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May 2013 Vol. 1

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The much-anticipated performances of Seussical the Musical was worth the wait! All three performances -- April 12, April 13 and April

14 -- were sold out. When tickets became unavailable, the Drama Dept. welcomed families to the dress rehearsal on April 11, and attendees gave the cast and crew a well-deserved standing ovation. The play truly embodied Multa Bene Facta and reflected the supporting environment that provides learning opportunities for students of all ages. Following is a synopsis of the show.

Before the production began, Thing One and Thing Two played by Shoumick Hasan and Miranda Yurgin lightheartedly engaged the crowd. The entertaining Upper School Ensemble consisted of Julia Reith, Whitney Polich, Brooke Hayman, Kalee Kennedy and Jaime Manlove. With flawless acting, the

talented cast and crew carried the audience into the creative world of Dr. Seuss.

The elaborate lighting created by Technical Director Matthew Kator and Lighting Designer Robert Cox transitioned from one electrifying set to another. During the Havin’ A Hunch scene, the Cat along with the Scary Hand Hunchers performed a smooth glow glove choreography to song. The show opened with a dazzling red, white and blue “Seussical the Musical” backdrop.

Trina Tjersland and choreographer Rachel Marlowe were the co-directors of the production. Music Directors Eric Perkins (conductor) and Zerrin Martin (vocal coach), along with orchestra performers Scott Zeplin (woodwind coach), Aliza Appel (string coach), Maddy Blanchard, Bradley Pedano, Jack Guan, Elizabeth Eppley, Aurian Carter, Graham Pepper, Ben Manning, Luke Eppley,

Zach Mekus, Heidi Chu, Kathy Lamborn, Evan Mitchell, David Hobbs, Ethan Yao, Matt Smith, Andrew Minkovitz and Carina Miller kept the audience enthralled with swaying and toe tapping music.

For nearly two hours, Alexandria Churchwell brilliantly played the mischievous cat, weaving in and out of various humorous cameos from doctor, auctioneer, conductor to marshal. Annie Abramczyk, who charismatically played the wildly imaginative JoJo, the Thinker, led the viewers on nonstop exciting adventures that landed JoJo into a world of trouble with his parents.

Horton the Elephant, compassionately performed by Rodney Orr, lived in the Jungle of Nool. The gentle giant introduced us to a world much like our own except smaller, small like a speck to be exact. It was

By Gloria Repress-Churchwell

Tower Hill Students Rock Seussical!

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Seussical (continued from page 1)

practically an invisible universe made up of Whos on Whoville.

Mirroring real life, the dream smashers arrived with The Sour Kangaroo, a brassy character seen in Rachel League accompanied by Bella Abbrescia, who played the Young Kangaroo. They shared a soulful song declaring that Horton was the Biggest Blame Fool in the Jungle of Nool. The Wickersham Brothers – a fun-loving trio brought by Mark Christie, Cory Mengden and Josephine Chu – were a triple threat of monkeys who hung out together performing pranks. Like the kangaroos, they were upset with Horton because “somebody’s thinking different than us”: a serious no-no in the Jungle of Nool.

The speck’s world of Whoville was a society based on pure humanity. Graham Bright, who played The Mayor, and Becca Pettinaro, who was Mrs. Mayor, were perfectly matched in appearance and style as the parents of JoJo, The Thinker. The Grinch, boldly presented by Barbara Edmonds in surly and rude fashion, also made an

appearance in Whoville surrounded by all of the Whos. The confident Whos and Cadets played by the middle and lower school cast included Kirit Minhas, Rand Barton, Lexi Longo, Natalie Hobbs, Grace Yochem, Peter DeSantis, Celia Habgood, Henry Barton, Neel Vaddi, Jake Frietze, Olivia Schwandt, Aislynn Kator, Allegra Cimalore, Lily Pedant, Audrey Gilbert, Will Cucuzzella, Abigail Jones, Gianna Abbrescia, Olivia Langlois and Claire Dignazio. They introduced Horton to their world of Whoville through the song Here On Who.

JoJo and Horton developed a heartfelt connection as they shared their dreams of believing in a place called Solla Sollew where troubles were absent. “One true friend in the universe…” they sang together, “…who believes in me.” JoJo believed that war was silly in his world. He didn’t believe that everyone should think one way like General Schmitz -- performed convincingly by Cole Wenzel -- who ran a camp to transform out-

of-the-box thinkers into narrow-minded cadets. General Schmitz was determined to keep the world safe for each Butter Side Upper, as opposed to those “bibulous Butter Side Downers.” Laughter and ridicule planted Horton firmly in his belief to defend the speck. He knew it contained life. In their duet, Alone In the Universe, Horton and JoJo unite their universes.

The musical teased the audiences with hints of romance and scandal. Gertrude McFuzz, a shy bird who was unsatisfied with her plain tail and desperate to catch Horton’s eye. Genuinely played by Anne Grae

Martin, Gertrude felt hopeless in catching the eye of Horton and was convinced by Mayzie La Bird -- a “self-described amazing bird” -- that magical pills could beautify her tail. Mayzie, played by Meghan Cobb, was flanked by the cool Bird Girls -- Courtney Hayman, Madi Schopfer and Julia Lindsay -- who convinced Gertrude that the elaborate tail would win Horton’s attention.

The Wickersham Brothers and Vlad Vladikoff, the swift eagle, played by Barbara Edmonds, took the clover that contained the Whos from Horton and eventually the Whos were lost in the clover patch.

At this inconvenient time, when all-things-have-gone-wrong in the life of Horton, The Cat appeared to reassure Horton with a song, How Lucky You Are.

Horton sympathetically vowed to protect Mayzie’s unborn egg that she abandoned. Even when Judge Yertle the Turtle, patiently played by George Gianforcaro, in The People Versus Horton the Elephant sentences Horton to The Nool Asylum for the Criminally Insane, Horton continued to stand strong in his belief that the speck contains life. The Whos triumphantly made their voices heard in the courtroom thus saving Whoville!

The Broadway-quality performance ended with the cat leading Jojo out of the cat-made messes into helping JoJo tap into the power of his imagination to find his way back home. JoJo realized that the entire story was in his head, the place where all of the answers rest. Gertrude learned to love her appearance; she went back to sporting her old tail. She and Horton committed to raise the egg together which hatched into a beautiful Elephant Bird played by Elsa Lunger.

Before the stage lights dimmed and the final bow, the audience was encouraged to use their imagination to decide what happens next in the imaginative story of Dr. Seuss, where as with life – “Anything is Possible.”

The dedicated crew and support team consisted of Ben Greenberg, Cara Wolak, Will Thayer (sound engineer), Jim Guan, Elizabeth Pettit, Blair Isken (assistant stage manager), Sean Sullivan, Kaitlyn Scott, Jacob Simon, Andrew Edmonds, Jody Lanza-Gregory (assistant stage manager), Victoria Longo (scenic design, assistant stage manager), Andrew Stack, Fatima Anwar, Nick Thompson (sound engineer), Amanda Wolff (costume designer), Ron Brignac (photographer), Reagan Adams (stage manager), Anna Schwartz (assistant stage manager), and Erin McArthur (assistant choreographer and assistant director).

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DFRC, the Delaware Foundation Reaching Citizens with disABILITIES, was founded in 1956 when two families who had children with disabilities paved the way for a cause which would later alter the thinking and attitudes of people throughout the First State. DFRC’s founders, Bob Carpenter and Jim Williams, two local sports enthusiasts who were the parents of children with intellectual disabilities, committed themselves to raising the awareness of society to understand the abilities of all intellectually challenged people.

The Blue-Gold All*Star Football Game was the inaugural event of the DFRC to spread awareness about intellectual disabilities and to raise funds to benefit programs serving these children. The Hand-In-Hand Program was added in 1974 to help the high school participants become more aware and accepting of those who the game benefits -- people with intellectual disabilities. Through the Hand-in-Hand Program, participants are paired with a child or a young adult with an intellectual disability, their “buddy.”

Tower Hill has been connected to this football game since its inception because Bob Carpenter was a Tower Hill parent and Jim Williams was a faculty member. The school has had players in the game every year, and four Tower Hill faculty members (John Pierson ‘59, Steve Hyde ‘59, Tom Hughes, and Jack Holloway) have played in the game. Additionally, we have had faculty who have coached the game (Jack Holloway, Steve Hyde, Tom Hughes, Jim Straub and Bob DeGroat), as well as several parents who have played active roles in DFRC. In addition

to the Blue-Gold All*Star Football Game, there is now a golf tournament, Holidazzle, a run-walk and an auction to raise money for DFRC’s mission, which is to enrich the lives of Delawareans with intellectual disabilities.

The Blue-Gold Club began at Tower Hill because of John Pierson’s commitment to the organization. Aside from playing in the football game, John volunteered to help with the game for years. He wanted to see Tower Hill students, beyond the football players, become involved in the educational and fund-raising activities of the Blue-Gold Game. The club promotes the understanding of diversity for students with intellectual disabilities on a deeper level within our school community.

Originally, there was one Blue-Gold Week in the spring, which included an assembly and some fund-raising. Soon “valet for a day” became one of the activities, in which a few willing faculty volunteer to be auctioned off to students and to “wait” on them for the day. There are also days when subs, sodas and candy have been sold to raise as much money as possible to contribute to Blue-Gold. Later, a fashion show was added to the activities and a decision was made to move the fashion show to the fall. The Diversity Club added to the festivities by moving their International Dinner to precede the show, typically held in November.

The result is that Tower Hill has a week in the fall and one in the spring focusing on education and fund raising for DFRC under the banner of the Blue-Gold Club. This year, the senior leaders of the club -- Sophie McCoy, Jenna Chodos and Katherine Ianni -- were responsible for recruiting and organizing all the elements of the fashion show. They received tremendous support from the drama department, which has benefitted the show, and now includes talent acts from all three divisions. The leaders have been also responsible for planning and implementing a week of activities in the spring. The two weeks have regularly raised over $5,000 for DFRC, which uses the funds to support their mission in Delaware. This includes helping to fund the seventh grade disAbilities program at Tower Hill.

The final role of the Blue-Gold Club is the Blue Gold All*Star Football Game and the activities leading up to the game. Tower

By Cindy Cucuzzella

Hill has at least one player each year who plays on the Blue team and also two or three senior ambassadors. Band members have occasionally participated in the event. The seniors involved in these activities participate in what may be the single most significant activity of the Blue-Gold Game, the Hand-in-Hand program. There are activities throughout the spring for the participants and their buddies culminating in the game. In a number of cases, bonds are formed that last a lifetime.

Tower Hill is extremely proud of its association with DFRC. The advisers of the Blue-Gold Club, past and present, are also deeply indebted to the many parents who support our efforts and to the many faculty and staff who generously give of their time and talent to make Blue-Gold activities a success.

A huge thank you to Harry Baetjer for the wealth of information provided on all aspects of the Blue-Gold Club at Tower Hill!pa

ipated in the very successful Home and School Association Bake Sale on October

Partners from the beginning. DFRC Executive Director Anthony Glenn (right) with Ruly Carpenter ‘58 (left), son of DFRC co-founder Bob Carpenter, a Tower Hill parent.

The Blue-Gold Club

Students in all divisions at Tower Hill participate in the Blue-Gold Fashion and Talen Show.

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The dust is still settling (literally!), but if you walked into the Field House today you would probably have no idea that it had been completely transformed into Dodge City on April 27! Through the hard work of co-chairs Lisa DiGate, Deanna Kelly and Chris Gray, along with countless Junior class parents, hours of planning, painting and crafting, the Field House cinderblock walls and gym floor were transformed the into “barn wood” and “dirt roads” leading After Prom guests through a Wild West town, complete with a “saloon,” a “pokey” and a “general store.”

Partygoers entered the After Prom through a custom-made arch welcoming them to the “Hillers Ranch.” There they were photographed in their formal attire before quickly changing into casual clothes and immediately began their fun, late night of bull riding, Velcro-suit jumping and meandering their way through an inflatable obstacle course. Only teenagers would have the energy at this time of night to jump right in and enjoy these activities!

The “saloon” offered refreshments for those taking a break by providing homemade pulled pork sandwiches, Frito-chili bags, hand-dipped chocolate pretzel rods and root beer floats served in mason jars. The “pokey” was home to not only a shifty looking outlaw but also a photo booth where many kids took advantage of the western props and had their pictures taken with their friends. The “general store” supplied them with the sugar rush they needed to keep their energy up while they wandered through town to the sounds of music they had all chosen and downloaded to a playlist created in the weeks leading up to After Prom.

It was a lot of hard work, but the reward was in seeing the smiles and knowing that everyone was having a great time!

By Charlotte Shegog

On Friday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m., two buses left the 19th Street loading dock area of Tower Hill heading to New Jersey. After a full day of school and many athletic events, more than 50 Upper School musicians were on their way to the annual music group competition trip held at Jackson Liberty High School near Lakewood, New Jersey. Musical groups from New Jersey, New York, Maryland and Massachusetts performed for a panel of judges receiving scores on blend, balance, diction, pitch accuracy, articulation, phrasing and about 20 other criteria. Groups competed within school-size categories and for overall winners within group types. Several awards were also given to individual students at the discretion of the judges after all performing groups had been heard. In addition to the placement of the competitors, schools received ratings and written and taped comments about their performances. For music educators, these ratings and comments say much more about how groups are doing and ways to improve the sound of ensembles. Judges often are college professors or professional musicians. One of this year's judges was the recently retired conductor of the Navy Band from Washington D.C.

Our groups represented Tower Hill very well receiving first place and “excellent” ratings in all events entered. The jazz band also received the best overall award, and Tower Hill students received two of the four individual awards given by the judges: Andrew Minkovitz for outstanding student accompanist and Matt Smith for best jazz soloist.

In addition to the competitions, students enjoyed an evening and breakfast with their classmates, an awards ceremony and free time at Six Flags Great Adventure. What's next? A trip to the music competitions in Disney World in the spring of 2014!

After Prom 2013 Productive 30 Hours for Tower Hill Musical Groups

By Eric Perkins, Music Department Chair

Front row: Carina Miller (flute), Ann Grae Martin, Michelle Amorison, Whitney Polich, Katherine Ianni, Andrew Minkovitz (accompanist)Back row: Henry Mette, Zach Rosen, Rodney Orr, Cory MengdenCenter: Vocal Director Zerrin Martin

Master of Ceremony Dennis Kline congratulates Andrew Minkovitz and Matt Smith.

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Anticipation and excitement filled the air as the Tower Hill community came together to celebrate Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week from May 6-10 with a lively backyard barbecue theme as a backdrop. Students and parents spared no effort in expressing their gratitude to the teachers who provide an enthusiastic learning environment, along with fellow staff members who work to make the Tower Hill campus such a special place.

Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week is a longstanding tradition at Tower Hill. What began many years ago with a simple “thank you” apple for each teacher evolved into a faculty breakfast, and is now an entire week of celebration for all faculty and staff. Helmed by co-chairs Evelyn Brady and Lois Miller, this tremendous effort was conceived, planned and carried out by the creative members of the Teacher and Staff Appreciation Committee. A host of dedicated volunteers and many generous parent donors also joined in the effort and were key to its success. Each day of the week was filled with festivities designed around the BBQ theme, and there was literally something for everyone.

Monday began with mailbox treats for each faculty member, complete with Tower Hill logoed disc flyers. The faculty lounge featured an abundance of baked goods, fresh fruit and other delights, with a new menu of treats planned for each day. The fun continued with estimation games and prizes for guessing the number of ketchup packets in a jar on Tuesday, followed by Thursday’s quest to estimate the number of lemonhead candies in a beverage dispenser.

Wednesday brought perhaps the most highly anticipated event: the hugely popular teacher and staff luncheon and raffle. The chorus room was transformed into a realistic backyard barbecue, festooned with brightly colored balloons and boasting a cornucopia of food, including pulled pork sandwiches, fried chicken, hoagies, picnic salads and tempting desserts. Participants were entertained with lively games and indulged with mini massages to further the fun and relaxing atmosphere.

For the raffle, each staff member was given several tickets to vie for the prize(s) of their choice. The array of more than 100 items once again highlighted the amazing generosity of Tower Hill families. Even faculty and staff

By Megan McCrery

who have children at Tower Hill come together to donate a special gift for the raffle. Tickets could be pledged for gifts such as an iPod Shuffle, certificates for local restaurants, sports tickets, and even a community farm share to name just a few. Theme-based items, such as grilling packages and even a small patio table and chairs, rounded out the bounty of prizes that thrilled the faculty.

The week ended on a touching note, when on Friday the many handmade cards and sentiments made by students for members of the staff were given to the recipients. The cards—on display in the main entry hall all week long—featured beautiful artwork, words of praise, and thanks for help with a difficult subject or simply for being “awesome.”

The overwhelming success of Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week 2013 was a testament to the hard work of the co-chairs and their devoted committee members. The Committee worked tirelessly in the months leading up to the big event. Nearly a dozen sub-committees oversaw such things as the testing of recipes and planning of menus, collection of gifts, corresponding with donors and volunteers, decorating and the overall coordination needed to make certain that everything proceeded seamlessly. In all, approximately 60 volunteers came together to join the effort during the week.

Committee members weren’t the only ones hard at work. There were many Tower Hill personnel who--despite the fact that Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week is meant to be a treat for them--went above and beyond their normal duties to ensure that the week’s events flowed smoothly. Whether rearranging schedules and facilities usage, helping with

s e tup and administrative details or offering equipment and manpower, staff members were generous with their assistance.

Co-chairs Evelyn Brady and Lois Miller are truly grateful for the efforts of all those involved. “There are so many talented people who are eager to work together to ensure a lovely event for the entire Tower Hill School faculty and staff. This is truly one of the best committees to be a part of, and the outpouring of love and kindness from Tower Hill families is absolutely extraordinary!”

One of the best aspects of Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week is the way the event celebrates all of the people who make Tower Hill a special place. In addition to honoring the talent and dedication of Tower Hill’s teachers, recognition was also given to those who toil quietly behind the scenes administering, serving and protecting. Each and every member of the staff was treated to some sort of fanfare that emphasized just how much their work is appreciated.

To the entire Teacher and Staff Appreciation Committee, congratulations on an outstanding effort and successful week. And to the teachers and staff members that the event honors, parents and students alike hope the message came through loud and clear: thank you, thank you, thank you!

TEACHER & STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK

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To give you an idea of the growing popularity of the Studio Arts program at Tower Hill, consider that in 2006 there were only six Seniors in the program. Next year, 17 Seniors and 17 Juniors will enroll in the Studio Arts program, which will require Art Department Chair Kirby Smith to teach four sections. Perhaps the best advertising for the program comes from the students themselves, who showcase their best work each year in April -- first at the Studio Art Show and later at the All-School Evening of the Arts. Of course the one project that perhaps takes the most planning, requires facing innumerable challenges but otherwise delights us all are the “installations,” which are available for viewing for only a short three hours at the Evening of the Arts. Arcade Games

This year’s installations once again completely transcended the academic spaces they occupied. Juniors Matthew Gates and Cole Wenzel created an arcade room that enjoyed a constant stream of visitors. “We still had visitors in there at 9 p.m., even though several other installations were taken down by then,” said Matthew. Decorative lighting surrounded the converted conference room, and the students placed small flat-screen TVs as faces atop a pair of mannequins swathed in burlap, floral fabrics and straw hats. And at the center of the room was an arcade machine that Cole developed with a lot of trial and error over several months. “This project certainly wasn’t easy,” remarked Matthew. “But we were really pleased with the way it turned out.”

The objective of installations is to transform a space into something else. Studio Art students are required to identify a space, formulate a plan, gain approval for the project and then “pour themselves into the logistics of making the project remarkable,” commented Kirby Smith. Above all else, Kirby insists that the students generate their own ideas, consider the use of any and all resources and rely on themselves to get the work done. “We don’t tell them how to do art,” said Kirby.

Colorful ChaosThe installations this year couldn’t have been more varied. Using

sheets of drop cloth painted with watercolors, glow sticks, strobe lights, music, light sabers, other light-up toys and the help of her friends (Becca Pettinaro, Blair Isken, Kaitlyn Scott, and Elizabeth Pettit), Senior Madi Schopfer created an installation representing chaos. Students waived light sabers and piped in music from behind the colorfully splattered sheets as visitors traversed Madi’s space. Miles of Mylar

Yet Senior Sophie McCoy took her installation in an entirely different, monochromatic direction, using only mylar and tin foil. Sophie’s crisp installation, a metaphor for self reflection, allowed visitors to see themselves as a student in every aspect of the classroom she transformed. Sophie bought inexpensive building materials and wrapped panels to cover all of the walls. She wrapped books, chairs, desks, computers, pencils, even a student -- Senior Meghan Cobb’s little brother Christopher.

While the work of devising and creating any Evening of the Arts installation is always challenging, this year’s assignment proved even more so for Juniors Alex du Pont and Yasi Bastaniasl, who carefully selected a basement hideaway space for their first installation concept and then weren’t sure it would work when they changed to a more “colorful” course. (See “They Love Lilly” on the next page.) Art Chair Kirby Smith couldn’t have been more pleased with Alex and Yasi’s final project. “The Lilly Room was a great success. The visceral reactions of people when they walked into that space were amazing to me. Every singe person smiled!”

If you missed the Evening of the Arts, you can still view works by our Studio Artists on display through the end of the year and on the website’s Media Gallery.

Inspiring Installations at the Evening of the ArtsBy Christy Fleming

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We Love Lilly

By Alex du Pont ‘14

For our installation idea, we first decided on doing a gold mine. We chose our area to be the elevator and the small basement room below, thinking it appropriate for the whole mine idea. Two days before the Art Show, we grew weary of all the dark colors and decided our installation should be something “bright and colorful,” like the Lilly Pulitzer brand. Since she had recently passed away, we created our installation as an homage to her legacy. We could not change our space, but we could make it work.

We quickly collected anything Lilly we could possibly

find to create a store. We lined the elevator walls in Lilly wrapping paper and mounted a description of how Lilly started her clothing line, which actually began as an attempt to camouflage juice stains she accumulated while working at her own orange juice stand in Palm Beach. When the elevator doors opened, visitors saw our juice stand and were given a glass of orange juice. Every wall in our Lilly store had her famous bright and preppy colors of pink, green, yellow and flowers or stripes. We covered a sofa in Lilly bedding and borrowed a clothing rack from the drama department and covered it in Lilly wrapping paper and hung Lilly dresses on it. We had Lilly bags and cups out and even Lilly Barbie dolls. We made a dressing room with a Lilly chair and a Lilly sheet used as a curtain. Emma Lynch, Raley Abramczyk and Annie Abramczyk all modeled for us.

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ast month, Tower Hill students celebrated one of the most anticipated events of the year: Grandparents’

Day. Almost 600 grandparents and special friends joined Tower Hill students for a fun day of learning and playing. First, special guests got to experience the jittery excitement of the hallways during morning drop off. After gathering in the Founders’ Gallery of the P. S. du Pont Arts Center to pick up their schedules, guests moved to the theater and watched with sheer joy on their faces while students in the Lower School sang songs, played instruments, danced and performed on the big stage. The thunderous applause following each performance reflected the sheer pride of the guests. The Middle School students performed for their grandparents and special guests later in the day to similar rounds of applause and smiles.

The special guests had a firsthand look at their students’ daily classroom life when they ventured into the classrooms to conduct science experiments, draw portraits, practice their Spanish, work through activity centers, help with reading and writing assignments, exercise in gym and work on the computers. Special memories were made by all who participated whether it was something as simple as children telling their grandparents how excited they were to have them at school, to grandparents listening to their grandchild perform their musical instrument for the first time, to just spending quality time together.

Memories can best be told by the words of the grandchildren themselves and what they enjoyed best about the day:

“My grandmother was here and I got to play with her and do my math that I’m learning and what our class is all about. I liked when she saw what job I did.” Eliza Porter

“I liked playing checkers with my grandparents.” Linc Coleman

“It was a special day because grandparents came with a smile on their face.” Brienna Kopey “I liked sewing an elephant puppet at the art table with my grandfather. I took it home and had a puppet show for my mom.” Kieran Leung

“I liked when my cousin Ruth walked in with my grandmother and they got to hear us reading our class book Grandparents Are Grand.” Roman Guerrieri

“I liked sharing the cheesecakes we made in cooking class with our special guests. I ate about five!” Stokes Mellon

“I liked putting together the puzzle I made for my grandparents. When we finished, my grandmother gave me a kiss and her lipstick got stuck on my cheek!” Kasey Palma

In the simplest of statements which sums it up for all the students involved, as Matthew Keller said, “I liked Grandparents’ Day because I got to spend time with my grandparents.”

As for the grandparents, “It was great to see how proud the children were to have their grandparents there. What a great place of learning. It was wonderful to see the respectful and beaming faces on the children, the joy that was evident also on the faces of the teachers, the feeling of grandparents to see the success of the next generation and the support of the teachers and education system that is offered by Tower Hill. Nothing is more valuable to a grandparent than seeing the success of our children’s children...each family member is like a piece of a puzzle or a leaf on a tree of life. As I sat back in that auditorium and waited for the program to begin, you could feel the absolute joy that was evident from the family and friends that were there and the sheer pleasure that moved in waves when the groups of children came to perform. The continuity of life moving forward as you saw a hug, a leaning in, a tour of a classroom, a showing of a piece of art. Those children are so lucky to have such a warm, loving learning environment.”

Thank you Tower Hill faculty and staff for putting on another great day for our students, their grandparents and special guests. These memories will last a lifetime.

Grandparents’ Day 2013 By Karen Keller

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Editor: Starr Cummin Bright

Editorial Board: Cindy Cucuzzella, By Christy Fleming , Karen Keller Gloria Repress-Churchwell , Megan McCrery, Eric Perkins Nancy Schuckert, Charlotte Shegog

The Focus’ mission is to highlight the ef-forts of the Tower Hill Home and School and to report on other Tower Hill events of interest to the entire school communi-ty. Submissions and suggestions are always welcome.

committees looking at the strengths and areas for improvement. This phase has already started and will include questionnaires to a random sample of students, parents and alumni. As mentioned in the April 26 Weathervane, “If you are contacted regarding one of the surveys, we ask that you give it your full consideration, as your input is valuable to our process.”

One of the advantages of using PAIS as the accrediting agency is the school can ask questions of itself. For instance, several years ago Tower Hill moved beyond teaching the Advanced Placement program and replaced it with a more challenging courses. Having changed the curriculum, a question the school might ask itself is, “Is the quality of the courses doing what we want to do – preparing students for college?”

“The whole exercise of accreditation is truly beneficial to improving and anticipating changes in the school,” said Mr. Baetjer. “The self-study, with a time deadline and a protocol outline is really the crux of the process.” It is only after a year of self-study that the PAIS team of outside professionals will come to the school in November 2014. Then they will evaluate the school based on its self-study over three and a half days and can make the accreditation recommendation to the PAIS board of directors for ratification.

Visit www.towerhill.org/paisaccreditation for additional information.

States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSACS), one of six accrediting agencies approved by the U.S. Dept. of Education. Mr. Baetjer noted that this accrediting agency, designed to evaluate public schools, has often demanded areas of examination which were not applicable to a private school such as Tower Hill. The process did not take into account the size of the school, the nature of the student population and the interconnectedness of the teachers both in grade levels and vertically within the school.

In order to better focus the time and energy of the teachers and staff in the self-study which provides the frame work for the accreditation, Dr. Chris Wheeler and Mr. Bryan Garman of Wilmington Friends School decided to ask Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools (PAIS) if they could be the accrediting agency. Mr. Baetjer said, “The National Association of Independent Schools feels PAIS is the ‘gold standard’ of accrediting agencies in independent schools.” Not only would PAIS offer peer professionals of like-minded schools and therefore have standards which coincide with those of Tower Hill, but MSACS would accept a PAIS accreditation as valid.

PAIS agreed to evaluate Tower Hill and Wilmington Friends and changed their bylaws to work outside of Pennsylvania. As with previous accreditations, Tower Hill will undergo a self-study with all the various

ACCREDITATION AT TOWER HILL ccreditation of schools has been an external process of reviews for schools since the late

1800s. Although in the beginning the process only applied to high schools and colleges, now the accrediting agencies review high school down to lower school. While it is required for public schools, private schools seek accreditation voluntarily. Even prior to the 1970s, Tower Hill School sought accreditation, a process which it undergoes about every ten years.

Mr. Harry Baetjer, Associate Head of School, has led the past three accreditations for Tower Hill. He points out, “The purpose of accreditation is multifold. Primarily it creates an opportunity with a deadline for a thorough self-examination. Accreditation also assures current and prospective parents of the school’s excellent standards. Third, it enables the Tower Hill to see where it would like to improve and anticipate changes in a world with ever evolving technology.”

Prior to any outside agency coming in, the school reviews everything from its philosophy of education, documentation of the school budget, health and safety, admission process, to the academic programs. This entails teachers and staff joining committees related to what they already do, as well as committees looking at areas other than their own purview.

In the past Tower Hill has undergone the accrediting process through the Middle

By Starr Cummin Bright

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FOCUS, the Home and School newsletter, has gone through many transitions since its launch in 1993. For many years, FOCUS has been the primary source of information for parents about Home and School activities and events. As an example of how the FOCUS has changed with the times, with the advent of the school’s digital presence, the calendar in the printed newsletter became obsolete. Although the calendar was shifted online, the printed version continued to publish articles about Home and School activities.

Today, FOCUS is fully incorporated into a

digital publication via The Weathervane, with three publications each school year. Beginning in fall 2013, FOCUS will continue to be included in The Weathervane and on TowerNet, but will no longer be published on a set schedule to allow for more timely articles and announcements. Content will continue to feature Home and School events and fund raising activities, recaps of events and information on ways Home and School Association is working to further its mission in support of Tower Hill School.

After 20 years of FOCUS in its various forms, we hope you will stay tuned for our new format

this fall. As we move to this new process, we would like to thank Starr Bright. For the last few years she has dedicated herself to the production of FOCUS as an editor and writer. In this often thankless position, Starr has carried on through the metamorphoses with remarkable flexibility. We truly appreciate all she has done and wish her a very happy “retirement”!

Starr commented, “I am putting to bed the last issue of FOCUS. Thanks to all who made it possible over the years. I know parents and students have appreciated your efforts. I certainly have.”

Home and School Newsletter – FOCUS – Continues to Evolve

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Have a wonderful summer!