Dear Whitfield Families, Friends, Students and Alumni,
In just a few weeks, we will begin the 2011-2012 academic year. Our halls and classrooms have been bustling with the activities of summer camps, but nothing is as exhilarating for me as having our kids walk back in the door in August for the start of a new school year. We are very excited to see our returning students and to welcome a wonderful group of new students and their families to Whitfield.
Please join me in welcoming the following faculty and staff to Whitfield in new positions or new roles for the coming school year.
Mike Quante will continue to teach in our mathematics department. In addition to his teaching duties, Mike has graciously stepped forward to serve part-time as Interim Assistant Principal. Mike has been a leader on our faculty for years, and recently completed his graduate degree in administration. He is pleased to be able to put his hard work to use immediately.
Rob Butler, similarly, is adding to his teaching duties as our newest, part-time Admission Associate. We are delighted that Rob will bring his many talents to the Admission Office where he will help us continue to identify and welcome new students to our community.
Jonathan Wotka is a familiar face around campus. He is a Whitfield graduate, Class of 1999, and in more recent years he has served our school as a substitute teacher in nearly all subject areas. With a B.A. from DePauw and M.Ed. from the University of Missouri, Jon will be teaching social studies in the middle school for sixth and seventh grade students.
Audrey Lampe joins our tenth grade faculty and will also teach social studies. She earned bachelor and master’s degrees from Truman State University, and wrapped up her graduate degree requirements teaching at Clayton High School. She has big shoes to fill, as Mike Pomatto is moving to our ninth grade team to teach Western Civilization.
Mark Payton will serve as our new Director of Technology. Coming to us from King’s Academy in the Kingdom of Jordan, and with a B.A. from the University of Kansas, Mark brings a truly global perspective along with years of expertise in IT systems and integrating technology with various types of curricula.
James Daniels is the newest member of our Fine Arts department. Jim holds his BFA from Southeast Missouri State University and recently completed his Masters in Fine Arts at Washington University. A talented, working artist, Jim will be teaching design, drawing and painting to students in the high school.
Susan Piontek is joining us to get the year started for our French teacher, Jessica Butler, who recently welcomed a new baby to her family and will be away on maternity leave. Susan earned her B.A. in Modern Languages from Carnegie Mellon University, studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and completed her Master of Arts in Education from Washington University.
Mark Kram will be available this year to work with students in our tutoring program. Mark has his B.A. from Wesleyan University and will work with students to assist them in English, general writing support, and mathematics and science classes.
Sheri Diemer is well-known to many at Whitfield as the mother of Blake ’10 and Griffin ’12, and as the co-chair of our two most recent and highly successful Montage auctions. In addition to her volunteerism at Whitfield, Sheri has extensive experience in nonprofit fundraising, having led major efforts on behalf of the Humane Society, SMU, and Key to the Cure – St. Louis. She will join our development staff on a part-time basis in order to further enhance the effectiveness of our vital development efforts.
Congratulations to Audrey, Mark, Jim, Susan and Mark as they join us and to Mike, Rob, Jon and Sheri on their new and expanded roles.
There are a few familiar faces that will be missing from the halls of Whitfield School this year. We all know that our previous Head of School, Mark Anderson has moved to the Sanford School in Delaware, and that Ellie Svenson and Nancy DeGreeff have retired from Whitfield after combined decades of service. Ninth grade social studies teacher Joey Torgerson and his family have moved to Asia to pursue their dream of living and working overseas.
Other moves include Alex Inman taking a position as Director of Technology in our nation’s capital at Sidwell Friends School, and Kevin Edson starting a full-time teaching position with St. Louis Special School District. Nancy Sokolik, having filled many roles in her long career at Whitfield, has left the middle school faculty and is moving into new pursuits outside of education this year. Dawn Howard is also gone this year, but stays in close touch, like Nancy, as another alumni Mom and important resource to the School.
Ann Kram will be taking a year away from the classroom, but will continue to be in close communication with the Fine Arts faculty to support the objectives of that wonderful program. Tendai Mufuka is on his way to Washington, D.C. after working with the COCA camps at Whitfield throughout the summer. Finally, long-time tutor Jean Cizek will also be taking a leave of absence, and Andi Sumner has retired this summer after many years of tutoring.
We wish all of our friends and colleagues best wishes and great futures.
As summer wanes, I am frequently asked what surprises we have up our sleeves to get things started. There is always room for something new at Whitfield! There are subtle changes that we believe will have a substantial, positive impact on the students’ experiences in the coming year.
For example, one cherished aspect of the Whitfield experience has always been our outstanding food service. Beginning this year, we are partnering with local food service provider, Pfoodman. This partnership will make our lunches even more amazing, while achieving cost-savings by tapping into Pfoodman’s buying power and professional network. Our well-known and beloved kitchen ladies will stay with us, and they will be joined by a new lead chef. This will result in new and exciting menu options and an increase in cooking from all fresh ingredients, while continuing the family-style dining which has always been such an enjoyable part of our school day.
Another change that families will see right away is the update to our athletic transportation policy for high school varsity athletes. We have long experienced the phenomenon of the “empty return bus.” In response to requests from students and families, team buses will no longer be provided on a regular basis for varsity teams. Once they have their signed waiver on file with the school, varsity athletes may drive their own vehicles to games, carpool with teammates, or ride with their parents. At the coaches’ discretion, team buses will be provided if the distance to a contest is excessive or the lateness of the contest might impinge on students safely transporting themselves. Whitfield will continue to provide transportation for all junior-varsity and freshmen teams, and those student-athletes will continue to be required to ride the bus to away games.
Mark your calendars for Tuesday, September 27. From 7:00 to 8:00 p.m., Gregory Floyd, the consultant who is facilitating the search for our new Head of School, will host a Q & A session in Whitfield’s Dining Room for those interested in the head search process and progress. RSVP to casey.jolley@whitfieldschool.
Finally, I have a very special request. Whitfield has the wonderful opportunity to host about 20 students from Guatemala this fall. However, this will only be possible if we are able to arrange for Whitfield families to host a student or two for the short time that the students will be here. This is a big commitment, but the rewards of being a host-family will last a lifetime. If you have room in your home and your hearts to make your family a little bit bigger for these students, please call me at your earliest opportunity.
I look forward to seeing you at the Green & White games on Friday, August 19. The games begin at 5:45 p.m. and, in the tradition of wonderful Whitfield food, hot dogs, popcorn, snow cones, water, lemonade, and Whitfield chocolate chip cookies will be available for your enjoyment.
Enjoy the remaining days of your summer and get ready for an amazing year of learning together!
Sincerely,
Ruth E. Greathouse
Interim Head of School