May 5, 2022 | Issue 32
A Joyful Season
A Message from the Head of School
It feels like a season of joy at Mead Hall. We have recently celebrated the Easter joy of the resurrection of Jesus in our chapels with songs of praise. Following Easter, we have had several joyful events that are important community celebrations at Mead Hall.

Two weeks ago we celebrated our athletes and our victories this year at the Athletic Recognition Ceremony. It has been a good year for Mead Hall’s athletics as documented each week in our In the Hoop newsletter, and as I highlighted at the banquet, during the challenges of the pandemic this year our sports have been a light and a joy that has lifted us up and brought us together. Speaking of being together, our upper school students enjoyed a “normal” Senior Prom this year. Then we had the joy of the Strawberry Festival which returned this year with hundreds of school families and locals enjoying the day, and we were blessed with the income from the festival going to the PTO to support our school. I want to especially thank everyone who volunteered to make these events a success, and I would like to thank our PTO for all they do for the school through events and fundraising and our Panther Club for all they do to support our athletic program and fundraising. We cannot do all these wonderful events without our volunteers!
 
Last week we had several events for which students had carefully prepared and mark our school as one where our students engage in research and give oral presentations of what they have discovered. Each morning our seniors delivered their senior project presentations in the Aiken Prep Campus auditorium, providing us with interesting and in depth information and analysis on a number of interesting topics. These 20 minute presentations are the culmination of their research project which is undertaken in the Senior Project Class where they had already delivered a 15-20 page college level paper earlier in the year. While this was going on I enjoyed learning from our younger biographical researchers in 3rd and 4th grade who brought to life notable historical figures in the 3rd Grade Wax Museum and 4th Grade Night at the Museum. It was a joy for me to see the seed of the amazing presentations that our seniors gave reflected in the presentations our younger students are giving now.
 
As we move through this week we have had the joy of music provided by our bands at the Spring Band Concert on Tuesday evening. On Wednesday at Lower School Chapel we presented our 4th graders with their class shirts to recognize that they are completing lower school and making the transition to middle school, where they will be able to wear these t-shirts on Spirit Fridays each week. It was a joy to celebrate our 4th graders and we look forward to celebrating our 8th graders this spring as they complete middle school, and finally our graduates at their commencement in a few weeks. 
 
Tomorrow our St. Thaddeus Campus will be full of life and joy for Family Day which celebrates our community of families, grandparents, and friends. Family Day will be the launch of our Brick Fundraiser, which I invite you to read about below. We are grateful to St. Thaddeus Church for the plans to redesign and renew the courtyard in front of the red brick Mead Hall School Building. The church has provided us with an opportunity to inscribe the bricks in the courtyard to raise money for the redevelopment of the large playground on the St. Thaddeus Campus for which we have wonderful plans that will bring joy to the lives of our students for years to come.
 
Wishing you blessings of joy, 
 
Frank Sawyer
Mead Hall Courtyard Campaign Brick Fundraiser 
The purpose of this brick fundraiser is to support the renovation of the playing field space on the St. Thaddeus Campus to include: a tricycle track, soccer field, basketball court, four square court, and outdoor classroom/performance space.  

Engraved bricks will be placed near the flagpole in the school courtyard which serves as a gateway to the school for guests on the St. Thaddeus campus. In June, the courtyard will be renovated by the St. Thaddeus parish into an “outdoor learning environment “ using patio pavers and seat wall hardscaping. 

Engrave a brick to honor or remember current or former students, faculty, staff, or parishioners, or engrave a brick to mark graduation or other special occasions. 

Bricks can be purchased electronically via a link on the Mead Hall Website or with a check and printed order form turned into either school office. The first batch of bricks will be submitted for engraving on May 31!   

The Courtyard Campaign Brick Fundraiser will provide approximately half of the funding needed to refurbish the playing field space. Would you consider providing a designated gift to Mead Hall to enhance the outdoor spaces for students on the St. Thaddeus campus? Questions? Contact Joanne Morton jmorton@meadhallschool.org for a personal tour showcasing our vision.
Middle School students enjoying the restored tennis court.
The Aiken Prep Campus tennis court has recently been resurfaced and new posts and net installed through a generous grant of $10,000 from the Kevin and Brittany Kisner Foundation. The restoration work will be completed soon with some work on the chain link fence and the installation of a bench.
PTO News and Events
A photo gallery of Strawberry Festival is now available to view on the school's SmugMug Website. Thank you to our school photographer, Larry Johnson, for capturing these memories! 

PTO Board Nominations - The PTO is seeking to fill board member positions for the 2022 - 2023 school year! Be on the lookout for a nomination ballot via email. Volunteers and parent involvement are absolutely essential to the success of our fundraising events throughout the year. Serving on PTO is a great way to be actively involved in campus life, meeting new people and knowing that you are making a difference in the academic and financial success of our school. If you would like more information, please email PTO@meadhallschool.org 
Senior Spotlight
Senior Project Presentations

Our Class of 2022 delivered their Senior Project Presentations last week on the following compelling topics:

Preston Bledsoe Minecraft, and How It Has Shaped the Internet Today

Anna Grace Chafin – The Impact of Foreign Aid on Poor Countries

Liza CramEquestrian Safety

Jon Current – Fossil Fuels: Inefficient, Dirty, Destructive

Emma Farmer Social Intelligence is the Key to the Future 
  
Hannah Kraus Honey Bees

McCall Massey – Fishing Our Oceans

Danielle StaggsThe Impact of Depression

Michael StanleyMinimum Legal Drinking Age
4th Graders Honored at Chapel with Their Class T-shirts

We honored our 4th graders this week for their completion of Lower School by presenting them each with Class of 2030 t-shirts. They wore them proudly to school today and they can wear them on Fridays in middle school as a Spirit Friday uniform shirt.
School Store
School Store Hours Week of 5/9 - 5/13
Open Monday - Friday at 8:00 a.m. (Please note store hours may vary for the remainder of the school year to accommodate for school events and exam schedules) 

*Additional information = School Store Summer Hours will be available soon. Please check The Mead Hall Website for updates 

Pre-Order your 2022-2023 School Supplies - The School Store will once again offer school supply packs for all grades!  Order forms and pricing will be available soon so be on the lookout for more information. Supply Packs are a convenient and efficient way to make sure your child is prepared for the first day of school.  
Panther Club
To Our Presenting Sponsors
WE THANK YOU!
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Support Mead Hall Athletics
by becoming a Panther Club Sponsor -






Sunday Services:

9:00am - Rite II, contemporary music
11:15am - Rite II, organ, choir and traditional music


Wednesday, 11:00 am Holy Eucharist, Rite II - Chapel of the Holy Apostles

Please join us for Sunday services. You may also attend virtually at the VIMEO link. For those watching at home, the bulletin can be found at the SERVICE BULLETIN link on the St. Thaddeus website.

The South Carolina Department of Public Health and Environmental Control (SC DHEC) and the federal government have begun treating COVID-19 as an endemic virus. This is due to declining case and hospitalization rates as well as the increased availability of vaccines, treatments, and rapid testing. 

We will discontinue reporting our weekly COVID-19 cases. We will continue to provide COVID-19 data to DHEC weekly. You may access this school report information using this link.