VOICES OF THE COMMUNITY

Winter 2015
Vol. 1
No. 1
SAVE THE DATE
January 9, 2016:
Admissions Open House
February 5-6, 2016: Spring
Theatre Production - "The
Outsiders"
February 5, 2016: St.
Andrew's Celebration of
Giving
April 15-16, 2016: Theatre
Showcase - "Off the Cuff"
Comedy with the BB6
April 21, 2016: George M.
Sage Memorial Tennis
Tournament
May 10, 2016: Claire Frye
Monologue Contest
May 13, 2016: Middle
School Grandparents Day
May 21, 2016: Annual
Fundraiser for Scholarships
May 24, 2016: Spring
Concert
May 25, 2016: Alumni /
Student Soccer Game
In This Issue
IN MEMORIAM: Les & Linda Keats
VOICES OF THE COMMUNITY: Isidora Tasic '17
VOICES OF THE COMMUNITY: Sandy and Dotty
McCulloch
SPOTLIGHT: MIDDLE SCHOOL: Author Visit
Brings Book to Life
SPOTLIGHT: UPPER SCHOOL: St. Andrew's First
Night Class Takes Students to National Parks
AROUND CAMPUS: Artist in Residence Teaches
"Spirit of Teamwork"
AROUND CAMPUS: Model United Nations Club
Attends Brown University Conference
THEN AND NOW: Dorm Parents
VOICES OF THE COMMUNITY:
Isidora Tasic '17
As a student from a faraway country, a country
with a different educational system, different
traditions and lifestyle, it was very challenging for
me to make the decision to spend a year in
America.
This is my first time
away from home,
and saying goodbye
to my family was
one of the hardest
things I have ever
done. Knowing that
May 28, 2016:
Commencement and Alumni
Reunion Weekend
STAY
CONNECTED
GET INVOLVED
Admissions Inquiry
Volunteer
Planned Giving
CONTACT US
St. Andrew's School
63 Federal Road
Barrington, RI 02806
Phone: (401) 246-1230
www.standrews-ri.org
Email
Headmaster: David J.
Tinagero
Contributors
Cara Massey
Brenda Migliaccio
Brian O'Malley
Isidora Tasic '17
I won't see them for a year and that my life and my
future is going to be in my hands in an unknown
land was frightening. I did not know what to expect
from classes; how can I manage my time properly;
will I miss my home; will I have any friends?
When I arrived at St. Andrew's, the first thing I
noticed were smiling faces of all the people that
were there. It was the warmest welcome I could
ever get. After few minutes on campus, I felt that I
knew those people for years. They were all so
happy to meet me, even though it can be
sometimes be very hard to pronounce my name
properly. People I have met were from all around
the globe. The diversity I have encountered here Americans and students from India, China,
Germany, Africa... it was just fascinating to me. I
have felt that although we may look different,
we all represent one big family.
After a few days in St. Andrew's I was thrilled when
I realized that all students remembered my name
and that everyone was so close, kind and friendly
to each other. Everyone was always more than
happy to help and they were giving confidence to
others. St. Andrew's is giving me the greatest
support to experience who really I am.
I have met some people, which I am proud to call
my friends, where all of them have different ways
of thinking and understanding. With them together,
unified, I am sure that we can do some amazing
things.
Classes I have chosen are challenging. Teachers
are fully dedicated to the students and I can see
how passionate they are with what they do.
From a great diversity of classes that are offered AP courses, preparation for public speaking,
science experiments, community services, sports,
dance, musical, analyzing the greatest books in
American literature, preparation for my future
profession (surgeon, hopefully) to weekend
activities and traveling, this supportive community
gives me a greater picture of our world.
One of the most important things I have learned
here so far is that I am not just a citizen of my
nation, I am the citizen of the world. Here it is
important that each individual has a purpose and
plan for making this world a better place.
I became a member of a soccer team, where girls
play like a team. There is no "I" there, we all play
together, we support each other. Once when I was
having a hard soccer practice and I was feeling
completely exhausted, I asked myself out loud,
Amy Tinagero
CALLING ALL
ALUMNI
'why am I running?' and my teammate answered
me, 'It gets you a step closer to your goal.' That is
what St. Andrew's is about: experience, knowledge
and independence. This place will give you a power
to go in the world and create a new, great idea for
success. The people you meet here will help you
to understand all real, important, life values and
help you overcome every obstacle that you
encounter.
For me, I am proud to call myself a Saint!
St. Andrew's alumni and faculty at
the wedding of Sarah Conklin and
Michael Verardo '03.
WHAT'S NEW WITH
YOU?
Let St. Andrew's know!
Share your news by
sending us marriage and
birth announcements,
graduations, celebrations,
and any other noteworthy
milestones in your life.
You can also update your
contact information to
receive
St. Andrew's publications.
Please send your stories
and information to Alumni
Relations, call (401) 2461230, or send a note to:
Alumni Records
St. Andrew's School
63 Federal Road
Barrington, RI 02806
IN MEMORIAM:
Les & Linda Keats
St. Andrew's dear friend
Lester Keats passed away
on September 1, 2015. He
VOICES OF THE COMMUNITY:
Sandy and Dotty McCulloch
PASSION. LOYALTY. EXUBERANCE. Three
words former Head Master John Martin used to
describe what Sandy and Dotty McCulloch have
shared with St. Andrew's School, remarkably, for
over fifty years. "It is not often, maybe not at all,
that an independent school is bestowed with the
wisdom, guidance, and generosity that Sandy and
Dotty have shared with St. Andrew's."
During an evening tribute held recently at
Blithewold Mansion in Bristol, many close friends
gathered to celebrate and offer thanks to the
McCullochs for their long-time investment and
dedication to the school, its students and faculty.
After accepting the new appointment of Board of
Trustees "President Emeritus," Sandy humbly
noted, "it should be me thanking all of you for
giving us the opportunity to invest in the nurturing
and care it takes to help young people reach their
full potential."
As Dotty shared her reflections on St. Andrew's,
she fondly spoke of welcoming generations of
students into their home and family, which created
some of the most memorable experiences they
share to this day.
The St. Andrew's Community is truly blessed. We
are grateful for the love and generosity of our
friends Sandy and Dotty McCulloch, now and in the
future.
and his late wife Linda
(Darby) Keats were
volunteers and loved
St. Andrew's School. An
Emmy Award-winning
television producer, Les
served as theater advisor
and, together with Linda,
served on many
committees. Les and
Linda's generosity provided
the Keats Theatre in the
McCulloch Center for the
Arts on campus. The St.
Andrew's community is
forever grateful for their
generosity and friendship.
SPOTLIGHT: MIDDLE SCHOOL
Author Visit Brings Book to Life
The St. Andrew's Middle School started its first quarter reading the novel The Life and
Times of Benny Alvarez, written by local author Peter Johnson. Guest readers from the
St. Andrew's community volunteered to read to the students. "It was a wonderful way for
students to get to know other adults they see on campus," said Middle School teacher
Mary Ann Murgo. In addition, students participated in several activities related to the
novel, including a visit by a member of the St. Andrew's Board of Trustees, Dr. Audrey
Kupchan. Dr. Kupchan helped the Middle School students learn about the effects,
symptoms and prevention of strokes so that they could better understand a character in
the book.
On October 14, Middle School students were delighted to meet the author when Peter
Johnson visited their classes. He presented a workshop to our Middle School students
on the use of metaphors in preparation for their final project related to his novel and
answered questions about the book and the writing process. He even played a round of
tennis ball mini-golf with the Middle School students and faculty on the quad. "Many
poignant moments in the novel happen on a golf course," Ms. Murgo explained, "so this
was a way to celebrate the novel."
Author Peter Johnson reads Middle School students' object
poems during a visit to St. Andrew's.
After Peter Johnson's visit,
St. Andrew's students began their
final project: working in pairs to
write object poems, an assignment
that is given to the characters in
the novel. The students were
challenged to use all they had
learned about metaphors to create
poems about objects without
mentioning the name of the object and they did an incredible job!
Peter Johnson returned when the
poems were completed to hear the
students recite their poems.
Everyone was impressed with the quality of our students' writing. (Read one of the
poems below and see if you can guess the object.)
For the students, the experience was about more than just meeting an author they
admired, however. One eighth grade student remarked, "Overall, we enjoyed reading
about a character that strongly identifies with the students who attend St. Andrew's. We
could sympathize with Benny's struggles to fit in, and find his own unique identity, within
the turbulent world of middle school."
OBJECT POEM
by Mirelle Hadley '20
and Jack Heineman '20
Encaging the mouth and cupping the head, I am a hollowed out bowling ball. A soldier's
second skull in battle. I may seem hard, but I'm a marshmallow inside. I'm a package
filled with peanuts. My heavy cage shows pride. When it's game day I'm on. I'm a jack-olantern without a flame or fright.
What am I?
SPOTLIGHT: UPPER SCHOOL
St. Andrew's First Night Class Takes Students to National Parks
This spring there will be something
completely new in the
environmental science course
offerings: a night class. St.
Andrew's sophomores, juniors and
seniors can register for an elective
1/2 credit course that meets one
night per week and includes a
once-in-a-lifetime trip in April to
three of the country's National
Parks.
"The idea came from years of
camping trips that were always part of my class," environmental science teacher John
O'Shea says. "Doug Johnson and I would sit around the campfire and think, how can we do
more? How can we make this bigger?" Those informal conversations were combined with an
idea from former Head Master John Martin to offer night classes to St. Andrew's boarding
students, and a model from the Renaissance Florence class, which takes a trip to Florence,
Italy every year. "The planning is the biggest piece," Mr. O'Shea says. A tour company will
provide security, hotels and transportation - an all-inclusive package for a trip that will begin
and end in Las Vegas, taking students through the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Zion
National Park.
Prior to the trip, the class will include preparation about the history of the parks. While in the
parks, park rangers will guide the class to examine the sand formations in Bryce Canyon,
learn about the erosion and sedimentary rocks in Zion National Park, tour the Grand Canyon,
take a ride down the Colorado River, and star gaze at the Lowell Observatory. "It's
experiential learning," Mr. O'Shea explains. He hopes that they will be able to offer the class
every year and go to different parks each time so that students could enroll multiple times.
So far eleven students have enrolled in the class, with many more interested. Unfortunately,
the cost of the trip (approximately $2,000) has been a deterrent for some. "We would
eventually like to establish a scholarship fund so kids can participate without cost of the trip
being a barrier," Mr. O'Shea says.
AROUND CAMPUS:
Artist in Residence Teaches "Spirit of Teamwork"
Every year St. Andrew's is fortunate to have at least one visiting artist supported by the
Happy White Endowment for the Visual Arts. Mrs. Happy White was a long-time Trustee and
supporter of St. Andrew's who helped start the visual art program. The Artist in Residence
Program exposes our students to a working artist who in turn teaches them about technique
while working with them to produce a work of art. This fall, St. Andrew's was fortunate to
have Max Van Pelt as our Happy White Endowment for the Arts Artist in Residence. Max is a
painter, sculptor and installation artist based in Providence, RI. His residency began this
September when he completed an installation in the Griffiths Gallery in the McCulloch Center
for the Arts on campus.
Max worked with our students for two weeks, helping our students to learn to focus on the
process rather than the end product. "Students learned to put things together with new tools,"
reflects visual arts teacher Brian O'Malley. "Hand saws, cordless drills, weaving wire with a
drill bit, using yarn and wood together. We focused on experimenting - like a lab."
Students also spent time stepping back
from their work to discuss the elements
and ideas behind their compositions.
"Looking at the color, line, movement,
placement. They were thinking in a
totally different way about creating a
piece. In 3D, they talked about where art
exists in the space, in the environment,
and how to create tension in the space,"
Mr. O'Malley says. "The students tried
Video of Max Van Pelt at St.Andrew's School
things they would have never done, like
using projection as the foundation of a drawing, and they got input about their work from a
different mentor, because Max does things very differently than I do, or than Kara [Dunne,
the other visual arts teacher] does."
Max also taught students about working together to make collaborative art. Students in the
3D Design class came together to create an installation in the library. Students in the 2D
class worked together on large scale multimedia pieces. After the two weeks of intense work
were complete, the students' work was placed in the Griffiths Gallery. Reflecting upon their
time with Max, one student remarked, "I learned the spirit of teamwork and that sometimes a
bold move can make a project amazing."
AROUND CAMPUS:
Model United Nations Club Attends Brown University Conference
This summer, sophomore Christina Chen contacted Director of Student Life Jon Alschuler
and requested the start up of a Model United Nations Club at St. Andrew's. "I think when you
know some international news and when you do something to help the world get better, we
really can do something that's good for society," Christina said. Her request was granted and
a group of students began meeting under the guidance of faculty member Dan Penengo.
Along with Christina, students Tracy Li, Nelson Blount, Justin Cao, William Robinson and
Helen Lin meet every Thursday morning for breakfast and conversation with Mr. Penengo. On
November 6, the students arrived at Brown University for the BUSUN, which included 13
hours of committee sessions over three days.
St. Andrew's Model UN at the Brown Conference.
The students from St. Andrew's were
assigned the countries of Vietnam and
Switzerland. They had two weeks to research
their countries and the three topics assigned
for the conference. Each student was tasked
with writing a position paper on each topic
detailing their country's viewpoint. These
position papers were submitted in advance of
the conference so that each student could be
prepared to represent their country in the
committee meetings. In addition to learning
about their country's positions, they also had
to learn about the United Nations procedures
and policies. "They had to learn and
understand the protocols - who speaks and
when and what will be discussed. It mirrors
how the UN runs," Mr. Penengo explains. "I
was very impressed by the amount of work
that the kids did to prepare for the conference
in a very short period of time."
"Being in the Model UN here is great for their
resume. They can continue it in college. Most universities have a Model UN program,"
Mr. Penengo said. Now that the Brown conference is over, the students will debrief and plan
for which conference they will do in the spring. "This conference was great because it was
smaller. It was meaningful and the kids got a lot out of it. We want to find more like that - the
kids really have a voice at the ones of those size. From now until then, one student has
proposed that we simulate our own conference here in house for practice with topics that we
find of interest. That way we can practice the procedural stuff, how to talk about the topics,
and what are the options in committee. The most important thing from my perspective is that
the kids are looking at really important real issues that are happening in the world and the
complexities of combining different viewpoints to move forward on an idea. And to recognize
that the UN is made up of different countries with different egos and different desires and
different goals - it's eye opening for the kids, I think."
INTERVIEW WITH JUSTIN CAO '16
Why did you join the Model UN? Personally, I'm interested
in politics and history. I think Model UN is a really good
platform for me to exchange ideas with other talented kids
from other schools. Model UN is a good chance to meet a lot
of people who share the same interests. The process of
figuring out the resolutions and politics is a really good
learning experience so I think we should all try it.
What has been your favorite part of Model UN? I think it
was attending the actual conference, speaking in front of
others and figuring out the resolution. The weekend we went to Brown for the conference was
the best weekend ever. I loved it. The most precious thing in the Model UN is the ability to
figure out the resolutions. I think this is the most important and the thing that I need to be
learning because it takes time and you have to do the research, you need to consider the
future, why will this resolution be successful. It has to be a good approach. It has to be
effective. I think this is a hard and challenging experience and this is really beneficial for me.
What country would you most like to represent at a Model UN conference? Personally, I
would like to maybe represent China because I know a lot about it. It's my own country. Or
maybe the United States. It depends on what kind of issues, what kinds of topics. But for the
conference we attended at Brown, I really would have wanted to have the topic for China
because they have some really interesting issues to be discussed. But I was assigned to the
Navajo Nation Council. It's not actually a country, but it's a Native American reservation. The
Native American reservation - their rights, their development is always being ignored by
society. Not a lot of people know about them and what's going on in the reservation. From the
research I did, I realized they actually have a really tough life and I do really want to know
why, what caused it. The reasons in history and their relationships with the American
administrations is a really complicated issue. I think the key point is for the Navajo people to
have an equal relationship with the American people and the American government, they
need to be acknowledged, not just be a "minority group."
What do you want to study when you go to college next year? I want to study
international politics. That's the motivation for me doing the Model UN. Maybe I can work for
the government, I'm not sure. Maybe after college or graduate school I will go back to my
own country. We all know that China is developing really fast so someday people are going to
have to solve issues of the political system, which is lack of democracy. So with a major in
politics, one day I can go back to my own country and contribute something. That's my hope.
THEN AND NOW:
Dorm Parents
Hardy Hall c. 1900
Housing the daily academic activities of our Middle
School students, Hardy Hall is alive with the bustle of
sixth through eighth graders. Few know that Hardy was a
gift to the school in late 1897 from St. Andrew's first
House Mother, Mrs. Louise H. Hardy. As St. Andrew's
began as an orphanage, the idea of a house mother was
St. Andrew's House Mothers, c. 1904
instituted by Father Chapin. Overseeing the orphans,
Chapin imagined the house mothers as foster parents to the impoverished boys. While the
number of orphans in need of placement grew, he insisted that each cottage be inhabited by
a family of ten boys and that each be overseen by their own house mother. "In this way, only,
it is believed, can any adequate result be obtained in forming character." Today, the tradition
of the house parent has carried over. Compassionate and dedicated families and individuals
serve to support student welfare by enhancing their dorm and academic experience.
Students move in to Margot's House, 2015
Donate Now
Dorm parents at the Weekend Hoe-Down, 2015