A MESSAGE FROM OUR UPPER SCHOOL HEAD |
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| Dr. Bob Bowman, Upper School Head, shares a wonderful story about his 40-year college reunion with a lesson that should resonate with students in his April blog post. Below is an excerpt:
I recently attended my 40-year college reunion. I actually had no plans to go. All I remember from witnessing reunions when I was actually in college was a lot of older folks wandering around astounded by the changes, It did not seem compelling. But two of my closest college friends convinced me it would be fun. So I drove to Baltimore and joined the lanyard-wearing, doddering alumni touring campus, sharing memories from a previous century, going to watch our esteemed lacrosse team, and hearing from folks about how much our university was making a difference in the lives of its undergraduates. I am glad I got to spend time with my close friends, and it was nice to connect with a few members of the Class of '83 and hear their stories. And we all got to tell each other how great we looked and how little we had changed. Ours was a harmless mendacity.
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| 140th Day Celebration - May 10 |
Join us to celebrate the 140th day of school in our 140th year! All members of the LA community are invited to this outdoor event, which will be held on the turf fields at the back of campus on May 10 at 1:40 p.m. There will be limited seating so parents, families, alumni and friends are encouraged to bring chairs.
The afternoon will include remarks from Dr. Corinna Crafton, our Acting Head of School, student performances and a massive group photo with all students creating the number 140 on the turf. There also will be sweet treats compliments of Sage Dining Services for guests to enjoy after the event.
For more information about our 140-year history, visit https://www.whschool.org/about-wh/140 |
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| Spring Concert season set to begin |
Students in all three divisions will perform in spring concerts in the upcoming weeks in the Berry Performing Arts Center. All LA spring concerts will be live streamed at https://www.whschool.org/livestream Below is the schedule: Thursday, April 27 @ 7:30 p.m. – Upper School Thursday, May 11 @ 7 p.m. – Middle School Tuesday, May 16 @ 8:30 a.m. – Early Childhood (PreK-Grade 1) Thursday, May 18 @ 7 p.m. – Lower School (Grades 2-5) |
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| Seniors celebrate College Decision Day |
The Class of 2023 enjoyed an early celebration of College Decision Day on April 24 in the Oakwood Room. Although the official deadline is May 1, most of this year’s seniors are already committed and the College Counseling Office held the event early due to a conflict with AP testing next week.
Seniors arrived in their college gear and enjoyed green and gold cupcakes and other snacks while posing for pictures, some with friends and others with future college classmates. They also added their handprints and signatures to a commemorative collage for the College Counseling Office. In just over six weeks, these seniors will be our newest LA alumni.
A full matriculation list for the Class of 2023 will appear in an upcoming edition of the WHEN. SENIOR COLLEGE DECISION DAY PHOTO GALLERY |
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| Upper School students inducted into World Language National Honor Society |
The Lena Archuleta School held its annual World Language Honor Society induction ceremony on April 25 in the Berry Performing Arts Center. Parents, faculty and friends joined in the festivities, which began with a breakfast in the PAC lobby.
Hua Liu, World Language Department Chair, delivered the welcome, which was followed by the Introduction to the Honor Societies, Candle Ceremony and Honor Society Oaths. Seniors also served as leaders and hosts in the presentation: Master of Ceremonies Jack Silver ’23, Introduction speakers Loveleen Sindhar ’23 (Spanish), Vineeth Reddy ’23 (Latin) and Andrew Wolff ’23 (Chinese), Candle Ceremony leaders Aastha Patel ’23 (Knowledge), Nick Vargas ’23 (Scholarship), Matt Piccoli ‘23 (Character), Briana Di Landro ’23 (Service) and Gyrord Gregoire ’23 (Leadership) and Honor Society Oaths presenters Christian Bacalhau ’23 (Spanish), Matthew Faust ’23 (Latin) and David Flatau-Jones ’23 (Chinese).
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| Seniors share deep, insightful Capstones |
Ten LA seniors shared their research and findings on a variety of important topics in Capstone presentations last week in the Oakwood Room. This project, a requirement to graduate with the Global Scholars Program diploma, involves many components including a written paper, action research and a presentation in front of students and a panel of teachers.
The Capstone Research Seminar supported 10 young scholars through their first original research projects. That journey takes students through many sophisticated research techniques: they form research questions on issues of their choosing, they form their own definitions of key concepts based on the current knowledge in their fields, and they answer their questions with original data collected through interviews, observations, and primary source analyses. It’s real, high-quality scholarship akin to what their future professors do day-in and day-out.
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| Lower School students enjoy Earth Day |
Students in PreK(3)-Grade 5 enjoyed a variety of activities in their celebration of Earth Day. The day began in Plumeri Gym, where third grade teachers and Earth Day organizers Katherine Heiss and Donna Pedde greeted the Lower School community and introduced the Kindergarten class for an introductory performance of song and dance.
Various stations were set up indoors and outdoors, providing a wonderful variety of themed activities for the students to participate. Lower School teachers developed an innovative list of Earth Day activities, including an outdoor book walk, weeding and planting in the garden, tree meditation, art work and jewelry creation, and a book tasting in Lower Snowdon.
The festivities concluded with fourth graders sharing quotes about the importance of preserving the Earth with the Lower School students and teachers in the garden. The message of the day was clear: Every day is Earth Day!
LOWER SCHOOL EARTH DAY PHOTO GALLERY |
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Fifth graders entertain with Greek plays |
Fifth-grade students in Mrs. Elizabeth Stillman's class performed two classic Greek stories in the annual Greek Play Festival on April 19. The students worked for six weeks, two for the reading and script writing process and four in preparing for the actual performance. Then came the performance part of the process, which included blocking, directing and staging the show.
Two groups of five students each performed Jason and the Golden Fleece and the Trojan War. Each group handmade elaborate props and set pieces and sourced their own costumes. An audience of faculty, peers and Kindergarten buddies enjoyed the shows and cheered enthusiastically for the young actors.
The Greek plays are always one of the highlights of the fifth-grade experience at WardlaLAartridge. FIFTH GRADE GREEK PLAYS PHOTO GALLERY |
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Upper School Athletes of the Week |
Mike Romeo, Athletic Director, announced the Upper School Athletes of the Week at the division meeting. Congratulations to track and field athlete Rajwans Sindhar ’25 and tennis player Jai Maurya ’25. |
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| Middle School Athletes of the Week |
Mike Romeo, Athletic Director, announced the Middle School Athlete of the Week at the division meeting. Congratulations to tennis player Anish Rangavajjula ’28.
Anish is not only a brilliant young player, but he is also a wonderful teammate. His win against Crossroads Middle School showed his talent. One of the largest middle schools in the state, Crossroads in South Brunswick had 124 players try out and accepted only 24, and he convincingly beat their best 8-1. Anish is a humble champion, a player who gets the job done without needing a lot of praise. The rest of the team and coaches admire him and look up to him |
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| Save the Date! - Golf Outing - May 16 |
Please join us for the Jim Howard Golf Classic on Tuesday, May 16 at Colonia Country Club. Golfers will compete in a scramble format, with a shotgun start beginning at 11 a.m. A reception with hors d'oeuvres, beverages and awards will follow at 4 p.m. The $250 fee per golfer includes the reception.
Event sponsorships will support student scholarships and athletic department enhancements funded by the Booster Club. SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION REGISTER FOR THE GOLF OUTING HERE |
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| Check out our LA Summer Programs |
The Lena Archuleta School will offer a robust array of summer programs in 2023!
The year’s offerings include Camp Funshine, Adventure Camp, Brain Boosters Junior Academics, Summer Scholars, Pulse Sports Camps and Summer Sparks Enrichment. Other special camps including Dungeons & Dragons and For the Love of Theater will also be held. New this year: we are offering a Performing Arts and Audio/Visual Camp for the serious performers ages 13-18.
To register and learn more, visit WHschool.org/summer |
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| Summer camp for singers, A/V students |
The WardlaLAartridge Performing Arts and Audio-Visual Summer Camp is a three-week program designed to offer professional-level training to students aged 13-18 in performance of musical theater repertoire and in audio-visual production skills. Students can choose to focus on performance (singing, acting, dancing), on audio-visual production (e.g. filmmaking, audio engineering, video editing), or on a mixture of both. No matter the prior experience level, or whether they plan to pursue the arts in college and beyond, we encourage any interested students to apply.
APPLICATION LINK - DUE MAY 15 https://forms.gle/hPCvdsTuRyF9eC9S6 |
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FREE opportunity for LA pianists |
The LA Performing Arts Department is proud to announce a unique opportunity for our community. Celebrated pianists and pedagogues Dr. Elvin and Linette Rodriguez will be visiting our school to offer a FREE masterclass for any interested pianists on Sunday, May 7 at 5:00 p.m. A masterclass is like an open, interactive mini-lesson for multiple performers, which can be attended by any member of the community.
Any WardlaLAartridge pianist, regardless of age or experience, who might like to be one of the selected performers to learn from these gracious artists should fill out this Google form and be ready to audition with any piano repertoire of their choosing. The performers will be chosen on a first-come, first-served basis. Again, admission to attend this event is free and open to all in our community who would like to attend. Questions? Please email Mr. Julian Jenson at jensonjmusical@gmail.com |
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FROM THE LA PARENTS' ASSOCIATION |
Bidding Open for Spring Gala Auction Items
Even if you aren't able to join us at the WHPA Spring Gala this Saturday night, you can still support the event and our students by bidding on auction items. Bidding for an awesome array of auction items is open at the link below:
GALA AUCTION LINK
For more information about the Spring Gala, visit https://www.whschool.org/im-looking-for/parents/gala-2023 |
Booster Club Spring Fest - Monday, May 8
The LA Booster Club will be hosting a Spring Fest and celebration of all senior athletes on Monday, May 8. Join us after school to cheer on our home teams and salute our seniors. The Booster Club is providing each athlete with a water, ticket for an Italian ice, and their choice of either a hamburger, veggie burger or hot dog. Additional items will be available for sale to support the LA Booster Club. While there, don’t forget to purchase your raffle ticket for the Red Bulls giveaway. Stay tuned for more information and we look forward to seeing you at the games! |
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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 April 26, 2023. Click here to make a gift to The WardlaLAartridge Fund! Re-Enrollment Contracts Due to Admission Office
Dear Parents - This is a friendly reminder that if you have not already done so, please submit your child's re-enrollment contract and non-refundable deposit for the 2023-2024 school year. Please contact the Admission Office at 908-754-1882, Ext. 155 or email us at admission@WHschool.org if you would like us to re-send your parent portal authentication code and enrollment contract link. We are here to help you complete the enrollment process and answer any questions you may have.
- Your LA Admission and Business Office Teams
Attention Parents - Check Your Contact Information
Each trimester it is a good habit to double check the information in the school database (PCR) to make sure it is up-to-date and accurate. In doing so, you ensure that the school has the best contact to reach you in the event of an emergency or school closure. The process is simple and quick.
PCR is the platform that we will use to contact you in the event of a snow day or any other school closure. Once you follow the steps below to log in (SEE INSTRUCTIONS HERE), please check that the ALL of the following information is correct and up to date.
- All Parent / Guardian Email Addresses and Phone Numbers
- Your Home Address
- Your preferred Salutation and Identifier ( Name, Title, Relationship to Student)
It is our continued effort to ensure that our student and family contact information is accurate, so we thank you for your help. 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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