Harding’s fall musical was Guys and Dolls, and was presented on October 9, 10, and 11, by an all middle school and fifth grade cast. Described

by its creator as “a musical fable of Broadway,” the show tells a story using larger-than-life figures with big personalities—the kind that used to populate New York City back in the late 1940s.

Gamblers, gangsters, night-club singers, and members of the Salvation Army were all familiar characters in the post-World War II American cultural landscape. Even for those who never traveled to New York, countless books and movies set in New York City helped establish them in the collective cultural consciousness.

The fabled New York of the play, the jargon, even the accents are so far removed from the experience of today’s students as to be foreign. Harding students are growing up in a world where advances in communications have nearly obliterated regional dialects among younger generations.

One of the purposes of an education is to acquaint students with the way people lived, loved, and learned in the past. Even though many of the cultural assumptions in the play are formed in a much different time and place, there is great value in understanding the world as experienced by previous generations.

As the current culture collectively becomes more sophisticated, more educated, and more homogeneous in terms of speech and behavior, the hope is that there will always be a place for the fast-talking, gritty, glamorous, brash, brassy people in the play.

Above all, Guys and Dolls reminds an audience that fashions and mores change, but some aspects of human

nature remain remarkably constant. Specifically the fact that love can change all. —adapted from Director Braden Bell’s program notes u

W I N T E R 2 0 1 5

Focus on Learning Team . . . . . . .3

Keyne Scott Profile . . . . . . . . . . .4

Fall Athletic Awards . . . . . . . . . .5

Lauren Doolittle Ossolinski ’82 . .6

Class Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6–8

I N S I D E

February 5 Alumni Gathering at

Pinewood Social

February 6 Second Trimester Ends

February 12–14 All-School Musical

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

February 16 President’s Day—School Holiday

February 19–20 Parent/Teacher Conferences

April 3 School Holiday

April 16 Band/Choral Concert

(Grades 5–6)

April 21 Band/Choral Concert

(Grades 7–8)

April 24 Field Day

April 27 K–8 Student Art Exhibit

and Awards

April 28 Spring Arts Festival Day;

Spring Concert for Grandparents and Special

Friends (Grades 5–8)

April 30–May 2 Harding Art Show

C A L E N D A R

Sky Masterson (Drew Lancaster ’17) makes good on his bet, delivering at least one dozen sinners to the Save-A-

Soul Mission. Here, he appoints Nathan Detroit (John Gibson Lewis ’15) to supervise the sinners in his absence.

Sarah Brown (Isabel Long ’16) and Sky Masterson (Drew Lancaster ’17) congratulate Miss Adelaide (Allison Lindsey ’17) at the end of her bridal shower.

There are several ways to keep up to date with Harding happenings. If you subscribe to Twitter, you can follow tweets from the head of school @HardingAcademy and from the athletic director @HardingAthletix. If you are on Facebook, alums can request to join the group Harding Academy of Nashville Alumni. There are also group fan pages for Harding Academy; Harding Art Show; and Harding Academy Summer Programs, as well as the head of school blog.

Musical Fable coMes to liFe

GENERAL NEWSHarding AcademyNurtur ing   the  Sp i r i t   •   Insp i r ing   the  Mind

Check for up-to-date event times and locationsAlso follow us on

The Finale! Front row from left, Max Keller ’17, John Gibson Lewis ’15, Allison Lindsey ’17, Bianca Sass ’15, Drew Lancaster ’17, Isabel Long ’16, and Billy Jones ’18.

2 Harding Academy w w w. h a r d i n g a c a d e m y. o r g

A Winning Combination

There is more to education than meets the eye in the lower school—much more! Walking down the hall, one may

observe activities in reading, mathematics, foreign language, or art, among many others, that reflect the high academic standards of Harding Academy. Consistently, our students rank among those of the highest achieving students in the nation, according to the CTP IV achievement tests administered by the Educational Records Bureau and the Gates-MacGinitie reading tests. However, it takes a much closer look to see the underlying skills of positive, effective social interactions and communication that are also being carefully and thoughtfully taught, the skills that our children need to successfully navigate through life.

Starting in kindergarten, students are guided to share, resolve conflicts with their peers, compromise when appropriate, show respect, demonstrate kindness, accept responsibility, and do their best. At times these are instructed through whole group lessons based on a picture book or story; other times they happen individually during an event that lends itself to a “teachable moment.” Children get their first glimpse of the Harding Academy Community Code in kindergarten as they learn the meaning behind the seven principles of Harding: be kind, be honest, be respectful, be open, be dependable, be a learner, and be my best. Each year these concepts are developed further, as is developmentally appropriate, and age-driven topics such as peer pressure, friendship issues, etc., are explored and discussed. Students learn to reflect on their actions and how they affect their peers so that they may become more thoughtful and kind in their interactions with others.

In addition to manners and thoughtful treatment of each other, students also learn the importance of internet safety as well as the careful use of technology and the communication tools it provides. We explore the differences between face-to face communication versus communicating via a type of print—text, e-mail, etc. and the appropriate uses of each. By working together with parents we can give our students the guidance that they need to steer through societal pressures in what can often be a very complicated world.

Children need a wide assortment of skills in order to flourish. They need to be able to think creatively, solve problems efficiently, communicate through a variety of mediums, and, above all, be enthusiastic about helping others and the community at large. They need to develop their social and emotional intelligence as well so that they can work (and play!) positively and successfully with others. Harding endeavors to develop these skills through its thoughtful

curriculum, highly skilled faculty, and partnership with its tremendous parents. Together these make for a winning combination!

Laura UnderwoodLower School Director

LeadershipLeadership

Editors: Deb Anderson and Leslie VirostekClass Notes: Katherine MillerContributors: Leslie VirostekPhotography: Steve LowryDesign: Tracy Alia

G E N E R A L N E W SWeb address: www.hardingacademy.org

For information or submissions contact: Deb Anderson, 615-356-5510 x311

Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee—Harding’s annual food drive took place November 10–14. Students were each given a red bag to take home to fill with food. In all, 449 bags were returned making for a participation rate of over 90 percent. The result filled 44 boxes for a total of over 4,400 lbs., beating last year’s total by more than 400 lbs. For more information on the Second Harvest organization, visit www.secondharvestmidtn.org.

Kaleidoscope Author—On November 13, award-winning Southern fiction author Watt Key spent the day with students in grades 5 through 8. His debut novel, Alabama Moon, won the 2007 E.B. White Read-Aloud Award, the 2006 Parent’s Choice Gold Award, and has been translated into seven languages. The companion novel, Dirt Road Home, was published in 2010. Key’s third novel, Fourmile, was released in 2012. He is currently working on a brand new novel.

Día de los Muertos—Harding gana el premio “Elección de los Visitantes” en la competencia de tapetes en la celebración del día de los muertos en Cheekwood! Harding wins the Visitors’ Choice Award for its tapete at the dia de los muertos celebration at Cheekwood.

Book Fair—Stacey Looper helps her son, J. Wesley, choose a book for the library. Approximately 300 new books were purchased during the on-campus event that took place October 7–9 in the school’s McPherson-Medwedeff Library. They were added to the collection following the Thanksgiving holiday.

On Campus

w w w. h a r d i n g a c a d e m y. o r g Harding Academy 3

LeadershipLeadership

Second grade Learning Effectiveness Team teacher Tara Taylor

Second grade teacher Grace Wilkinson and Learning Effectiveness Team teacher Tara Taylor

If it’s 7:30 a.m. on a regular school day at Harding, chances are two to four second graders are meeting with Learning

Effectiveness Team teacher Tara Taylor. This small group may be poised to pick up the pace on a math task, having grasped the classroom lesson quickly and now ready to tackle a higher level of learning. Or perhaps it’s a few classmates who are struggling a bit with phonics and just need to master the concepts before moving to the next lesson.

Either way, this small group of students is in for a real treat. They, and all second graders at Harding, receive specialized instruction from a teacher whose role it is to help with enrichment or remediation. As a language arts and math specialist who has taught second grade at Harding for more than a decade, Taylor “gets it” and is the perfect resource to help every second grader learn to reach his or her highest potential.

Taylor says that this is her “dream job.” She loves classroom teaching, but she understands how challenging it can be to devote one-on-one time to every student. Now, it’s her job to do just that, supplementing the efforts of classroom teachers.

Providing individualized instruction for second graders takes many forms for Taylor. In addition to meeting with small groups of students each morning, she works one-on-one or in small groups to teach English and grammar skills in each teacher’s classroom three times a week during reading block time. At least once a week, she’s in each class focusing on math skills—either co-teaching, parallel teaching, or engaging in rotations where the student to teacher ratio of 6:1 allows for adjusting the pace to better meet individual students’ needs and assures higher student engagement.

Taylor was certified three years ago in the Wilson Reading System, a proven national approach that includes multisensory instruction. Lower School Director Laura Underwood says this expertise is quite a boon to Harding’s second graders. “Most students don’t need the

Teacher Turned SpecialiSTSecond graders reap the best of both worlds with learning effectiveness

by Fran Scott

repetition involved in the Wilson program,” said Underwood. “When students do have challenges with reading, however, it provides the building blocks they need and can significantly help their reading skills. Taylor agrees that tapping the program to apply methods that work based on the learning style of the individual can make a dramatic difference in building spelling and reading skills.”

When working with students individually on reading, phonics, or math skills, Taylor employs other one-to-one tactics as well. She’s a big believer in partner activities where she can “hear students discussing their thinking and processing out loud.” She also uses hands-on activities including math manipulatives, scavenger hunts, playing games, and technology applications such as:

• PicCollage for studying singular possessive nouns, where students take pictures of people or things that “own” something—such as the pencil’s eraser—and end up with a digital portfolio;

• Videos of noun songs for grammar instruction and making silent ‘e’ puppets for learning syllables;

• BrainPOP Jr. so that students can hear and see a curricular topic explained in an animated movie;

• Explain Everything, an interactive whiteboard app for learning subtraction or other math concepts; and

• IXL for building a variety of age-appropriate math skills.

Taylor is especially enthusiastic about an interactive notebook for grammar that she has implemented this year. “It lets second graders create their own resource book that contains every topic we cover throughout the year,” she said, explaining that technology can make learning more fun for this age group and boost student engagement when paired with individualized or classroom instruction.

As members of Harding’s Learning Effectiveness Team, Taylor and the other specialists for grades one through five also engage with each other, with classroom teachers, and with school administrators to share observations and learn from one another. They have started using Action Research to document what is working at each grade level and then review each other’s notes to get ideas. “It means we’re able to communicate even if we’re not in the same room,” explained Taylor.

“Watching kids make progress, build confidence, and perhaps even change their view about a curriculum subject or school in general is the most rewarding aspect of being the second grade specialist,” Taylor said. “I love working with all 55 second graders on some level and getting to know every single student. I’m helping to meet those individual needs that support the classroom teacher’s efforts in such a huge way,” she continued. “Now, every minute of my time has purpose, and I’m on a mission. I get excited each day providing individualized instruction and seeing the results so quickly.” u

Harding HappeningsHarding Happenings

Each year lower school music teacher Pam Rhett designs the Grandparents Chocolate program around a central theme. That theme

was “Thankful for Grandparents” on November 25, when nearly 400 grandparents of kindergarten through fourth grade students attended the annual event. Guests were treated to a variety of entertaining songs, musical presentations, and essays, which were read aloud by their authors. Addressing a large group of people is one way that Harding provides students with public speaking opportunities in order to develop leadership skills. Another way is through performance vignettes such as being one of the turkeys for “The Gobble Song,” a basket carrier for the Second Harvest food presentation, or a featured instrumentalist during “Over the River.” u

4 Harding Academy w w w. h a r d i n g a c a d e m y. o r g

Every educator brings his or her own interests and talents to the job. Keyne shares her artistic ability. A trained illustrator, experienced graphic designer, and spare-time painter of still lifes and landscapes, Keyne especially enjoys helping children with lessons involving art projects. She also lends her talents to co-editing the yearbook and painting sets for the school theater productions. (Being artistic and “handy” has also enabled Keyne and husband Bryant to build their own country house and tackle related projects.)

The mom of two Harding graduates, Mallory Atkins ’01 and Abigail Atkins ’05, Keyne has worked at Harding for 11 years and enjoys being a member of a dynamic learning community. “I work with an incredible group of teachers,” she says. “It is inspiring to watch how each of them interprets and presents the same material to their individual classes. I learn from them every day, and feel blessed to have them as friends.” u

Kindergartners are at the very beginning of their formal education, and

they are eager to learn. Keyne Scott is a member of the team that helps Harding kindergartners get the best possible start. One of two kindergarten assistants, Keyne works with each kindergarten class during the course of a week. She helps the classroom teachers prepare for upcoming projects and serves as an extra teacher when needed. She also enhances learning experiences for students. “I work with small groups of children in our activity room where we teach extra lessons on subjects that are not covered in the classroom, or we cover material to support lessons that are being taught by the regular classroom teacher,” she says.

She believes that kids learn better and grow to love school when they are nurtured and validated. She says, “I would hope that the students feel loved and appreciated as individuals when they leave kindergarten. I want each child’s first experience as a student to be a good one with fond memories.”

Faculty Profile Keyne Scott

Education:After two years at Vanderbilt University, Keyne transferred

to Harris School of Advertising Art, where she completed a

four-year illustration program.

Experience:Working previously as a

graphic designer, freelance artist, and custom framer, Keyne began at Harding

in 2003.

Original artwork by third grader Ross Sonday. Artwork created during Ross’s second grade year.

Fourth grader Nathaniel Nelson reads his essay “My Grandparents and Me.”

Fourth grader Walker Lindsey, left, and on drums, fifth grader Darin Hall with Michelle Carr, accompanist, play “Over the River” by John Riggio.

Second graders performed “I Want Some Pumpkin Pie” by John Riggio.

Fourth graders Gabby Land and Ella Howard help present the Second Harvest food baskets.

s

s

s

ss

Behold! The Tower of ToysNew, amazing Disney, Lego, MineCraft, and Mario toys were available for

purchase December 9 through 11 during Harding’s Tower of Toys event. A generous Harding family donated the toys—the same ones found during the holiday season at Target and other stores—as part of a fundraiser for the school. Parent volunteers and members of the Harding staff sold the toys at 40 to 50 percent off retail to current parents and members of the extended community. One lucky child’s parent purchased him a new Ferrari (as in electric and tiny) while others were given rocking horses, camping tents, dolls, and action figures for their holiday presents. All leftover toys were donated to Toys for Tots and Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. But best of all is that Harding Academy has received a gift as well: $6,400 in revenue.

u 2014 uFall Athletic Awards

Anna Perrone ‘15, Top 10 Cross-

Country Medalist and Most Valuable

Player for Girls Soccer

Three-time HVAC Wrestling Champion and two-time Outstanding Wrestler Award Recipient Seve Ortale ‘15

Bailey Blackford ‘15, Best Offensive Player

on the 2014 Girls HVAC Champion Volleyball team

FOOTBALLCoach: Corby LucasMost Valuable Offensive Player—Garrett Schultz ’15Most Valuable Defensive Player—Sam Shipp ’15Most Improved Player—Patrick Vandenbergh ’15Coach’s Award—Sterling Craig ’15Hustle Award—Zachary Nelson ’15

VOLLEYBALLCoach: Carol GreenMost Valuable Player—Ellie Slagle ’16Most Improved Award—Ellie Frist ’16Best Offense Award—Bailey Blackford ’15Hustle Award—Ainsley Hanrahan ’16

GOLFCoach: Neil MasterMost Valuable Player—Grant Hollomon ’15Most Improved Player—Weatherly Spence ’17Coach’s Award—Jackson Buschmann ’15Hustle Award—Alston Aron ’16

CHEERLEADINGCoach: Sara MendozaMost Valuable Cheerleader—Cece Bayliff ’15Most Improved Cheerleader—Laura Grace Brothers ’17Coach’s Award—Elizabeth Perrone ’15Spirit Award—Bella Zimberg ’15

CROSS-COUNTRY BOYSCoach: Jason EmbryMost Valuable Runner—Bode Segers ’17Most Improved Runner—Ben Locke ’17 Rookie of the Year—William Vreeland ’17Coach’s Award—Wilson Berry ’16

CROSS-COUNTRY GIRLSCoach: Jason EmbryMost Valuable Runner—Charlie Bracegirdle ’16Most Improved Runner—Catarina Carter ’16Coach’s Award—Anna Perrone ’15Rookie of the Year—Sasha Mason ’17

WRESTLINGCoach: Corby LucasMost Valuable Wrestler—Seve Ortale ’15Most Improved Wrestler—Daniel McGuire ’16Coach’s Award—Garrett Schultz ’15Hustle Award—Alex Ray ’16

GIRLS SOCCERCoach: Lilly CashaMost Valuable Player—Anna Perrone ’15Most Improved Player—Annie Griffin ’16Coach’s Award—Elizabeth Perrone ’15Hustle Award—Lila Hunt ’16

BOYS SOCCERCoach: Phil StankiewiczMost Valuable Player—Cliff Goidel ’15Most Improved Player—Andy Garside ’15Coach’s Award—Patrick Vandenbergh ’15Hustle Award—Evan Perrone ’15

w w w. h a r d i n g a c a d e m y. o r g Harding Academy 5

AwardsAwards

u SPECIAL RECOGNITION uTeamGirls Varsity Volleyball HVAC Division A Champions

Girls Varsity Cross-Country HVAC Division A Champions

Boys Varsity Cross-Country HVAC Division A Champions

Boys Varsity Golf HVAC Runners-Up

Girls Varsity Soccer HVAC Division A Runners-Up

IndividualBode Segers ’17 HVAC Division A Boys Cross-Country Champion

Wilson Berry ’16 HVAC Division A Boys Top 10 Medalist (5th Place)

Merritt Smith ’16 HVAC Division A Boys Top 10 Medalist (6th Place)

Julia Townsend ’16 HVAC Division A Girls Top 10 Medalist (4th Place)

Charlie Bracegirdle ’16 HVAC Division A Girls Top 10 Medalist (6th Place)

Catarina Carter ’16 HVAC Division A Girls Top 10 Medalist (7th Place)

Anna Perrone ’15 HVAC Division A Girls Top 10 Medalist (8th Place)

Andy Garside ’15 HVAC Golf Top 10 Medalist

Chris Park ’16 HVAC Golf Top 10 Medalist

Grant Hollomon ’15 HVAC Golf Top 10 Medalist

Seve Ortale ’15 HVAC Wrestling Champion 127 lbs.; HVAC Tournament Outstanding Wrestler

Garrett Schultz ’15 HVAC Wrestling Champion 120 lbs.; HVAC Tournament Best Match in the Finals Award

Daniel McGuire ’16 HVAC Wrestling Champion 95 lbs.

Alex Ray ’16 HVAC Wrestling Champion 82 lbs.

Will Higgins ’16 HVAC Wrestling 3rd Place 107 lbs.

Zachary Nelson ’15 HVAC Wrestling 3rd Place 135 lbs.

Scottie Koehner ’15 HVAC Wrestling 3rd Place 145 lbs.

Will Wheeler ’16 HVAC Wrestling 3rd Place 190 lbs.

When the spring flowers emerge, the summer sun shines on a Cape Cod

beach, or the fall foliage bursts with color, you are likely to find Nashville artist Lauren Doolittle Ossolinski ’82 with her oil paints and collapsible easel, working outdoors in the “plein air” tradition. Lauren, who is the featured artist for the 2015 Harding Art Show, explains that plein air painting is about capturing a moment in just one sitting of perhaps 30 minutes. “You have to paint quickly because the light is changing constantly,” she says.

Come winter, Lauren can be found working in her studio—a spare bedroom in her home—often using photographs for inspiration. Since she doesn’t have to rush, she has the opportunity to paint on larger canvases and return for several sittings.

Variety among the settings, seasons, and subjects of her work is important to Lauren, as is the individuality and creative integrity of each painting. When she is preparing to show her work, she may need to produce 50 to 70 paintings, and the challenge is supplying the right quantity and diversity of pieces without quashing the creative spark. She feels connected to her artwork—and to the people who seek it. “If you bought a painting from me, I will remember you and I will remember what painting you bought,” she says.

Lauren’s artistic sensibility goes back to when she was a child taking art classes, doing

crafts, and making gifts for family members. She says, “As a little kid I was always looking for creative outlets.” Harding was a perfect fit. She remembers attending the art show—where her mom was a volunteer for several years and also served as show chair—and

having art classes with Carol Chambers. “Harding is a school that really values art,” she says, noting that her children’s creativity was nurtured there, too; son Harry ’12 is a musician and daughter Eliza ’14 is a dancer.

Lauren went on to attend Harpeth Hall and then Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where she majored in communications and advertising, with a minor in art and English. She worked as a copywriter for ad agencies in Washington, D.C., Memphis, and Nashville before shifting gears to become a full-time parent.

She had long dabbled in oil painting, but it was a course in plein air technique about ten years ago that started her painting “in earnest.” Soon she was seeking to get into galleries and to participate in art shows. Harding’s was her first, and it was both a validation of her work and a meaningful connection to the school she loves. “To get juried into the show eight years ago was a very big step,” she says. She’s been in the show ever since and is thrilled to be the featured artist this year. “It’s so exciting for me,” she says. “It’s a huge responsibility—and a great motivation to do well for the school.”

6 Harding Academy w w w. h a r d i n g a c a d e m y. o r g

Harding HappeningsHarding Happenings

Alumni Profile Lauren Doolittle Ossolinski ’82

Harding Art ShowCelebrates 40th Anniversary

T he Harding Art Show will celebrate its 40th anniversary on April 30, May 1, and May 2,

2015, at the annual show that will take place on campus. In addition to this year’s featured artist, Lauren Doolittle Ossolinski ‘82, approximately 70 other artists from across the country will have their fine art available for purchase, offering pieces in mediums such as oils, pastels, acrylics, photography, ceramics, and mixed media, and in styles ranging from realism to impressionism to abstract.

The Art Show is the main fundraiser for the school’s Parents Auxiliary, which allocates the money to programs and services that directly benefit the students of Harding Academy. Thirty percent of each purchase goes directly to this fund, and because it is entirely run by volunteers, the show’s administrative costs are low, allowing for maximum proceeds from the show to be donated back to the school. The show would not be the success it is today without the many volunteers and sponsors who give of their time and resources.

In particular, as the presenting sponsor of the 40th anniversary Art Show, the school is grateful to Van Mol Restoration. Founder of the company and current Harding parent of two daughters is Harding alum Derek Van Mol ’88, who knows how important the funds raised from the Art Show are to his alma mater. Derek and wife Marcie graciously opened their home to host a kick-off party for the show on October 14. Guests saw firsthand the innovative design ideas and quality construction techniques used by Van Mol Restoration to create a perfect ambiance for gatherings while being introduced to this year’s featured artist. Additionally, Platinum Sponsors of the 40th anniversary Art Show will be Snap Girls and Yeah! Burger. Leah Bentley, owner of Snap Girls and co-owner of Yeah! Burger and Harding parent and co-owner of Yeah! Burger Lin Howard are excited to serve as first-time underwriters of the Saturday Family Festival, a fun addition planned for this year’s show.

Current parents Melissa Frist and Abby Slagle are co-chairing the oldest school-sponsored art show in Nashville. Says Slagle, “The show has grown from a modest gathering of artists to one of the largest exhibitions of fine art in the southeastern United States, and serves as an important venue for participants. As an invitation-only show, it has launched the careers of many significant Southern artists.”

More information can be found on the show’s Facebook page, or by visiting artshow.hardingacademy.org.

2015 Harding Art Show kick-off event hosts and presenting sponsors Derek ‘88 and Marcie Van Mol flanked by co-chairs Abby Slagle and Melissa Frist.

w w w. h a r d i n g a c a d e m y. o r g Harding Academy 7

Class NotesClass Notes

1994Laura Towbin and husband David welcomed a daughter, Emmaline Arnold, on September 5. The family resides in Denver, Colorado.

1997Paul Steele and wife Jenny welcomed their third daughter, Helen Kate, on October 21.

1998Christine Bass Burk and husband Justin welcomed their first child, Marion Wilson, on November 21. Marion’s proud Uncle Michael Bass ’96 (pictured) is a member of the Harding Academy Hall of Fame.

2010Upon receiving her care package created by her alma mater House, Mary Grace Cozart writes, “Thank you Harding Academy for the continuous support in my upper education! I just received my

box of goodies and sweet cards, and I’m speechless! This was so surprising and has made my WHOLE week! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” You are welcome, Mary Grace.

2012Matt Garside (below) and Clarke Aron ‘13 both played well in the 2014 TSSAA Division II

golf tournament on October 7 at WillowBrook Golf Club in Manchester, Tenn., helping

Class Notes

Alumni Basketball Game

The Roberts Gymnasium was full of Harding spirit on Sunday, November 16, for the ninth annual Alumni Basketball Game for the classes of 2010–2014. The red team reclaimed the trophy

from last year’s blue team win, and the Harding Pep Band played along. After the game, alumni attendees enjoyed catching up over refreshments and Harding yearbooks. Members of the Class of 2012 pictured from left are, back row: Ethan Long, Madison Shirey, Will Beasley, Matt Garside, Riley McCormick, Brett Barnett, Alex Stevens, and Harrison Kaminsky; front row: Holden Craig, Davis Cavallo, Jake Jacobson, Clarke Allen, and Jack Koehner.

Fifth Annual Golf Classic

The fifth annual Harding Academy Golf Classic was held on October 13 at Westhaven Golf

Club in Franklin, Tenn. Organized by the Harding Academy Alumni Association and co-chaired by William Gilmore ’94 and Allen Huggins ’94, the proceeds from the Golf Classic have contributed over $95,000 for the Campaign for Harding Academy. Special thanks to this year’s primary sponsor Apex Endodontics and Dr. Graham Locke ’90, and to the many parents, alumni, and friends who contributed to the success of the event. Pictured are Kelly Hillenmeyer taking the green as husband Taylor watches. The Hillenmeyers are parents to current Harding students T.J. (sixth), Tessa (fifth), and Matthew (K).

Ensworth High School earn a runner-up finish with a 34-over 610. Claudia Rhett has been inducted into the R.O. Beauchamp Chapter of National Honor Society at Brentwood Academy.

2014Four class of 2014 alumni attended their first MBA homecoming event: Matthew Stagg, Kate Mabry, Jackson Long, and Eliza

Ossolinski, who all started kindergarten together at Harding. The strong friendships that were built at Harding continue.

N E X T I S S U E Focus on Learning Effectiveness Team (Grade 3); Winter Athletics; All-School Musical, and Jump & Hoop It Up

Class NotesClass Notes

Follow us!

Sixth Grade Writing Night Guest Expositor

The 13th annual Sixth Grade Family Writing Night was held on October 23 in the McPherson-Medwedeff Library. English teacher and host Jennifer

Weinblatt said, “I was really impressed by the creativity, sincerity, and eloquence of the pieces that the sixth graders and their families shared. This group of students seemed absolutely unabashed about expressing their love for their family, which I found very touching.” Fred Crumbo ‘12 (at left) even had some words of advice for his brother Charlie and his classmates:

“When I was your age, just five years ago, I remember thinking of teachers as prison guards. I also remember thinking neon Nike shorts were a foolproof plan for attracting girls. I do not regret these thoughts because at the time that’s how I felt, and nothing bad had come of it. I do know now, however, that teachers are fountains of knowledge and girls are much more complex than they seem. I remember thinking that iPhones were the end-all-be-all, and that exams were the only thing standing between my dreams and me. Well, iPhones turned out to be less distinguishing than I expected, and exams turned out to be reasonable and just one measure of my abilities.

“If anything from this sinks in to you sixth graders, it should be that nothing in middle school could wreck your life completely. iPhones don’t make you any cooler and neon Nike shorts don’t either. Exams are time consuming but not impossible. There is no foolproof plan to pick up girls. That doesn’t matter now. No one is going to judge you five years from now for what you tried out in middle school. So, do your own thing, change in your own way, and never regret what you are doing now.”