locations around Portland, juniors will be exploring their preference indicators as they relate to their passage through the college process, and seniors will attend workshops devoted to self-care and personal growth.  

In the afternoon, each group will lunch together. After lunch, the freshmen will gain skills around how to help a friend and how to be assertive, sophomores will attend a presentation focused on compassion and service,  and juniors and seniors will attend a college preparatory presentation by Speak About It, which offers a performance about consent, boundaries, and healthy relationships.  All parents are invited to an evening program by Speak About It on February 9 at 7:00 p.m.

Students are expected to arrive on campus on Thursday by 8:05 a.m. as usual. All grades will return to campus by 1:45 p.m. in time for classes and other activities starting at 2:00 p.m.

Island Dinner:  Come feast before the Upper School Musical

Date:  Friday, February 5

Time: 5:30– 7:30 p.m. 

Location: Emery Student Center and Atrium

Benefit for Coral Reef Ecology Field Program (April 2016)

Tickets:  $10 Student,  $15 for Adult

Tickets available from Upper School Office and from participants. 

Menu: 

-Island Style Fish Tacos

-Jerk Chicken

-Dirty rice and beans

-Island style greens

-Salads

-Key Lime Pie & Coconut Pie

and more!

On Thursday, January 14, 2016, Waynflete’s racial awareness group, RAaW, sponsored the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Upper School Assembly.  The assembly featured three speakers: Arlie Schardt, a former journalist for Time Magazine and the grandfather of Josh (’17) and Tobias (’24) Lodish; and Salim Salim, a native of Mosul Iraq and currently a senior at Deering High School.  Mr. Schardt shared some of his experiences covering the civil rights movement in the South during the 1960s, including his time with Dr. King.  Salim delivered his recently recorded TEDxDirigoTalks, Taking Risks is Risky and Forgive Me respectively.

Mr. Schardt ended his assembly talk by calling on the students “to keep on fighting.”  Together the speakers at assembly give hope that there is fight in the younger generation as long as injustice exists.  Mr. Schardt also visited classes on Thursday and Friday and attended a RAaW meeting.  At the meeting, he shared many historical artifacts from the 50s and 60s,  including his reporter’s notebook from April  4, 1968, the day Dr. King was assassinated.  Both Mr. Schardt and the students expressed great satisfaction and inspiration about their time together.

A video of Mr. Schardt’s assembly talk is posted below.  Also posted below is Salim’s TED talk.  Following the videos are two student reflections on the assembly.

https://youtu.be/IZGh4I7ghGo

(Video by Jesse Brooks and Shuhao Liu)

Student Reflections on the MLK Assembly

Najma Abdullahi ’18

Najma Abdullahi (’18), Mr. Schardt, Tia Werah (’18)

The assembly was moving. Each one of the speakers left me with a lesson and another reason to continue with my passion for social justice. It felt like there was a light on every Black Muslim woman in the crowd. It also felt like my story was being shared with a community who I didn’t know cared about what I went through.

Mr. Schardt’s words reminded me of how little we have come and how much we still need to go. He came to our RAaW meeting on Friday and shared newspapers from the Civil Rights era. The headlines and stories were eerily familiar and bothered me.

Our hope in RAaW for the assembly was to have speakers from different backgrounds and ages to engage the crowd. The assembly was a success, and it was truly remarkable.

Shuhao Liu ’18

As an international student growing up in a different country, I do not have the same cultural background and knowledge about the racial problems in the U.S. as many other Waynflete pupils. However, I have learned a lot about the history of racial conflict in this country, and I’m aware that it still exists today. Therefore, I’d like to share my own experience and thoughts on this topic as a reflection on this year’s MLK Assembly.

I was around eleven when I first learned about Martin Luther King Jr. Before that, slavery and racial discrimination were just words that I’ve read but could not understand. In fact, although I learned more about that history, including the Civil Rights Movement, later on at school and through reading, it was still difficult for me to really understand any part of it. China is not a country of immigrants. Back home, “race” is nothing more than a concept.

There are, however, many different ethnic groups in different parts of China. In the past centuries, Chinese people have always been the “superpower” dominating those small factions or groups. Sadly, it is still true today: the Chinese government retains its control while a few minority groups like the Tibetans are trying to gain independence. Nowadays, as far as I know, the cultural osmosis is stronger than it has ever been, and the new generations of those minority ethnic groups are losing their own cultural identity fairly quickly. But again, since technically no other race has lived on the land of China, we don’t have the same problems as American people have, and we can’t possibly understand the situation in the U.S. unless we are here.

It was not until last year when I went to an African-American private school in Atlanta as an exchange student that I really learned about the background and the impact of Martin Luther King Jr.’s work. Last year before MLK day, we watched several documentary films about King’s life and his great contribution in the Civil Rights Movement. I was indignant over the inhuman events that took place in the South, and I can see the situation has improved a lot since. However, news about black teenagers’ deaths as the result of police abuse breaks constantly. This proves that the many people in this country still possess racist thoughts and keep passing them on to their children. I think it is very important to educate students at school, promoting liberal personalities to overcome the potential bad influence of some families. I’m glad this is what Waynflete is trying to do, and I truly feel the friendly environment resulting from its efforts.

Going back to the Waynflete MLK Assembly, the speech made by a senior at Deering High School really resonated for me. His family came  to the U.S. from Iraq when he was in sixth grade. Because of the challenges he had with language, he had to face mockings and criticism from his classmates everyday. However, he rallied himself and proved all of the critics wrong by his outstanding achievements. His courage is admirable. But the fact that so many people nowadays are still judging people by their appearances or religions and thus treating them unfairly shocked me. The responsibility to remove the prejudice in this society does not belong to those who are being discriminated against. One should never ever need to work exceptionally hard just to earn the respect that every human being deserves. It is really hard to imagine that people like him have had to live under tremendous pressure everyday. And the only way to change this is that everyone changes his or her own point of view.

Unlike other countries, the United States, except for the native people, is entirely a country of immigrants. In fact, without immigrants from all over the world, this country could never exist as it does today. And it is its diversity and tolerance that attracts more and more people to live here. Freedom, as the most important value in this country, should not just be a slogan; it needs everyone’s active support to be meaningful.

Peter Hamblin (aka Doc to generations of Waynflete students) recently sat down with USNOW staff vidoegrapher Christian Brooks for an interview.  Joining the Waynflete community in 1980, Doc’s 35 years at the school make him the second longest serving faculty member. He attended Hamilton College and earned his Ph.D. at the University of Rochester in philosophy, with an emphasis on ethics.  Doc is currently the Associate Head of Waynflete and an Upper School advisor, and he teaches Bioethics to seniors.

Over the years, Doc has served in many jobs.  He started as a math and history teacher and a coach of the boys’ Middle School soccer and basketball teams.  He became Dean of Studies and Director of College Counseling in 1983 and started teaching Bioethics (team teaching with Kathy Remmel) around 1985.  He later became the Director of Financial Aid.  Besides the Middle School soccer and basketball teams, he has coached boys Varsity basketball, JV girls’ basketball, and Middle School girls’ basketball.  He has taken on various interim roles as well including Acting Admissions Director, Acting Upper School Director (twice), and Acting Head of School.

Doc has been a constant presence at Waynflete for over 35 years.  He has played a key role in helping Waynflete become the school we know today. His first graduating class was 21 students.  Today Waynflete graduates classes of between 60 and 70 students.  Doc has a broad and deep perspective on Waynflete and its history, which he shares in this exclusive interview.

https://youtu.be/7nebYwmFTqA