the BEACON April 2017 Volume 65, No. 6 W-H spring concerts will celebrate diverse music By Ellena Son ‘17 with a more contemporary song, Best Mistake, originally The Wardlaw- recorded by Ariana Grande, Hartridge School is and will feature Suniti Shah celebrating the arrival of ’21. The Leal Boys’ Choir the spring season with its will also sing the classic wonderful annual Spring Duke Ellington song, It Don’t Concerts. The diverse Mean a Thing. The seventh arrangement of songs will The MadJazz ensemble rehearses in the choir room. and eighth grade choirs will take audience members sing Non Nobis Domine by around the world, from China and MadJazz Men will be ‘17 said. “It is my last concert William Byrd and Olá! o che to Italy to Jamaica. performing a variety of at Wardlaw-Hartridge, and bon eccho! by Orlando di The Upper School songs ranging from Take the it’s been a great experience, Lasso. The Middle School concert will feature A Train by Billy Strayhorn, but I’m sad to see the light at concert will then come to a performances from the arranged by Steve Zegree, the end of the tunnel.” close as the three grades sing Concert Choir, MadJazz, and Penny Lane by John The Middle School It Takes a Village by Joan MadJazz Men, Concert Band, Lennon and Paul McCartney, concert, which will be held Szymko. and Jazz Band on Thursday, arranged by Audrey Snyder. on Thursday, May 11, will The Lower School April 27 at 7:30 p.m. The One of the highlights start off with the sixth grade students will entertain choir, conducted by Mrs. of the Upper School Concert choir singing Yonder Come parents during their concert Sharon Byrne, Upper School Band, conducted by Mr. Rick Day, a traditional Georgia on Thursday, May 4. It will Music Teacher, will begin Fontaine, is Abracadabra by Sea Islands spiritual song, feature a variety of vocal with the traditional Iroquois Frank Ticheli. The Jazz Band arranged by Judith Cook music, under the direction of song, Yanaway Heyona, in will be performing Mr. Lucky, Tucker. The students will Mrs. Shannon Sari, Lower which Marissa Pyne ’17 by Henry Mancini, and will also be singing Zi Zhu Diao School Music Teacher. There will be singing a solo. The feature soprano saxophone arranged by Mark Weston, will also be instrumental following piece will feature played by Ray Huang ’19. and then traveling back performances by the fourth Thomas Borner du Cane Following the Jazz Band, the in time to sing Risseldy, and fifth grades. ’18 and Priya Golding ’18 audience will hear Queen’s Rosseldy from Alfred “The instrumental in Rabindranath Tagore and Bohemian Rhapsody, Hitchcock’s 1963 film, The groups on all three concerts Karen Electra Christianson’s performed by the Upper Birds. this spring have worked very song, Prayer. The final School Sax Quartet. The Middle School hard to prepare music in a Concert Choir performance “I have mixed Concert Band will be variety of genres and are very will be accompanied by feelings about this concert performing the popular tune, excited to share their talents William Rehwinkel ’19 because it’s rather bittersweet On Broadway. The Emelyn with the W-H community,” on the piano. MadJazz in a sense,” Neha Chhabra Girls’ Choir will then follow Mr. Fontaine said. Upper School elects Student Council officers By Sanjana Nalla ‘18 and Secretary/Treasurer. The in Logan D’Amore ’20 and how they would achieve On Monday, April 3, nominees discussed their winning Secretary/Treasurer them. Cathy Bi ’18 and The Wardlaw-Hartridge qualities, suitability for the and two runoffs for President Clifford (CJ) Stueck ’18 took School’s executive board positions, and future plans and Vice President. Ray part in the process as well, elections took place in the for the school. After listening Huang ’19 and Stanislav running against each other for All-Purpose room. Several to the speeches, the Upper DeLaurentiis ’19 ran against the President position. The candidates from each class School student body voted each other for Vice President student body was required in the Upper School ran for for their student council and were presented with See Student Council, one of the three positions: officers. further questions regarding continued on Page 3 President, Vice President, The election resulted their specific attributes, goals, 1 Refugee symposium informs students on important issue By Anuva Goel ‘17 homes, families evaluated his story of fleeing the war groups design their own plan which items to take. They in Kosovo as a refugee. to serve refugee committees. More than 20 million then spent a night in fear Dr. Peter Kahn talked Translating border crossing people worldwide are and discomfort in crowded about the Bosnian Student papers, holding ESL classes, refugees. More than half of refugee shelters, caring for Project he began at Rutgers and providing refugee child these 20 million refugees are injured family members, University, and even brought care were a few of the many children. They have been and contemplating the one of his former students, innovative plans students forced to flee their home difficult choice to leave the a Serbian refugee. Ms. created. countries out of fear and hope country. The final component Jana Laiz, an International “The symposium to seek refuge and rebuild involved the attempt to Rescue Committee (IRC) I feel was a success as it their lives in other countries. overcome language barriers case worker, discussed her pushed students to learn The way we perceive and and other obstacles in order interactions with a refugee about a global issue and handle the current refugee to pass border patrol. and the inspiration for her called for solutions. I’m crisis is in our hands. “I think the book, Weeping Under the impressed by students On Wednesday, simulation worked well. Same Moon. Mr. Patrick because even now they are March 8, The Wardlaw- Students really felt some of Barry talked about the discussing the issue and Hartridge School held its the challenges that would be Refugee and Immigration connecting over the issue,” biennial symposium, which faced by a refugee family,” Services at Catholic Simu Singh ’18, a student addressed the crucial global Mrs. Elizabeth Plautz, a Charities, for which the member of the Refugee issue of The Refugee Crisis. member of the Refugee Upper School community Symposium Committee, said. The symposium allowed Symposium Committee, said. collected Welcome Kit Planned by the community members to Having gotten a donations. Ms. O’Brien members of the Refugee personally understand the glimpse into the painstaking and Ms. Mahdi also held a Symposium Committee, plight of refugees as well as journey refugee families breakout session. Mrs. Plautz, Mrs. Stephanie to hear from a broad range of endure, students settled During lunch, each Cohen, Mr. Jim O’Halloran, speakers dedicated to helping down in the AP Room to family had the opportunity to Mr. Andrew Webster, Dr. refugees resettle in the United listen to keynote speaker Ms. reflect on their experiences Bob Bowman, Dr. Corinna States. Ann O’Brien, who works to thus far in the day. They also Crafton, Mrs. Nicole Nolan, The day began with resettle refugees in the New viewed the interactive photo Cathy Bi ’18, Kevin Nader a powerful simulation of Haven area through her role exhibition, featuring side- ’18, Yumna Naqvi ’17, and The Refugee Experience, as Director of Community by-side comparisons of W-H Singh, the symposium led to designed by the United Engagement at Integrated students and refugee children thought-provoking questions Nations High Commission Refugee and Immigration at various ages. and greater awareness of a for Refugees. In preparation Services (IRIS). Bushra Lastly, as the mounting conflict. for the experience, Upper Mahdi, an Iraqi refugee culmination of a day filled “In the short-run, the School students and faculty whom IRIS helped to with moving experiences, symposium had a tremendous were assigned to refugee welcome and resettle, also touching stories, and greater impact. It’s harder to measure families, each consisting spoke about her experiences understanding of a prominent the longer impact - how of eight to ten members. adjusting to a new life. conflict, Mr. Nino LaStella, students are working to help The simulation exercise Students then of InterfaithRISE, led a refugees. Students took took place in the Laidlaw attended two out of the five constructive engagement a piece of the simulation Gym. Amidst the chaos and breakout sessions offered. session. Stressing the theme experience as a call to action, confusion of a bomb raid, Mr. Flamur Prishtina, parent of global interconnection but that’s only something family members attempted to of Learta Bajqinovci ’17 and and community service and we’ll see over time,” Mrs. reunite. Forced to flee their Laura Prishtina ’19, shared activism, he had advisory Plautz said. Blindfolded faculty and students attempt to find their Silvia Xia ‘20 succeeds in overcoming the obstructions and family members after a bomb raid. crossing the border. 2 W-H students experience Chinese culture in exchange trip By Sanjna Patel ‘19 “This Chinese trip and exchange program allowed Ten Wardlaw- me to fully immerse myself Hartridge students, in the culture. Through this accompanied by two W-H experience, I learned how teachers, Mr. Russell to be comfortable along Althouse and Sra. Yolanda with being uncomfortable, Reyes, boarded a flight on while making incredible March 11 that would take memories,” Victoria them on an adventure of a Georgiou ’19 said. lifetime. The group of 12 Upon returning traveled to China, where they to the United States, the were able to experience the group missed its connecting unique culture and customs Students and chaperones pose for a group picture on their flight from Beijing and of a country on the other side trip to China.