Retiring Charles Wright Academy faculty members who retire with a minimum of 20 years of service to the school receive a Lifetime Teaching Award. In 2016 three Tarrier teachers received this honor.

Jules Verne may have immortalized the adventures inherent in traveling around the world in 80 days, but Carol Mahar Jones has traveled around the world repeatedly for almost a decade—without leaving campus.

In her current role as a second grade teacher, she has led dozens of pint-sized expeditioners on their quests to master knowledge of Brazil’s Amazon River, Nepal’s red panda, Egypt’s Sphinx, and innumerable other natural wonders, animals, and architecture for the grade’s beloved continent fairs. From Antarctica to Asia and every continent in between, second graders under Carol’s tutelage have harnessed the power of research and reporting on a topic of their choosing. “I’ve really enjoyed using project-based learning to teach the basics,” she explains. Between the continent fairs and the annual second grade wax museum, Carol has found “when kids have choices, they become invested in the learning process.” Head of Lower School Diane Hunt concurs, saying, “Carol has taught her young students to explore a wide range of interesting topics and to synthesize information gained through research into thorough and informative reports.”

Carol first came to CWA in 1988 as a teacher’s assistant and computer lab instructor. She has since served in many Tarrier roles—first, second, and third grade teacher; parent of students and alumni (Brian ’98, Kasey ’00, and Drew ’04); daughter-in-law of former Head of Upper School Tony Mahar and kindergarten teacher Marg Mahar; and wife of former teacher and coach Casey Jones ’66. And throughout it all, she has been a rock to fellow teachers in the Lower School. For instance, fifth grade teacher Helen Bingham-Rowles ’84 recalls being a first-year faculty member in 1990. “Carol’s daughter, Kasey, was in my class,” she says. “Carol was a supportive person I could go to for advice during that first year of teaching. She helped me by going to places with me I wanted to visit for fieldtrips to see if they were suitable and tied into our curriculum.”

Carol says the biggest educational evolution she has witnessed over the course of her quarter-century career at CWA is that learning is “less about spitting back facts and more about encouraging kids to be original.” She loves that “their questions aren’t answered directly but are responded to with another question that gets them to think. I appreciate that we are building self-reliant kids who know how to be resourceful and independent learners.”

While independent, her students have been known to return for visits once they’ve moved on not only from second grade, but also from the Lower School entirely. “She frequently has kids come down from the Upper School to say hi because she was their favorite teacher,” says Helen. “I admire many things about Carol, but most especially her creativity and her warm, personal relationships with her students. Every time I walk in or past Carol’s classroom, I am amazed by the teaching and the projects she does with her kids. Her kids respond positively to her creative ideas and warm interactions.”

It is with heartfelt gratitude that Carol Jones is honored with the 2016 Lifetime Teaching Award for her 28 years of invaluable contributions to the Charles Wright community.

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Retiring Charles Wright Academy faculty members who retire with a minimum of 20 years of service to the school receive a Lifetime Teaching Award. In 2016 three Tarrier teachers received this honor.

Rob Camner is renowned for asking questions. After all, it is the hallmark of a lifelong learner to ponder problem solving and pursue intellectual inquiry, and CWA’s ethos of inspiring lifelong learners is an implicit but critical component of the mission. It’s fitting, then, that Rob is the school’s longest-serving Headmaster and a member of the Upper School faculty.

Having taught linear algebra, civics, precalculus, and AB calculus over the span of his tenure at Charles Wright, Rob has strived to put students first throughout his career. “I think my key educational philosophy, something which I have tried to live by from my very first year of teaching onward, is to listen to students; to treat them with the respect they deserve as fellow human beings (regardless of the way they present themselves); to show them in as many ways as I can that I believe in them, both as people and as academicians, not only for their future potential, but also for who they are today; and to be ‘on their side’ at all times,” he says. Head of Upper School Bill White has witnessed Rob’s philosophy in action. “Rob cares about kids,” he says. “They know he is on their side. He is really in his element when working with kids. He spends hours providing extra help and helping students gain a deeper understanding of the subject being taught. He teaches students how to attack problems they have not seen and how to be intuitive.”

It’s not often that a Headmaster has the opportunity to teach regularly throughout his tenure, but balancing a school leader’s schedule with that of a faculty member is a skill Rob mastered. Students with math textbooks in hand frequently are seen popping into the Headmaster’s office between classes, and it’s not uncommon to see Rob in the hallway chatting with a former freshman seminar student about how current events relate to a topic they covered together in civics. “Rob knows establishing that rapport with kids and being able to work with them is so critical to success,” says longtime CWA teacher and math department chair Gil LeFrancois. “He had to figure out how to carve out time to be available for the kids; given his position, his schedule was not that of a typical teacher. Kids have had to work with him, and he’s had to prioritize that. I think meeting with the kids in class every day allowed Rob to reconnect with that earliest passion he had for why he went into education—working with kids and helping them figure out how to be successful students.”

And from leading Winterim trips to substitute-teaching Spanish to advocating for the establishment of the Upper School’s Student-Faculty Senate, Rob has had the opportunity to work with successful Tarriers in all facets of student life at CWA. “Our deep commitment to the liberal arts, our institutional sense of humor, and our deep commitment to the best interest of students is a legacy I inherited and I hope that I have furthered,” Rob says. “What will stick with me the most from my tenure at CWA are all the wonderful people I’ve had the honor and pleasure of meeting, knowing, and working with, a number too large to enumerate (I hope my math department colleagues will forgive my mathematical misuse of that phrase!).”

It is with heartfelt gratitude that Rob Camner is honored with the 2016 Lifetime Teaching Award for his 20 years of invaluable contributions to the Charles Wright community.

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Retiring Charles Wright Academy faculty members who retire with a minimum of 20 years of service to the school receive a Lifetime Teaching Award. In 2016 three Tarrier teachers received this honor.

We Tarriers often speak of our affinity for lifelong learning. One of the hallmarks of a CWA education is the duality of challenge and support—setting high expectations while providing guidance and a safe environment for exploration and growth. It’s fitting, then, that Gary Petersen ’69 embodies the compassion necessary to teach a course focusing on life lessons that so perfectly encapsulates that duality: the ever-popular Upper School criminology class.

As an alumnus, a faculty member, a coach, an administrator, and a parent of an alumna (Megan ’08), Gary’s ties to the school run deep. His senior year he took the City Course, an elective taught by his adviser, Sid Eaton, who encouraged him to volunteer with a local head start program during the first-ever “senior project,” a precursor to the senior internship program. “That truly was a defining moment in my decision in terms of what I wanted to do with my life in college and beyond,” Gary recalls. “I worked with these little 4- and 5-year-old kids, and it was an eye opener. That class and Sid were a huge influence on the direction my life went.”

Gary’s early career was in juvenile social work and corrections. In 1981 an opportunity arose to return to CWA, and in addition to teaching PE and coaching football, girls basketball, and softball, Gary cotaught criminology with Dr. Richard Neunherz. When Doc retired, Gary took over the course, a history elective. It’s since become an indelible class in the Upper School curriculum. Walking students through the criminal justice system, inviting a series of guest speakers into his classroom, and leading field trips to courts and jails, Gary’s empathy for others and passion for justice has been palpable. “His array of guest speakers initiated wonderful discussions amongst the students,” says Head of Upper School Bill White. “He brought SWAT teams, policemen, drug-sniffing dogs, prosecutors, victims of domestic violence, and gang members to his classroom to discuss their stories and engage students in conversations about their feelings. He took students to drug court and to the local jail. Gary’s interest in helping those who made errors in judgment or those who were part of the corrections or rehabilitation system was always evident.”

Gary has brought that interest and passion to Tarrier athletics, too. He led the varsity girls softball team to the state tournament in 1990, which is one of his favorite memories. Gary served as athletic director for 13 years, during which time the football team competed at the King Dome for the state championship in 1989. “What was so cool about that is how many people—alumni, families, friends—came together as a Charles Wright community to support us,” he says. “It was an event that brought the past, the present, and the future of Charles Wright all together. You can’t replace that.”

It’s no surprise that community is a big factor in Gary’s love for the school. “I admire how big of a heart Gary has for CWA,” says longtime teacher and incoming Athletic Director Tyler Francis. “He is a very unique individual who has a way of connecting with everyone he comes in contact with.” And so it is with heartfelt gratitude that Gary Petersen is honored with the 2016 Lifetime Teaching Award for his 35 years of invaluable contributions to the Charles Wright community.

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Tacoma, Wash. – The Charles Wright Class of 2020 celebrated eighth grade graduation on Thursday, June 9, in the Middle School Commons.

Surrounded by family, friends, and faculty, 61 students commemorated their Middle School careers with song and dance, humorous recollections from the classroom and experiential ed, and well wishes from retiring Headmaster Rob Camner, Middle School Head Rudy Ford, and Eighth Grade Team Leader Rob Scotlan.

After receiving certificates complete with faculty-chosen adjectives to describe each student—a longstanding CWA eighth grade graduation tradition—the new graduates spent the remainder of the day at Wild Waves Theme Park and returned to campus in the evening to celebrate at the annual graduation party in the Upper School Commons. Congratulations, Class of 2020!

To view photos from the day’s festivities, please click here or watch the slideshow below.

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Tacoma, Wash. – Charles Wright’s Class of 2023 celebrated the culmination of their Lower School education on Friday, June 10, with a fifth grade moving-on ceremony in the Donn Laughlin Theater in the Robert A. Camner Language and Performing Arts Center on campus.

Thirty-seven students were honored in front of family, friends, and faculty for their intelligence, kindness, and sense of community. A photo slide show featuring portraits of each student taken by second grade teacher Kevin Hong was on display prior to the ceremony’s start. After welcomes from retiring Headmaster Rob Camner and Lower School Head Diane Hunt, an invocation by Chaplain Mike Moffitt, and words for the journey by fifth grade teachers Helen Bingham-Rowles and Jon Flies, the student choir performed “Like An Eagle” and “One Little Candle” with Lower School music teacher Judy Herrington and then treated the audience to a traditional African praise poem, in which each student shared an aspect of his or her heritage, unique qualities, or emotions. The ceremony concluded with a video presentation by CWA Art Director Amy Senftletben (Connor ’23), which can be viewed below.

Congratulations, Class of 2023! We look forward to seeing you in the halls of the Middle School this fall.

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Each year the Parent Association solicits Inspirational Faculty Award nominations from students, families, alumni, and faculty for an award to acknowledge the unique qualities of an individual teacher that inspire students to learn, families to cherish their child’s experience, alumni to reflect on their CWA days, and faculty to continue to strive to maintain their high standards both in and out of the classroom.

This faculty member is beloved and respected by his students, his colleagues, and the Charles Wright community as a whole. Often being described as having a “quiet wisdom,” he brings an extraordinary teaching experience to his students, who benefit greatly from working with him and from his expertise in his field and in the field of education. “His students walk into my classroom still discussing topics and ideas from his room,” says a colleague. “They talk to me of his wisdom and his caring. They talk to each other of his humility.”

This individual served as a teacher for 15 years before joining the faculty at Charles Wright Academy, and in 2008 he was named English department chair. Since then he has also served as chair of the Curriculum Committee and is constantly striving to ensure Charles Wright students receive the best possible education. “He is a caring advisor and a trusted and respected colleague,” says another coworker. “His teaching is very powerful and solidly grounded, and he is an outstanding department chair and an outstanding member of the faculty.”

Outside of the classroom, this individual is no less impressive, serving as a superb Outdoor Ed leader. Bringing his own talents and successes in athletics as both a marathon runner and a skier, he challenges and inspires his students to grow through wilderness and outdoor experiences. His own adventures include winning the Pikes Peak Marathon twice, setting a record running up and down the Grand Teton, and running the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim-to-rim five times. One colleague writes of him, “His students emerge with an awareness of the world—where before they saw in black and white, now they see in shades and colors.”

Of all his amazing qualities, one faculty member summed it up best when he says, “He inspires students, and he inspires me.”

This faculty member joined Charles Wright Academy in 2004. It is with honor that the CWA Parent Association awards the 2016 Inspirational Faculty Award to Creighton King.

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Tacoma, Wash. – The Class of 2016 graduated from Charles Wright Academy on Saturday, June 11, in an outdoor commencement ceremony on the lawn between the Lower School and the Upper School on a warm and sunny evening. Seventy seniors received their diplomas, each from a faculty member whom they personally requested to present the honor.

Retiring Headmaster Rob Camner led the festivities alongside Upper School Head Bill White and Board of Trustees President Joe Mayer. Chaplain Mike Moffitt opened the ceremony with an invocation before Parent Association Steering Committee Chair Kathy Hinz presented Upper School English teacher Creighton King with the 2016 Inspirational Faculty Award. Founder and headmaster awards were presented to seven graduates: Jackie Yeh (Sam Brown Award), Yuzhi Shao (Bradshaw Award), Carolyn Hosannah (Haertl Award), Dom Refuerzo (Havens Award), Kaylee Kim (Sanford Award), Hasanah McCauley (Minnerly Award), and Johnny Hammer (the inaugural Camner Award).

Upper School science teacher Neil Biermann was elected by the graduating seniors to give their commencement address, and class responses were given by Amanda McLean, Jack Moore, and Hiatt Purcell.

We wish this year’s graduating class the best of luck and look forward to welcoming their visits and celebrating their accomplishments with them for years to come. Congratulations, Tarriers!

For select images from Saturday’s festivities, please click here or view the slideshow below. Photos by Brian Lee.

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Upper School Japanese teacher Stephanie Glenn ’86 shares an update about CWA’s longstanding summer tradition of cultural exchange with our sister school, Mukogawa, in Japan! She writes:

In its 31st year, the CWA-Mukogawa summer program is in full swing! Teachers Dave Adams, Rafe Wadleigh, Christina Bertucchi, and I are so happy to be introducing American culture and the English language to these eager students this year. Our Tarrier assistants this summer are Tin-Tin L. ’19, Kira B. ’19, Georgia K. ’19, and Charen C. ’19. We are working together in English, art, and music classes at the University of Puget Sound campus. Also, our friends from Mukogawa have had homestays with Tarrier families. We have gone to Mt. Rainier and will go to Seattle as well! So fun!

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This just in from Charles Wright Academy Art Department Chair Christopher Hoppin: “Two CWA students, two CWA parents, and I all ran the Stadium Bowl Unleashed race today. All of the kids, one parent, and I earned medals—and Izzie M. ’21 not only won her age group, she was also the fastest woman overall, the fifth fastest amongst all runners, and broke the women’s course record! Sam M. ’20 and his dad ran, and Sam placed second among all 13- to 18-year-old men. Izzie ran with her mom, Julie, who finished third in her group. I finished second in my age group and eighth overall—Izzie beat me!”

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The Charles Wright Academy community went back to school a little early thanks to a spirit kickoff party on August 27. More than 125 people gathered at the Tucci family home to celebrate Tarrier spirit and welcome new Head of School Matt Culberson and incoming Athletic Director Tyler Francis.

Sponsored by the Sports Boosters—who helped to raise funds for new football helmets this year—and hosted by Barb (Dobler) Tucci ’84, the event offered a wonderful opportunity for parents, guardians, alumni, coaches, and friends of the school to gather and reconnect before the official start of school. The RAM food truck provided a delicious summer menu, and beverages were available courtesy of the RAM, Narrows Brewing, and Pacific Brewing. Arts Boosters were also on hand to share visual and performing arts materials and offer memberships. Families will have another opportunity to sign up for both the Sports and Arts Boosters on Friday, Sept. 23, at Charlie’s Picnic, where volunteers from each group will be present.

And speaking of team spirit, Tarriers who are also Seahawks fans have one more opportunity to buy into the Beast Bus tailgate party of the year! Scheduled for September 18 in the Narrows Marina parking lot, the Beast Bus party starts at noon and kick-off between the ‘Hawks and the St. Louis Rams is at 1:05 p.m. Revelers will be showing their 12th Man spirit and cheering on the Seahawks’ inevitable win aboard the bus with 99 other die-hard fans. Delicious appetizers will be provided by X-Group Catering and beverages will be provided by the Narrows Brewing Co. and Pacific Brewing & Malting Co. Please contact Parent Association and Spirit Auction Coordinator Julie Ryan at 253-620-8875 or jryan@charleswright.org if you would like to participate. Only 20 spots are available—get your seat today for $100 per person.

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The Charles Wright Academy football team has 36 players out for the 2016 roster. New CWA Head Coach Brian Burdick will be roaming the sidelines at a local stadium near you—starting tonight at the first game of the season at Toledo High School. Along with new coaching staff comes new Ridell helmets—with help from fund-raising by the Sports Boosters, the athletic department was able to purchase almost 60 new helmets, each with a built-in insight monitor that signals the coach if there is a significant blow to a player’s helmet. These helmets also have a flexible design that distributes the impact of a hit throughout the helmet.

Members of the team have compared wearing the new helmets to having a pillow on top of their heads because of how comfortable and light the new helmets are compared to the ones previously issued to them as part of their uniform and gear. “These helmets feel a lot more comfortable and also look pretty stylish—Coach Burdick did a great job designing the decals that advertise our CWA pride to the community,” says Athletic Director Tyler Francis.

The Sports Boosters raised the majority of the funds that went toward the purchase of these helmets. This group fund-raises for the athletic department through memberships and selling advertisement space in our athletic programs. For more information about the Sports Boosters, please click here.

To see the schedules for all fall athletics—football, girls soccer, cross-country, boys tennis, and girls volleyball—please visit our calendars page.

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Varsity Girls Volleyball @ Emerald Ridge Jamboree Oct. 3

23-25 vs Kennedy Catholic

25-20 vs Todd Beamer

25-13 vs Franklin Pierce

17-25 vs Hazen

18-25 vs South Kitsap

8-25 vs Rogers

Varsity Football @ Toledo High School Sep. 2

7-35

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New Tarriers come in all sizes! In addition to our junior kindergartners in the Class of 2030 (pictured above) and new Head of School Matt Culberson, 10 new teachers have joined our faculty across all three divisions for the 206-2017 academic year—and several departments are under new leadership, including athletics (Tyler Francis), libraries (Sam Harris), and English (Patti Crouch and Rachel Rippl).

“Embracing change is my theme for the 2016-17 school year,” says Head of Upper School Bill White in the September Upper School newsletter. “While some view new teachers with trepidation, which I understand, I see it as an opportunity to bring new energy and enthusiasm to the school. New faculty members bring a fresh perspective and often ask challenging questions on policies and processes. In addition, new faculty members have often been exposed to different pedagogy, uses of technology, and assessment practices. Finally, most of the new additions fill valuable roles outside the classroom such as outdoor education and coaching.”

Below are brief profiles of our new teachers—please welcome them when you see them in the classroom, on the sidelines, or out and about on campus.

LOWER SCHOOL

Emily Hume is joining us as a second grade classroom teacher. She earned her bachelor’s in art history from Macalester College and a Master’s in Teaching from Concordia University. Emily taught kindergarten, first grade, and second grade in the Seattle Public School system beginning in 2011.

Rory James is our new after-school care program director. He is an educator with more than five years of early childhood experience. Rory comes to Charles Wright from Otter and Wolf Wilderness School, where he taught 12- to 18-year-olds plant identification and wilderness first aid and survival. Rory has a bachelor’s in environmental studies from the University of Minnesota.

Michelle Malfet has been appointed to a one-year term as a fifth grade teacher. She comes to us from Chief Leschi Elementary School, where she taught both fourth and fifth grades and was the lacrosse team head coach and Environment Club lead teacher. Michelle earned her Bachelor of Arts in urban studies and a Master of Education from the University of Washington.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Jamie Evans teaches Middle School English. She has taught in a variety of school settings—including urban, rural, magnet, and international. She comes to us directly from Goldrick Elementary School in Denver. Prior to that, she was on the faculty at the American School of Madrid for five years. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in liberal studies and education at Westmont College, a master’s degree in school administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an MA in English literature at Middlebury College.

Susanne Everill takes the post vacated by Sam Harris as Middle School librarian. She last worked at Sidwell Friends School as Upper School library assistant and interim Middle School librarian. Susanne earned a BA in medieval and Renaissance studies from Wellesley College, an MA in the history of art at the University of London, and an MLS from the University of Maryland.

UPPER SCHOOL

Thomas Cramer is our new Upper School history teacher. He comes to us directly from the Robinson Center for Young Scholars at the University of Washington, where he was the history instructor for students between the ages of 13 to 15 who enter directly into the university. He designed and implemented the university preparation program for high school and taught his transition curriculum for the gifted program at Interlake High School. He has three degrees in history: a BA, an MA, and a Ph.D.

Lynn Ellis is our new Upper School math teacher. She earned her BA in mathematics from Middlebury College (cum laude) and a master’s degree in education from the University of Phoenix. Before joining CWA, she was an adjunct professor at Tacoma Community College, where she taught a variety of math classes since 2008.

Nichole “Nikki” Fast has been appointed to a one-year term as an Upper School English and history teacher. She just completed her second year of teaching at Franklin Pierce High School, where she taught a variety of classes in English and social studies. She has a BA in history and an MA in education from Pacific Lutheran University, and she completed the certification for Washington state’s Educators’ Skills Test in English language arts. Nikki has coached both volleyball and rowing.

Charlotte Muzzi joins the Upper School as an English teacher and brings to CWA a rich background and experience. She has taught field-based environmental education, is a Certified Wilderness First Responder, coached ESL students, led a seminar in sexual health and sexual violence prevention, and founded a high school writing center. Most recently, she taught an upper-level writing course as a graduate assistant at Florida State University. Charlotte has a BA in English literature (magna cum laude); an MFA in creative writing; and is pursuing a doctorate degree in philosophy, English, and creative writing.

ATHLETICS

Brian Burdick recently joined CWA as head football coach and a Lower School physical education teacher. He has many years of teaching and coaching experience, beginning in 1992 as a sixth grade classroom teacher at Truman Middle School. Most recently, he was a P.E. and Washington state history teacher at Giaudrone Middle School and offensive football coach at Curtis High School. Brian earned his BA in physical education and recreation from the University of Puget Sound. He was awarded the 2006 Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the Year by the Washington Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance.

The post CWA Welcomes New Faculty Members for 2016-17 Year appeared first on Charles Wright Academy.

On August 25, I had my first opportunity to address the entire Charles Wright Academy faculty and staff. I thought quite a bit about the tone and tenor of my remarks and hoped to engage them with humor, provocation, and an exciting charge for the coming school year.

In my one-on-one visits with teachers and staff members this summer, several themes emerged with great frequency and clarity. First and foremost of those is the passion and great care of every employee for the work we do individually and collectively to support the student experience at Charles Wright Academy. From groundskeepers to AP faculty, from artists to mathematicians, everyone expressed commitment to the work of growing young minds.

What also emerged was some uncertainty about how decisions were made at the school and a desire for clarity regarding what was happening in other divisions of the school. The staff needed to understand the full Charles Wright experience the students have. So in my remarks I focused on two filters we use every time we make a decision or choice at the school about our programs, our resources, and our staffing.

We must always ask ourselves if what we are doing is fully delivering on the promise we made to educate the mind and character of every student, every day—does this choice put what is best for students first? I call this the mission filter.

Second, I said we must always ask if the decision we are making engages our community’s commitment to care for each and every member of the community in an equitable and just way. Do our community members feel valued, safe, and included? I call this the content of character filter.

Charles Wright Academy has the purpose of educating young minds. We choose to do this with a robust liberal arts educational approach that creates balance and healthy tension that leads to strong development of our students. By choosing to create a community—of students, parents, faculty, staff, and alumni—we build a contract with each other that is a commitment to caring equally for every member of our community. With our prima facie filter, the good and welfare of the student, we are confidently building a culture of intentional and healthy change.

Using these filters as we approach daily decision-making at the school, big decisions and small ones, will help us ensure that we are delivering on our mission promise and our duty as educators.

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The Charles Wright Academy Parent Association is looking forward to hosting the 2016 community-wide Charlie’s Picnic (formerly known as the Headmaster’s Picnic) on Friday, Sept. 23.

Tarriers of all ages can expect the same wonderful traditions they’ve come to know and love—the carnival for Lower Schoolers hosted by Middle Schoolers, a community dinner prepared by Chef Sheila Clemans and her food services team, and soccer and football games at Haertl Field throughout the afternoon and into the evening. (Families are invited to bring a dessert to share.) “I always look forward to Charlie’s Picnic, as it’s the only event of the year that brings the entire CWA community—students of all three divisions, parents and guardians, faculty, and staff—together,” says new PA Steering Committee Chair Jenny Unruh, who is mom to two Middle Schoolers and is in her sixth year as a CWA parent. “Rain or shine, it’s always a good time!”

The picnic may be the first PA-related event of the year, but the first open meeting follows shortly thereafter—on Wednesday, October 5, from 8:15 to 10 a.m. in the Lower School Commons. All parents and guardians are welcome. “It will be an opportunity to see what our PA is all about, meet the members of the Steering Committee, and learn what opportunities may be available,” says Jenny, whose favorite PA event of the year is the Spirit Auction. “The Spirit Auction co-chairs and support team do an amazing job every year—they put in countless hours of planning and procuring to ensure a successful and fun event. It’s such a great way to support our school!”

With new leadership and a new picnic name, there is much on the horizon to which the PA and the whole community can look forward. “This is an exciting time for Charles Wright,” Jenny says. “I am honored to be the PASC chair and happy to help bring our school community together.” We look forward to seeing you at Charlie’s Picnic!

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Members of the Class of 2024 are featured in L’Arche Tahoma Hope‘s fall 2016 newsletter in honor of the longstanding partnership between Charles Wright Academy and the L’Arche Farm and Gardens.

Well into its third decade, the service learning program between CWA and L’Arche includes monthly visits by fourth graders to the farm and gardens, where Tarriers work alongside L’Arche residents and employees, many of whom are South Sound community members with developmental disabilities. L’Arche Executive Director and Community Leader Laura Giddings ’80 is an alumna, and her children Peter ’12 and Cecelia ’15 Schilling participated in the program when they were Lower Schoolers themselves. Laura outlined the history of the program in a piece she wrote for the summer 2016 issue of Ties:

“Some 25 years ago, former CWA teacher Danny Millar understood the impact of places like L’Arche when he began a service learning partnership that continues today between CWA fourth graders and the L’Arche Farm and Gardens. Over the course of their monthly visits the students help with tangible tasks required to grow plants, such as seeding, weeding, filling and moving pots, and spreading compost. They work side-by-side with—and learn their tasks from—people with intellectual disabilities. The fourth graders learn less tangible lessons as well, lessons that go beyond the satisfaction of helping others into a deeper understanding of the intrinsic value of every person. Students, along with teachers and parent chaperones, begin to learn lessons of the heart. In fact, that’s how I first got to know L’Arche personally, when my children (Peter Schilling ’12 and Cecelia Schilling ’15) were CWA fourth graders volunteering on the farm.”

Several current fifth graders are featured in the fall L’Arche newsletter, sharing what they enjoyed most about the work they did at L’Arche while fourth graders on their April 2016 visit. Thanks to the L’Arche team for celebrating this wonderful partnership with us!

If you would like to stay up to date on L’Arche news and events, please click here to learn about and subscribe to their various publications. (The newsletters in which Tarriers are featured is Soundings [print] and eSoundings [digital].)

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It was with great excitement that we invited the CWA community last month to view a new collection of short films shining a spotlight on what makes Charles Wright Academy so special. In addition to a highlight reel showcasing the academic, artistic, and athletic programs that set CWA apart is a handful of family testimonial videos wherein Tarriers share why they made the decision to join our school family.

The first video in the testimonial series features the Rouse family. The Rouses are a family of four who first came to CWA in 2007 when their daughters were in Lower School; both are now Middle Schoolers. Last year they made the difficult decision to withdraw from CWA and attend their local public school, but within seven weeks they were back in our classrooms. Here, they share what they learned about the value of small class sizes, what it means to teach to the test, and the overwhelming love of learning their girls feel at CWA.

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We hope your 2016-17 school year is off to a great start.  The Spirit Auction team is gearing up for yet another epic event, which is slated for March 4, 2017.

In fact, we are excited to host our annual Spirit Auction kick-off event on Wednesday, October 19, 2016 at 8:15 a.m. in the Lower School Commons.

Here are our top 10 reasons to attend–We hope to see you there.

Reason #10

Hear about this year’s theme!  Get excited about auction night festivities, and hear about fabulous auction items that will be available!

Reason #9

Breakfast treats and specialty coffee cart!  Come have your favorite mocha, latte, chai, etc… on the house!

Reason #8

A chance to socialize without going anywhere else!  Stop in after you drop off the kiddos!

Reason #7

Learn about easy ways to form a table or join a table of people you would like to sit with on auction night!

Reason #6

Would you like to attend auction as a volunteer?  Come find out about various opportunities and sign-up!

Reason #5

Want to get involved with auction set-up and décor?  Come hear about how you can participate and sign-up!

Reason #4

Come see the new Giving Star!

Reason #3

Learn about advertising opportunities for your business!

Reason #2

We are raffling off two tickets to the Spirit Auction on March 4^th!  Just attend the event for a chance to win!

Reason #1

Your presence at the Kick-Off Event is electric!  Just by being in the room you enthusiastically support an event that aims to raise close to half a million dollars directly impacting your child’s education!

The post Top 10 Reasons to Attend the Spirit Auction Kick-Off Event appeared first on Charles Wright Academy.

Boys Tennis

Final Score:  CWA – 5   W.F. West – 0

1.Singles – Dylan Sam(CWA) def. Andrew Pak 6-0, 6-0

2.Singles – Raghav Agrawal(CWA) def. Levi Walters 6-0, 6-1

1.Doubles – Jorgenson/Wibowo(CWA) def. Painter/Matagi 6-2, 6-4

2.Doubles – Harrington/Obitz(CWA) def. Touney/Nishiyama 6-2, 6-3

3.Doubles – Yuyi/Xin(CWA) def. Ibanez/Gregory 6-0, 7-5

Final Score:  CWA – 5  Cascade Christian – 0

1.Singles – Dylan Sam(CWA) def. Jack Hannah 5-7, 6-3, 10-8

2.Singles – Raghav Agrawal(CWA) def. Trevor Wissing 6-0, 6-2

1.Doubles – Jorgenson/Wibowo(CWA) def. Knerium/Debock 7-6, 6-1

2.Doubles – Harrington/Opitz(CWA) def. Remmington/Wulf 6-4, 6-2

3.Doubles – Lee/Mian(CWA) def. Wagner/Bartles 6-1, 6-1

Girls Soccer

CWA 8 Crosspoint Academy 0

CWA 1 University Prep 5

CWA 1 Elma 3

Cross Country

Boys Win League Meet

1st Adam Berg

4th Adam Briejer

Girls Win League Meet

2nd Brenna Sclair

5th Erica Julian

Volleyball

Charles Wright lost to Life Christian 1-3- 23-25, 25-18, 19-25, 21-25

Charles Wright defeated Forest Ridge 3-2, 22-25, 22-25, 25-15, 27-25, 16-14

Football

CWA defeats Rochester 21-0

The post Athletic Results 9/12-9/17 appeared first on Charles Wright Academy.

Tacoma, Wa. – Celebrating its ninth year, Charles Wright Academy’s Global Summit opened today, Sept. 22. The Tarrier community welcomes high school students and teachers from China, Colombia, Poland, and the United Kingdom to campus and CWA homes for a 10-day social justice and human rights conference. For CWA families with students in 8th, 9th, 11th, and 12th grades, the summit offers a unique opportunity to host a student or two, learn about another culture, and share American culture.

During the summit the speakers, field trips, and discussions focus on moving participants away from an “us” versus “the other” mode of thinking toward one that values connections, the worth and dignity of all people, universal human needs and rights, and the ways each one of us can make meaningful differences in the lives of people who formerly were “others,” usually through simple everyday actions such as by reaching out to understand and include them and by being an upstander rather than a bystander when another person is facing injustice.

CWA families and teachers host all visiting summit students and teachers, so the opportunities for meaningful connections multiply and “dinner-table diplomacy” is frequent, informal, personal, powerful, fun, and often long lasting. Many CWA alumni report that relationships with the students they hosted continue and grow over the years, and quite a few alumni have chosen international relations or related majors and careers, influenced by their summit experiences. The Global Summit has grown to the point that we have more countries wanting to participate than we have families to host.

Among the many past and present summit speakers are Carl Wilkens, the only American to have stayed in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide and credited with saving hundreds of lives; Holocaust survivor George Elbaum, who recently returned to visit Poland at the invitation of our Polish friends; and representatives from Theo Chocolate, a local fair trade bean-to-bar chocolate company. We also have partnered with organizations such as World Bicycle Relief (which inspired a new Theo Chocolate bar and a trip with CWA teacher and students to Zambia to deliver bicycles and chocolate bars); Olympia-based Alaffia, a company that makes personal care products for the sole purpose of supporting families, and especially women, in Togo; Kiva, with whom our summit students fund micro-loans to entrepreneurs from throughout the world; and nonprofits PATH and SPLASH. This year the Global Summit schedule includes a visit to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

What does hosting a student entail? Just being yourself! Visiting students have a full schedule during CWA’s Experiential Education Week, and CWA Upper Schoolers do not have homework this week. Visiting students love picnics, sleepovers, drive-in movies, visits to the mountains or beaches, playing games, going to the mall, spending evenings around the dining room table or a campfire (think s’mores), baseball games, museum visits, and ferry trips to Seattle.

Students typically go quickly from anxious strangers to close friends. In fact, on the Sunday morning when students leave, tears flow and CWA students block the school bus that takes the GS delegations to SEA.

The seeds for the Global Summit were sown in 2006 when former Upper School history teacher Nick Coddington (now a doctoral candidate at Columbia University) attended a Holocaust education workshop in NYC and met a young Polish teacher, Marcin Pasnikowski, who taught at a middle school in Swidnik, Poland. After the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, Poland found itself increasingly turning to the West, so the Polish school created a weeklong exchange program for middle school students in Western Europe. Soon, Nick and Marcin agreed that an American school should join this experience in Poland. The first group of CWA ninth and 10th graders visited Poland in the spring of 2007, and Polish students visited CWA for its first Global Summit that autumn. Our ninth and 10th graders continue to represent the United States at the Polish conference each spring.

The Global Summit has become an integral part of CWA, and quite literally put us on the map. A number of Winterim trips (such as to United Arab Emirates, Poland, and the United Kingdom) have been possible due to the close relationships CWA faculty and families have nurtured with the Global Summit schools.

The post Ninth Annual Global Summit Opens Today at CWA appeared first on Charles Wright Academy.