A MESSAGE FROM OUR DIRECTOR OF ADMISSION |
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Gerard Gonnella '89, Director of Admission, reflects on his participation in the many learning opportunities our students continue to enjoy outside the classroom in his May blog post. Below is an excerpt: I recently came across a bunch of patches from the places I have visited with WardlaLAartridge students during the past 28 years. I'm amazed by all the wonderful and engaging places we have visited and learned so much from. I have many fond recollections visiting countries like France, Italy, the United Kingdom and China, along with historical venues right here in our own backyard like Colonial Williamsburg, Mount Vernon, Washington, D.C., Lake Placid, and the Liberty Bell, along with Veterans Center in New Jersey and the Edison Memorial Light Tower right down the road from the school. |
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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. |
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| Calendar of Events packed in May |
The month of May began with Upper School Capstone presentations and the eighth grade trip to Washington, D.C. but includes many activities and events beyond the classroom. Below is a snapshot of major events on tap for May: May 2 – Upper School Spring Concert – 7:30 p.m. May 6-10 – Teacher Appreciation Week May 6-17 – Advanced Placement Exams May 7 – Early Childhood Spring Concert – 8:30 a.m. May 7 – Jim Howard Golf Classic – 11 a.m. May 9 – Lower School Art Show – 5:30 p.m. May 9 – Lower School (Grades 2-5) Spring Concert – 7 p.m. May 15 – Ram Run Fun Run/Walk – 3 p.m. May 16 – Middle School Spring Concert – 7 p.m. May 18 – WHPA Food Truck and Vendor Event – 11 a.m. May 19 - RoboCup Junior Nationals - 9 a.m. May 23 – Cookin’ Cabaret – 6 p.m.
May 24 – Lower School Field Day – 9 a.m. May 24 – Middle School Shakespeare Festival – 9 a.m. May 27 – Memorial Day – SCHOOL CLOSED |
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| Sign up and play! - Golf Outing - May 7 |
Sign up and play at the second annual Jim Howard Golf Classic on Tuesday, May 7 at Colonia Country Club. The deadline to register is Friday, May 3.
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 $295 fee per golfer (or $1,000 per foursome) includes the reception. For more information about the event and sponsorship opportunities, visit the registration link below:
REGISTER FOR THE GOLF OUTING HERE |
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Join us for the Ram Run - May 15 |
The WardlaLAartridge Board of Trustees is proud to announce the fifth annual LA Ram Run on Wednesday, May 15. All students and parents are invited and encouraged to participate in this Fun Run/Walk. It is a chance to have fun, gather afterwards in the AP Room for a reception and raise some funds to help our students and the school. The funds raised by this event will help to provide scholarships and grants, purchase new equipment and technology for academics, support athletics, and service learning opportunities and community outreach for our students.
Click here more information, including FAQs by division and a sponsorship form. |
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| LA to host national robotics competition |
From California to New York, more than 40 teams from across the United States will converge on The Lena Archuleta School campus on Sunday, May 19 to take part in the annual RoboCupJunior USA Tournament.
The RoboCupJunior USA competition challenges students up to 19 years old to work collaboratively as a team to design, create and code robots to solve problems. The competition is divided into three leagues – Soccer, Rescue, and OnStage. The robots are fully autonomous, using sensors to explore the world around them and make decisions without human intervention. The competition is open to students with any level of experience, and teams can use any tool or technology they want, from modifying preexisting robotics kits to building everything from scratch.
Winning teams may be eligible to participate in the RoboCupJunior International Competition, which is a part of RoboCup, the largest robotics and artificial intelligence competition in the world. RoboCup is organized by RoboCup Federation each summer and will be held July 18-21 in Eindhoven, Netherlands. Last year, 36 countries from around the world were represented at the RoboCupJunior International Competition. |
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| Students inducted to Cum Laude Society |
The Lena Archuleta School inducted 11 new members into the Cum Laude Society in a ceremony held on April 25 in the Berry Performing Arts Center. Dr. Corinna Crafton, Head of School, Dr. Bob Bowman, Upper School Head, Mrs. Christine Cerminaro, Dean of Students, and Upper School faculty members Dr. Jonathan Wilson and Sra. Maggie Reiter led the presentation as faculty and staff who are Cum Laude members. Senior members Siddarth Bharadwaj ’24, Joanne Ding ’24, Gbemi Olarewaju ’24, Diya Patel ’24, Aadithya Srinivasan ’24 and Luke Tan '24 welcomed the new members and joined them on stage.
Congratulations to the new LA inductees: seniors Raiya Patel ’24, Aryamaan Roy Choudhury ’24, Ayushman Roy Choudhury ’24, Sanya Sidhu ’24 and Hannah Yin ’24 and juniors Adam Eisdorfer ’25, Vinay Karthik ’25, Tapleen Kaur ’25, Oliver Laskow ’25, Briana Li ’25 and Annie Yu ’25.
CUM LAUDE PHOTO GALLERY Photos by Michelle Penny and Alissa Folkes |
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| Aadithya Srinivasan '24 earns scholarship |
Aadithya Srinivasan ’24 was one of only 44 students in the state of New Jersey to receive a National Merit Corporate Scholarship this year. The scholarship, sponsored by the Novartis US Foundation in partnership with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, was announced on April 24. Aadithya was recognized at this week’s Upper School meeting and is pictured with Ms. Sarah Honan, Director of College Counseling, and Dr. Bob Bowman, Upper School Head. Aadithya and his classmate, Heidi Pan ’24, have already been named National Merit Finalists and are currently candidates for the National Merit $2,500 Scholarship, which will be announced on May 8. |
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| Luke Tan '24 wins state good citizen award |
LA senior Luke Tan ’24 was recognized as the winner of the DAR Good Citizen Award for both the Westfield Chapter of the DAR and the state of New Jersey this past Saturday during the DAR's State Chapter Meeting at Forsgate Country Club in Monroe, NJ.
Luke is the first WardlaLAartridge state-level winner for New Jersey in recent history and the third LA student in a row to win for the Westfield Chapter. Luke has advanced to the Divisional level of the scholarship competition and, if selected, will be one of only a handful of students in the country to advance to the National level.
The DAR Good Citizen Award is the organization's highest honor and is awarded to students who exemplify its core values: Dependability, Service, Leadership and Patriotism. During the ceremony, Luke was recognized for being both a “model citizen” and “hope for our future as a nation.”
Along with his certificates, Luke received a $500 college scholarship for being both the Chapter and State DAR Good Citizen winner. He was joined at the ceremony by his parents and Ms. Sarah Honan, LA Director of College Counseling. |
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Creativity on display at INDIE Festival |
The Lena Archuleta School showcased Upper School student filmmakers, visual artists, musical and dance performers at the annual Indie Film and Arts Festival on Friday, April 26.
Upper School students, joined by their family and friends, enjoyed a full evening of festivities similar to the Academy Awards with guests dressed in formal evening attire. The event began with a “mocktail hour” in the AP Room including hors d'oeuvres prepared by Sage Dining Services. Craft mocktails were designed and prepared by Upper School students. Guests enjoyed perusing the amazing visual artwork created by the students of Mr. Andrew Sullivan and Miss Tanda Tucker in an Upper School art gallery in the main hallway and 1882 area. Many posed for photos on the red carpet to enhance the Oscar night vibe.
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| | Alumnus shares powerful documentary |
Fernando Ramirez ’77 was proud and delighted to return to his alma mater to meet with Upper School students and share his documentary film in the Berry Performing Arts Center on April 24. Mr. Ramirez had visited LA in December to deliver an enlightening presentation to students enrolled in the Global Scholars Program.
During the winter, he completed the documentary – Beyond The Statistics: A Short Documentary Film Highlighting the Human Impact of the Forcibly Displaced People of Ukraine. His message, also the tagline in his email signature stamp credited to the author Edward Everett Hale, remains consistent in his work: I am only one; but I am still one. I cannot do everything; but I can still do something. Mr. Ramirez began his afternoon visit with lunch in the AP Room with Global Scholars Oliver Laskow ’25, Aarya Patel ’25, Adam Eisdorfer ’25 and Tapleen Kaur ’25. They engaged in meaningful discussions about his journey, work and mission. |
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Students celebrate Earth Day |
Lower School students led the LA celebration of Earth Day on April 26, engaging in a series of activities to promote care for our planet. They embraced this year’s theme of impactful women who have made a difference, many of whom are featured in Kate Parkhurst’s book – Fantastically Great Women Who Saved the Planet.
The day began with an opening ceremony in Plumeri Gym during which Green Team leaders Ms. Katherine Heiss and Mrs. Donna Pedde set the stage for the festivities. Kindergarten and fifth grade students combined to perform the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” song before all of the classes began participating in a variety of activities. In addition to spending time weeding, cleaning and planting in the garden, students also embarked on scavenger hunts and made bird feeders on a beautiful sunny day. Many parents also joined their children’s respective classes to help in the garden.
Indoor highlights included a Lower School Assembly in the Berry Performing Arts Center led by Mrs. Kelly Coleman, Lower School STEM teacher, along with the Upper School Garden Club. All the grade levels also visited an impressive display of student work in Lower Snowdon highlighting famous women who have helped save the Earth. The third and fourth graders combined to recite a poem in English and Spanish during the closing ceremony near the garden.
“The Lower School students sincerely value our planet Earth and continue to emphasize how every day is Earth Day! It was wonderful to come together as an entire learning community throughout the day,” Ms. Heiss said.
EARTH DAY PHOTO GALLERY |
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| Upper School elects 2024-2025 class officers |
Upper School students recently elected class officers for the 2024-2025 school year. Congratulations to next year’s Student Council leaders: Class of 2025 President – Adam Eisdorfer Vice President – Tapleen Kaur Secretary Treasurer – Giselle Rodriguez JBoard President – Rajwans Sindhar JBoard Representative – Aarya Patel Class of 2026
President – Natalie Chen Vice President – Tanisha Ramachandran Secretary/Treasurer – Nijiany Genao JBoard Representative – Christian Lee Class of 2027 President – Rewa Gandhi Vice President – Saif Zaidi Secretary/Treasurer – Coco Lee JBoard Representative – Kuljot Sindhar |
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| MS students win Odyssey of the Mind title |
On April 13, the WardlaLAartridge Middle School Odyssey of the Mind team again finished in first place in New Jersey and is headed to Odyssey of the Mind World Finals, this time at Iowa State University.
Odyssey of the Mind is an engineering competition that requires students to come up with creative solutions to assigned problems. This year the team built an 8-inch structure out of 15 grams of balsa wood and presented it in a skit with an outer space theme.
The LA team’s structure held 845 pounds, the second highest weight in the entire country. Congratulations to Japjeev Singh ’28, Veer Kansal ’28, Rehan Ali ’28, Arshi Goel ’28, Joy Patel ’28, Arika Shah ’29 and Hamilton Ji Dressel ’29 on their achievement and all their hard work this year. |
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| Seniors excited to make college decisions |
Congratulations to several seniors in the Class of 2024 who have made their college plans official after accepting admission offers. The WHEN will continue its weekly spotlight on seniors who have made their college decisions throughout the remainder of the school year.
Meet Sanya Sidhu ’24, who is excited to be matriculating to Boston University, where she will major in Neuroscience on a Pre-Med track. Sanya fell in love with Boston during a family trip a few summers ago and believes the area will provide many opportunities, including in the performing arts to satisfy her love of dance.
“Boston University was one of the first schools I visited and I felt as though the school had core values which aligned with mine making the school a great fit for me,” Sanya said. “Along with the location, it was very important that I chose a school that would prepare me for my future with a great education just as LA prepared me for this moment.”
Click here to read more about Sanya and view other early decision college acceptance features |
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| LA girls set record at Penn Relays |
WardlaLAartridge sprinters Naomi Craig ’25, Naomi Valcourt ’24, Jayla Presley-May ’26 and Bianca Bellino ’25 put together a spectacular race on the giant stage of the Penn Relays last week at Franklin Field.
The Rams quartet combined to set a new school record in the 4x100 relay by finishing fourth in their heat in a time of 53.56 seconds. The girls broke a 25-year-old record in the process! |
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| Explore our LA Summer Programs |
Now that spring has arrived, it’s the perfect time to register for our 2024 Summer Adventures and get ready for a summer of fun!
Visit WHschool.org/summer to view all of our offerings for the summer of 2024. We have programs for students of all ages that are sure to excite and engage campers to provide an enriching and memorable experience. |
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FROM THE LA PARENTS' ASSOCIATION |
Super 50/50 Raffle and Food Truck/Vendor Event
All LA parents should have received an envelope with 40 raffle tickets for our Annual Super Raffle! Each ticket is only $5.00 and you are welcome to buy or sell as many as you would like and to whomever you choose. For each ticket sold simply keep the bottom half and return the top half with payment. You can drop them at the reception desk at school, send them in with your child, and/or mail them to school (with Attn: WHPA). Cash, checks, credit card, Zelle and Venmo are all acceptable for payment. The more tickets we sell, the larger the prize is for the winners. Winners in the past have received up to $10,000 in prizes! If you have not received your mailed tickets by next week, please contact us at parents@WHschool.org. The drawing will be held at our next event, The Spring Food Truck and Vendor Event.
The Food Truck and Vendor Event will be held on Saturday, May 18 from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. There will be fabulous cuisines and sweets to choose from, lots of vendors for shopping, free entertainment for the kids including a bounce house, face painting, balloon art, a DJ for music and games and so much more. You will also have the opportunity to take part in the Annual Silent Auction for a chance to win many amazing prizes! Entry is only $5.00 and the event is open to all so make sure to invite your family and friends.
If you know someone who has a food truck and may be interested (space is extremely limited), please have them email deepaj@jdlawoffices.com. If you or someone you know would like to be a vendor, please email kiera.dukes@icloud.com. If you would like to donate an item for the silent auction or have any questions, please email us at parents@whschool.org. |
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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, 2023 and May 1, 2024. Click here to make a gift to The WardlaLAartridge Fund! Clarity Financial Aid Information
The Lena Archuleta School will continue to work with Clarity as its financial aid independent, third-party application partner. The school has found that Clarity makes the financial aid application process smooth and secure for your family.
Clarity offers a streamlined and user-friendly financial aid application process that can take as little as 20 minutes to complete. It is mobile-friendly, so you can complete your application on your phone or tablet! Furthermore, your 1040 and W2 documents from 2022 will be automatically transferred from the IRS when you complete the verification step, so you will no longer need to upload those documents manually. These are just a few ways in which Clarity enhances the financial aid application process.
If you need support during the process of completing your application, there is in-app support available as well as email support at support@claritytuition.com in both English and Spanish. You may also call Clarity directly at (206) 210-3752 for support. The application itself is also fully translated into Spanish. CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION TO CLARITY For more information, including videos and a Clarity tutorial, please visit www.WHschool.org/financialaid 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 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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