A MESSAGE FROM OUR DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS |
|
|
| Rudy Brandl '83, reflects on an Alumni Awards Ceremony that inspired Decades of Memories in his October blog post. Below is an excerpt:
The AP Room was loaded with iconic WardlaLAartridge legends at the annual Alumni Awards Ceremony and Reception, which has become one of my favorite events every year. I still recall my first one as a member of the LA staff way back in 2009 when my classmate Jill Kenny Christen ’83 was one of the inductees into our Athletic Hall of Fame. Fourteen years later, in the 40th anniversary year of my graduation from this wonderful institution, I still enjoy hosting the event.
As I said at the podium during my welcome and introduction on Saturday afternoon, the preparation for this year’s ceremony was the most enjoyable and rewarding part of the process. I’ve been told the event ran smoothly and that our guests enjoyed it, which is no surprise considering the enthusiastic and passionate recollections the honorees shared during the planning stages. |
|
|
Thursday, October 19 7 p.m. - Booster Club Meeting in Oakwood Room - Join Zoom Meeting Here Friday, October 20 6 p.m. - Middle School Fall Dance in AP Room 6:30 p.m. - Middle School Parents' Reception in Oakwood Room Saturday, October 21 9 a.m. - Admission Information Session in Berry Performing Arts Center Wednesday, October 25 6:30 p.m. - Upper School Snapshot in AP Room / Classrooms Saturday, October 28 Senior Portraits - Make Up Day - in Oakwood Room Sunday, October 29 Upper School Play Tech Week Begins in Berry Performing Arts Center
SCHOOL CALENDAR
2023-2024 ONE-PAGE SCHOOL CALENDAR |
NOTE: Due to the length of this week's edition, readers may be prompted to "View Entire Message" or "Download Entire Message" while scrolling through the newsletter. |
|
|
| Rain can't dampen Fall Fair spirit |
The Lena Archuleta School held its first indoor Fall Fair and Homecoming Day in more than a decade and the community of students, parents, faculty, staff, alumni and friends enjoyed the atmosphere and activities. Although rain forced the cancelation of all home sporting events and the annual Alumni Soccer Game, the Fall Fair attendance was high with lots of spirit in the building.
LA students, Parents’ Association and Booster Club members made good use of the space in the halls and two gymnasiums, providing fun, food and games for guests of all ages. Laidlaw Gym included inflatables, a bounce house and petting zoo, while Plumeri contained more games and a large obstacle course and slide. Other activities included a balloon artist, glitter tattoo artist, face painting, basket raffles, the 50/50 raffle, the always popular bakery, famous Booster Club grill, Middle School French fries, and the senior class luncheon.
The alumni tent gathering place was moved to the AP Room, where graduates from the early 1970s to 2023 stopped in to reconnect. Members of the Class of 1973 enjoyed a 50th reunion celebration on campus and several members of the Class of 2003 and Class of 2013 returned to commemorate milestone reunion years. FALL FAIR PHOTO GALLERY |
|
|
| Alumni Awards Ceremony honors excellence, tradition, school history |
Three outstanding individuals and two athletic teams were honored at the Alumni Awards Ceremony at the conclusion of Fall Fair and Homecoming Day in the AP Room. Congratulations to the 2023 Alumni Award winners: Sue Howard (Distinguished Faculty), Gil Childers ’73 (Athletic Hall of Fame), Keith Mann ’03 (Athletic Hall of Fame) and the 1971 boys’ basketball and 1984 girls’ basketball teams. The honorees, their family and friends, alumni and other members of the LA community enjoyed a reception afterward.
|
|
| | Students celebrate Spirit Week |
LA students in all three divisions had a blast during four fun-filled days of Spirit Week. The Lower, Middle and Upper Schools celebrated according to different themes, although some overlapped including Friday’s culminating Green and Gold Day.
Lower School daily themes included Sports Team Tuesday, Wacky Wednesday and Throwback Thursday, while the Middle School had Twinning Tuesday, Wacky Wednesday and Met Gala Thursday. The Upper School’s friendly competition among the classes featured Color Tuesday, Wild West Wednesday and Holiday Thursday. The seniors won the overall competition on the strength of their July 4 video.
Friday’s Green and Gold Day began with Lower School Spirit Day in Plumeri Gym and ended with the Upper School Pep Rally in Laidlaw Gym. SPIRIT WEEK PHOTO GALLERY LS SPIRIT DAY PHOTO GALLERY |
|
|
| Seniors named Commended Students |
Nine WardlaLAartridge students received the title of Commended Student in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program this year. These students were recognized at the Upper School’s Monday meeting on Oct. 16.
Sarah Honan, Director of College Counseling, shared the good news with the students, who received certificates and joined Ms. Honan and Alayne Birnhak, Associate Director of College Counseling, on stage in the Berry Performing Arts Center.
Congratulations to the nine Commended Students: Vineel Bandla ’24, Siddharth Bharadwaj ’24, Joanne Ding ’24, Tiger Huang ’24, Gbemi Olarewaju ’24, Diya Patel ’24, Tanvi Ravilla ’24, Charlie Silver ’24 and Luke Tan ’24.
Students entered the National Merit Scholarship program, a nationwide competition for recognition and awards conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), by taking the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) last October. Commended Students represent the 50,000 highest scoring students on the NMSQT in the country. |
|
| | Class of 2027 provides harvest service |
Ninth grade students enjoyed splendid weather during their day of service at Grow-a-Row in Pittstown on Oct. 11. The students were accompanied by chaperones Nicole Nolan, Tony Diaz, Jinni Durham, Joe Konczynski, Michelle Penny and Andrew Sullivan.
The students worked together to achieve a successful harvest, which consisted of 4,000 pounds of apples and tomatoes that will provide 16,000 servings of fresh produce to those who need it most. By working together as a team, the LA students helped to provide essential healthy fruits and vegetables for their neighbors in need.
“Please relay our immense thanks to the students for getting involved in helping their community,” said Kristen Senuto, Programming Associate at America’s Grow-a-Row. “We are so appreciative of all of your hard work!”
CLASS OF 2027 GROW-A-ROW PHOTO GALLERY |
|
|
|
Lower School Garden Club working hard |
Our Lower School Garden Club continues to provide a hands-on experience for our second, third, and fourth graders this fall. Led by third grade teacher Katherine Heiss, Lower School Spanish teacher Maria Hinestroza, and Lower School STEM teacher Kelly Coleman, 18 Lower School students and parent volunteers are working to keep our garden sustained.
The Lower School Garden Club meets on Tuesdays after school. At this past week’s meeting, students, teachers, and parents worked together to create a LA jack-o-lantern. The Garden Club engages in hands-on experiences where the students learn about the importance of sustainability by weeding, planting, and meditating. |
|
|
| Upper School Fall Play - Nov. 3-4 |
The Upper School is pleased to present Lost Girl as this year’s fall play! The cast and crew are hard at work in preparation for the performances, which are scheduled for Friday, Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 4 at 3 p.m. in the Berry Performing Arts Center.
Leading players include Julia Machado ’25, Charlie Silver ’24, Raiya Patel ’24, Natalie Koegler ’24, Ishi Singh ’24, Nidhin Kumar ’24 and Aarya Patel ’25.
Tickets will be available to the general public beginning Friday, Oct. 20 at this link: http://twhsnj.booktix.net |
|
|
| Middle School Musical - Nov. 17-18 |
The Middle School is excited to present Aladdin Jr. as its musical this year! Students have completed their auditions and rehearsals began this week in the Berry Performing Arts Center. Performances will be held Friday, Nov. 17 at 3:30 p.m. for students only and Saturday, Nov. 18 at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. Leading players include Rishi Nihalani ’29, Aanya Chaturvedi ’29, Shiloh Sharma ’28, Joshua Simeonidis ’28, Arika Shah ’29, Anika Kumar ’29, Krishna Kumar ’29, Devindar Virdi ’28, Brit Gehl ’28 and Jaxson Simeonidis ’28. Ticket information will be coming soon. |
|
| | Seniors deliver inspirational speeches |
Three members of the Class of 2024 delivered speeches within the past week in the Berry Performing Arts Center: Sanya Sidhu ’24 (pictured), Naomi Valcourt ’24 and Bella Rovito ’24. |
|
|
| College reps visiting LA this fall |
LA is pleased to welcome many of the finest colleges and universities to our campus for in-person visits with our students this fall. More than 50 visits are scheduled to date, including Boston College (Oct. 20), Smith College (Oct. 20), Bentley University (Oct. 23), Stevens Institute of Technology (Oct. 24) and Lehigh University (Oct. 25). |
|
|
| Volleyball team wins Blue Division title |
The LA girls’ volleyball roared through the regular season with 12 consecutive victories to capture the Blue Division title. The Rams only dropped three games in the 12 matches, putting their overall games mark at 24-3. They swept the other nine matches 2-0 in a dominant display.
The Rams put their undefeated record on the line in Tuesday’s first round GMC playoff match against South Brunswick, a Red Division team and one of the largest schools in the county. With a rowdy home crowd behind them in Plumeri Gym, the Rams overcame a slow start and fought hard with spirited play in the second game before falling short.
LA will compete in the state tournament later this month. GMC VOLLEYBALL MATCH PHOTO GALLERY |
|
|
|
Upper School Athletes of the Week |
Mike Romeo, Athletic Director, announced the Upper School Athletes of the Week at Monday’s division meeting. Congratulations to cross country runner Charlotte Szczubelek ’26, soccer player Al-Hammed Bell ’25, volleyball player Zara Zaidi ’24 and tennis player Annie Yu ’25. |
|
|
| Middle School Athletes of the Week |
Mike Romeo, Athletic Director, announced the Middle School Athletes of the Week at this week’s division meeting. Congratulations to soccer player Angel Chun ’28 and cross country runner Shaina Patel ’30. |
|
|
FROM THE LA PARENTS' ASSOCIATION |
Family Meals, Thanksgiving Items - Order Soon!
The WHPA and Sage Dining Services are partnering to offer an East Asia dinner box for November and also pies and sides for the Thanksgiving holidays! Order deadline for the monthly dinner box is Friday, Oct. 27. Order deadline for Thanksgiving pies and sides is Thursday, Nov. 16. PLACE ORDERS HERE |
Booster Club Meeting - Thursday, Oct. 19 @ 7 p.m. The Booster Club invites all parents in the LA community to join their next meeting, set for Thursday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. in the Oakwood Room. If you are unable to join the meeting in person, you may attend virtually: Join Zoom Meeting Here
Meeting ID: 851 3528 8679 Passcode: 748696
For more information, contact Booster Club President Greysi De Jesus at president.whboosterclub@gmail.com |
Booster Club Selling Slides and Gaitors The Booster Club will continue the sales of LA Rams gaitors (clogs) and pride slides for a fundraiser that has been extended to October 31. Both items feature attractive home and away designs. Please see the order links below: LA Slides Fundraiser
LA Gaitor Fundraiser |
|
|
Service Leaders Continue Socktober Drive
The Upper School is participating in its third annual "Socktober," a drive for socks (as well as hats and gloves) during the month of October to support the homeless population in New Jersey. Last year, LA collected more than 3,000 pairs of socks!
According to a NJ Counts, Point in Time Count of the homeless from January of this year, there are more than 10,000 homeless individuals in the state of New Jersey. As the winter months are approaching, socks, gloves and hats are among the most needed items at homeless shelters.
The LA community can participate in the drive by purchasing directly from our Amazon Wish List or by purchasing items on your own and sending them into school. There will be a collection bin in the main lobby. All items purchased off the gift list will be sent directly to the school. 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. |
|
|
This publication is produced by The Communications Office at The Lena Archuleta School. |
|
|
|
