Preparing Students for the World They Will Inherit
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FALL 2018 News for the Allendale Columbia School Community Beyond the Birches Preparing Students for the World They Will Inherit www.AllendaleColumbia.orgWWW.ALLENDALECOLUMBIA.ORG A From the Head of School We’re just getting started Three years ago, we set out on an ambitious path together. We committed to making a posi- tive impact in our world through a thriving, diverse community of learners who engage locally and globally. Our strategic plan to accomplish this, Making an Impact in a Global Century, is a commitment to continue to meet our students’ needs, and prepare them for this rapidly changing and complex world. June marked the end of our Impact Initiative Campaign to help realize this vision, and our community proudly exceeded the $4 million goal set as an initial benchmark. I’d like to personally say thank you to the thousands of alumni, parents, faculty, and donors who were part of this historic invest- ment in the future of Allendale Columbia School. in this issue Thanks to your generosity, we have already AC’S NEW MISSION launched and appointed leaders for the Center STATEMENT for Global Engagement, the Center for Entre- 3 preneurship, and the Invent Center for STEM FEATURE: IT’S TIME FOR and Innovation. These centers give AC students AUTHENTIC LEARNING 5 the authentic learning experiences that will help Alumna Profile: them to build connections, master strategies for 11 Becky Wehle ’90 learning, cultivate their curiosity and creativity, and AC TODAY: Best Fit First, develop a resilient spirit that dares to take risks 13 The Changing Landscape of - all while making a positive impact. We have ex- College Advising panded opportunities for students to engage be- Commencement yond AC and into the local community, whether 17 2018 that’s the Rochester community or communities Alumni like Dakar, Senegal. We have also applied for and 23 Happenings been awarded the prestigious E.E. Ford Grant to create and develop an AC Global Hub for Social Entrepreneurship. This grant is just one of many ways we are giving students the Annual Report of chance to make a positive impact in the world through collaboration, problem-solving, and Philanthropy at AC 32 global empathy skill development. We have plenty to celebrate, but we’re just getting started. As we evolve we need to contin- ue planning for the future, asking these questions: What do we keep? What do we cut? What do we need to create? Through the last campaign we focused on program development, and we were successful in building new centers, with great leaders, who have created high impact opportunities for our students. Now we need to focus on retaining and attracting the best faculty and staff, and investing in our campus and endowment. We owe it to you, our students, alumni, faculty, donors, and greater community to ensure we continue our progress to meet the dynamic needs of our community. You only need to look at the Girls with Gears, our Lower School, all-girl, VEX-IQ Robotics team, to know that more hard work is needed to keep up with these amazing students. As we “prepare students for the world they will inherit,” I am humbled and eternally grateful for all you have given to AC. We understand what you are asking of us in return for your students, our community, and our world; and we are up to the task. Sincerely, Mick Gee Head of School 1 BEYOND THE BIRCHES FALL 2018 From the Alumni Association President ALLENDALE A Letter from Bridgette Rivers ’81 COLUMBIA BOARD OF TRUSTEES As the school year kicks off effect on their future. Thanks to technology, this kind of 2018-2019 with eager students buzz- help can all be done without leaving wherever you call ing around campus, and our home. These connections will be both beneficial and Charles E. Symington ’76, Chair & Treasurer broader AC community cele- fun, allowing current students to see what AC gradu- brating a successful campaign ates can become, and giving alumni first-hand knowl- Stephen Van Arsdale, Vice Chair focused on AC program ex- edge of what our students are doing today. Claire Dubnik, Secretary pansion, the Allendale Colum- Our long-standing alumni traditions such as Home- Charles F. Bradford ’99 bia Alumni Association Board coming, the Alumni Holiday Celebration, Reunion Lisa Campbell ’83 is excited to continue facilitat- Weekend, and travel to cities around the country will Diana Clarkson ’99 ing the school’s momentum continue to be events we look forward to hosting, and with fellow alumni. Mary Beth Conway we hope our alumni are able to make the time to join. C. Kieran Draper We look forward to doing everything we can to foster You can see fellow classmates, make new connections Stephen Hill ’03 the relationships of our alma mater. The upcoming year with alumni from other graduating years, and update Elisabeth W. Judson ’64 will be focused on growing attendance at long-standing the school on the wonderful things you are accom- networking events and exploring new opportunities to plishing in the world. Dr. Amy Rath Leibeck Gilbert McCurdy engage our fellow alumni in meaningful ways across the I look forward to meeting as many of you as I can. I region and remotely. The Alumni Association plans to Deborah McLean want to hear from you. Send me your suggestions on Ronald Mendrick support this work by communicating possible oppor- how we can make our Alumni Association a stronger, Tracey Morrell tunities for our AC community to get involved with more engaged organization; or, you can simply send me Mauricio Riveros current faculty and students. a quick note to let me know what you’ve been up to. Bridgette E. Rivers ’81 We hope to match interested alumni and their net- Thank you again for allowing me the opportunity to works with student and classroom needs. I particularly Demetrios (Jim) Stathopoulos serve as your Alumni Association President. I’m excit- Keith Wilson hope to connect current students with experienced ed about the next two years, and what they hold for Jill Wynn and skilled alumni in fields of interest. There are alumni us as we partner to strengthen and grow our Alumni who may not understand there is a real need for their Richard Yates Association. involvement. Getting involved in an AC student’s life by taking an hour to Skype into a classroom for a talk, Bridgette Rivers ’81 listening to a student pitch, or offering an internship or President, Allendale Columbia Alumni Association job shadow opportunity could have a positive ripple [email protected]. Welcome New Board Members Dr. Amy Rath Leibeck is the owner of Board at Canandaigua National Bank, and he formerly served on Genesee Valley Equine Clinic and is an adjunct the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Board of Governors. lecturer and lab instructor at Medaille College, For years, Ken has been an advocate and friend of AC, supporting Rochester campus. She is a graduate of the the purchases and needs of AC’s international houses, serving as Cornell University College of Veterinary a forum judge and annual presenter of the Williams Cup Award, Medicine. Amy has been involved at AC since and as an AC parent of daughter Katherine ’05. Ken resides in 2012, when her daughter, Riley, enrolled. She Rochester, New York. also spent three years as a middle school Demetrios (Jim) Stathopoulos is CEO liaison and has been an active member of AC’s Book Club. Amy, her of one of the largest glazing contractors in the husband, Stephen, and Riley reside in Churchville, New York. United States, Ajay Glass & Mirror Co., Inc., Gilbert (Ken) McCurdy, retired Chairman which, in 2017, was ranked #12 in the U.S. and CEO of McCurdy and Company, Inc., by Engineering News-Record. Jim is also the is a graduate of Williams College and the Principal of PER Engineering in Victor, New University of Pennsylvania Wharton School York, and he and his wife Dori served as event of Commerce and Finance. Ken serves as a chairs for AC’s 2018 Make Your Mark Gala. Jim Board Member of Writers and Books. He is and Dori have three children, Rita, Ellie ’21, and Peter. The family a Member of the Wealth Strategies Advisory resides in Victor, New York. WWW.ALLENDALECOLUMBIA.ORG 2 ast year, as AC began the regularly scheduled re-accreditation process through the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS), it became L evident that our mission was no longer representative of the impactful work we do everyday and why we exist as a school. Since AC’s last mission statement was launched, our programming and curriculum has expanded and evolved to meet a new set of needs in our ever-changing world. While we continue to take pride in our academic preparation for college, we also focus on helping students develop the skills and experiences needed to make a positive and lasting impact in a technology-driven, global society. “The mission guides us internally as we evolve and change to meet the needs of the students and families who walk through our doors,” said long-time AC faculty member Tony Tepedino and re- accreditation co-leader. “If [the mission] doesn’t align, then we are not able to provide a clear and unified vision and program for the families who place their trust in us as an institution.” The mission rewrite process largely began as part of AC’s strategic plan, launched in 2014, when an outside consultant was brought in to help guide our committee through the process and to help us identify who we currently are as a school.