Elm Tree Gazette: April 2020

Volume VII | April 2020

LAWRENCE ACADEMY ALUMNI NEWSLETTER

Virtual greetings from Lawrence Academy!

We are three weeks into the spring term and all of our students are now fully engaged in remote learning and will be for the balance of the school year. The faculty have seamlessly transitioned into this new educational paradigm and have become incredibly adept at using various technologies to make their classes engaging, interactive, and fun.

While developing and delivering impactful and supportive remote learning experiences has been one of our highest priorities over the last several weeks, we have also been extremely focused on the final stages of the admissions process, culminating in the enrollment of newly accepted students on April 10. Demonstrating extraordinary resiliency and creativity, our admissions and communications teams created Lawrence Academy’s first virtual revisit experience , which was received with great enthusiasm by newly accepted students and their families and resulted in one of the most successful admissions seasons for Lawrence Academy on record, an impressive accomplishment given these uncertain times.

As part of this virtual revisit experience, the admissions and communications teams created lots of original content, including a new LA overview video, Q&A sessions with a variety of faculty program leads, and much more, all of which was distributed to families of accepted students prior to the enrollment deadline. We are sharing it with you below — The Powderhouse Post Virtual Revisit Edition — because it represents the most current reflection of the school and our wonderful community. Please enjoy the various content elements and join me in welcoming the Lawrence Academy class of 2024!

I’m also pleased to share that Carolyn Balas-Zaleski ’84 has been elected as our next president of the Alumni Council. Carolyn was joined at LA by her sister, Chrysa ’87 and her son, Tom ’17 . With her perspectives as an alumna and parent, coupled with her professional role as National Sales Director at Marathon Staffing, Carolyn will lead the Alumni Council in exciting ways. Read her message below.

Finally, we delivered the unfortunate news this week to our community that there will be no return to campus this spring for any of our students, and that we would not be holding the on-campus graduation ceremony for the Class of 2020. While this news was largely expected, it was extremely sad for all of us. However, in the true Spartan way, we are seeing tremendous thought and energy being dedicated to ensuring that we properly celebrate our graduating seniors throughout the remainder of the spring term and on their graduation day and that they get the love, support, recognition, and acknowledgement that they deserve.

We hope you enjoy this issue of the Elm Tree Gazette and that you and your loved ones remain safe.

Best wishes,

Chris Davey

Assistant Head of School for Institutional Strategy and Advancement

A MESSAGE FROM THE ALUMNI COUNCIL PRESIDENT

I first joined our Alumni Council back in early 2015. To be honest with you, it was initially an excuse for me to be on campus and grab a bite in the dining hall with my son, Tom Zaleski `17 (see picture at right).

This past fall, I was preparing for my father’s eulogy and came across memos in his MacBook which he had left to his two daughters: Chrysa Balas-Dunser `87 and me. My father shared a lesson he learned from his grandfather: “those who have the opportunity to give back, have the moral obligation to do so.” When our Alumni Council needed someone to assist in positive change for the next two years, I felt the moral obligation to do so.

Currently, our hard-working group could use the skill sets of those in IT, venture capital and starts-ups, the legal industry, military service, and fundraising experience, just to name a few. If you have a hankering to give back, your LA community could use your skills right now. No time to spare? That’s OK, always consider supporting the Annual Fund, especially this year.

I am extremely optimistic about how we as alumni can positively impact the student body like never before. You can start by updating your profile on LA Connect and then offer your support as we start to solidify an Alumni Speakers Series, a Women’s Leadership Forum, an LA Professional Internship Portal, and so much more.

A big shout out and thank you to all past Alumni Council members — especially Catie Floyd McMenamin `97 , past president — for all their efforts. If you have any questions, concerns or out-of-the-box ideas, please reach out .

I wish you healthy and safe days during these monumental times of uncertainty.

Carolyn Balas-Zaleski `84, P `17

Alumni Council President

VIRTUAL REVISIT DAY EXPERIENCE 2020

An Interview With...

Andrew Healy

on Student

Support

Cindy Blood

on Learning Support

Peter Hess

on Academic

Life

Raquel Majeski

on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Joel Sugerman

The Arts

Tony Hawgood

Winterim

Kimberly Poulin

on Clubs, Service

& Leadership

Libby Margraf

on School

Life

Sean Sheehan

on College Counseling

Frank Mastrangelo

on Campus

Safety

Kevin Wiercinski

Athletics

Kim Healy

Athletics

If you want to re-watch certain sections of the video or jump right to a specific section, scroll below the video image and you will see a time-stamped table of contents for each. Enjoy!

Theatre At LA

Participating in theatre at LA can involve performing on stage, being a member of the technical team working behind the scenes, or directing. The student-centered mission of LA is embodied in the kind of work that we make in the theatre.