Recent Graduates - Leslie Wason

Leslie Wason, WMS Class of 1997, recently graduated from the University of Delaware with a degree in communications, and we couldn’t be more happy for her! The first week in June, Leslie will launch her career in broadcasting by beginning an internship with Nancy Karibjanean and WHYY’s Delaware Tonight news show. She expects her duties to include setting up and conducting phone interviews and writing, and hopes to find herself out in the field in pursuit of news events. Leslie is looking forward to being involved in the field of broadcasting, and loves that every day brings something new and exciting. She particularly enjoys the “rush” of dealing with a fast-breaking news stories and short deadlines!

Her studies are not the only thing that has been keeping Leslie busy. Throughout her high school and college career, she has been very involved in indoor and outdoor track and cross country running. She was particularly pleased to have received the 2007 Team Sportsmanship Award, an honor given by the members of the University of Delaware Track team. During her Senior year, Leslie also received the Ray E Keesey Award. This award is made on the recommendation of the Department of Communication to the outstanding senior major each year. Well done, Leslie!

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Recent Graduates - David McNamee

David McNamee

Congratulations, Graduate!

We were so pleased to hear that David McNamee, Class of 1997, just graduated from American University with a degree in marketing and communications. His "dream job" would be to manage talent in the field of sports or entertainment. We wish you all the best, David!

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Awards, Honors, & Accomplishments - Jenny Torgerson

Jenny Torgerson, currently a senior studying drama at the Tish School of the Arts at New York University, was accepted to The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London to study for the winter/spring 2006 semester.

Jenny’s professional acting endeavors have kept her busy. She was seen in the M. Knight Shamalan movie The Lady in the Water, and (for Bollywood fans) she also appeared in Quarter Life Crisis.

Jenny is a great example of the realization of our goals as a school. In our mission statement, WMS promises to “empower children to be knowledgeable and responsible contributors to the global community.” Jenny has used her talents as an actor to enhance the lives of the children of the Sunflower Orphanage in Huayllabamba, Peru. Last year, she organized and directed “The Sunflower Benefit Cabaret,” an evening including entertainment that raised nearly $2500 for Southern Cross Humanitarian, a Utah based charity that supports the orphanage. Funding was used to provide animals for the dairy, a new generator, and a year of support for a child. Jenny organized another benefit for the Sunflower Orphanage that was held on July 14 at Archmere Academy.

We are proud that WMS alumni are making a difference!

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Awards, Honors, & Accomplishments - Alexa Pierce-Matlack

Alexa Pierce-Matlack, an eighth grader at Wilmington Friends School, headed a team that presented a research project at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America in Philadelphia. These students were the only middle school students in the country to have their proposal accepted for presentation, and were in the company of students from Brown University, Rice University, Carleton College and the University of California. The presentation grew out of a science project on Hurricane Katrina. Using a controlled experiment, the students investigated how long a levee would last during a flood before it eroded and collapsed. They have been invited to present follow-up research at a future meeting. Alexa turned her paper into a poster for the annual Science Expo at Friends. The final poster and presentation was entitled, “Hurricane Katrina: Using a Stream Table to Investigate the Role of Levee Base Width on Failure Time During Floods.” We are proud that Alexa used her abilities and strong sense of social consciousness to achieve such an accomplishment. Those of us who know Alexa are not surprised that she was the organizer of her team and had the courage to compete with college-level students. Congratulations, Alexa!

Update: Alexa is now a high school freshman at Friends, and is still enjoying academic success. Right now, she is excited about participating in field hockey and the percussion section of the school band, playing the queen in “Once Upon a Mattress,” and attending the Homecoming Dance. You go, Alexa!

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WMS Alumni have the Keys to Success!

We are constantly reminded of how very talented our students are! Cab Calloway School for the Performing Arts recently awarded students “keys” for outstanding achievement in creative pursuits. Floriane Miniscloux (junior), won a silver key for her film, Liz Schaeffer (junior), won three silver keys for graphic works and painting, and Emma Dambach (sophomore), won a silver key for drawing and merit for mixed media.

Alumni often tell us that they felt empowered to follow their interests while at WMS, encouraged to try new things, and appreciated for their special qualities. They take these gifts with them as they leave us, and go on to achieve great things. That’s success!

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Awards, Honors, & Accomplishments - Lauren Bradley

Lauren Bradley

WMS Alumna Honored for Achievements in Arts and Literature.

Congratulations to Lauren Bradley, a junior at the University of Delaware, for receiving a Geis Student Research Award for her paper, Tori Wright, Cindy Sherman, and Notions of Spectatorship. Acceptance of papers into the competition is based on excellence and relevance of the research to women and/or gender issues. An art conservation major, Lauren is also being acknowledged for her work with object conservators who are assisting museums affected by Hurricane Katrina. Good job, Lauren!

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Awards, Honors, & Accomplishments - Daniel Barnes

Daniel Barnes

Where in the World ???

Congratulations to Daniel Barnes, Class of 2003, for winning the Geography Bee for the entire state! Currently a student at Springer Middle School, Daniel will be representing Delaware at regional competitions. We hope he makes it all the way to the nationals. Good luck, Daniel!

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Artistic Alumni Family in the News

It was wonderful to see the Robsons, long time members of the WMS community, featured in the April Sundaylife section of the News Journal. Sonja and David’s son, Zeus, graduated from WMS in 1997, and their daughter, Ingrid, attended for several years as a preschooler.

An actor, Sonja recently performed in “A Few Small Repairs" at 2nd Stage at the Adrienne in Philadelphia this past April. The play was written by her husband, David.

If you would like to find out more about this talented couple’s projects, you may visit www.paintedbirdproductions.org

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An Alumni Wish that Came True!

JJ Nemecz began attending WMS in preschool and graduated from sixth grade in 2001. When Linda Zankowsky asked him what he would wish for to improve the school, he answered “An after school sports program!” JJ’s wish came true, and for the last two years he has assisted PE teacher, Lisa Mann, as a coach and referee for after school sports and the Independent School Sports League.

JJ is currently a senior at Brandywine HS, where his interests include lacrosse. In the fall, he will attend the University of Maryland, where he plans to concentrate on physics. JJ was the first of three Nemecz children to graduate from WMS, followed by his sisters, Amanda and Maggie. We are proud of all three of them!

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The Mighty Meerkats

What happened when the Meerkats, (the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grade basketball team JJ worked with after school) squared off against WMS staff and parents on the basketball court on Feb. 22? What the students lacked in height they more than made up for with skill!

The two teams were remarkably evenly matched, pass for pass and swoosh for swoosh. Perhaps the most fun of all happened at the end of the game when EVERYONE was invited onto the court to play—the action was so fast and furious that it was often hard to find the ball!

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