Waterford News Feed

May 2013 Photo Highlights

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:56:00 GMT

A selection of recent images from the Waterford community:

Kindergarten students finish their study of insect life cycle by releasing the butterflies they have raised from eggs. Three photos: Susan Banks

Our Amazing Students and Faculty: May 2013 Edition

Tue, 21 May 2013 23:52:00 GMT

More accolades in all sorts of realms for our students and faculty. We continue to be amazed!

Debate

Waterford’s Debate program continues to grow and have great success under the guidance of Dr. Luana Uluave. This year we had 23 students compete at 11 different tournaments, with many trophies won along the way. Here are some of our major honors from the year:

Our team placed second in the Region 14 tournament.
Earlier in the year we placed first in the small schools division of the Keifer Memorial Tournament at Westlake HS.
Eliza Wells placed first in Lincoln-Douglas Debate at the 2A State Tournament.
Sage Heuston was a finalist in Oratory at the 2A State Tournament.
Our Ethics Bowl Team (Sam Sintz, Tony Liu, Max Xiong, Sage Heuston, Eliza Wells) placed 2nd in the State.
Eliza Wells was a Qualifier in Oratory for the National Individual Events Tournament of Champions (NIETOC) in San Antonio, Texas, and a Qualifier for the National Forensics League National Tournament in Birmingham, Alabama.

State Championships for Men's Tennis and Lacrosse Teams

Tue, 21 May 2013 21:57:00 GMT

We had double the excitement recently as the Ravens claimed two State titles this Spring season. First our Men’s Tennis team played to a dramatic finish against Rowland Hall, ending up as State co-champions. Jay T Anderson won the State title in first singles, and Quinn Pritchett won in second singles. Check out the articles in the Tribune and the Deseret News. Then the Ravens Men’s Lacrosse team made a powerful run through the playoff brackets, capped by a victory over Syracuse for the State title. Read more here.

Congratulations to our hardworking, talented athletes and coaches!

Six Members of the Class of 2013 Inducted into the Cum Laude Society

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:43:00 GMT

Last month, six more Waterford students were inducted into the Cum Laude Society, a national honor society for secondary school students. Congratulations to:

Jay T Anderson
Tony Liu
Jenny Spaulding
Neil Sahasrabudhe
Dustin Dienhart
Hohyun Lee (not pictured)

Founded in 1906, the Cum Laude Society is dedicated to honoring scholastic achievement in secondary schools. The founders of the society modeled Cum Laude after Phi Beta Kappa and in the years since its founding, Cum Laude has grown to 382 chapters, approximately two dozen of which are located in public schools and the rest in private or independent schools. Membership is predominantly in the United States, but chapters also are located in Canada, England, France, Spain, Puerto Rico and the Philippines.

College Admissions Report 2013

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:20:00 GMT

By Sari Rauscher, Director of College Counseling

We are excited about the college application results of the Waterford School Class of 2013. The 54 Seniors made 404 applications to 162 different colleges across the U.S., and every student has accepted an offer of admission at a high-quality college that is a good fit for them.

The Class of 2013 will attend:

American University
University of Arizona
Austin College
Baylor University
Brigham Young University
BYU-Hawaii
BYU-Idaho
University of British Columbia
University of California-Berkeley
Colorado College
Dartmouth College
Emory University

Tony Liu '13 Wins Prestigious Morehead-Cain Scholarship

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:40:00 GMT

For the second time in three years, a Waterford Senior has received the highly competitive Morehead-Cain Scholarship. Tony Liu will attend UNC Chapel Hill with all his expenses paid, including additional opportunities during the school year and summers.

You can read more about the Morehead-Cain here.

From our press release:

Tony Liu, a senior at the Waterford School in Sandy, Utah, was recently selected as a recipient of the Morehead-Cain Scholarship, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious merit award program. Liu is the only Morehead-Cain scholar from Utah this year.

Liu serves as student body president and is first chair violist in the Waterford orchestra and small chamber ensembles. He also co-founded the history club at Waterford and helped the soccer team win two state championships. He is the son of Jian and Jie Liu of Lindon.

Among the largest and most competitive scholarship programs in the United States, the Morehead-Cain pays all expenses for four years of undergraduate study at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, including the cost of a laptop computer and four summer enrichment and internship experiences. Additional funding is provided for educational and experiential opportunities during the academic years. The value of the scholarship is approximately $150,000 for an out-of-state student.

A Transition, With Our Gratitude

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:58:00 GMT

Lower Schools Director Deanna Williams has asked to return to the classroom, and will delightedly do so next fall. We are deeply grateful for all that she has brought to this role. Excerpts of her tribute from the Board of Trustees are reproduced below.

We are excited to welcome Susan Johnsen as the new LS Director, effective at the end of this school year.

The Waterford School Board of Trustees unanimously expresses its profound appreciation to Deanna Williams

For her distinctive and constant support of the mission of the Waterford School,
and for her lasting influence as Director of the Lower Schools; …

For the trust she engenders among her colleagues, for the confidence she has in her teachers and they in her, for the remarkable guidance she offers the youngest students;

For the upward trajectory she sets for the curriculum, and the direction she derives from educational research; …

And for her continuing commitment to the cause of the Waterford School.

Safety and Security - May Report

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:47:00 GMT

Report from the Head of School

This year, we were stunned by events beyond our campus, first in Connecticut and more recently in Boston. With other schools, we are determined that we will learn from these tragedies so that our world here at Waterford will be as safe as possible. Thoughtful and deliberate improvement in all areas of safety and security ensures that we will enhance the environment and ethos that cultivate learning and growth.

We reported in the February Newsletter the plan for review and improvement. Here, we provide a summary of the steps taken, and future steps to be taken.

Student Leadership in the Upper School

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:32:00 GMT

By Andrew Cole, Upper School Dean

Early in the summer before entering grade twelve, I received a letter from my principal. The unopened envelope sat on my desk for the better part of the summer as I fretted over its contents. Why would the principal of my large public high school write me? What had I done (or not done) to attract his attention? My carefree summer days were dimmed by the knowledge that this letter held important information that I was afraid to encounter. Finally, in the dog days of late August, I steeled myself and opened the letter, only to find that it was an invitation to enroll in a year-long leadership seminar. To that point in my life, I had not viewed myself as a leader. In fact, I was convinced that my youthful shyness had strategically sheltered me from having to do anything uncomfortable or publicly visible. Little did I know how this leadership seminar would prepare me for my life’s work.

A few weeks ago, student government candidates presented their election speeches in Upper School assembly. There was a depth and maturity to their comments that indicate the type of leadership experience for which they are ready and eager to create. Instead of outlining unrealistic things that they would bring to the Upper School, such as soda in the drinking fountains, these future student leaders discussed the attributes they would contribute. They talked about how they would support and enrich the school community and the ways in which they have spent the last twelve years preparing for the opportunity to serve.

Simple and Profound

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:49:00 GMT

By Nancy Heuston, Head of School

This spectacular year is drawing to a close. Awards and honors to students and faculty are at the highest level ever. College acceptances provide a clear indication of the impressive breadth of accomplishment of the members of our graduating class. This is a time to celebrate our seniors.

We invite you to attend Commencement on Thursday, 6 June at 11am at Abravanel Hall. In ways unique to Waterford, we will honor the members of the Class of 2013. This is a fitting way for us to come together as the community that has been as family for these remarkable young people, and to bid them well as they transform before our eyes from Seniors to Alumni.

As I have listened to the magnificent talks we have heard recently from members of this Class, I am reminded that the Waterford campus provides a safe harbor. From Nursery Threes to Class XII, our students trust because they know they are trusted; this allows each one to settle into the exploration and discovery that characterize both the beginning and the culmination of “simple and profound”* learning and living. And explore and discover they do! Curious and always willing to try, they try out for a play, throw a pot, suit up as a senior to play soccer for the first time.