A MESSAGE FROM OUR DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS |
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| Rudy Brandl '83, Director of Communications, was inspired by recent alumni visits to share Connection Throughout the Decades in his January blog post. Below is an excerpt:
As we return to school from Winter Break in the first week of January, young alumni often visit to attend events or just say hello to their former teachers. The pandemic made those little reunions a bit more difficult the past two years and our traditional events became either virtual or canceled. It was wonderful to return to the usual in-person format for the young alumni college panel discussions for parents and students and also to host the annual young alumni pizza party and basketball game and reception again after a two-year hiatus. As I listened to the young alumni panelists talk about their LA experiences and transition to their respective colleges and universities, I found myself reflecting on my own journey from LA graduate to college student nearly four decades ago.
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Thursday, January 12 7 p.m. - Jump Start to College Program for 9th Grade Families (Virtual) - details below Sunday, January 15 4-8 p.m. - Upper School Musical Rehearsal in Berry Performing Arts Center Monday, January 16 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - SCHOOL/OFFICES CLOSED
6-9 p.m. - Upper School Musical Rehearsal in Berry Performing Arts Center Thursday, January 19 8:30 a.m. - Lower School Coffee and Conversation (Grade 3 Parents) in Oakwood Room 9:20 a.m. - Lower School Coffee and Conversation (Grade 4-5 Parents) in Oakwood Room 7 p.m. - Booster Club Meeting in Oakwood Room SCHOOL CALENDAR |
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| Young alumni panel shares experiences,
helpful advice with parents, students |
Young alumni returned to campus for panel discussions with parents and students on January 5. This year’s panel included Ramon Gonzalez ’22 (Columbia University), Izabel Korycki ’22 (Rutgers University), Rose Kassam '22 (Boston University), Ariana Di Landro '21 (Princeton University) and Calum Huang ’22 (Villanova University). Both discussions, for parents in the Oakwood Room and students in the Berry Performing Arts Center, were moderated by Sarah Honan, Director of College Counseling, and Alayne Birnhak, Associate Director of College Counseling.
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Winter Games attract Ram fans, alumni |
Fans filled the bleachers in Laidlaw Gym for last Friday’s Winter Games, hosted by the LA Booster Club. The first game of the tripleheader featuring the undefeated LA girls’ varsity basketball team was canceled, but the LA boys battled Spotswood and the Alumni Basketball Game returned after a two-year hiatus.
The event included food, fun and games, Super Fan T-shirt giveaways and a half-court shooting contest. Parent volunteers also sold items in the Booster Club Spirit Shop while students, parents, faculty and alumni enjoyed the action. |
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| Seniors earn early decision acceptances |
Congratulations to several seniors in the Class of 2023 who have made their college plans official after accepting Early Decision admission to their No. 1 choices. For the next several weeks, the WHEN will include spotlights on seniors who have earned Early Decision admission.
Among the first to receive the good news was Sydney Racine ’23, who will matriculate to the University of Pennsylvania and major in biology. Sydney was looking for the best science, research and pre-med programs with a close eye on which institution would best match her social and extracurricular interests. She is thrilled to be continuing her journey at a place known as “the social Ivy.” “UPenn's various clubs and organizations cater to my diverse interests outside the classroom,” Sydney said. “While visiting campus, I could feel how lively the student body was, from students vouching for their clubs to showing their Penn school spirit. Another thing I love about Penn is its pre-professional culture. Penn’s research opportunities and pre-health advisors will allow me to make a seamless transition into medical school.” Click here to read more about Sydney and view other early decision college acceptance profiles |
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| Jumpstart to College Program - Jan. 12 |
The College Counseling Office is excited to present its annual Jumpstart to College program, exclusively for 9th grade students and families, on Thursday, Jan. 12 from 7-8 p.m. The session will take place virtually over Zoom and will be co-led by Ms. Sarah Honan and Ms. Alayne Birnhak from the LA College Counseling Office. The college counselors will provide an overview of the college admissions process as well as some tips as to what you can be doing now as students and parents to set yourselves up for a successful senior year!
Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82930696560 |
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| Heidi Pan '24 earns Harvard writing gold medal |
Heidi Pan ’24 clearly cares a great deal about the environment and she’s determined to bring awareness to important causes dedicated to saving it.
The LA junior was recognized with a gold medal from The Harvard International Review Academic Writing Contest, which encourages and highlights outstanding high school writing on topics related to international affairs. Heidi was happy to earn gold for her work but equally thrilled that her essay titled “Bilge Dumping – The Environmental Disaster Going on Behind Closed Doors” is helping raise awareness for a somewhat unknown issue. |
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| Upper School Musical cast announced |
The Upper School recently began rehearsals for Into the Woods, the 2023 spring musical, which will be held in early March prior to Spring Break. Performances will be held on Friday and Saturday, March 3-4, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 5 at 3 p.m.
Leading players include Sarah Alves ’24 as Cinderella, Julia Machado ’25 as Witch, Nick Vargas ’23 as Baker, Naischa Puri ’23 as Baker’s Wife, Giselle Lee ’23 as Little Red Riding Hood, Charlie Silver ’24 as Jack, Sydney Racine ’23 as Jack’s Mother, and Raiya Patel ’24 as Rapunzel. |
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| Seniors share personal messages in speeches |
Three members of the Class of 2023 kicked off the New Year and delivered senior speeches within the past week in the Berry Performing Arts Center. Jasmyn Gordon ’23 (pictured), Harrison Kilpatrick ’23 and Rohan Batra ’23 addressed a variety of interesting themes. |
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| Maiti O'Connor '23 sets diving records |
Maiti O’Connor '23 has taken her preparation to a new level and the early results have been amazing. The LA senior captured gold medals in her first two diving meets of the season at Montgomery High School in December.
Maiti was the only female diver to surpass 300 points in her first victory and won by more than 20 points. She posted an even more impressive 330.89 score for another personal record in the second competition to win again. |
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| Middle School Athletes of the Week |
Mike Romeo, Athletic Director, announced the Middle School Athletes of the Week at the division meeting. Congratulations to cheerleader Jayda Richter ’27 and basketball player Evan Moreira ’28. |
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FROM THE LA PARENTS' ASSOCIATION |
SAVE THE DATE - IFFN 2023 - February 3, 2023 |
WHPA Book Fair Set for Jan. 31-Feb. 3
The WHPA is excited to be hosting the annual Scholastic Book Fair! Please mark your calendars and plan to join us as we explore our love of books at our “Arctic Adventure” Book Fair! Dates: Tuesday, Jan. 31 through Friday, Feb. 3 Place: The Oakwood Room Visit our webpage at:
https://www.scholastic.com/bf/whschool2022
Volunteers are needed to set up and to assist children in selecting books on Tuesday-Friday. To volunteer, please go to:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409094ca8ab29a57-annual#/ |
Attention Parents! - WINter Raffle is Underway!
Our Annual WINter 50/50 Super Raffle HAS BEGUN! Lower and Middle School families will receive an envelope via their child’s backpack, Upper School will receive via mail. Enclosed you will find 40 tickets that can be purchased and/or sold to anyone. They are $5 each and you simply fill out the top stub and return each one along with $5 for each sold. Please either send back with your child, drop off at school with the receptionist, or mail them back to school. The more tickets we sell, the bigger the prize is!
The breakdown – 50% of all monies raised will go to the winners, the other 50% helps the WHPA to continue providing for our children and school traditions. In previous years, winners have won upwards of $10,000!!
The drawing will be held live at the completion of International Family Fun Night on February 3, 2023. The winner need not be present and you can sell tickets to all your friends, families, coworkers and others. If you need more tickets, please email kkornecki@comcast.net and we will get you as many tickets as you would like.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to let us know. You can email us at parents@WHschool.org Thank you for your continued support and stay well. ~ The WardlaLAartridge Parents' Association Executive Board |
Booster Club Meeting - Thursday, Jan. 19
The LA Booster Club Executive Board (pictured above) invites the school community to attend its next meeting on Thursday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. in the Oakwood Room. A new series of featured guest speakers from the LA coaching staff will begin with an appearance by veteran girls' head basketball coach and physical education teacher Mike Howell. Upcoming events and initiatives also will be discussed at the meeting. Show your Ram pride by wearing LA gear:
ORDER YOUR LA SPIRIT WEAR HERE
Ram Flags are for sale - see order form here
We are also active on social media. Please follow the Booster Club on Instagram here |
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Giving Thanks for our LA Parent Donors
The Development Office would like to thank the LA community for supporting The WardlaLAartridge Fund. Click here to view a list of LA parents who have contributed to The 2022-2023 LA Fund between July 1, 2022 and January 11, 2023. Click here to make a gift to The WardlaLAartridge Fund! Order Your 2023 LA School Yearbooks The 2023 WardlaLAartridge yearbook is on sale. All Upper School students will receive yearbooks. Parents of Lower and Middle School students need to pre-order yearbooks. Please see the flyer for ordering information. Deadline for all yearbook orders is Jan. 31, 2023.
Follow LA on Social Media, Share with Community WardlaLAartridge has a vibrant, active presence on social media with daily content posts highlighting our academics, athletics, arts and extracurricular programs.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn and check out our Vimeo page! You can assist us in promoting the school by sharing our content within your network and posting it on your local town pages and feeds. |
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This publication is produced by The Communications Office at The Lena Archuleta School. |
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