Christ School Magazine Summer 2011 All School Alumni “Let us always remember our most important priorities in life: To live out our faith or whatever we might stand for. To honor our families and our communities. To be forever a Christ School Greenie.” P.H. Broyhill, page 5 4 Music to Your Ears 15 Chapel Talk-Roy Wingate ’24 17 Letter from the Headmaster 1 Student Profile - Moviemaker 18 34 Eighth Grade Program 2 Study Abroad 20 Graduation 4 Service – Costa Rica 21 Alumni Weekend 34 Speaker Series Around Campus 22 Alumni Weekend Awards 37 H. Ross Perot 9 SBSA Annual Meeting 24 Alumni Feature – Rodgers ’64 41 Katie Koestner 10 Outdoor Program 26 On the Road 43 Arabic Program 12 Varsity Sports 27 Coal Truck Snippets 44 Drama 14 New Faculty 33 New Alumni Director 45 Alumni Portal 45 Class Notes 46 In Memoriam 52 Director’s Letter 53 Headmaster’s Report 54 On the Cover: The 2011-2012 eighth-grade class is the largest in decades. The 22 young men are pictured with eighth grade director 30 James Uhler. EDITOR , PHOTOGRA P HY , D E SIGN : Linda Cluxton EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS : Christina Auch, Marshall Baltazar, Mary Dillon, Paul Krieger, Olga Mahoney, Joe Mouer, Rick Rodgers ’64, Dan Stevenson ’72, Denis Stokes, and James Uhler PHOTOGRA P HI C CONTRIBUTORS : Marshall Baltazar, Erin Brethnauer, John Fletcher, Jill Schwarzkopf, Leigh Harris, Olga Mahoney, and James Uhler The Christ School Magazine is published two times a year by the Christ School Advancement Office: Denis Stokes, Director of External Affairs; Linda Cluxton, Director of Communication; Christina Auch, Director of Annual Giving and Special Gifts; Dan Stevenson ’72, Director of Alumni, Kathryn J. Belk, Advancement Services Coordinator. Send submissions to: CS Magazine Editor, Christ School, 500 Christ School Road, Arden, NC 28704 or call 828-684-6232 ext. 104. You can also submit information through our web page at www.christschool.org or to Linda Cluxton at [email protected]. from the Headmaster First Rate Second Form Reinventing the eighth grade curriculum energized the program his issue’s cover picture is emblematic of the growth and success Christ School has been experiencing over the past decade. Pictured are this year’s TSecond Form (eighth grade), all 22 of them. They come from five states and two foreign countries. In 2003, there were only six eighth graders and the program was struggling. A decision had to be made: do we eliminate it or do we find a new, relevant, and meaningful approach and grow it? We opted for the latter. We altered the eighth grade curriculum which embraced a traditional middle school format and appointed a “core” teacher to inject new energy, direction, and Paul Krieger, flexibility that would attract young men to its program. Mr. James Uhler has headed- Headmaster up our Second Form program for the past seven years. With his enthusiasm and our curricular flexibility, the Second Formers can take a combination of eighth and ninth “We altered the grade courses (one even takes a tenth grade course) which keeps them appropriately eighth grade challenged as they prepare for high school and beyond. curriculum The success of the Second Form has pushed our ninth grade class to 50+ and which embraced has allowed us to grow to a record enrollment of 249 students. Our programs and facilities are at capacity. I want to thank our trusting parents who continue to believe a traditional in us. middle school Additionally, I want to thank our loyal and generous alumni and friends of format and Christ School who give their time, expertise, and resources which are instrumental in appointed a helping us educate and mentor the young men in our charge. As the Annual Report “core” teacher included in this magazine will demonstrate, so many people make this dream become to inject new a reality for 249 young men every day. Below are just some of this summer’s projects that your support has contributed to: energy, direction, • Our new multi-million dollar Science Center comes online October 16. and flexibility • The football team has new permanent bleachers, the basketball court has been that would repainted and buffed, and our baseball field has been renovated with a Wrigley attract young Field style backstop which includes permanent bleachers to seat 160 fans. men to its • The entire front of the Wetmore Building complex has been relandscaped. program.” • New pathways have been created to allow students easier and more aesthetic access. • A new rocking chair initiative has allowed us to distribute more than 30 rocking chairs throughout campus leading to more reflective camaraderie amongst students and teachers. Thank you all for continuing to believe in Christ School. You have made the 249 boys who attend here and 88 adults who work here, proud to call this place home. Paul M. Krieger Headmaster Summer 2011 1 Reflections on the Eighth Grade Program… Looking for Heroes by James Uhler History Instructor and Eighth Grade Program Director s I sat under a tree watching the eighth grade boys individually read letters from their families and community members Aduring our culminating year-end trip, a great sense of joy and accomplishment filled my heart. We had completed another year of the Eighth Grade Program and I had grown especially fond of this year’s group of fifteen young men, the Class of 2015. They had come together well as a unit, coalesc- ing one day last winter when a spider appeared in the lounge area of the ’38 House Loft next to their classroom. After staging a “freak out” session, they conned me into “taking care of it.” About three steps into the lounge, I realized that I had become the prey, surrounded by a group of rabid eighth grade “wolves” who were poised to bury me at the bottom of their dog pile. Whether it was under that tree or their dog pile, Jackie Zhang ’15 wiggles through a hanging tire during a I suddenly realized why Headmaster Krieger asked teambuilding exercise on a class trip to Camp Highlander. me eight years ago to create a special program for the eighth grade. At the time, I wondered why I was chosen. In my previous two years teaching eighth grade history, I came to view them as a unique breed evolutions of the Eighth Grade Program, I have of creatures; as their teacher, I felt as though I were learned some truths about boys this age. First, they living-out some unwritten scene from “Lord of the need physical play. This is how they relate to each Flies.” other. Whether through trips in the woods, games in However, after seven subsequent years and two the classroom, scavenger hunts downtown, debates, “In August 2011, the Eighth Grade Program will open its eighth year with a record number of students. The new program design will maintain the ‘community within a community’ experience while adjusting for its growth to more than 20 boys.” – James Uhler 2 Summer 2011 or sporting events, physical interaction is how they build teams, relationships, and ultimately their individual selves. Second, they want emotional support, even if it is difficult for them to communicate the need. As a community we can provide such support through sending care packages; writing letters; celebrating their accomplishments; and, perhaps most importantly, supporting them when they make mistakes. We must realize that they are looking for heroes. For them, heroes can be upperclassmen, teachers, or great figures studied in history. In the end, our boys are al- ways searching for the same thing: Mr. James Uhler reviews current eighth grader Jake Deuterman’s test while encouragement to grow into the Belk McDill ’16 (right) works on his homework. men they hope they will become one day. By these observations, I have designed and redesigned the Eighth Grade Program, hoping that at the end of the year each boy sees the previously hidden talents he has to offer Christ School, much like Mr. Krieger saw the unknown talent within me to mentor boys at this age. Under that tree, I relished the past, took pleasure in the present, and looked forward to the future. As the fifteen young men of ’15 move on to high school, I have the pleasure of watching them grow and leave their mark on Christ Jack Fleming ’15, Alex Dunn ,’15, Riv Lambert ’15, and Jeff Smilack ’15 enjoy School. I was reminded of this a the farm animals at the Fletcher (Steven ’15) family’s farm and sawmill. week after the dog-pile incident, when PH Broyhill ’11, a five-year student, gave his wonderful gradu- ation address to his classmates. Indeed, one of the greatest joys of working with the Eighth Grade is that we have four more years to spend with them (an invest- ment that always pays handsome dividends.) Right: Reporter Shawn Flynn of News 14 Carolina shows Steven Fletcher ’15 how to forecast the weather on a trip to Charlotte. Summer 2011 3 tapping & graduation “Now, in many institutions the commencement speaker is often the valedictorian, or salutarian, or a member of the graduating class about to matriculate at one of the nation’s most prestigious universities. Not so at Christ School. Here the speaker can be an ‘average Joe,’ someone who is grateful.” * – P.H. Broyhill ’11 * The student Commmencement speaker is chosen by the vote of the senior class. The 2010-11 school year ended with a blur of activity. • The era of the Class of 2012 was ushered in with the Tapping of new Senior leaders on April 27. • In May, the Class of 2011 made final decisions about the colleges they would attend, finished their last AP exams, and then attended their Senior Experience in Gatlinburg, TN for one last bonding opportunity before graduation weekend.