April 11, 2008 Vol. 3, No. 24
Also available on OES website at http://www.oes.edu/newsletter
  
 
Fifth-Graders Make
Wizardry on Stage
Mrs. Narramore's Fifth Grade class presented a stunning rendition of the Wizard of Oz this week, replete with costumes, sets, and nary a dropped line. They performed for other Lower School students in the LS Library in the production directed by guest artist Matt Loehrke. The spectators loved all the visual and verbal gags, and witch of the west Elizabeth Keeney nearly stole the show with her wicked laughter. See more photos.
Lauren Braner, who shared the role of Dorothy with Anna Dickson, loosens up Tin Man Sam Reed with a squirt of WD-40.		  
 
 
  Track Team Hosts Home Meet 
OES hosted an Upper School track meet April 3 that included five teams. Among the women, Kerry Streiff '10, shown at left, jumped eight feet to take first place in the pole vault and threw the discus 93 feet for first place in that event; she placed third in javelin. Avery Johnson '11 won first place in the shotput and fourth in javelin, and Christina Donovan '09 took second place in the pole vault and long jump. Sarah Doyle '10 tied for second place in the 200-meter dash. For the boys, Charlie Palmer '09 placed second in pole vault at 10 feet, with Jeff Teufel '10 at third place and Conner Johnston '11 at fifth. Nolan Ferar '09 won third in the 800-meter run and fourth in the 3000-meter, while Lito Nicolai '10 placed fourth in both the 400-meter dash and the discus. See more photos.		  
 
 
 
Laurie Huang '10 holds the Semura Award plaque, accompanied by her parents and her sister.		 Sophomore Honored
With Semura Award 
Laurie Huang '10 was presented with the Patty Jeanne Semura Award during Upper School Gathering on Friday. The award is presented annually to the sophomore who is chosen by the faculty as exemplifying the spirit of the late Patty Jeanne Semura '99. The award recognizes a student who possesses the vision, creativity, and potential to make a difference in the world, and who is an active builder of community.
  
 
 
  Cute Class Projects to be Auctioned Saturday Night  
  Students in the Lower School have created beautiful paintings and crafts that will be sold in Saturday night's OES Auction, including the toy box at right. The proceeds from the auction will support faculty development, the AASK program, the new Aardvark Community Park, and other school programs. In keeping with the auction theme of Starry, Starry Night, many of the projects take inspiration from the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh. See more projects.  
 
 
  Brownies Donate
To Playground
Renovation Project
A group of OES Brownies gave a check for $500 this week to Head of School Matthew Hanly for the campaign to build Aardvark Community Park on the site of the Lower School playground. The special appeal at the auction also will be dedicated to the project, which will replace asphalt with greenery and places for creative play. View details about the project here.		  
 
 
  Students Qualify for State Debate Tournament  
  OES hosted the District 10 state qualifying tournament for debate in March, and the team of Clara Dawley '11 and Danny Schwartz '10 qualified for the state tournament. Laurie Rumker '11 will substitute for Danny because he cannot attend the state tourney. The district tournament was the first time in memory that OES has fielded a debate team. The team began as an activity this year with coach Russell Hanes, an Upper School math teacher who debated in high school and college and had coached debate for three years before coming to OES last fall. Russell said that OES parents provided amazing support for the team, including serving as judges for the tournament.
From left, Laurie, Clara, and Danny.		  
  In Public Forum debate, Clara and Danny placed second, the team of Muriel Kenniston '11 and Jasmine Sola '11 placed third, and the team of Jake Sullivan '10 and Katherine Tanoto '11 placed fourth. The topic for Public Forum debate was: "Resolved: The US system of presidential primaries is contrary to democratic values." Ellie McQueston '11 placed fourth in Lincoln-Douglas debate, the one-on-one style. The topic for Lincoln-Douglas debate was: "Resolved: Hate crime enhancements are unjust in the United States."  
 
 
  Volunteers Clean Up the Woods 
More than 60 volunteers of all ages showed up to help clean up the OES woods last Saturday. They pulled ivy off many trees, cleared out trails, and cut back the blackberry bushes. A goal of the Sustainability Committee is to continue clearing out the invasive species such as ivy, Himalayan blackberry, and holly. 		 
 
 
  Fencers Excel in North American Cup in Chicago  
  Michael Wiest '11 won the gold medal in men’s Division III sabre at the North American Cup in Chicago recently. Kirsten Hee '12 came in 8th among Division III women. Both study fencing at the Oregon Fencing Alliance Salle Olney Salon on the OES Campus.  
 
 
  Godowski Named All-Star
Lewis Godowski '08 has been chosen to play on a state all-star basketball team. "He's among four or five kids in the history of the school who have received this honor," said coach Dennis Black, who will coach one of the Division 3A all-star teams. Lewis will play in games at 3:15 p.m. June 20 at Northwest Christian College in Eugene and at 3:15 p.m. June 21 at Clackamas Community College in Oregon City. The games pit the top players from southern Oregon against the best players from schools in the northern part of the state.		  
 
 
  US and MS French Students Dominate on Test
OES students took Le Grand Concours, a National French Contest, before spring break, and the results were pretty amazing. Among students from a number of schools in Northwest Oregon, on the Level 5 exam, Valerie Frank '09 placed 2nd, Emily Petroff '08 placed 3rd, and Jeremy Carp '08 took 4th. On the Level 4 test, Lief Esbenshade '08 placed 1st, and Aubrey Jones '09 took 2nd. On the level 2 exam, Tree Palmedo '11 placed 1st, Jeffrey Crislip '11 placed 3rd, and Nathan Pilkenton '11 placed 4th. On the Upper School French 1 test, Camille Estime '09 and Saskia Ilcisin '10 tied for 2nd, Olivia Haber-Greenwood '09 placed 3rd, and tying for 4th were Angela (Ling) Chou '10, Felicia Doni '11, Kassel Galaty '09, and Jane Whitmore '11. On the Middle School French 1 test, Ayush Gupta '12 and Ryan Stack '12 tied for 1st, Winston Stromme '12 placed 2nd, Justine Moore '12 placed 3rd, and Nathalie Perry-Freer '12 placed 4th. 		 
 
 
  Auditions Planned for All-School Musical
In November of 2008 Oregon Episcopal School will produce its first-ever All-School Musical, The Music Man by Meredith Willson. Auditions will begin in May for the November performances in the World Trade Center Conference Center in downtown Portland. The cast and orchestra will consist of students of all ages. See more information about auditions, dates of performances, and rehearsals.		  
 
 
  Correction: That was Ellie in the Photo
Many alert readers reported that a caption in the previous issue misidentified an actress in the play Fake, by Katy George. The actress in question was Ellie McQueston ’11, shown in character at left. The editor apologizes to Ellie and thanks those who brought this error to his attention.		  
 
 
  About This Newsletter
The Aardvark is a weekly online newsletter for the OES community. You may email editor to submit information. If you know of a grandparent who would like to receive this newsletter, please send an email address for the grandparent(s).