Whitfield School News

Will Hopkins '13 and Sam Pepose '13 Selected as St. Louis Jewish Light Unsung Heroes

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:35:00 -0000

Whitfield seniors Will Hopkins and Sam Pepose have been named to the Class of 2013 St. Louis Jewish Light Unsung Heroes. The two were recognized, along with ten fellow honorees, at an event held on May 20, 2013 at the Jewish Community Center.

Hopkins ’13 and Pepose ’13, and St. Louis Food Rescue (STLFR) Founder Nate Noss, were acknowledged for their work with STLFR, a 100-percent teenage-run organization which works with local food purveyors to “rescue” food that would otherwise be thrown away and distribute it to local homeless shelters and food pantries. The teens are featured on the cover of the May 2013 edition of OY! magazine.

Pictured: Sam Pepose '13 and Will Hopkins '13

Eleventh Grade Independent Study

Mon, 20 May 2013 21:49:00 -0000

This year, five Whitfield juniors engaged in a service-learning independent study program during the second, third and fourth quarters. The program, developed by faculty member Laura Lotz and supported by the junior class advising team, provides students with the opportunity to volunteer at a St. Louis nonprofit organization, while applying the theories and concepts learned in the academic setting to the real-world problems their selected organizations address.

“As a grade-level teaching team, we have learned a lot from the experience of the past three years,” Ms. Lotz explained. “We have developed a more focused process of helping students identify key essential questions pertaining to each organization and have refined our process of working with the students to help them answer those questions.”

During this student-directed and teacher-coached independent study program, students are asked to develop their own Essential Questions and work one-on-one with a faculty sponsor to create a curriculum and calendar of assignments. Program requirements include:

committing to regular meetings with a faculty advisor
at least 30 hours of volunteer service over the course of the school year

The students' independent study program culminates with a 7-10 minute presentation to their peers, parents, and faculty and staff describing the experience, lessons learned and future actions.

Andrew Asikainen, Cipriano Casado and Maggie Sullivan served as faculty advisors. Juniors who participated and their organizations are:

Billy Gardner – Animal Protective Association
Emily Esther – Promise Christian Academy
Sami Friedman – Pathways Community Hospice
Courtney Langheim – Operation Food Search
Annie Remack – Kingdom House

According to Ms. Lotz, this year's program was a success and she is looking forward to next year. “I believe this program gives our students the opportunity to see that they can make a difference in their community by being active and engaged participants.”

Warrior of the Week - May 20, 2013

Mon, 20 May 2013 13:33:08 -0000

The Warrior of the Week for May 20, 2013 is Marley Hermann '19. Marley is always caring and concerned about others. She has a good sense of humor, but knows when it's the right time to use it. She volunteers to help out in class and is consistently respectful of others at all times.

The faculty member Warrior of the Week for the month of May Gavin Kark. Mr. Kark is an unbelievable teacher. Having taught at Whitfield for over 20 years, he understands the students, he really teaches the lesson, and he makes it easy to understand by using easy phrases, wording, and pictures to teach the complicated subject of Chemistry. Before he leaves, we wanted to make sure that he was honored for all his work and dedication to our school and the subject of chemistry.

Julie Candau '13 Medals at State Meet

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:06:20 -0000

Julie Candau '13 earned two medals at the MSHSAA Track and Field State Championships held May 17-18, 2013 in Jefferson City, MO. She finished in fifth place in the 3,200m (11:57.1) and seventh place in the 1,600m (5:26.9).

Click here to view the results published on stltoday.com.

Congratulations, Julie!

Congratulations to the 2012-2013 Award Recipients!

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:15:14 -0000

Whitfield's annual Awards Assembly was held on Friday, May 17, 2013 in Woods Hall. Congratulations to this year's recipients!