April 2018 Newsletter

Dear Bancroft Friends,

It may be dusted with snow at this moment, but the bright yellow forsythia tree outside my window assures me that spring is here. Our students are back in top form after the break. In all three divisions, they're teaming up in the classroom, the studio, the gym, and out in the world to conquer challenges in innovative ways. It's remarkable to note their growth since the beginning of the year, and exciting to know there's so much more to come.

I'd like to share some current and upcoming transitions taking place as my colleagues take new steps along their individual career or life paths. In a small and tightly knit community, the natural ebb and flow of people affects us on a personal level. I encourage you to share and process the news with your children.

Head of Middle School Trevor O'Driscoll will be leaving Bancroft at the end of this school year. For five years, Trevor has served our community with thoughtful leadership and fostered a close-knit, student-centered culture in the Middle School. However, his service to Bancroft came at a high personal cost in terms of time with his family. He will be returning to The Wheeler School in Providence, where his wife is also a teacher and his two children are students. I feel extremely fortunate that we already have in place an individual whose wisdom, thoughtfulness, and deep engagement with Bancroft parents, faculty, and students is well established — Lower School Head Beth Beckmann will take over the operations of both divisions. Beth has stellar middle school leadership credentials, and we will be creating opportunities for her to connect more deeply with the Middle School community in the coming months.

A 21-year veteran of our Upper School, Math Teacher Kim VanderSpek has made the decision to complete her tenure at Bancroft at the end of this year. With her superb mind, love of her students, and brilliantly innovative teaching methods, Kim has inspired a world-class math experience, and contributed her expert costuming skills to countless stage productions. We are in the process of interviewing qualified math candidates.

Also leaving Bancroft after 21 years of service is Upper School Spanish Teacher Martha Hosey. Dedicated to her students, Martha has helped foster global citizens and forged vibrant connections with Worcester's Latino community. The Upper School team will also be redistributing David Conner's responsibilities as a Spanish and ESL teacher and he will not be returning next year. I am pleased to say that we have an exceptionally qualified individual already on staff who will join the Upper School faculty — the talented and multilingual Shari Belanger. Shari is currently a French teacher in our Middle School. As we move to defer the start of French instruction from Middle to Upper School, Shari will teach French in addition to Upper School Spanish classes.

Director of Library Services Mary Bagley and College Counseling Assistant Pat Probert have both announced their retirements, effective at the end of the school year. Mary has been an important force in curricular development, an advocate for students, and a defender of a flexible and open library. Her close colleagues Robyn York and Lisa Leach will continue Mary's good work building an inclusive and engaging culture in our libraries. Pat has served for nearly a decade in our Upper School, easing the college search process for hundreds of seniors. She is also the parent of two Bancroft alumni (Colin '02 and Julia '07). With Pat's retirement and College Counseling Director Jackie Lefebvre going into private practice at the end of the school year, the search committee has already identified a pool of qualified college counseling professionals and we expect to make hiring decisions soon.

With the decision to consolidate the Upper School Dean of Students roles next year, we must say goodbye to Trish Cox, who has served admirably as our Dean for Grades 11-12. Robin Silverman will become the Dean of Students for all Upper School grades and will continue to teach Latin.

Lyssa Steponaitis, who joined us four years ago as Middle School Math Teacher and helped establish the MIddle School Unity and Diversity Day, has made the decision to return to her native home of Canada. We are currently connecting with qualified candidates to fill her position.

Visual Arts Teacher Connie Moore will be returning this fall after her yearlong sabbatical. We will thus bid a fond and very grateful farewell to Hannah Hall-Alicandro, who artfully filled the role this year, and previously built our unique and successful Cultural Arts Series.

Our campus enhancement team recently said goodbye to John Esslinger, who retired after 22 years. Our community was fortunate to have his skill and dedication, and we will miss his soft-spoken manner. We have welcomed custodian Luis Lopez to the team.

Our payroll accountant, Thara Hamza, made a recent career move to another organization. After reexamining the day-to-day operational needs of the Business Office, we are now interviewing candidates for the position of Controller.

I am filled with gratitude for each of these individuals' vital contributions to Bancroft's mission, whether it is coming to an end or taking on a new form.

As we continue our work charting the course for Bancroft's future, the board, the senior leadership team, and I are committed to taking a realistic and strategic look at the School's budget, staffing, and space resources. We consider each transition on a case-by-case basis to determine the right way to move forward.

In the end, every decision comes back to the simple, guiding principle of doing our very best for the students.

With thanks,

Trey Cassidy
Head of School

CABARET – US MUSICAL

"Come Hear the Music Play"

With four shows over three days (March 8–10), the Upper School Powder & Wig drama club put on a spectacular run of the famed musical Cabaret. The toned-down but still edgy interpretation was a huge success — a reflection of the collaborative talents of our student actors, musicians, and stage crew, and the leadership of performing arts faculty. On Friday, many families also enjoyed a pre-show cabaret-themed community dinner in the dining hall, expertly coordinated and decorated by our PFA volunteers! 

US & MS WINTER SPORTS AWARDS

Winter Sports Award & Honors

After a long winter season filled with buzzer beaters, top-place finishes, and plenty of personal records, we celebrated our teams and student-athletes at the Upper School and Middle School Winter Sports Award ceremonies. Aside from the individual awards given to members of each team (listed below), we also celebrated our All-New England and All-EIL honorees. Anna Madonia '22 represented Bancroft varsity girls' basketball in the NEPSWA Class D/E All-Star Game, filling the stat sheet with 4 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals. Varsity boys basketball tri-captain Anthony Marguerite '18 was named 1st Team All-EIL and Class C All-NEPSAC Honorable Mention. He also finished his career 2nd all-time in three-pointers made (trailing only Matt Hitzhusen '97). Tri-captain Carlo Mannina '19 was named an All-EIL Honorable Mention and Class C All-NEPSAC selection. CJ Zujewski '21 was also an All-EIL Honorable Mention selection. The varsity swim team turned in three top-15 finishes at the New England Championships: girls' 200 Medley Relay (11th), girls' 200 Free Relay (9th), and co-captain Ibrahim Ayyash '19 finished 11th in the 100 Backstroke, improving his time by 2.8 seconds.

VEX ROBOTICS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Robodogs Take on the World

For the fifth year in a row, Coach Elisa Heinricher and the Robodogs will be taking their show on the road to the VEX Robotics World Championships in Louisville, KY! This year, the undefeated Team 2442-C and Team 2442-B earned a place among the world's top high school teams. From April 25–28, they'll be in Kentucky celebrating their accomplishments and competing with the best of the best. When Worcester News reporter Brittany Schaefer learned of this amazing accomplishment, she came to campus and interviewed our undefeated Team 2442-C for TV3's Worcester News broadcast! Of course, our Robodogs and Coach Heinricher spoke eloquently about the secrets of their success! WATCH THE VIDEO HERE.

US & LS LATIN COLLABORATION

Stories Bring US Latin & 1st Grade Classes Together

Before Spring Break, our Upper School Latin II class wrote original stories in Latin, then had the opportunity to translate them into English and share them with a very appreciative and enthusiastic group of 1st grade students! Each 1st grader sat with four or five older friends to read and chat about the Latin books and learn about Latin language. The timing of this cross-divisional learning experience was perfect, as the 1st graders have just begun a unit on the Middle Ages — a time when Latin was still spoken. Equally valuable was the chance for the US students to be "teachers of others" with an authentic audience!

REMARKABLE MOMENTS

Click to see a slideshow of the remarkable things your children have been up to in the past month!!

IMPORTANT DATES

Shorelines is produced by Bancroft's Marketing and Communications team. If you have questions or story ideas please contact shorelines@bancroftschool.org.

Bancroft School

110 Shore Drive • Worcester, MA 01605 • (508) 853-2640