The All School Art Show in the Waynflete Art Gallery was an amazing, colorful way for students to brighten our campus this spring. The show had everything from airborne wonders and handmade ceramics to vibrant drawings, painting, and stunning photography—there were even larger-than-life papier-mâché representations of endangered Maine animals. View the full photo gallery
Love listening to podcasts? Give this episode a try!
Senior Will Barmby joins Waynflete’s Director of Third Thought John Holdridge, Maine Policy Institute’s (MPI) Chief Executive Officer Matt Gagnon, and MPI’s Director of Legislative Affairs Jacob Posik for a conversation about The Can We? Project, one of Waynflete’s Third Thought Initiatives for Civic Engagement. The project aims to teach students the skills of dialogue across political and other differences. Listen to this discussion now at wf-link.org/2024-7.
Learn more about The Can We? Project and all of Waynflete’s Third Thought Initiatives at waynflete.org/tt.
On May 25, fifteen Upper School students competed in the National Science Olympiad tournament at Michigan State University. The team earned their spot at the tournament by winning the Maine State Science Olympiad tournament in April. Sixty teams with students from nearly every state were represented at the national tournament.
Waynflete students performed well in many of the 23 events, including a 11th place finish by Alec Benton ’24 and Nik Chaney ’24 in a trial event called Engineering CAD, a 14th place finish in an event called “Write It Do It” by Kira Chown ʼ25 and Mira Levine ʼ24, and a 23rd place finish in an engineering event called “Air Trajectory” by Nik and Noah Abbott ʼ24. Other notable showings included a 33rd place finish in the astronomy event by Mira and Noah and a 37th place finish in a lab event called Forensics by Aelia Russell ʼ24 and Lorin Rawlins ʼ26.
All students on the team represented Waynflete and the state of Maine with enthusiasm and pride. The team was coached by Wendy Curtis and Katrina St. John.
Team members:
Noah Abbott ʼ24
Alec Benton ʼ24
Nik Chaney ʼ24
Tipton Heminway ʼ24
Mira Levine ʼ24
Aelia Russell ʼ24
Max Shurman ʼ24
Lydia Birknes ʼ25
Kira Chown ʼ25
Fallon Culley ʼ25
Lucia Infantine ʼ25
Yiyang Liu ʼ25
Mohamed Yusuf ʼ25
Eva Hankowski ʼ26
Lorin Rawlins ʼ26
Thank you to all who came out to create, play, and celebrate our community together. It was an incredible day of connection for our community.
A big thanks to Waynflete’s Parents Association and all the volunteers who made Spring Fling possible—we couldn’t have done it without you! We also want to express our gratitude to the many sponsors and local businesses whose contributions made Spring Fling all the more special.
Congratulations to all the Upper School students who participated in the Maine Model UN Conference! The Flyers gave an impressive performance, earning several accolades. Luccia Moraes ’25, Omari Brent ’27, and George Tagtmeier ’26 earned “Best Delegate” awards; Aelia Russell ’24 was honored as a “Distinguished Delegate;” and Amos Noto ’26, Mukhtar Ali ’26, and Luke Armstrong ’25 all received honorable mentions. Tommy Marston ’27, Luccia Moraes ’25, and Zayn Thomas ’27 won “Best Small Delegation” for representing Iran across multiple different committees. Great job!
Waynflete has announced the recipients of the 2024 Drake Award and the 2024 Klingenstein Alumni Award:
Daniella Nichols Cameron ’94
2024 Klingenstein Alumni Award Recipient
Daniella Nichols Cameron ’94 is the recipient of the 2024 Klingenstein Alumni Award.
Waynflete’s board of trustees established the Klingenstein Award in 2019. The award is rooted in our mission, which calls for responsible and caring participation in the world. Through the Klingenstein Award, we seek to recognize one Waynflete alumnus/alumna per year whose responsible and caring participation in the world—at the local, national, or international level—has had broad and positive ramifications. The award is named for its first recipient, Patricia Davis Klingenstein ’47, in recognition of her work as an education advocate, devoted community leader, volunteer, and philanthropist.
Over the course of her entire career, Daniella Nichols Cameron ’94 has worked to serve the disenfranchised. Today, she serves as deputy director of Preble Street, a nonprofit social services agency in Portland. Preble Street provides services to people experiencing homelessness, hunger, and poverty, and works to find solutions to these problems.
Daniella’s relationship with Preble Street began when she was a teenager in the 1990s. While at Waynflete, she donated food to the agency through the school and volunteered in the former Resource Center Soup Kitchen with her family. From an early age, Daniella knew she wanted to be involved in social work. For her senior project, she worked at the former YWCA’s Street Program, a drop-in shelter for homeless youth.
Daniella returned to Preble Street in 2009 as Teen Services supervisor. She played an instrumental role in the opening of the Joe Kreisler Teen Shelter, founded Preble Street’s Anti-Trafficking Services, and co-founded the Greater Portland Coalition of Trafficking and Exploitation. Daniella has presented internationally on anti-trafficking efforts.
Today, as deputy director, Daniella plays an essential role in overseeing Preble Street’s daily operations, ensuring that adequate resources are available to staff and that plans are in place to facilitate the organization’s future growth. On what she likes most about working at Preble Street: “I love being part of an organization that is responsive, nimble, strong, and smart. We have much to be proud of every day here, from the relationships caseworkers build with clients to advocating to change systems that perpetuate injustice. We are all working together to respond to increasing needs and make a better world.”
Kate Burnham P’18, ’21
2024 Drake Award Recipient
Kate Burnham P’18, ’21 is the recipient of the 2024 Drake Award.
In 1976, Emerson and Ping Drake, parents of four former Waynflete students, received a special honor for their service to Waynflete. Emerson had served on the board of trustees for 16 years, the last several as president. Ping was active within the Waynflete community, volunteering in many areas of the school. They were recognized by the board with the award that now bears their name. Ping was also made an honorary Waynflete alumna. We honor their example and their memory by presenting the Drake Award each year.
When Kate Burnham joined Waynflete’s board of trustees in 2016, she brought with her 11 years of experience as a Waynflete parent. Her son, Andrew, began kindergarten in 2005, and her daughter, Eliza, started in the Early Childhood program the following fall. She and husband Nate Clark are now proud parents of alums from the classes of 2018 and 2021.
Kate served on several committees during her board tenure: Advancement (which she chaired from 2019 to 2021), Campaign Executive, Committee on Trustees, Executive, Finance, Gift Acceptance (which she also chaired from 2019 to 2021), and Strategic Planning. She also played an essential role on the Leadership Annual Giving Committee. She and Nate chaired the Senior Gift Committee in 2020–2021 when Eliza was a senior.
Prior to joining the board, Kate spent countless hours volunteering for the school as a class parent, parent fund class agent, Parents Association volunteer coordinator, and chair of the Events Committee. Kate also served on the Feasibility Study Subcommittee and the Campaign Design Committee during the Building on Our Strengths Campaign, an effort that culminated in the construction of Waynflete’s new Lower School.
Kate’s role as the chair/co-chair of the Auction Committee was her hallmark. She brought together a team of staff, parents, and volunteers to run an auction that would rival any other, anywhere. For Kate, an essential aspect of designing a superb gala was ensuring that the event would be comfortable and accessible to everyone and that the funds raised would support Waynflete’s financial aid endowment. Kate’s get-it-done attitude is rivaled only by her grace, kindness, and generosity.
Whenever she was asked, Kate was happy to give more of her time and energy to the school. Her commitment to creating welcoming events has been a gift to our community and helped create a sense of belonging for many families. Her work ethic and compassionate nature have brought hope to those in need of support when they needed it most. Kate’s kind manner and sincerity are inspirational.
Waynflete has announced its Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2024. The Hall of Fame selection committee has chosen four individuals to receive this special honor:
Amanda Waterhouse Isgro ’98
Athlete
Amanda Waterhouse Isgro ’98 had an impressive career as a Flyer. As a soccer player, she led the Flyers to state championships in 1995, 1996, and 1997. She was named the Maine Gatorade Soccer Player of the year in 1997 and also won Maine Sunday Telegram Soccer Player of the Year. On the lacrosse field, Amanda led her teams to state championships in 1997 and 1998 and was the leading scorer. She also found time to compete as an equestrian in many horse shows around New England, often finishing in the top three. Amanda attended Bates College, where she played soccer for four years. She scored four goals while leading Bates to the ECAC finals in 2000 and was named Bates Athlete of the Week during the 2001 season. Today, Amanda continues her passion for soccer as a varsity soccer coach for Temple Academy and is president of the Waterville Youth Soccer Association.
Matt Marston ’97
Athlete
Matt Marston ’97 was a standout cross-country runner and lacrosse player for Waynflete. In 1996, he became the first Flyer to win an individual cross-country state championship. He also led the team to its first state title. Matt served as co-captain of the 1997 boys lacrosse team, which won Waynflete’s first boys lacrosse state title, and was named to the all-state team for lacrosse defense. He was a co-founder of the school’s Nordic ski team. Matt was chosen as Waynflete’s male athlete of the year in 1997 and competed in cross-country and lacrosse at St. Michael’s College. He is the owner of Basics Fitness and continues to support Waynflete as a parent of two student-athletes.
Christine Ordway Opperman ’09
Athlete
Christine Ordway Opperman ’09 was a standout tennis player for the Flyers. She was a three-year team captain and state player of the year three times. She also won the state singles title in 2006, 2007, and 2009. Christine won a team title in 2006 and went on to win the New England Tennis singles title that same year. She attended Division 1 Cornell University, playing #1 and #2 singles and serving as team captain for two years. Christine continues to share her love for tennis as a middle school tennis coach at Alexandria Country Day School, where she is a learning specialist.
Brandon Salway
Former Assistant Athletic Director and Physical Education Teacher
Brandon Salway served the athletics and physical education programs at Waynflete for 34 years. He guided the boys soccer program to eight state championships and also led the 2013 girls basketball team to a state championship. Brandon was a beloved PE teacher who taught sports skills and movement over three decades while developing sportsmanship and a love of the game. As the assistant director of athletics, he supported all aspects of the program and mentored many young coaches. Brandon entered the Waynflete Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023 as coach of the 1993 boys soccer team. He is being honored individually in 2024 for his long record of outstanding service and success.
The Outliers Robotics team capped off a tremendous season this past weekend when they joined more than 60,000 students at the FIRST World Robotics Championship in Houston! The Outliers posted this year’s world high score in qualification matches and placed in the top 1% of teams worldwide. Leading up to the championship, the team won both district events; fell just short of winning the New England Championship finals; and received the Autonomous, Excellence in Engineering, and Creativity Awards. The team banded together to overcome adversity throughout the year and also built strong bonds with fellow competitors. Congratulations to all!
Congratulations to the Outliers Robotics team for an impressive showing in the New England Championships, where they faced off against the region’s 96 top teams. The Outliers got off to a rocky start on the first day as their robot was plagued with problems. The team pulled together and systematically worked through each problem—by the end of the second day, the team’s entry was statistically one of the top robots in the world!
On the third day, the Outliers and their alliance sailed through the playoffs, winning every match until the finals. While they easily won the first match of the finals, they unfortunately lost the next two by narrow margins. In addition to coming in second place, the Outliers also won the Autonomous Award for their vision system, controls, and one-of-a-kind shifting gearboxes.
They’ll head off to the World Championships in Houston over April Break. Best of luck, Outliers—we’re rooting for you!
Congratulations are in order! Waynflete continued its reign as Maine State Science Olympiad champions in a close 23-event competition at the University of Maine this past weekend. The team beat Falmouth by a mere three points, illustrating just how important it is to perform at a high level in every event (and how well our competitors responded to the pressure!). Special shout-out to Rowena Schenck for all her hard work in her first year of coaching.
A stormy end to the week didn’t deter more than 300 students and educators from attending Waynflete’s eighth annual New England Youth Identity Summit on Saturday. More than 31 student-run workshops were on offer, on topics ranging from climate justice and women in medicine to gun safety reform and the changing face of high school sports. Educators gathered for their own workshop on how to bridge divides when different perspectives enter the classroom.
Keynote speaker Weatherspoon demonstrated their use of poetry to explore relationships, connection, and understanding, while featured performing artist Veeva Banga had everyone on their feet learning Afro Beats in at the close of the day. “I loved getting to meet kids my age, at similar stages in life, to share our experiences together,” said one attendee. “I realized that so much of what I ponder on is very much relatable to others. I have learned that I am never alone.”
Thank you to Valo for playing an essential role in making the Summit a success, and to Educate Maine and M&T Bank for their support. We look forward to seeing everyone next year!
Congratulations to the Upper School Math Team for earning second place in the Class D division of the Maine State Math Meet yesterday. Each question in the meet was worth three or more points—the team missed out on the championship by a mere two points! Great effort by all. With the entire team made up of students in grades 9–11, we’ll be even more competitive in 2025!
Upper School Math Team
Lydia Birknes ’25
Fallon Culley ’25
Ben Duda ’25
Nico Herrera ’25
Yiyang Liu ’25
Abie Waisman ’25
Lucy Olson ’26
Mya Clark ’27
Mac Mini ’27
Aya Timon ’27
Eighteen Middle School students recently embarked on the second iteration of Waynflete’s Winter Ice and Snow Program (WISP) in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Guided by experts like Stephanie Dolan and Dr. Susana Hancock ’03, the group explored the realms of snow science and climate change indicators. Their expedition spanned four days and included time spent in the high huts above the treeline. Despite the challenging weather conditions—a foot-and-a-half of new snow and peak wind gusts hitting 100 mph—students remained undeterred and were thrilled by the hands-on learning experience.
Thank you to Battelle for helping to make this remarkable journey possible!
Learn more about Waynflete’s WISP program at wf-link.org/wisp.
Ten Waynflete students recently competed in the Maine State Science Bowl, a trivia competition sponsored by the Department of Energy. Coached by science teachers Wendy Curtis and Katrina St. John, Waynflete’s two five-person teams faced off in this rapid-fire, buzzer-style competition via Zoom against other teams across the state. Both teams advanced to the quarterfinals before being eliminated after two narrow defeats.
Congratulations to all students involved for an excellent showing! A special thank you to Science Bowl enthusiast Jacob Curtis ’22 for graciously filling in as a substitute coach on competition day.
Waynflete team 1: Nik Chaney ’24 (captain), Mira Levine ’24, Tipton Heminway ’24, Miles Sims-Kastelein ’24, Wyatt Adams ’24
Waynflete team 2: Jack Vickery ’24 (captain), Rose Bukowski-Thall ’24, Fallon Culley ’25, Nico Herrera ’25, Abie Waisman ’25
The Outliers Robotics team is once again the winner of the Granite State Robotics competition! 35 teams from across New England competed in this three-day event in New Hampshire.
Team members grappled with unexpected and complex mechanical, electrical, and coding problems through the competition. With the robot dying partway through most early matches, the team was ranked 23rd at the end of the first day. Team members worked late into the night to diagnose and resolve problems. In the first match on day two, the Outliers scored 17 goals and continued undefeated for the remaining qualification matches, climbing to 5th place.
For the playoffs, Bucksport (ranked 2nd) turned down the opportunity to partner with the top-ranked team, opting instead to partner with the Outliers. Together with a team from Manchester, New Hampshire, they went on to win the event.
The Outliers were also chosen by judges to receive the Creativity Award for their unique shifting swerve drivetrain that resulted in their robot being the fastest on the field.
Congrats to the team for pulling together and overcoming significant obstacles on their way to victory!
(Watch a video of the last finals match. The Outliers are the blue robot with the light bar across the top (5687); Bucksport is the blue robot with purple lights (6329). The goal of the game this season is to collect rings on the ground or at a feed station on the far side and shoot them into a high or mid-goal on the other side.)
Last fall, Waynflete offered a Digital Journalism course taught by local podcast producer and journalist Emma Reynolds. During the semester, students produced podcasts and wrote articles about stories in the Waynflete community. They learned how to conduct interviews, record audio, and edit. At the end of the semester, the students created a website that features all of their work.
Upper School Director Asra Ahmed had two objectives in mind when she created this course:
“I know from past experience that student-run journalism is an important way for students to take ownership of their school community, to help them reflect on their school experience, and to take responsibility for supporting the school in its constant evolution. Journalism programs also provide students with significant life and educational skills, like writing, research, interviewing, and interpersonal skills. They have to learn about history, politics, the constitution—for example, what is “freedom of speech”?—and they have to incorporate that knowledge into their journalistic works.”
Journalism programs help students see that leadership skills manifest in a variety of ways, including being a journalistic voice for one’s community. Asra points out that these programs push students to see their whole community instead of just the segment of it that they are drawn or attached to.
“The digital aspect of it is something I chose to focus on because it is aligned with where journalism is currently,” says Asra. “Students still crafted written pieces, but they also learn about podcasting as another means of sharing news and culture with their community and see how it can provoke conversations about topics that could be overlooked.”
Check out the links below for more from our Digital Journal program:
Waynflete’s SoundCloud page (displays each class’s podcasts separately)
And listen to these podcasts from Waynflete classes that Emma Reynolds taught as a guest:
Anya Parauda’s “Native American History” book review podcasts
Jim Millard’s “What’s Up With That?: Journalism in The Digital Age”
Lindsay Clarke’s “Native American History” book review podcasts
Waynflete’s second annual Community Celebration event was a resounding success! Families and friends came together to celebrate all the parts that make our community whole during this all-ages evening. We enjoyed a series of performances from Antonio Rocha, a Maine-based Brazilian storyteller who incorporates mime and spoken word; Darlin’ Corey, a Maine-based American Roots trio, including our very own Kris Day; and Benkadi Drum & Dance, a Boston-based eclectic group dedicated to performing, teaching, and researching African dance and musical forms. After the performances in Franklin Theater, we gathered in the gym for a potluck dinner that featured delicious food from many different cultures. Thanks to the hundreds of people who participated in this wonderful Waynflete tradition!
Fifteen Upper School science students traveled to MIT on January 20 for an invitational Science Olympiad tournament. Students competed with schools from across the country in 23 different science and engineering events. Some events required students to design, build, and troubleshoot an engineering problem, such as Air Trajectory, in which students built a device that launched a ball using air pressure to hit given targets, or Scrambler, in which students built a vehicle propelled by a falling mass that propels an egg as quickly as possible toward a wall a given distance a way (the goal is to stop it just before it hits the wall and scrambles the egg!). Other events are tests of knowledge in fields such as astronomy, microbiology, and forensic science, or field tests such as tree and fossil identification.
Waynflete was the top team out of the four Maine schools present, and did very well against New England schools in general, placing fifth out of 23 New England schools. Overall, against schools from California, Texas, New York, and other large states, Waynflete team’s placed 49th out of 72 teams and earned five finishes in the top half of the field.
Notable successes included a 16th-place finish in Write It Do It by Mira Levine ’24 and Kira Chown ’25. Other finishes in the top half of the field included Air Trajectory by Noah Abbott ’24 and Nik Chaney ’24, Fermi Questions by Alec Benton ’24 and Max Shurman ’24, Forestry by Elliott Werner ’25 and Kira, and Geologic Mapping by Fallon Culley ’25 and Max. Next up is our state tournament in early April in which 30 Upper Schoolers will compete with schools from around Maine.
Team Roster: Noah Abbott ’24, Alec Benton ’24, Nik Chaney ’24, Tipton Heminway ’24, Mira Levine ’24, Aelia Russell ’24, Max Shurman ’24, Lydia Birknes ’25, Kira Chown ’25, Fallon Culley ’25, Nico Herrera ’25, Abie Waisman ’25, Elliott Werner ’25, Jasper Nichols ’26, Len Harrison ’26
Coaches: Wendy Curtis and Rowena Schenck
Waynflete’s Third Thought for Civic Engagement initiative recently hosted “Can We? Connect,” a full-day conference at the Augusta Civic Center for high school students from fourteen partner schools in Maine who are participating in The Can We? Project this year. The event was a resounding success, providing an opportunity for students to come together to make connections, build bridges, and engage in civil dialogue on topics that students themselves identify as important in their lives.
Can We? Connect followed an initial day-long retreat held in partner schools where students consider their own identities and lived experiences, build trust with those who may have different viewpoints than their own, and begin to learn the skills of dialogue across political and other differences.
Can We? Connect was the subject of a recent Maine Public Radio feature. Check it out at https://wf-link.org/3SE7YR7!
Eighth-graders participated in a community service project at Crescent Beach State Park during the first semester. Students collected more than 1,100 pieces of trash and cataloged their findings in Maine’s state scientific report about ocean pollution. In their Visual Arts classes, students folded origami paper cranes to visually represent the total number of collected pieces. The origins of this “Making Data Visible” assignment are found in a visual art movement where artists use data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to produce aesthetic and visual representations of big data.
