On to Seattle: Lifesmarts Team a Three-peat Champ
According to its website, LifeSmarts “prepares students to enter the real world as smart adult consumers… Students who participate in the program begin competition online. The highest scoring teams are invited to in-person live state championships. State winners are invited to the National LifeSmarts Championship held in a different city every April.”
Below is an account of the 2015 State LifeSmarts Final. The match left Coach Steve Kautz exhausted and “completely bald.”
On Friday, March 13, Waynflete participated in the LifeSmarts Maine Finals. The first rounds were based on individual online testing. The four schools with the highest average online scores were invited to the finals – Waynflete, Woodland High School, Mt. Ararat High School, and a team of students from different schools, connected by the United Technologies Center. The teams played each other in a round robin, and the teams with the highest win totals met in the finals, which turned out to be Waynflete and UTC.
The final match was competitive and tense, with the lead changing hands several times. Waynflete gradually worked its way into the lead during the final round behind the quick buzzers and fearless responses of Alex and Sam, but just when victory seemed imminent, UTC made a charge and tied the score. Fortunately, Christian stemmed the UTC charge with a response that was so sophisticated that it took the judges five minutes of conferring to realize that she was right, and then Captain Sam slammed the door and secured the Flyer victory.
Waynflete will represent Maine for the third year in a row at LifeSmarts Nationals in Seattle on April 17-20. Most expenses are being covered by the Maine Banker’s Association and Jump$tart Maine. Between 30 and 40 states are expected to be there. Last year Waynflete finished 10th out of 35 states, missing the playoff round by half a question. This year’s team consists of Captain and returning player Sam Frederick ‘ 15, Emily Tabb ’17, Stephen Epstein ’15, Alex Lambert ’15, and Christian Rowe ’16.
Individual state-level awards were also handed out based on the individual online testing.
- Personal Finance: Christian Rowe
- Environment: Christian Rowe
- Health & Safety: Alex Lambert
- Technology: Sam Frederick
Here is a link to an article Sam Frederick wrote last year about his experience with LifeSmarts. Here is a link to an article on the team’s success at the 2014 Nationals.
Danceflete Ensembles Present: Between the Lines
This Thursday, March 19, the Middle and Upper School Dance Ensemble will perform, Between the Lines, in Franklin Theater. The program will focus on dance with a storyline. Student short studies and full-length choreographed pieces will portray events, emotions and experiences delivered through the art of dance. The concert will begin at 7:00.
Waynflete Hosts Math Meet
The “Waynflete A” team hard at work at the recent Pi Cone South Math League regular season meet. Ali Ghorashi ’15 – a member of the all-state team last year – is in the front-most seat. The State Meet will be held in Bangor on Tuesday, April 14th.
Jazz Combo Shines at States!
The Waynflete Upper School Jazz Combo finished in Second Place, Division III at the 2015 Maine Music Educators Association State Instrumental Jazz Festival! The group also earned a Gold Award for receiving a I (one) rating for it’s average score of 94.
Outstanding Musician Awards—given to only five Combo Division III students—went to Chris Bergeron and Ali Ghorashi! Additionally,Outstanding Musicianship certificates for receiving I (one) ratings for improvisation went to Julian Abbott, Chris Bergeron, Ali Ghorashi, Jacob Hagler and Julian Ireland.
Waynflete Upper School Jazz Combo:
- Julian Abbott ‘18 – Tenor Sax
- Chris Bergeron ‘16 – Drums
- Eliza Cox ‘18 – Alto Sax
- Ali Ghorashi ‘15 – Piano
- Jacob Greene ‘18 – Baritone Sax
- Jacob Hagler ’15 – Guitar
- Julia Hansen ’18 – Upright Bass
- Julian Ireland ’15 – Tenor Sax
Winter 2015 Sports Wrap-Up
The 2015 Winter season was an exciting one for Waynflete’s athletic teams! As the snow piled up outside, the action heated up in the gym, the pool, the rink, and on the slopes and the trails. Every varsity winter team qualified for post-season play, which is always a goal for the program. Winter also brought the return of varsity boys ice hockey which has not been played at Waynflete for decades.
Two Waynflete students, freshmen Will armstrong and Max Winson, suited up for the brand new South Portland/Waynflete/Freeport cooperative boys ice hockey team. The “Red Flying Falcons” had a great first year finishing the regular season with a record of ten wins and eight losses. This record was good enough for the #6 seed in the Class A west tournament. The team gave Noble/Wells a battle but lost to the #3 seed in the quarterfinals 6-3. Armstrong was a starting defenseman and played on the penalty kill line. Winson anchored the second line and scored four goals on the season. Watch out for this young team in the next few years!
The girls ice hockey cooperative team, Capeflete, entered its seventh season. This year South Portland joined up with Cape Elizabeth and Waynflete to add a few more players. Coached by Bob Mills, the team returned to the play-offs. Led by seven seniors, the squad produced a 9-11-1 season and made it to the second round of the playoffs. Waynflete seniors Allison Mills (captain), Maddy Pellow, and Gavi King provided leadership, good sportsmanship and experience for all of the new players. With 23 skaters in total, allowing for a JV team for the first time, the program is looking forward to continued success in the future.
The girls basketball team, coached by Brandon Salway, compiled an impressive regular season record of twelve wins and five losses. Highlights of the season included a “Think Pink” cancer awareness event and fundraiser that the team participated in for the third straight year, and raised over $800 for the Maine Cancer Society. The Flyers earned the #7 seed in the Class C West tournament. In the preliminary round they fell 48-41 to Madison ending their season. Senior captains Julianna Harwood, Helen Gray-Bauer and Dana Peirce led the way for the Flyers. Harwood and Gray-Bauer were named to the WMC first team and freshman point guard Lydia Giguere was named to the WMC second team. Gray-Bauer earned a spot on the Maine McDonalds Class C/D Senior all-Star team and was also named the Portland Forecaster Female Athlete of the year for Winter 2015.
The boys basketball team, coached by eleventh year coach Rich Henry, completed an impressive 15-1 regular season record. Wins over Class B foes Yarmouth, Wells and Poland were highlights of the regular season. Also providing thrills for the fans were a come from behind win over Traip and an overtime win at OOB. The Flyers earned the #3 seed for the Class C tourney and defeated Halldale in the quarterfinals 54-40. The squad fell to a tough Dirigo Cougars team in the semifinals ending the season at 16-2. Senior captain Harry Baker-Connick was named to the WMC First team along with junior captain Milo Belleau. Baker-Connick also was voted onto the Maine McDonalds Class C/D West Senior all- star team. Belleau was named the Portland Forecaster Winter Athlete of the Year for Winter 2015.
The girls nordic ski team placed 5th in the very competitive Western Maine Conference championship. Third year head coach Ben Taska and first year assistant Elizabeth Ransom took the team to the Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle to compete in the Class C state championship meet. In the states, the team placed an impressive second behind Fort Kent, bringing home the runner up plaque. Junior Marijke Rowse placed 9th in the skate race leading the team. The boys nordic ski team placed 5th in the WMC championship and then followed that up with a 4th place effort at the state championship meet. Sophomore Willson Moore was 4th overall in the skate and he was followed closely by freshman Zander Martin who was 6th in the skate. qualified for the. Willson Moore ‘17 and Ellie Chidsey ‘17 made the U16 team and will go to race in Fort Kent in mid-March to compete against skiers from the other New England states and New York.
Waynflete’s alpine ski team, affectionately known as WART, was comprised this year of sophomores Beata Vest and Kelly Frumer. In the WMC championship race Vest was 7th in slalom and Frumer was 8th in slalom and 10th in GS. In the state meet Vest was 5th in slalom and 8th in GS and Frumer was 10th in slalom and 9th in GS. Frumer placed third in the Skimeister competition which is for combined results in both alpine and nordic.
The Waynflete swim team finished the season with strong showings at Southwesterns and States. Led by captains Grace Bukowski-Thall, Lucy Weaver, Chloe Williams, Austin Fanburg, and Sam Frederick, the team showed vast improvements throughout the course of the season. The boys team of only five swimmers placed 13th out of 24 teams at the Class B state meet. Caleb Levine placed 6th in the 100 Fly. The girls team of only six swimmers placed 13th out of 26 teams at states. Kiera MacWhinnie placed 5th in the 100 Fly and 50 Free. Although small in numbers, all team members supported one another and contributed to victories over Biddeford. Congratulations to all swimmers for their hard work and dedication over the course of the season!
Click here to view the Winter Season Slideshow.
The cast of Henry 1/5 represents Waynflete with spirit!
Why Swim?
In only its fifth year of existence, the Waynflete swim program has enjoyed great success. While this year’s squad was considerably smaller than in years past, the swimmers, under the experienced guidance of first year coach Steve Withers, continued to impress. Most recently, they swam well at the Class B State Meet at the University of Maine. The boys team, comprised of only five swimmers, placed 13th out of 24 teams, and the girls team of only six swimmers placed 13th out of 26 teams. Of particular note, Caleb Levine was 6th in the 100 Fly and Kiera MacWhinnie was 5th in both 100 Fly and 500 Free.
Following is Kiera’s exploration of what motivates her to swim.
This morning, as I arrived at school with frozen hair straight from a 5:20 a.m. swim practice, someone asked me “Why do you swim?”
The question got me thinking. What is the point of getting up to swim at 4:45 a.m., if it is always hard work and is not always enjoyable. Wouldn’t anyone rather be asleep at 5:00 a.m. rather than being at a pool? Why go through the hassle of committing myself to being up that early every single day? Why make myself go to bed at 8:00 p.m. so that I can get the same amount of sleep other students can get by going to bed at 11:00 p.m.? Why risk breaking my hair that has been frozen from going outside after morning practices in the winter? Why have green tinted hair after exposure to extreme amounts of chlorine? What is the point of all of this? Why do people swim?
High school swimming has the luxury of only having morning practice once a week. On the other hand, club swimmers, like me, consistently rise at the break of dawn or before to go to practice. Since I wasn’t sure for myself, I decided to ask my Waynflete teammates. The most common response is that swimming is great exercise. As one member of the swim team put it, “I can always count on swimming to give me a good workout.” Another common response is that swimming is something they have been doing for many years, so they can’t just drop it. One of my teammates said, “I enjoy swimming because it is a great life-long sport,” which reiterates the idea that they are in the habit of swimming. “I grew up swimming so I have a commitment to the sport” said another.
Their responses rang true for me and got me thinking about the other benefits of swimming. There is a great social aspect to it. Swimming has created so many of my friends so that even if they are not on my team, I see them constantly because the swimming world is so small. Swimming creates a great environment in which to work hard with my friends. Swimming also benefits me mentally because it releases stress and strengthens my mental game. Every time we race, we race against the clock. Racing against the clock creates a consistent challenge that most sports don’t have, which sharpens my mind and always makes me want to achieve my personal best. At the Southwestern Meet this year, my relay team dropped three seconds off our best time, which felt great because we achieved our best and did it as a team.
Why do I swim? It turns out that for me, swimming is an amazing sport with huge rewards.
Attention Steel Drum Enthusiasts!
A letter from MS music teacher and applied arts instructor Duncan Hardy:
Waynflete School is gathering a Steel Drum Band, grades 8-12, to perform at the 2015 New England Steel Pan Festival.
This festival is an incredible event that has been hosted all over New England featuring steel bands from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and beyond. This year, the festival will be hosted in my hometown of Blue Hill, Maine. It is a special place for the tradition of steel band and calypso music because this is where it all started! In the mid ‘70s my teacher and good friend Carl Chase went down to Trinidad for the annual carnival festival held in the city of Port of Spain. The sounds of the Caribbean island inspired him to bring the music back to Maine and start his own band. Soon after, calypso music began to appear in schools, parks, and concert halls around New England.
The 2015 New England Steel Pan Festival will take place on Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3. During the day, students will have the opportunity to participate in workshops and classes like stick making, arranging for steel band, and performance techniques, meeting others who are passionate about steel pan. There will also be opportunities to explore Blue Hill via the many beautiful coastal walks and hiking trails that are maintained by the Blue Hill Heritage Trust.
To prepare for this event, students should enroll in the After School Enrichment Workshop called Festival Steel Band, where we will prepare and practice a number of tunes. Enroll here or send a check for $160 made out to Waynflete School to Director of Enrichment Rachael Thrash). This activity meets on Thursday evenings from 4:45–6:00 p.m., March 19-May 21. Please be aware that the cost of travel and lodging for the festival is not included in the $160 registration fee.
I also encourage families to attend the Festival; it is just as much fun for adults as it is for students! I will be acting as a chaperone and will need another parent(s) to assist. Attached is the schedule and fee information regarding the festival. I am really looking forward to getting started rehearsing! I hope to hear from you all as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Duncan Hardy
DANCEFLETE to present “Between the Lines”
Waynflete’s DANCEFLETE Ensemble presents Between the Lines on Thursday, March 19, at 7 PM in Franklin Theater.
The evening will focus on dance with a storyline. Student short studies and full-length choreographed pieces will
portray events, emotions and experiences delivered through the art of dance.
From Franklin Theater to the One Act Play Festival
After two wonderful performances in Franklin Theater, Upper School students will take their version of Henry 1/V (an abridged version of Shakespeare’s Henry V) to the Maine High School One Act Festival this coming weekend at Lawrence High School. Waynflete’s show should go up at some point after 2:00 on Saturday, the 7th. The full festival begins on Friday evening at 6:00 pm and continues into the evening on Saturday.
Here is a link a link to a video of the sonnet-fest that preceded the Waynflete performances.
Congratulations Upper School Science Bowl Teams!
Brandon Woo, Jacob Hagler, Ali Ghorashi, Dana Peirce
Two Waynflete teams competed in the Maine Science Bowl on Saturday at USM in Gorham. The quiz game format used questions in six subject areas: biology, chemistry, physics, math, earth/space science and energy.
The Waynflete A team finished in second place overall, going undefeated through seven rounds and losing in the final round to a very strong Bangor High School team. The A team was led by seniors Ali Ghorashi and Jacob Hagler and captained by Dana Peirce. Brandon Woo and Scott Ralston rounded out the A team. Our B team finished with a record of 3 and 3. The B team was led by seniors Stephen Epstein and Julianna Harwood, captained by junior Henry Johannen, and rounded out by juniors Ben Mallon and Peter Michalakes.
Seventeen teams competed, including nearby Cape Elizabeth, Falmouth and Casco Bay High Schools. MSSM, the Maine School for Science and Math, also competed in this year’s tournament.
Waynflete scientists will not rest long on their laurels. Fresh off competing at the MIT Science Olympiad in January and the Science Bowl, students will immediately start preparations for the State Science Olympiad competition slated for the weekend of March 21. Waynflete, which is the two time defending State Science Olympiad champion and has twice sent teams to the national competition, will be represented by two teams of 15 each in the upcoming event. The Science Olympiad and the Science Bowl teams are coached by Department Chair Wendy Curtis and Science teacher Carol Titterton.
The Jazz Combo is off the State Festival!
For the third straight year the Waynflete Upper School Jazz Combo’s strong performance at the Maine Music Educators Association District II Jazz Festival has earned them a slot in the Maine State High School Instrumental Jazz Festival. Ali Ghorashi ’15 (piano) and Jacob Hagler ’15 (guitar) were recognized with Outstanding Musicianship certificates for their excellent solos!
The Combo will compete at the State Instrumental Jazz festival at South Portland High School on March 13th. They have been given an early performance slot of 1:30 PM. The students will be presenting a heavy shuffle by Michael Abene called The Blues You Can’t Refuse, the beautiful jazz ballad Body and Soul by Johnny Green and the white-hot swinger Ready and Able by George Benson!
The festival is open to the public.
- Julian Abbott ‘18 – Tenor Sax
- Chris Bergeron ‘16 – Drums
- Eliza Cox ‘18 – Alto Sax
- Ali Ghorashi ‘15 – Piano
- Jacob Greene ‘18 – Baritone Sax
- Jacob Hagler ’15 – Guitar
- Julia Hansen ’18 – Upright Bass
- Julian Ireland ’15 – Tenor Sax
Financial Literacy Happenings
#1 Titan Challenge
12 Waynflete students recently competed in the TITAN Challenge, a business simulation competition developed by Junior Achievement. This is the 3rd year that Waynflete has participated. The 12 students were organized into four teams and each team had a Junior Achievement volunteer at their side to assist them in the video game based competition. Over 300 students participated (over 100 teams) in the event which was held at 7 locations around Maine. The sites were connected by video conference, and the students heard from speakers from fields like education, health care, and business. Waynflete’s Titans did an excellent job managing the simulation and all teams had high moments during the day, winning some rounds along the way. Here is how our teams finished:
FLYERS #1: Nick Jenkins, Andrew Clark, Bodhi Small 57th place
FLYERS #2: Reilly Musgrave, Christian Rowe, Stephen Epstein 34th place
FLYERS #3: Jacob Greene, Nick Wagg, Alex Lambert 36th place
FLYERS #4: Abdi Dahir, Sahal Hourdeh, Sam Frederick 32nd place
Who Said That?
“You can’t afford to repeat mistakes in business. The margin of error is so small. The simulation really illustrates that.” Sahal Hourdeh
“The simulation demonstrates the importance of risk-taking, regardless of the economic conditions.” Abdi Dahir
“What?! How did that work?” Bodhi Small commenting about every round that his team did not lose money.
#2 Stock Market Game – Capitol Hill Challenge
This program is a special extension of the regular Stock Market Game in which Waynflete students have participated for several years through 6th grade math and the Personal Finance elective. Sponsored by SIFMA, this edition of the SMG connects our team with one of our elected representatives. This is a national competition, and the top 10 finishers get an all expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C. in June. The trip would focus on visiting government institutions related to investing, and, with any luck, a visit to Susan Collins’ office on Capitol Hill. This is the first time that Waynflete is participating in the Capitol Hill Challenge. Our team is comprised of three seniors whose team had the best finish of all Waynflete teams during the fall session of the Stock Market Game in Maine. Wish them luck and don’t be afraid to ask them for some stock tips. Waynflete’s traders: Erica Hirschhorn * Ellen Langford * AJ Yarn
#3 LifeSmarts
For the third year in a row Waynflete will be competing in the Maine final of LifeSmarts. The competition is March 13 at UNUM and visitors are welcome. Anyone interested in going should contact me at as UNUM has requested visitors register in advance.
The winner of the Maine finals will head to the national competition April 17-20, in Seattle. Waynflete won the Maine LifeSmart competition in 2013 and 2014, and represented Maine at Nationals in Atlanta (2013), and Orlando (2014). In 2014 Waynflete finished 10th at Nationals out of 35 states, just missing the final playoff spot by about 1/2 of a question.
This year’s team includes Sam Frederick ’15, who was on last year’s team, Emily Tabb ’17, Stephen Epstein ’17, Christian Rowe ’16, and Alex Lambert ’17. The photo is of the 2014 team with Mason Saltz ’14, Chloe Williams ’16, Sally Li ’14, Cody Tiparos ’15, and Sam Frederick ’15.
