The ® Scholarly News for Steppingstone Placement Schools The Steppingstone Academy NOVEMBER 2011 Placement Schools Steppingstone Gala Beaver Country Day School Steppingstone’s Pep Rally Gala surpassed all Belmont Day School Belmont Hill School expectations on Wednesday, November 2 at Boston College High School The Charles Hotel in Cambridge. This year’s Boston Latin Academy event celebrated all of the placement schools Boston Latin School that partner with Steppingstone to set more Boston Trinity Academy Scholars on the path to college success. Many Boston University Academy Brimmer and May School thanks to all Scholars, families, placement Buckingham Browne & Nichols School schools, and donors for making the Gala so Cambridge School of Weston memorable. Steppingstone raised more than Commonwealth School $725,000 with 400 guests and 18 heads of Concord Academy school in attendance. Dana Hall School Dedham Country Day School Mike Danziger, Founder, and Kelly Glew, President & COO, Deerfield academy with Scholars from eight Steppingstone placement schools. Derby Academy The Dexter School Scholars Tour Colleges Fay School This past summer marked Steppingstone’s The Fessenden School second annual Overnight College Tour. The Governor’s Academy Steppingstone Advisors spent four days with 32 Holderness School The Meadowbrook School of Weston Scholars from August 23-26 visiting the Milton Academy following colleges: Amherst, UMass Amherst, Newton Country Day School Union, Skidmore, Mt. Holyoke, Rensselaer Noble and Greenough School Polytechnic Institute, Colgate University, and John d. O’Bryant School Syracuse University. The Park School Phillips Academy Steppingstone staff took more than 50 Phillips Exeter Academy Scholars this fall on college tours, including The Rivers School visits to Babson College and Boston College, and The Roxbury Latin School on tours sponsored by Steppingstone’s National Shady Hill School Partnership for Educational Access (NPEA) to St. Mark’s School St. paul’s School Brown University, Providence College, Amherst St. Sebastian’s School Scholars receive warm welcome at Colgate. College, and UMass Amherst. The Southfield School Thayer Academy The Winsor School Xaverian Brothers High School National Partnership for Educational Access (NPEA) Several Steppingstone placement schools sent participants to the NPEA 2011 National Conference College Success Academy Schools in Atlanta, GA last April. Milton Academy sent six faculty members and administrators, while Phil- Edison K-8 School Jackson/Mann K-8 School lips Academy sent four and Phillips Exeter sent one. With a focus on improving educational oppor- tunities for underrepresented students, the NPEA conference is a valuable professional development opportunity for faculty and administrators at all placement schools. Save the Date: NPEA’s 4th Annual Conference, Innovative Collaborations: Strategies for Supporting Underrepresented Students, will take place April 19-20, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois. Confirmed keynote speakers include Eric Bettinger (Stanford University), Wes Moore, author, The Other Wes Moore, and Melissa Roderick (University of Chicago). THE STEPPINGSTONE FOUNDATION IS NPEA is a membership association dedicated to promoting quality, success, and growth amongst A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT member organizations, partner schools, and communities committed to educational access. There DEVELOPS AND IMPLEMENTS PROGRAMS are nearly 200 members in 30 states collectively serving more than 100,000 underserved students. THAT PREPARE URBAN SCHOOLCHILDREN For more information on becoming an NPEA member, visit www.educational-access.org. FOR EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES THAT LEAD TO COLLEGE SUCCESS. Did you know? www.tsf.org • Steppingstone Family Forums are scheduled periodically to focus specifically on supporting 617-423-6300 Steppingstone families new to independent schools and to help in the adjustment process. The most recent forum was held November 12 at Boston Latin Academy. • All placement school faculty and administrators are invited to observe Steppingstone classes in action on Wednesday afternoons or Saturdays. Meet Steppingstone faculty and staff and learn more about how Steppingstone supports Scholars in your schools, from admission and placement guid- ance, to academic and socio-emotional support, to college counseling. Please contact Matt Kessler to schedule a visit to a Steppingstone class session at [email protected]. BOSTON MA 02110 MA BOSTON SUITE 800 SUITE 155 FEDERAL STREET FEDERAL 155 ® Scholar Highlights: Andrés Cardona ’06 (Boston Latin Academy, 12) is a member of the National Honors Society and a recent recipient of the NHS Book Award from Brown University for outstanding written and verbal communication skills. Sean Chanicka ’08 (Milton Academy, 9) was recently elected as a ninth grade representative of his school’s Student Government Association. He will also be playing Romeo in Milton’s upcoming production of The Haunting of Will Shakespeare. Nancy Kacupaj ’08 (Park, Beaver CDS, 9) was elected president of the ninth grade class. Aman Stuppard ’07 (Roxbury Latin, 11) is treasurer of his class, a tour guide on campus, a varsity athlete, and a host for prospective students. He is also a volunteer tennis instructor for boys under age 12 in Dorchester and teaches Sunday School at his church. Cassandra Vickers ’06 (Newton Country Day School, 12) is a National Honor Society student and spent last summer working at the Broad Institute conducting research on DNA for a study that will be published later this year. Scholar Profile Najat Goso is a 10th grader from Dorchester and one of 19 Steppingstone Scholars currently attending Thayer Academy. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without the opportunities and support that Steppingstone continues to give me,” she says. The adjustment to an independent school and a new community was a challenge for Najat, but she learned quickly to make her mark based on her abilities and not her differences from other students. “Find what you like to do and be dedicated to it,” she advises. A student-athlete participating in basketball and track and field this year, Najat also serves as a member of Thayer’s Community Council, an organization that functions as a bridge between the administration and the students. Meanwhile, she is taking six courses, as opposed to the standard five. This year, Najat participates in The Steppingstone Acad- emy’s Peer Leader program, where she mentors younger Scholars on Saturdays at SMASH (Saturday Mentoring and Study Hall). “It is important to me to give back to the same organization that gave me the skills I need to be successful,” Najat shares. While Najat doesn’t know quite yet what she wants to study in college or where she might go, (“Maybe out-of-state since I’ve lived in Boston my whole life”), she is determined to take the rest of high school extremely seriously in preparation for the next step. “I give 110% of myself to whatever I do,” she explains..