A Note from Chris | Looking Forward to the Year Ahead

Dear friends,

I’m looking forward to seeing many of you at the Whitfield Kickoff in a few short hours. A re-envisioned and improved version of the old Back-to-School-Bash, the Kickoff will include food trucks, activities for new and returning students, and scrimmages for boys soccer, volleyball, and field hockey. Most important, it’s an opportunity for returning families to reconnect—and new Whitfield families to make new friends and join the Whitfield community.

For faculty, staff, and administrators, the Kickoff is also the culmination of two weeks of meetings and preparations for the return of students to campus. We’ve welcomed new faculty, hosted new students and their parents at day-long orientations, revised and updated curricula, and discussed the faculty summer reads: Finding the Magic in Middle School by Chris Balme and 10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People by David Yeager (both great books for parents as well!).

Yesterday evening, at our annual Faculty/Staff Appreciation Dinner, I awarded honorary chairs to several of our outstanding faculty, celebrating excellence in teaching and learning, and in helping our students to discover and become their best selves. This year’s honorees are the following:

• Karen Albers: William W. Daues Athletic Chair 
• Keith Borzillo: Amy Allen Cano Performing Arts Chair 
• Cip Casado P ’23, ‘27: Kent Family Language Chair
• Curtis Erlinger P ’31: Arthur & Helen Baer Visual Arts Chair 
• Emily Treadwell: Richard B. Kobusch Humanities Chair 
• Jaclyn Yetter P ’29: Catherine Marie Connors Science Chair

This extraordinary group of educators includes both long-time Whitfield veterans and relatively recent arrivals, and they obviously come from a range of disciplines (chairs across all disciplines are awarded on a two-year cycle). But, as different as they are, as people and as educators, I was struck by what they have in common. First, all of them are what David Yeager calls “mentors”—so-called “warm demanders” who challenge young people with high expectations, within the context of care and support. But more than that, these faculty challenge themselves as teachers, constantly reflecting on what they do and how they do it. As I noted of Cip last night, they are proof that the best teachers never stop becoming better ones.

Finally, as I mentioned, we are excited and proud to welcome an extraordinary group of new colleagues. While we are always sad to say goodbye to old friends, new faculty and staff make Whitfield better and smarter, bringing new ideas and fresh perspectives that help us grow and serve the young people in our care:

• Henry Abbott, Mathematics. With bachelor's and master's degrees in Mathematics, Henry joins Whitfield after teaching math in New Orleans and St. Louis at both the high school and college levels. This year, Henry will teach Calculus III, Algebra II, and AP Statistics.
• Ray Barrett, Visual Arts. An accomplished visual artist whose work has been exhibited widely in Los Angeles and beyond, Ray brings to Whitfield a rare combination of studio practice, teaching experience, and—not least—his work as a professional chef and food artist. Ray will teach Photography, Visual Arts 8, and MS Exploratory Art.
• Stephanie Dillon, Part-Time Learning Support. A special educator with thirty years of experience and a certification in learning disabilities, Stephanie joins Whitfield's learning support team with particular expertise in differentiated instruction and individualized student support.
• Isabelle Dugan, Part-Time Science. A University of Michigan graduate with dual degrees in ecology and neuroscience, Isabelle brings to Whitfield a passion for hands-on science education and recent research experience studying primate cognition in Costa Rica and Panama. Isabelle will teach Psychology and Environmental Science.
• Matt Hoevelmann, Mathematics. With nearly 30 years of experience teaching mathematics in the Rockwood School District—including Calculus AB, where his students have achieved a 90% pass rate—Matt brings deep experience and a proven track record to Whitfield's math department. Matt will teach Algebra II and Precalculus. 
• Karen Karsten, Learning Support. A Wilson Dyslexia Therapist and twice-named Teacher of the Year, Karen has spent the last six years providing structured literacy intervention to middle school students with learning differences.
• Beth Landers, World Languages. With a PhD in French Literature from Washington University, Beth comes to us from Ritenour High School after almost two decades of teaching at the university level, including directing study abroad programs in Strasbourg and Poitiers. Beth will teach French II, French III, French IV, ACP French.
• Sherie Litteken, Science. After nearly 30 years teaching middle school science, history, and language arts in the Parkway School District, Sherie brings deep experience in hands-on, inquiry-based learning. Sherie will teach 7th and 8th Grade Science. 
• Emily Owen, Science. With a master's in Environmental Studies from Antioch, fifteen years of classroom science teaching, and a decade running outdoor and experiential programs for thousands of students—including beekeeping, high ropes, and wilderness travel—Emily brings a career of hands-on science teaching to our middle school. Emily will teach 6th and 7th grade Science. 
• Melissa Richardson, Learning Support. Melissa began her teaching career at Whitfield in 1992, spent 26 years teaching 8th grade English in the Kirkwood School District—earning Teacher of the Year in 2015—and returns to where it all started.

We’re also excited to welcome two new head coaches for major varsity programs:

• Darian Head, Head Boys Basketball Coach. As Head Coach at Bishop DuBourg, Coach Head led the program to its first District championship in twelve years and was named Class 3 District Coach of the Year, joining Whitfield with nearly a decade of varsity coaching experience in the St. Louis metro.
• Michael Woodson, Head Boys Soccer Coach. A US Soccer licensed coach with 14 years of youth academy experience at Saint Louis Scott Gallagher, Missouri Rush, and St. Louis Stars SC, Coach Woodson joins Whitfield as Head Boys Soccer Coach with deep roots in the St. Louis soccer community.

Please join me in welcoming these talented individuals to the Whitfield community.

Looking forward to the year ahead—

Go Warriors!